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Vetafarm

Australia’s leading innovator in animal health and welfare for a range of animals - including birds, reptiles, small animals, dogs, cats and even zoo and marine species.

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Vetafarm
3 Bye Street Wagga Wagga, NSW Australia, 2650

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Surviving Summer: Heatwaves and your pets

Thursday, 03 December 2015 by Allie

Many birds and small animals are not native to Australia and not naturally equipped to deal with the blistering summer heatwaves. At the height of summer, the best option, especially for small animals is to offer them sanctuary inside under controlled temperatures. For birds in an aviary, this may not be an option, so here are some tips to help you get your pets through those sweltering summer days.

Temperatures over 28°c may cause heat stress. Preferred or safe temperatures for small animals are roughly 16-24°c

DANGER ZONE: PETS IN DISTRESS!

Animals stressed by the heat will often behave differently than normal. They may lose their balance, collapse or appear lethargic and stressed. Below are some tell tale signs that your pet will display when it is distressed. It’s essential for you be able to identify these signs, and to know what to do if you see them, but the main thing to remember is that heat stress can set in quickly and you must seek veterinary attention immediately.

Blog_Heatwave-Spark-Liquid-BEAT THE HEAT

During summer, if inside the house is not an option for pets then access to full shade, cool water and electrolytes is essential.

You may have to move your pet’s cage during the day to ensure they have access to shade all day long. Even a few minutes in full sun can be enough to kill on hot days!

Shade cloth is a simple and effective means of reducing temperatures.

If using metal cages keep in mind they retain the heat and your pet will not be able to keep cool.

A misting system can be a tremendous help, and on average will reduce the temperature by about 10 degrees. Make sure you place it somewhere your pet can get cool, but still leaving enough dry area to get away from the mist if they want to.

Cool clean water is essential. Cool being the operative word. Adding a block of ice to water containers and freezing water bottles can help. If using bowls for water, then try to use deeper bowls rather than wide shallow bowls as water will stay cooler for longer. Adding a little bit of Spark Liquid to the water ensures your pet stays hydrated and recharged.

HEAT STRESS AND LIFESAVING ELECTRO – WHATS??

Cooling your pet down is only half the battle. The other half is trying to keep their body chemistry normal. Without getting really complicated, when animals or people get hot, changes begin taking place within the body that can lead to heat stress. These changes are centered around electrolytes and the loss of these all important components of the body due to dehydration.

All animals have electrolytes including humans. They are essential for cells and organs to function normally.

So making electrolytes available to our pets becomes a really important and lifesaving factor. You can use Spark Liquid for this job. Simply add it to your animal’s clean cool water, and you will support your pets with the final piece of equipment they need to deal with the burning inferno that is our beloved Australian summer.

WILDLIFE TIPBlog_Heatwave-echidna

If you rescue an animal suffering from heat stress and dehydration, wrap it loosely in a towel, place in a cardboard box and offer water to drink. Spraying with a fine mist of water can help to cool it down. Leave it in a dark, cool and quiet place and contact your local wildlife organisation. Be sure to record the location of where the animal was found so that it can be returned to the area if it recovers.

 

 

 

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Bearded Dragon Tank Setup

Wednesday, 16 September 2015 by Allie

Interact with the image below for information on how to set up your Bearded Dragon tank.

Bearded Dragon
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Nutrition and MBD in Lizards

Monday, 14 September 2015 by Allie

Lizards make fantastic pets and one of the draw cards for many people is that keeping them in captivity is easy. Or is it?

Let’s start with the two most popular species of lizards kept in captivity- Blue Tongue lizards and Bearded Dragons. Both of these reptiles make great pet choices, however people are often misinformed about the best diet for these lizards when kept as pets.

METABOLIC BONE DISEASE (MBD)

Lizards being fed an incorrect diet can develop serious health problems, the most common being Metabolic Bone Disease. MBD is not new; it has been around for many years in the reptile world and is commonly thought of as a calcium deficiency. However, research in the last 5 years has shown that a lack of calcium is not the only cause of MBD in reptiles. In fact the causes for MBD are complex and multi-factorial – though imbalances in the diet remain THE major contributing factor.

There are a number of symptoms that can indicate your Blue Tongue or Bearded Dragon is suffering from MBD. They range in severity from:Blog_Nutrition-and-MBD-Lizards_Sick-vs-Healthy-Bearded-Dragon

  • Inability to stand and move properly
  • Tremors and muscle twitching
  • Soft jaw and tooth disease
  • Leg, spine and tail twists and bends
  • Fractures and broken bones
  • Eventually weight loss and death

It is important to keep in mind that these symptoms are caused by an incorrect diet, lack of adequate care and exercise. The only way to treat and prevent MBD in lizards is to get these few simple things right. It is actually quite easy to provide a balanced diet for lizards. It needs to contain vitamins, minerals, calcium, fat, protein and amino acids. BUT most importantly of all, the diet needs to be balanced.

NOM NOM OMNIVORES

Both blue tongues and bearded dragons are classed as OMNIVORES. They eat a variety of different foods including both insects, meat matter, and fruit and vegetables. Blue tongues are classified as opportunistic omnivores. They will generally eat most things they come across, with a favourite being snails! This can become a problem in captivity, because they will usually eat just about anything that goes into their food bowls, even if it is not particularly good for them – snails all day every day? Yep, they will take the opportunity!
Blog_Nutrition-and-MBD-Lizards_VegBearded Dragons are also omnivores, but they tend to have a diet higher in protein when they are younger, which gradually changes to a diet higher in vegetation and fibre as they reach maturity. Bearded dragons also develop problems in a captive environment, as they simply LOVE live food and many people find it easier just to feed them what they like – not necessarily the best thing for the animal!

 

 

FORMULATED DIET OR SUPPLEMENTED LIVE FOOD

There are two main options for providing your lizard with a balanced diet that will ensure they remain in peak health – without breaking your bank or your patience.

We believe the easiest way to achieve this is to use a formulated diet, like Vetafarm’s Lizard Food. Being made with fresh Australian ingredients with essential vitamins, minerals and amino acids in perfect balance, Lizard Food is suitable for both Blue Tongues and Bearded Dragons.Blog_Nutrition-and-MBD-Lizards_Mulitical-Dust

If you prefer to feed a live food diet, it MUST be supplemented. Crickets and meal worms are high in fat and protein, with differing amounts of chiton (exo skeleton) depending on the type and age
of the insect fed. Chiton does not contain any nutrition.  While fat and protein are important for rapid growth without the addition of vitamins, minerals and calcium problems arise as a reptiles bones struggle to develop at the same pace as the rest of the body’s tissues and organs.

This makes supplementing a live food diet absolutely critical if we are to avoid deformities and other health issues caused by MBD.

There are two ways you can supplement a live food diet- either by gut load or dusting. Vetafarm prefers dusting as opposed to gut loading as it can be difficult to ensure the insects have eaten enough gut load to be beneficial. Vetafarm’s Multical Dust is a great dusting product to use, as it is the world’s first all in one powder, containing vitamins, minerals and calcium. In our opinion, live food should be dusted EVERY feed or at least every second feed.

Check out our video below for a quick demonstration on how easy it is to dust live food.  It is super simple!
Blog_Nutrition-and-MBD-Lizards_Lizard-FoodWhichever way you decide to feed your lizard, it is also important to provide fresh fruit and vegetables as part of the daily diet. Adult Bearded Dragons in particular rely on daily access to fruit and vegetables, being prone to obesity issues caused by high fat, high protein diets once they have finished growing.

Leafy Dark greens and red vegetables usually contain the most nutrition, so it’s a good idea to use these as the bulk of your mix. A small amount of Multical Dust can also be used in a sprinkle over vegetables.

Nutrition plays a major part in MBD in reptiles, however lighting and husbandry are important as well. Be sure you research the particular tank and lighting requirements for your lizard. You can also read our article “Keeping a Baby Bearded Dragon” which explains a basic tank setup.

 

 

 

Bearded DragonBlue ToungeLizardMBDreptile
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