Welcome to another Buzz Pet product review. Today we look at the previously previewed and very chic Sleepypod mobile pet carrier and bed from meowme.

A little bit about the product

The Sleepypod is made by meowme, a USA based company that make a range of innovative pet products including the Sleepypod, Sleepypod Mini and the Cloudpuff.

The Sleepypod is the company’s flagship product that has effectively redesigned the humble pet carrier and brought it into the 21st century (my words not theirs!). Seriously folks, this is one beautiful pet product that not only looks the part but is also extremely functional. So let’s get started with the review.

First impressions

Before evening opening the packaging of the Sleepypod I was impressed by the level of detail; if you are at all familiar with any of Apple’s products (such as the MacBook laptops) you will instantly relate to the experience. The Sleepypod is beautifully packaged with such attention to detail as a colour swatch and sample of the plush interior embedded into the top of the box (so you can see / feel the product without opening).

The product

After hastily opening the box and removing the Sleepypod I began to examine the product itself (note Charlie at this point was inspecting the cardboard box - see below).

The Sleepypod appears to be extremely well made and cleverly designed, with perfect stitching and a genuine solid feel to it. The product itself boasts many features including:

• Removable padded shoulder strap
• Removable mesh dome top with carry handle
• Machine washable and replaceable plush interior
• Water resistant foam liner
• Luggage grade nylon outer bed base.

In addition to the above the Sleepypod can also be purchased with a bed warmer (an optional extra - not reviewed) which is inserted within the Sleepypod base and can be powered by both 240v and 12v power (very handy for longer car trips in winter).

Charlie gives it the run-through

Charlie the Tonkinese (aka official Buzz Pet reviewer) was immediately intrigued with the Sleepypod but in all honesty was initially more interested in the packaging than the Sleepypod itself! Charlie’s love for cardboard boxes was however short-lived and he soon became interested.

The first step of introducing the Sleepypod into Charlie’s routine was to replace his regular cat bed with the Sleepypod (which incidentally I was happy to do). Charlie at first was hesitant to jump into the Sleepypod but preferred rather to sniff his way around as to inspect (and presumably give his nod of approval). I left to him to his own devices only to return later in the afternoon to find him curled up fast asleep in his new bed. One point to meowme!

Lets get mobile

After a few days of Charlie enjoying the Sleepypod as a bed, our first trip in the Sleepypod was achieved - albeit around the house! Charlie was again hesitant at first but soon settled down and enjoyed the short journey enclosed within the Sleepypod; in fact after returning to the kitchen and removing the dome mesh top, Charlie continued to sleep in the Sleepypod until the late afternoon - and they say it is a dog’s lfe! As for carrying the Sleepypod, it is a doddle. Very comfortable and easy to “wear”, it was similar to carrying the Australian made Crumpler courier bags.

Car tripping

After waiting for our car to return from the repair shop, I eventually got around to jumping in the car with Charlie and the Sleepypod and giving the pod a test-drive (excuse the pun). The Sleepypod fitted perfectly on the front seat of my Subaru and with the security of being able to buckle-in the Sleepypod using the seat belt (no more reaching across to the passenger seat to stop the carrier falling off!) we were good to go. A quick trip to the shops and back and not a noise was heard from Charlie; on closer inspection he was yet again fast asleep and secure in his Sleepypod. Second point to meowme.

Hard to fault

I have to say the Sleepypod is very hard to fault; it is genuinely a great product and like none other I have reviewed previously. My only slight criticism would be the fact that the pet carrier is not airline approved for Australian airlines (in Australia all pets must travel within the cargo hold of the aircraft and as such all carriers must be hard cased). This I feel however is a very minor complaint and realistically will only affect the few pet owners that travel by air often with their pets.

Summary

The Sleepypod really is a great product; the design and quality of manufacture is something that I typically do not see in pet-related products. Meome have essentially reinvented the pet carrier - not only is the Sleepypod a hugely functional product, it is beautifully designed and looks great in the home. For those familiar with the typical pet carrier, having the Sleepypod as an alternative is almost a no-brainer. Let’s hope we in Australia start to see the product in good pet stores very shortly!

Note: Currently the Sleepypod is only available through Amazon, selected distributers and the meowme website. If you are interested in purchasing the Sleepypod you can do so directly by using the Amazon links on the Buzz Pet homepage.

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Welcome to the third and final post of a 3 part series on the wonderful pet, the Hermit Crab. In this series we will cover all you need to about keeping Hermit Crabs as pets including:

• What equipment you will need
• Habitat and life expectancy
• Housing and heating
• Humidity and water
• Diet and shells
• Things to watch out for.

In this final post we will discuss the correct diet for Hermit Crabs, shells and moulting, and some useful tips on what to look out for (including potential dangers) when keeping Hermit Crabs as pets.

Diet

Hermit Crabs have specific dietary needs like all animals. Suitable food can include specially formulated Hermit Crab pellets (available from your pet store) which will effectively ensure your crabs are provided with all the necessary minerals and vitamins for healthy living. In addition to specific crab food, Hermit Crabs can also be fed regular “human-food”; being omnivorous means they will eat practically anything (meat, fish, vegetables etc.) so shopping at your local supermarket should allow you to buy suitable food for your crab (remember to stay away of course from high-fat / sugar junk food; this is not good for you or your crab!).

Shells

Other than having a warm humid (and hence moist) habitat to live in, your Hermit Crab’s shell is his/her worldly possession. This being the case, it is critical that you provide spare shells for your crabs to use when they leave their old shells (E.g. to find a larger one). As for what type of shell is suitable, a sea shell that is slightly larger that his/her current shell is your best bet. Provide a few shells for your crabs to use and let them decide which the best fit is.

Moulting

Moulting is the process of when a crab sheds his skin; this is perfectly normal for your Hermit Crab but there are a few basic rules to adhere to during this process.

Moulting will typically occur twice a year for your Hermit Crab and it is important to remember that the process is very stressful for your crab. The basic approach is to essentially create an environment that will assist with the moulting process; this will include:

• Providing a safe and isolated environment (such as another tank) for your crab
• Providing additional water for your crab to drink during moulting (this allows your crab to drink more water and effectively make their body swell to facilitate the cracking of their outer shell)
• Provide suitable sand in their isolated tank that will allow them to penetrate the sand easily and bury themselves (allowing time for their new skin to harden)
• Do not touch your crab at all during this time.

Things to watch out for

At the risk of sounding a little alarmist, there are a few things to watch out when keeping Hermit Crabs as pets to ensure that your crabs are healthy and happy.

Fighting

Fighting is often caused by an overcrowded tank. So if you observe your Hermit Crabs fighting then provide additional trees etc. so that your crabs can spread out a little more or simply replace your tank with a larger tank. Fighting for shells is also common, so make sure your tank has plenty of spare shells for all of your crabs.

Poisoning

Hermit Crabs are of course very small creatures and as such even the smallest of amounts of poison can be fatal for your crab. This being the case it is extremely important that you keep all potential poisons away from your crab; this will include:

• Ensuring that anything put into your crab’s tank is not cleaned by any house-hold cleaners, sprays or been in contact with deodorants
• Making sure that your crab does not come into contact with poisons when taken out of his/her tank (E.g. if you have carpet in your house then typically carpet fibres will contain residues of cleaning fluids that are harmful to your crab - so no play time for your crab on the carpet!).

Wrapping up…

That brings us to the end of our three part series on keeping Hermit Crabs as pets. I hope you have enjoyed the series and as always I encourage reader feedback and comments - just leave a reply using the text box below.

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An interesting article that I read this morning discusses a proposed ban on cats being allowed to venture outdoors. The Nillumbik Council of Victoria, is currently drafting a plan that will extend the current ban on cats being outdoors (7.30pm - 6am) to cats being confined indoors or within cat enclosures 24 hours, 7 days per week. Not surprisingly, the extension has been provisionally supported by both the RSPCA and the Cat Protection Society, although the Cat Protection Society notes that the proposed law must consider the conditions permitted in relation to enclosure/confinement of cats.

I for one have always been supportive of restricting outdoor cat’s behaviour, mainly due to the potential impact on the local wildlife. After all, cats will always be cats and no matter how “domestic” a cat becomes it will always have the urge to hunt. In addition to this, outdoor cats have approximately half the life-expectancy of in-door cats; more than enough reasons to ensure that both my Tonkinese cats Charlie and Milly are indoor-only cats. With proper care and consideration of the needs of an indoor-only cat, most cats can live perfectly happily indoors (you may want to read my post Top Tips to Keep an Indoor Cat Happy).

One question however does come to mind - if the proposed ban is successful, how does the Nillumbik Council plan to actually police this policy? Other than the odd cat being caught and identified by the cat catcher (is there such a thing?), I cannot imagine a great deal of non-law abiding cat owners ever being caught and reprimanded for their cats being outdoors.

I would be interested in hearing what other cat owners think of the proposed ban - please leave a comment below.

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A topic that I love to discuss is whether pet ownership is not only enjoyable but also beneficial to our health as pet owners. So let’s take a brief look at some of the talk around whether pet ownership leads to a healthier life.

Research

Much research has gone into studying the health benefits of pet ownership. Science studies in Australia, Britain, Germany and the United States during the 1990s have come pretty close (in social science terms anyway) to establishing that pet ownership produces health benefits in some shape or form. But pet ownership is not necessarily all smooth sailing. Both benefits and detrimental effects can be experienced, often to the same degree as the highs and lows of a relationship between two humans.

Direct and indirect benefits

It is important to note that the very definition of health needs to be looked at in a broader sense when thinking of the benefits of pet ownership. There are many direct health benefits attributed to pet ownership such as:

• reduced risk of asthma (in children)
• reduced risk of cardiovascular disease
• improved physical condition of older people within the community.

Studies also suggest that there are also many indirect benefits of pet ownership. Typically this is the general well-being of the pet owner that is improved, from a physical and mental aspect. Companionship is the common reason for increased well-being; the very reason why many pets are adopted by owners. In addition, recent news has indicated that the indirect benefits are being taken more seriously - a good example of this is a published news article from the Australian newspaper the Herald Sun, reporting that a Victorian prison had recently taken on the rehabilitation of greyhounds as domestic pets for prison inmates with great success.

In my opinion

For me, there is no doubt in my mind that pet ownership at the very least encourages greater social interactions with other people (E.g. interacting with other like minded pet owners - this may well be one reason you are reading this post!) not to mention pet ownership often being the social catalyst that helps alleviate loneliness and isolation. This of course is experienced at various levels depending on the pet owner, their social situation and the pet, but I would take a guess that at least once, every pet owner has felt calm and with company having their pet around whilst they are on their own.

I for one are thankful for my cat Charlie’s company whilst my partner is away from home; Charlie and I have a strong bond and Charlie seems to even understand that more of his company is needed when I am on my own! Very smart cats those Tonkinese!

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