Welcome Buzz Pet readers to the third of a 5 post series highlighting the often strange but true facts relating to all thing pets! In posts one and two, we discussed some very strange pet related facts.

Let’s kick on with the series and review the 10 Strange But True Pet Facts. Enjoy Buzz Pet readers!

Fact 1: Iguanas are able to hold their breath for up to 30 minutes.

Fact 2: A horse has a very sensitive part on their foot called the frog.

Fact 3: A mother dingo regurgitates her food for her puppies.

Fact 4: A rabbits front teeth grow continuously (incisors) just like toenails.

Fact 5: A dairy cow provides nearly 200,000 glasses of milk in her life time.

Fact 6: An elephant can be pregnant for up to 2 years before giving birth.

Fact 7: A cat’s jaw cannot move sideways.

Fact 8: Cat’s can make over 100 vocal sounds whereas a dog can only make 10.

Fact 9: Newts can regenerate their legs, jaws, eyes, intestines and even hearts!

Fact 10: Ailurophilia is the love of cats.

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Welcome Buzz Pet readers to the first part of a 5 post series highlighting the often strange but true facts relating to all things pets!

For example, did you know that a baby rabbit is called a kitten? Or that frogs have an ear drum outside of their head? Neither did I! So let’s start the series today with my Top 10 Strange But True Pet Facts.

Fact 1: The first animal in orbit was a Russian dog named Laika, in 1959.

Fact 2: A cat purrs at the same speed of a diesel engine - about 26 cycles per second.

Fact 3: The Australian Emu cannot walk backward.

Fact 4: A rat can last without water longer than a camel can.

Fact 5: The Border Collie is the world’s most intelligent breed.

Fact 6: Every cat’s paw print is unique - just like fingerprints.

Fact 7: Equinophobia is the term used to describe someone who has a fear of horses.

Fact 8: The greyhound can reach up to speeds of 67km per hour.

Fact 9: Salmonella can be present on the skin of reptiles.

Fact 10: Chickens cannot swallow whilst they are upside down.

That is all for this post folks, stay tuned for the second part of this series for the next 10 Strange But True Pet Facts!

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Good morning Buzz Pet readers. You may have noticed that the frequency of posts from Buzz Pet HQ slowed down somewhat last week. Now as much as I wish I had been jet setting around the globe on some extravagant holiday (we can all wish can’t we?) the truth is I have been hard at work completing a new feature for the Buzz Pet website called Reader’s Pets. This new feature will allow you to create a Reader’s Pet page of your very own for your favourite pet (or pets!). Each page will include details of your pet (including photos) and will be published on the Buzz Pet website! In addition to this, each Reader’s Pet will have the opportunity to be featured on the Buzz Pet homepage for a week.

I am really excited about this new feature and will of course let you all know when it is up and running on the Buzz Pet website.

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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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Well you might find it strange that I am writing a post about other pet-related blogs, but the below list is truly some of the best pet blogs going around and hence a must-read (as well as Buzz Pet of course!) for any pet owner.  

Happy reading!

• Boo Casanova
• The Many Adventures of Wonder Ruby
• Bazzy Boy, Racing Legend of Sorts
• The Daily Coyote
• The Daily Puppy
• Kitty Limericks
• Butchy & Snickers Blog
• For the Love of Dog
• I Can Has Cheezburger
• Cute Overload

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Welcome to the second post of a 3 part series on the wonderful pet, the Hermit Crab. In this series we will cover all you need to know 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 second post we will continue to discuss how to create the suitable habitat and environment for your new found friends.

Housing and heating

As mentioned in the first post of this series, Hermit Crabs are tropical creatures that enjoy warm and humid conditions. It is hence vital that your aquarium is correctly set-up to simulate ideal conditions. The first thing is to ensure you purchase an aquarium with a glass top; this will help to create a humid environment essential for your crab’s well being. As a general rule, a small aquarium (say 30 - 40cm in length) will comfortably house three Hermit Crabs (and remember these guys are very social so having friends is important!).

The floor of your tank should be kept dry and covered by clean gravel (fine), sand or coconut fibre (forest bedding). The trick here is to ensure whatever material you use is clean - that means if you use sand/gravel to make sure you wash the sand/gravel with salty water (not soaps or detergents) and dry it thoroughly before putting it in the base of the tank. Once the tank base is covered by the base material, make sure you also place a piece of driftwood / mangrove root inside the tank as Hermit Crabs love to climb! Appropriate base material and wood is available from most good pet stores.

Heating the tank is best achieved by using a heat mat that sticks to the base of the tank (having heat rising from the surface stimulates crab activity) The ideal temperature range for Hermit Crabs is between 26C - 32C, making sure that the temperature never drops below 20C as this can be fatal for crabs. Monitoring the temperature should be done by the inclusion of a tank thermometer (digital or mercury) and the inclusion of another low-voltage lamp is also acceptable. Another consideration is the correct placement of your tank within your home; try to find a location that has a constant ambient temperature (and hence not near a door way or window). You may also find my post on The Easy Way to Keep Your Aquarium Cool in Summer useful.

Humidity and water

Creating a humid environment requires not only heat but also water. Hermit Crabs depend on this humidity - an environment with high humidity keeps their gills moist and allows them to breathe properly. A large water bowl (used for drinking as well) that always has water in it will ensure the aquarium stays humid. A good tip is to place a sponge inside the water bowl to encourage the flow of humidity through the tank. Humidity within the tank should be between 70% - 80% so it is a good idea to purchase a humidity gauge to monitor humidity on a daily basis.

A second water bowl is also required for bathing. This second bowl should contain salt water, easily made by mixing freshwater with Hermit Crab Salt (again available from most good pet stores).

That is it for post #2 of the series. Stay tuned for my third and final post on keeping Hermit Crabs as pets where we will discuss diet and shells, and things to look out for when looking after Hermit Crabs.

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Welcome to the first post of a 3 part series on a wonderful pet, the Hermit Crab. In this series we will cover all you need to know in relation to:

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

In the first post we will cover the basics - what you will need to successfully keep Hermit Crabs and details on the crabs habitat and life expectancy.

Why the Land Hermit Crab?

Hermit Crabs (or more correctly termed Land Hermit Crabs) make great pets as they are typically friendly and intelligent, odour free (and hence very clean) and easy to keep as pets.

Equipment you will need

To successfully keep Hermit Crabs as pets, you will need the following items:

• Glass aquarium tank (with a glass top)
• Heatwave mat
• Thermometer
• Gravel
• 2 heavy bowls - one for fresh water / one for salt water
• Food bowl
• Hermit Crab food (such as crab pellets)
• Hermit crab salt
• Drift wood for climbing
• Spare shells.

Once you have purchased the above items (any good pet store should stock all that you require) you will need to correctly set up your tank so that it simulates the Hermit Crabs natural environment.

Habitat and life expectancy

Hermit Crabs for the most part are nocturnal in nature and being tropical, like humid, warm environments. They are also rather social creatures (the name “hermit” is rather misplaced when referring to these little guys!) so it is highly recommended that you keep at least three crabs living together. Like many pets, life expectancy is hard to predict when in captivity (in the wild there have been reports of Hermit Crabs living for 50 years), however many people have success keeping Hermit Crabs as pets for years. The basic rules apply - if you look after your crabs, provide them with the appropriate habitat, food and care, you should enjoy your little pets for many years.

Coming next….

Stay tuned for post 2 where I will discuss housing and heating, and the correct humidity and water for Hermit Crabs.

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I came across this great article published in The Telegraph today - Britain’s Top 20 family pets according to Pete Wedderburn, a freelance veterinary journalist. The list is a great one for families considering a pet, not to mention a fun start to the old age debate……. what is the best pet? 

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 With the Anzac Day break (for us Aussies at least) just around the corner, you may well be heading off for a long weekend of relaxation and holiday fun! Doing so however often requires us to book months in advance for a “room” for our cat/dog at a preferred cattery / boarding kennel. But have you ever considered taking your pet with you? Many hotels, motels and B&Bs now accept guests with pets, with some in fact specialising in providing accommodation for you and your four-legged friend(s). Below are some great links to websites that can assist you with booking accommodation with pet-friendly providers.

Australia

• Last minute deals with pet friendly accommodation providers at Wotif.com.
• Pet-friendly places to stay with Take a Break.

USA / Canada (and other International)

• Listings of predominantly USA / Canadian pet-friendly accommodation providers at Pets Welcome.
• Dog friendly accommodation at Dog Friendly.
• Pet friendly listings for the USA / Canada and other international destinations at All Stays.
• Pet friendly hotel listings for USA / Canada and some other international locations at Doginmysuitcase.com.
• Online directory of pet friendly accommodation providers - USA/Canada - Travel Pets.

UK

• Pet friendly hotels in the UK at Petfriendlyhotels.com.

Photo Credit: Image kindly supplied by Gregory Morris

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