Product Review - Fooey and Bitter Apple Biting/Chewing Deterrent

Chewing or biting by your pet can be an unpleasant habit that at times seems impossible to break. Some animals, such as dogs, chew objects to ease stress. Birds, ferrets, and other small animals bite objects to get a sample of their smell, taste, and texture. Biting and chewing is a natural behavior of our pets that helps them to perceive their world. 
Unfortunately, when they are trying to perceive your finger, or your kitchen table's legs, the results can be pain or the destruction of your prized possessions. There are many products available that claim to deter your pet's natural behavior. The most effective of these are the sprays Bitter Apple and Fooey.

by  Bukowsky18 


The first of these, Bitter Apple, is a spray that you apply to any object you don't want your pet to chew or bite. It is non-staining and can be applied to almost any object. It's secret is it's ingredient, pure alcohol. There can be a slight odor when applied, but it dissipates quickly as the alcohol evaporates. The evaporation rate of alcohol is also this product's downside. While the taste is unpleasant, it doesn't last long. If the animal is curious enough to try and put the object in their mouth a second time, it's likely they will learn the taste starts to go away.



In my opinion, a more effective deterrent is the Fooey Ultra Bitter Spray.  I have personally tasted both of these products, and I tell you from experience, Fooey is exponentially worse tasting. It still has a bitter taste, but it doesn't evaporate like Bitter Apple. Once the taste gets on your pets tongue, beak, or lips it is there to stay. Some dog owners have found that their dog actually enjoys the taste of Bitter Apple, but this will not happen with Fooey. Fooey is not made with alcohol, but grapefruit skin extracts. It also has no odor, and won't stain. Fooey can even be used topically on a dog that may be chewing at itself, and it won't burn an open sore like the alcohol in Bitter Apple could. If I have had to choose between these two products, I would definitely choose the Fooey for every occasion.

While it may be impossible to prevent your pet from biting and chewing, it is possible to deter them from biting or chewing certain objects. Both of these sprays are effective at making your pet think twice about chewing anything the spray is applied to, including fingers. By directing you're pet's chewing behavior to more acceptable objects like toys, you'll be able to make both you and your pet happier!


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Product Review - Ethical Pet Laser Pet Toy

What is the most fun you could have with your pet for under $5.00? The Ethical Pet Laser Pet Toy is! I have never found a toy that can provide so many laughs, and hours of entertainment for you and your pet as a simple laser pointer.

There's something about a little red dot that can instantly capture the attention of any four legged  animal you may have in your home. The erratic movement inspires your pet's instinct to hunt, and their inability to ever catch their "prey" provides the mental stimulation that our pets so desperately need.

The Ethical Brand Pet Laser Toy comes with 5 interchangeable lenses so you can change the appearance of the dot. One of them is even a mouse for your cat to practice it's killer instincts around your home! The Ethical Pet Laser Toy comes with it's first set of batteries, so the fun can start as soon as you receive the product.

If you're still not sold on a the most fun for your buck that you can find anywhere, here are some satisfied customers.



This dog loves it so much he even asks for it by pressing a switch!


So if you're on a budget and tired of buying toys for your pets that seem to just get destroyed within a few days, or you just want something new to entertain your pet, try the Ethical Pet Laser Toy. They are cheap, last forever, and will provide hours and hours of happiness for you and your pet!

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Feather Plucking

You've noticed lately that your parrot has started losing feathers. At first it was just a few on the bottom of his cage, but now, he appears to be going bald! Not to worry, this is a fairly common issue with birds, particularly parrots.


Generally, when birds fall ill, they show very few signs of being sick. Of all pets, bird's are probably the least domesticated, and act almost exactly the way they do in the wild. Hiding illness serves them well, as predators don't know who to pick as the weakest member of the flock. What does this have to do with feather plucking? Well, we can rule out a major illness. If your bird is plucking out it's own feathers, there's little reason to suspect that it may be sick. That's good news!

When your bird is plucking it's feathers, it's a sign that the bird is bored. Parrots are very intelligent and need to have large amounts of socialization and mental stimulation. They get this in the wild by being a part of a flock, and searching for food. In your home, in a cage, it's like being in solitary confinement for your bird. We use this same method as punishment for our criminals, we should understand the effect is similar on a bird.

A cage is necessary for your parrot's safety around your home, so we must do our best to make it's cage a place of relaxation and fun. The first way to do this is lots of toys. I prefer tough indestructible toys that present the bird with a problem, like how to get the treats out. This exercises their mind and gives them a creative outlet.

  by  â™¡Blackangelツ

 When people first hear this, their inclination is to fill the cage from top to bottom with as many toys as it can hold. I'm sure your bird would love this for a week or two, but it's not effective. Eventually, the bird will get used to it's toys and get bored again. I like to recommend having a supply of 7-10 different toys, and only put 2-3 in the cage at any time. Every week rotate out the toys, so no single toy stays in the cage for very long. By the time you put any specific toy back in the cage, it will be like new again!

Every parrot owner also needs to allow their bird some time outside of their cage. Even if you own a parrot that cannot be handled, you should allow it some time out of its cage. They need to explore their surroundings and be in a new environment on a regular basis. I highly recommend making sure your birds wings are clipped to prevent it from flying, house's are generally not good places for aerial acrobatics. This time out of it's cage will do wonders for your bird, it helps the bird to not view it's cage as a prison, but rather just another room of the house.

The third thing your feather plucking parrot needs is socialization. Most parrots live in large flocks in the wild, and they need to feel a part of a group to feel secure. If possible, the best thing you can do is directly interact with your bird. Play with it, talk to it, and hold it. When you're not directly interacting, the bird's cage should be in a high profile area of your home. They do best in a room where your family spends most of it's time. Even being in a cage, seeing the members of your house gives the bird something new to concentrate on all the time. It lets them know that their "flock" approves of them, and will be there for them.

If you own a bird that is plucking it's feathers, its best to improve it's daily mental workout. By providing toys and socializing your bird, you can make both you and your parrot happy!
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Unrequited Lovebirds

Parrots are one of the most misunderstood pets in the industry. When most people acquire a parrot as a pet, they have no idea the time or energy involved in caring for it, but they also don't realize how rewarding a bird can be if it's properly cared for. Some of the best friends I've ever had have been birds. Large birds are some of the most loyal and affectionate animals, if you know the behaviors it uses to show it. To understand your bird's attempts to communicate with you, it must be understood first how it relates to other members of it's flock in the wild.

 

One immediate, sometimes off-putting behavior of birds is biting. Many parrots can no doubt inflict a severe wound with their beaks, but not all "biting" is bad. A bird uses its beak not only to eat and defend itself, but to communicate affection to fellow birds. Despite it's appearance a bird's beak is very sensitive. The most useful sense to a bird next to it's eyesight is it's sense of touch. They will put their beak on everything. This is how they investigate and perceive their world. Their beak can give them massive amounts of information from edibility to temperature. As most bird owners know, a gentle mouthing by your bird is an everyday occurrence,  and should be welcome. Most of the time when a bird "bites" it has nothing to do with aggression,they are merely curious, and if you can be patient and control your fear, you'll find they aren't biting hard at all.

Another affectionate yet misunderstood behavior of birds is vomiting. If your bird vomits on you, consider yourself lucky! Your bird loves you! Starting from the moment they are hatched, birds throw up on each other. We've all see a mother bird regurgitate her food for her babies, but most people don't know this behavior doesn't stop when the bird becomes grown. All birds have an organ called a "crop" in their digestive tract, just before their stomach. The purpose of this organ is to hold small amounts of food, to be regurgitated on a whim. In a flock, adult birds often share small amounts of this food with each other to strengthen their bond, and communicate what kinds of food individual birds are finding in the area.

Before you dismiss a large bird as aggressive, or even insulting. Look at the bigger picture of your bird's behaviors. You might just find you had a best friend that was just showing you love, the only way it knows how!

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