HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: njl@drutx.ATT.COM (LaRocheNJ)
Newsgroups: rec.pets
Subject: Bunny ears (was Re: bunny's new favorite food...)
Summary: Bunnies' cooling apparatuses (apparati?)...
Keywords: help! nervous bunny mom!
Date: 17 Dec 92 20:06:44 GMT
Organization: AT&T, Denver, CO

In article <1992Dec17.112244.9044@news.cs.indiana.edu>, alyoung@kiwi.ucs.indiana.edu (Amy Young Leith) writes:
> 
> I wondered why Dink's ears get so hot sometimes.  Upon looking the
> ears have comparatively little and short fur on them, and also seem to
> have a lot of blood vessles in them.  Is this the cooling aparatus?

You've got it!  Notice when it's warm how Dink holds his ears up and when it's cold
(well, it probably won't get cold enough), he lays them against his back (unless
he's a lop who can't do this).  This is how he manipulates the cooling apparatus for
his comfort.

Nancy LaRoche (HRS)
att!drutx!njl
Newsgroups: rec.pets
From: swoodcoc@nyx.cs.du.edu (Steven Markus Woodcock)
Subject: Re: Fussy Ferrets and food
Organization: The Good Guys, Inc.                                             
Date: Sat, 19 Dec 92 17:46:03 GMT

  We have six of the little weasels, and they all have their preferences:

   Missy -- Loves sweets, either fruit or candy.  Prefers chocolate but
            we'll only give her a carob chip every now and then.  Loves
            raw eggs and milk (although she usually gets the runs if she
            has very much of the latter).

   Newone -- A MAJOR cheese fan--she will do ANYTHING for a piece of
             cheese!  Doesn't seem to care what kind, so I buy her the
             cheap stuff (American).  Also likes eggs and milk and is a
             big fan of tomatoe sauces.  Likes some kinds of bread,
             especially if it's been dipped in meat or tomatoe sauce.

    Zeb --  Likes carob chips.  Not really fond of much else.

    Minx -- All of the above, plus styrofoam (we try NOT to let her eat that!).

    Slinky -- Fond of carob chips and nuts.  She's picky and doesn't always
              like the same thing two weeks in a row.

    Puck -- If you offer it to him, he will eat it.  Prefers to steal it
            from one of the others.



Steve & Colleen
Proudly Owned by Missy, Newone, Zebulon Pike, Minx, Slinky, and Puck

--
    "...Men will awake presently and be Men again, and colour and laughter and
 splendid living will return to a grey civilization. But that will only come 
 true because a few Men will believe in it, and fight for it, and fight in its
 name against everything that sneers and snarls at that ideal..."
Newsgroups: rec.pets
From: almanb@sr.hp.com (Bob Alman)
Subject: Re: bunny litter-training--help!
Date: Mon, 14 Dec 1992 05:57:20 GMT
Organization: HP Sonoma County (SRSD/MWTD/MID)
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1.4 PL6]

We have two Holland Lops who we litter-trained as soon as we got them. It was
quite simple actually (at least for these guys). We just put litter boxes in the
cage and they jumped in the box right away! They seemed to want to go in there
right away. After about 3 days or so they would go back to the cage and jump in
the box for relief. They did not do so well with the pills, however. But they
are so dry anyway it's not a problem. Now after a year one is TOTALLY box
trained! Not a pill anywhere, ever! The other guy is not so good about it and I
think it is because he and his roommate are boys and was only recently
neutered. The other one was neutered 9 mo. ago as he was quite violent back
then. I will see if neutering this last one gets him so he will keep it in the
box as he gets less territorial (hopefully) we have to cage these guys more
than I like to protect them from fighting. 

Anyway, I think they want to litter train somewhat naturally, but it seems 
they do use there pills and sometimes their urine to mark their territory. 
We did want 2 does and the kids named them Flopsey and Mopsey. They became 
violent and when I noticed a little extra equipment on both....well we 
had bonded with them and the names were permanent. Oh well!

Bob 

Newsgroups: rec.pets
From: ness@tc.fluke.COM (Jerry Ness)
Subject: Re: Clucking/grunting ferret noises
Organization: John Fluke Mfg. Co., Inc., Everett, WA
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1992 13:48:14 GMT

I've heard these ferret noises called all sorts of things, but my wife 
and I have always seen it as a 'happy' exclaimation. Our kids make
these sounds when they are really havin' a good time.

Maudi, our matriarch, hisses at me when 'I' can't tell the difference
between a playful nip and a painful pinch! She will come up on the 
couch for some attention and strokes, then she will start licking
my arm. Then she pinches my arm. Most of the time it's pretty gentle
but, every now and then I think it's a little to hard and I will pick
her up by the scruff of the neck and tell her NO very loudly and put
her on the floor. As soon as I pick her up she starts hissing. As soon
as I put her on the floor she scrambles right back up and pinches my arm
again. The second time is usually much more gentle than the first time.
After she pinches my arm again she just backs up and looks at me as if
to say 'see I tried to tell you I was only playing!'.

Maudi owns all the rubber ferret toys! She keep very close tabs on all
the toys by 'hiding' them in secret places in out bedroom. Some of them
belong in the closet and a couple of them belong under my chest of
drawers. Three or four of the hard rubber dumb bells are kept in an
old easter basket, which in turn is kept in several different places
in our bedroom. Sometimes Maudi's basket is right in the middle of the
floor. We are pretty sure she thinks the 'bells are hidden pretty good
'cuz a ferret can't see them from the floor. If one of the other
ferrets interupts her while she is re-arranging her toys it sounds
like the nastiest of ferret fights has just broken out in the bedroom.
She makes the loudest high pitched yammering squeal! It took us a 
while to figure out no one was getting hurt, just yelled at!

'nuf ramblin'
Jerry

owned by:
Maudi Bryn Ben Toby Bobbin   Magellan Willie Turbo
            ^                           ^
         ferrets                     felines
-- 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jerry Ness             John Fluke Mfg. Co., Inc.        Everett, Washington USA
            domain:    ness@tc.fluke.COM   
            uucp:      {sun,microsoft,uw-beaver}!fluke!ness
Newsgroups: rec.pets
From: "Amy Young Leith" <alyoung@kiwi.ucs.indiana.edu>
Subject: Re: bunny litter-training--help!
Organization: Indiana University, Bloomington
Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1992 16:06:24 -0500

In article <1992Dec15.183246.18885@unislc.uucp> erc@unislc.uucp (Ed Carp) writes:

>I've never found a rabbit that could be "pellet-trained" - the nature of
>their feces is such that it just kinda slips out... :)

Huh?  

You've never met Dinkum, nor many of the house rabbits I know. 

Dink alway uses his cage or the separate litter box we have for him.
If he's under stress and feeling territorial (a lot of guests in the
house, etc) then he'll go into the bathroom and drop a few on the rug,
but that is, again, on purpose.   

He never does it anywhere he's "not supposed to" outside of that. 

amy
-- 
alyoung@kiwi.ucs.indiana.edu for personal mail
			    All business mail to alyoung@silver.ucs.indiana.edu
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
**Dislcaimer:I only speak for myself.  Anyone who thinks differently is a fool.
			(This means NOT my employer!!)
Newsgroups: rec.pets
From: kjt34420@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Kristin J. Thommes)
Subject: Re: How to stop a dog from eating its own stool?
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1992 16:22:47 GMT

pinghann@maui.cs.ucla.edu (Ping Hann Wang) writes:

>Is there any effective way to stop dogs from eating stool?

Yes, there is a product out on the market that you can probably purchase
from your veterinarian.  It is called Forbid.  You mix it in with the dog's
food, and it will make the dog's stools taste really bad (or at least, worse
than they do already).  Usually one or two treatments with the stuff is enough
to stop them from eating their stool.  Of course, for it to work effectively,
you will have to make sure to clean up any non-treated stools from your yard
or he eat them rather than the ones that taste bad.  

Good luck!!


--
From: srmaygar@eos.ncsu.edu (STEVEN RICHARD MAYGAR)
Subject: Snakes for pets
Originator: srmaygar@c00508-119rd.eos.ncsu.edu
Reply-To: srmaygar@eos.ncsu.edu (STEVEN RICHARD MAYGAR)
Organization: North Carolina State University, Project Eos
Date: Sat, 12 Dec 1992 16:15:51 GMT


This is my first time reading this group. But what kind of pets do boas 
or pythons make? I'm thinking of getting one, so how much up-keep do
they take? Any info on them would be great.

					Steve :)
Newsgroups: rec.pets
From: gremlin@buhub.bradley.edu (Stephanie Udry)
Subject: Re: bunny litter-training--help!
Organization: Bradley University
Date: Fri, 18 Dec 92 05:53:51 GMT

In <22913@drutx.ATT.COM> njl@drutx.ATT.COM (LaRocheNJ) writes:

>In article <1992Dec15.183246.18885@unislc.uucp>, erc@unislc.uucp (Ed Carp) writes:
>> Stephanie Udry (gremlin@buhub.bradley.edu) wrote:
>> 
>> I've never found a rabbit that could be "pellet-trained" - the nature of
>> their feces is such that it just kinda slips out... :)

just so you know, _I_ was _NOT_ the person who said this....check your
attributions bettter....since i've never had any pet, much less a rabbit,
i'd never make a judgement like this

--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~ Stephanie Udry                tanha on IRC                        ~
~ gremlin@buhub.bradley.edu     goddess of mischief and grins       ~
~   "The innocence of sleeping children, dressed in white and slowly~
~    dreaming, stops all time."    "primary" by the cure            ~ 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Newsgroups: rec.pets
From: sstockw1@cc.swarthmore.edu (Sarah Stockwell)
Subject: Re: Fussy Ferrets and food
Organization: Swarthmore College
Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1992 05:41:43 GMT

In article <1gbij1INNfu1@access.usask.ca>, idg39@jester.usask.ca (Gowsell)
writes:
> She also liked grapefruit sections and orange sections... and apples.
> 
> So, what do your critters like?

Raisins.  And instant minestrone and split pea soup.  And those flourescent
orange crackers that come with "peanut butter" sandwiched between them (but
those make her sick, so she doesn't get any).

--Sarah
From: cam@milton.u.washington.edu (Cameron Ritchie)
Newsgroups: rec.pets
Subject: Bunnys and Christmas Trees
Summary: Is it OK for the buns to eat the needles?
Keywords: Bunnys, Pine Needles
Date: 11 Dec 92 18:43:35 GMT
Article-I.D.: milton.cam.724099415
Organization: University of Washington

Here is a bunny question that I haven't seen asked before.  Is it dangerous
for bunnys to eat pine needles that have either fallen from a christmas
tree or are still on the lower branches?  We set up our tree last night
and, of course, the first thing the two buns do is dash over to check out
this "intruder".  After much thumping and ear-swiveling, it was decided 
that the tree was not a threat.  Next, as seems to always be the case, it
was decided that the tree might be good thing to eat, so they sampled some
of the needles before we blasted them with the water bottle to get them away.

The house rabbit handbook doesn't list pine trees on the list of dangerous
house plants, but I wonder if anyone on the net knows anything more about
it?  Thanks.

Cam 
Newsgroups: rec.pets
From: urf@icl.se (Urban F)
Subject: Ferret harnesses
Organization: None. On USENET I speak only for myself.
X-Alt.reply-Address: n.g.u.fredriksson.swe2001@oasis.icl.co.uk
Date: Thu, 10 Dec 1992 11:01:19 GMT

garvey@skybridge.SCL.CWRU.Edu (Heather Garvey) writes:

>	My Chelsea started out with a 10" cat harness and has just recently
>graduated to a 12". They're the harnesses with one neck collar and a strip
>connecting it to a similar waist collar. (Looks like a capital 'I' when
>laid out flat) The 12" fits her neck comfortably, while the waist is
>more than ample. (I'm not sure what the measurement 12" means. Her neck's
>not *that* fat; she's still a young nipper.) 

I think 12" is supposed to be the size of the cat. The ones I use for
Allison and Natasha have a separation of about 5 cm between neck and
chest collar, their weights are 0.85 and 0.88 kg and they can not get
out of them. This is what I use together with my 5 m flex-leads. (No,
it's not easy to keep them distangled form dead grass, branches, rocks,
telephone poles etc when taking them out this time of year -- as we've
only got about 5 hours of daylight it is mostly dark.

But I've got a lightweight (specially made for ferrets??) solution too.
It's a lead that is nothing but string, a little metal square with 5
holes/notches in it and a clip at the end. The lead goes down from your
hand through the metal plate, loops around the neck and back through
the plate, then loop around the chest and clip it to the plate.

You adjust the size of the loops once and for all, and the front one
you don't need to open again. Very secure if properly adjusted.
--
 Urban Fredriksson  urf@icl.se  
Newsgroups: rec.pets
From: kenny@stsci.edu
Subject: Funny bunnies
Organization: Space Telescope Science Institute
Distribution: na
Date: Sat, 19 Dec 1992 22:32:24 GMT


Let's start up a new bunny topic here.  What are some of the funniest stunts
your bunnies have ever done?

Here's a few classics from my all time bunny clown, Dumbo (big gray lop, what
else could I name her?)

All of my other rabbits panic when I run the vacuum, or at least won't come
anywhere near it.  But not Dumbo.  She attacks it.  One day I had the bottom
part of the vacuum off, and was using just the hose part to vacuum the hair
out of her cage.  Well, Dumbo hops in to investigate, and sticks her nose
right up to the nozzle.  Sluurp!!  One of her long ears got sucked around her
face and right into the vacuum!  I quickly shut it off and pulled her ear out
of the hose.  She just shook her head and hopped off like nothing had happened.
And she still attacks the vacuum.
Probably the funniest thing I've ever seen her do was in her litterbox.  She
likes to flop over on her back and roll around in the litter (gross!).  Well,
one time she meant to do this, but must have slipped or something, because she
managed to do an absolutely perfect somersault!  Her litterbox is one of those
with an overlapping lip so she can't throw the litter out.  She landed flat on
her back, her butt on top of one of the corners, and her four legs sticking
straight up in the air!  She couldn't move in any direction, so she just lay
flat on her back squirming, trying to get upright.  I was laughing so hard I
couldn't even get up to help the poor thing.  She finally managed to right
herself, and was positively covered with litter.
Then there was the time we were searching everywhere for her.  We looked under
and behind things and called her.  Finally I went into the bedroom and heard
scratching noises coming from the walk-in closet.  I looked in there, and 
each time I heard the scratching noise, a pair of gray ears would pop up over
the boxes at the very back of the closet.  She had somehow gotten on top of all
the junk in there, made her way to the back, and fallen in!  I had to take
everything out of the closet (no small task!) to rescue her.
She also likes to climb up on the back of our pappasan chair and do a balancing
act along the top.  As was inevitable, she fell off the back.  I was expecting
this big gray lump to hit the floor, but no body appeared.  Instead, I just
saw bunny legs dangling from the back of the chair.  She was holding on to the
back of the chair with her front legs, and swinging back and forth.  She got
several few good swings in, too, before gravity won out, and she finally
thudded to the carpet.

Are there any other folks out there with bunnies as crazy (or daring) as this
one?

Debbie (slave to 9 bunnies)
Newsgroups: rec.pets
From: palmj@marcus.its.rpi.edu (Jyri L. Palm)
Subject: Re: littertraining ferrets
Distribution: na
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1992 05:18:22 GMT

graziano@ravel.udel.edu (Lisa Marie Graziano) writes:


>may start, since Cheerio does it all the time.  
>	Also- does anyone else have a ferret who reacts aggressively to
>certain noises, like alarm clocks?  I had to buy 3 new clocks before I

I have a hand-held Oreck vacuum with hose and a nozzle for tight
spaces.  I use it to vacuum up the bits of food or litter on the 
floor in the bathroom.  Quite often when I use it, "CrazyGirl" chases
it all over the place and continuously tries to bite the nozzle.

If I suck her fur a little she goes even crazier doing that ferret
headshake maneauver and bouncing around.

Newsgroups: rec.pets
From: jeffp@wsuaix.csc.wsu.edu (Jeff Parke;S10000)
Subject: Re: ferret shots
Organization: Washington State University
Distribution: na
Date: Fri, 18 Dec 92 17:15:28 GMT

In article <BzDLMH.L23@news.udel.edu> graziano@ravel.udel.edu (Lisa Marie Graziano) writes:
>
>About rabies shots, and other vaccinations.  I've heard that shots
>developed for dogs or cats may actually be harmful for ferrets.  Is this
>true?? That is the reason mine haven't been vaccinated.  But they spend
>about 6 weeks each year in the company of numerous dogs and cats, so maybe
>they should be vaccinated.

I believe there is a specific rabies vaccine approved for use in ferrets
(and appropriately tested in order to get approval).  I also know that
ferrets are being routinely vaccinated for distemper, although I don't
know which product is used for this.

---------------------
Jeff Parke <jeffp@vcs10.vetmed.wsu.edu>
also:   jeffp@WSUVM1.bitnet   AOL: JeffParke
Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine class of 1994
Pullman, WA  99164-7012

Newsgroups: rec.pets
From: megm@sco.COM (Meg McRoberts)
Subject: Re: Brushing a shedding bun
Organization: The Santa Cruz Operation, Inc.
Date: Sat, 19 Dec 1992 07:36:00 GMT


==> > WHY is he shedding now?  The hair to me, in the brush, looks to be all
==> > one color, and he's a white and multicolored bun. 

yes, rasta just started shedding again, too.  after the heavy
shedding of a couple months ago, i really thought we were done
with this for a while.

one other possible thought i've had is that her skin is drying
out a bit because of running the furnace.  so i tried spraying
some skin-so-soft on my hands then petting rasta all over.  it
really cut down on the shedding, it seems, although maybe she's
still throwing hair and the extra moisture is just holding it
on her body or something.
From: alyoung@kiwi.ucs.indiana.edu (Amy Young Leith)
Newsgroups: rec.pets
Subject: Re: Funny bunnies
Date: 20 Dec 92 21:49:26 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: Indiana University, Bloomington

In article <1992Dec20.153808.1@stsci.edu> kenny@stsci.edu writes:
>Well, I guess I'm a member.  I sent them money last August and have received
>only one House Rabbit Journal so far.  And I do hug them; unfortunately, not 
>all of them appreciate it - I have scars and scratches to prove it.  They
>much prefer I scratch their backs.
>
>Debbie

Perhaps Dink is just strange, that would be no far stretch of the
imagination, but he loves to be held.  Sometimes of course he's too
busy, not in the mood, has a headache, etc, but as a rule, he doesn't
mind being picked up at all as long as he's supported properly.  

Perhaps it was because we got him really young, and I constantly was
holding him, carrying him around, petting him, probably in all the
"wrong" ways.  But he's used to it now, and uses me as a human jungle
gym when he feels he's not getting enough attention.  

How much did most of you pay for your rabbits, if you received them
from a seller?  Dink was $14.99 at a slightly out of town pet store
that had about eight of them, half spoken for, in the first part of
June.  Other stores normally don't have a whole lot of them, if any,
except around Easter.  The thought of all the impulsive purchases is
almost too much... Anyway, at other pet stores I've seen them for $30
or $35.  I can't believe it. 

Can't say I still haven't been tempted to get Dink a friend... 

amy
-- 
alyoung@kiwi.ucs.indiana.edu for personal mail
			    All business mail to alyoung@silver.ucs.indiana.edu
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
**Dislcaimer:I only speak for myself.  Anyone who thinks differently is a fool.
			(This means NOT my employer!!)
From: njl@drutx.ATT.COM (LaRocheNJ)
Newsgroups: rec.pets
Subject: Re: bunny's new favorite food...
Summary: Be careful with raisins and other sweets...
Date: 14 Dec 92 19:26:10 GMT
Organization: AT&T, Denver, CO

In article <1992Dec9.185804.3384@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu>, sniebuhr@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Sarah E Niebuhr) writes:
> Hi, everybody.  I am a new reader...

Welcome!!  And congratulations on being one of the favored few who know the joys
of indoor bunnies!

> ...I have a bun named Rashi, who just LOVES raisins.

Raisins are great treats for bunnies, and I'd love to watch him stuffing his
little mouth...but you must resist letting him have too many for his sake.
Too much sugar, or even starches, can cause problems in the hind gut that
will cause him a lot of pain and could become serious.  So discipline yourself
for his sake--and use a bit of banana and other things he'll love to take his
mind off the raisins.  In fact, it would be a good idea to limit his raisins
to five at a time so he knows that after five, there won't be any more that day.


I like your "logo"...

>          /\
>         //\\  /\
>        ///\\\//\\
>       ////\\///\\\
>      ////  ////\\\\           Sarah E. Niebuhr
>     ///// /////\\\\\          sniebuhr@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu
>    ////////////\\\\\\         Ohio State University
>         ///////\\\\\\\
>        ////////\\\\\\\\
>        _{ }_ { }
>             _{ }_
> -- 
>          /\
>         //\\  /\
>        ///\\\//\\
>       ////\\///\\\

Nancy LaRoche (HRS)
att!drutx!njl
Newsgroups: rec.pets
From: swoodcoc@nyx.cs.du.edu (Steven Markus Woodcock)
Subject: Ferret Chuckles (was: Ferret Hiccups)
Organization: The Good Guys, Inc.                                       
Date: Sat, 19 Dec 92 17:27:12 GMT

In article <_gg231a@rpi.edu> palmj@rebecca.its.rpi.edu (Jyri L. Palm) writes:
>garvey@skybridge.SCL.CWRU.Edu (Heather Garvey) writes:
>
>Does anyone else have a ferret with a major "clucker" voice.  One of
>mine "Crazy Girl" starts burrowing under the sheets of a bed while
>loudly going "cluck cluck cluck cluck cluck" for about 5 minutes
>straight.  It's almost like sonar in the darkness.
>
   One of our girls, Minx, chuckles like crazy.  While she and the others
all will do it if they get excited, Minx really chuckles most when she's
doing something that she KNOWS is illicit.  And she's LOUD--you can hear
her clear across the house!

   One time my wife was in the bedroom and heard Minx chuckling for a bit,
then she stopped.  Curious, Colleen searched the living room and then the
kitchen, where she found Minx up on the counter.  She'd found the 
canisters where we keep the carob chips and was busy stuffing her face full!
She was SO happy she didn't even hiss when Colleen put her down.  Since
that time we've (we hope) 'ferret-proofed' that particular route....
>
>And as long as we've stooped to this level of ferret stories...does
>everybody elses's ferret do that out-of-the-litter-box "butt-wipe (tm)"?
>Every litter box in the house has a little step wrapped with a
>butt-wipe-rag (tm).  Not only does it save the carpet on the way out, but
>the step diverted them from pooping in *front* of the box to pooping
>*in* the box.
>
  I think they >>>all<<< do that.  And with our kids, I don't think a
step in front of the litter box would help--they'd just go in front of the
step.

Steve & Colleen
Proudly Owned by Missy, Newone, Zebulon Pike, Minx, Slinky, and Puck

--
    "...Men will awake presently and be Men again, and colour and laughter and
 splendid living will return to a grey civilization. But that will only come 
 true because a few Men will believe in it, and fight for it, and fight in its
 name against everything that sneers and snarls at that ideal..."