HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: klier@iscsvax.uni.edu
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: fun cat books
Date: 14 Oct 92 20:02:25 -0500
Distribution: na
Organization: University of Northern Iowa

In article <1992Oct14.174535.3667@memstvx1.memst.edu>, nvonstein@memstvx1.memst.edu writes:
> In article <1992Oct7.204334.7400@iscsvax.uni.edu>, klier@iscsvax.uni.edu writes:
>> In article <1992Oct7.223900.22400@a.cs.okstate.edu>, hamon@a.cs.okstate.edu (HAMON SHARON ANN) writes:
>>>>James Herriott has a wonderful children's book out called "The Christmas
>>>>Day Kitten".  The perfect gift for all you cat-lovers to buy your
>>>>children or nieces and nephews for Christmas!
>>> 
>>> I found it rather sad, actually.  Did anyone else?
>> 
>> Yup.  Cried.  But I'm a real softy (soft-headed, some would say ;-) ),
> 
> Did you see "Watership Down"?  I saw it with a date and couldn't leave the
> theatre I was crying so hard - didn't want anyone to see me!  I think they
> heard me sobbing though.  My date was very kind and waited until I said I could
> leave.

Nope. I know better than to go to films like that now.  ;-)

Kay
From: Liz Robinson <Liz.Robinson@ANU.edu.AU>
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: cat shows in the usa
Date: 13 Oct 1992 06:36:56 GMT
Organization: Computer Services Centre, ANU
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: 150.203.6.98
X-UserAgent: Nuntius v1.1.1d11
X-XXDate: Tue, 13 Oct 92 16:43:50 GMT

I am hoping to visit the USA in 1993, could anyone please tell me where
the big cat shows are held and when?

I breed Birmans, do any other readers own a Birman cat?

Liz Robinson				Tel: +61 6 2493435
Computer Services Centre		Fax: +61 6 2473425
Australian National University	Email: Liz.Robinson@anu.edu.au
Canberra  ACT  2601
Australia
From: peter@earth.njit.edu (Peter Murray)
Newsgroups: rec.pets
Subject: Ferrets, Where can I find a Breeder ?
Keywords: ferret
Date: 9 Oct 92 17:22:52 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: New Jersey Institute of Technology

I am looking for a good breeder of Ferrets in the 
central NJ area.  PA, NY, Conn 

I can't find them in the phone book or anywhere???

Thanks

peter
ttfn...
Newsgroups: rec.pets
From: "Amy Young Leith" <alyoung@kiwi.ucs.indiana.edu>
Subject: Re: Finding a Bunny Vet
Organization: Indiana University, Bloomington
Date: Wed, 7 Oct 1992 00:04:42 -0500

In article <BvnLKL.B3G@world.std.com> marty@world.std.com (Marty M HaleEvans) writes:
>Hi, Ilana -- Thanks for sharing your experiences with Darwin. I'm glad 
>everything worked out okay!
>
>I posted about this before, but I didn't get much response (and, stupidly,
>I lost the little I got). It seems like your tale is a good occasion to 
>remember how difficult it is to find a decent vet for a rabbit. I need to find
>one for mine, to do a neutering (and just for general purposes). Could anybody

I did it the easy way... I called a bunch of vets... and simply asked:

"Do you do rabbits?" 

If the answer was anything but a firm and confident, "Yes, we do!" I
hung up after saying thank you.  Most places were saying, "Well, uh,
yes, she has seen a rabbit or two...."  I'm NOT taking my bun hon to a
place that can't even be secure of their own knowledge. 

I found two places that felt right.  Without prompting, the
receptionist at the cat hospital (they do all small non-barking
animals, really: ferrets, rats, chinchilla's, rabbits, etc) launched
into the different vets there, and their exact experience with small
house rabbits.  One vet had routinely done rabbit care, and told me of
her experience with dwarf's specifically.  VERY helpful.  When I went
on to say that I was interested in having him neutered, she said that
this vet had done XX number of those proceedures in the past few
months, and never had a problem, and they used a gaseous anesthetic,
not a shot, so there was less stress, and this gas (can't remember the
name) had very little danger of side effects to the animal, etc.  She
went on and on and on... much to my pleasure and surprise... This one
lady gave me more information than the rest of the vets in town put
together, and I didn't even have to ask!!!  

If you call up a vet and the "receptionist" says, "UH, I don't know
anything about that..." I wouldn't go, especially if they do not offer
to get you in touch with the vet in the office now or later if you are
asking specific questions.  I asked, at this time, a few places what
type of anesthetic they used, and a few of the receptionists gave that
answer.  I'd say, "Could I speak with the doctor, please," and to my
surprise, all three of them said, "No...." and didn't offer to take my
name, number, or give me a time I could call, etc... It was as if they
didn't want you as a patient if you knew enough about it to ask in
depth questions.  Scary!!!

amy
-- 
alyoung@kiwi.ucs.indiana.edu for personal mail
			    All business mail to alyoung@silver.ucs.indiana.edu
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
       I only speak for myself.  Anyone who thinks differently is a fool.
From: kjt34420@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Kristin J. Thommes)
Newsgroups: rec.pets
Subject: Re: Prarie dog question
Date: 15 Oct 92 19:40:23 GMT
Article-I.D.: news.Bw6HBE.BB7
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana

tdm1@ns1.cc.lehigh.edu (TRISTAN DESOTO MILLER) writes:

>I saw some prarie dogs in a pet store at a reasonable price and I was
>interested in getting one.  Since the store help knew nothing, does anyone
>know anything about keeping them as pets?  Are they friendly?  Should they be
>kept in pairs?  How will they get along with my rodents, most notably, the
>chinchillas?
>Does anyone really keep these as pets?

Well, one thing you should be aware of is that in some states, prarie
dogs are illegal to keep as pets because they are non-domesticated
wildlife.  (I didnt say that that keeps people from keeping them as pets, 
but it is something you should know :-)

For the most part, a LOT of prarie dogs kept as pets are very aggressive and
bite when they are handled.  However, some of them are sweet and for the most
part friendly, although they seem to consider members of their family part
of their "pack" so they aren't always real nice to visitors.  

As far as keeping them in pairs, that would probably be a good idea since
they don't seem to always get along real well with other species.  They
also tend to be kind of destructive because they are rodents and need to chew
on things, so you will need to keep a lot of wood pieces (non-toxic of 
course!) in the cage for him/them to chew on.

They eat lots of grasses and herbs and such...a friend of mine who has a 
prarie dog actually grows a little garden of stuff for him to eat because
he seems to prefer only fresh stuff.  Basically they eat like rabbits do.  

It would be a good idea for you to find some books on prarie dogs in the wild
so you can find out more about their lifestyle that way.  

Good luck!!


-- 
Newsgroups: rec.pets
From: rrome@nyx.cs.du.edu (Robert Rome)
Subject: Need Ferret Advice
Organization: Nyx, Public Access Unix @ U. of Denver Math/CS dept.
Date: Mon, 12 Oct 92 23:54:20 GMT



Hello there.  I have a ferret, male, neutered descented...all the
trimmings, he's about 12 weeks old.  I give him plenty of food and water,
but he still seems to enjoy tormenting my hands (that is, biting and
scratching).  I have attempted mild discipline, like a spank in the rear
or a thump on the nose, but this just seems to get him nastier...like he
just wants more.  I don't want to hit him too hard, but I also don't want
him drawing the blood of all my friends.  Will he just grow out of this
(and when would this be likely?) or is this something I should learn to
live with, or perhaps there is some kind of ferret obedience training I
should know about.
Grateful for any help...
From: bavenell@next.com (Bette Avenell)
Newsgroups: rec.pets
Subject: Re: Rats!
Date: 9 Oct 92 19:44:25 GMT

In article <BvsDpw.2EB@mach1.wlu.ca> maci9154@mach1.wlu.ca (macivor dawna)  
writes:
> YES!  Rats make wonderful pets.  I've had them before and I just got one
> about a month ago.  They don't bite as much (if ever) as hampsters, they
> aren't moody if you wake them up, they're very smart (my first rat learned
> how to find her way to her cage with no help!), and very easy to care for.
> I know a lot of people don't like the idea because of their naked tails and
> the bad image from their wild relatives.
> 
> How old is the rat you might get?  What was it used for in the lab?  It will
> take time for it to get used to you - it might not trust humans too much -
> but be patient.  When I first got my rat she was very nervous, and nipped me
> a few times (not very hard, just enough to startle me.).
> 
> If you have any questions please don't hesitate to e-mail me!
> 
> Smiles,
>    Dawna =)
> 
> (It's about time I read something about rats!  I've been on this for a
> month, and there was nothing until now!)
> 
> *****DAWNA & ECHO (my rat)*****maci9154@mach1.wlu.ca*********=)*********

I took an Animal Psychology class in college and took my rat home with me after  
the class was over.  She was a marvelous pet.  I couldn't believe how smart she  
was!  In the class, for a final project I taught her to sit on a mayonaise jar  
lid, pick up a marble off the floor of the cage and drop it into a hole in the  
lid!  All that in only 3 1-hour sessions!  

The only time she bit someone was when a friend's 3 year-old son put his finger  
throught the bars of her cage.  I used to give her peanuts in the shell the  
same way, and I'm sure she thought his finger was a peanut.  He was OK, but his  
mom was freaked.

She died at about 3 years old - the lab where my school purchased the rats  
raised them for research on respiratory diseases, so she got a bad ear  
infection that didn't respond to to any medication.  I've always thought of  
getting another one......

Bette Avenell
bavenell@next.com
From: falcore@gatecom.UUCP (Carolyn C. Doss L.V.T.)
Newsgroups: rec.pets
Subject: Re: Pooch Rolls In It
Keywords: rolls in it
Date: Thu, 15 Oct 92 13:26:14 EDT
Organization: Gateway Communication Inc.

jcohen@sco.COM (Jon Cohen) writes:

> 
> 
> My spaniel pulled a great one the other day, locating a
> spot in the woods that someone or some group had used as a
> latrine and then happily rolling in the you know what.
> 
> (IF YOU SUSPECT THIS MIGHT BE GROSS AND DON'T WANT TO
>  BE GROSSED OUT FURTHER, STOP HERE).
> 
> Anyway, it seems that the folks who had relieved themselves
> in the woods had diarrhea, as the stuff was quite liquid.
> My pooch just merrily got herself all slick with it, and--
> of course--I was miles from home and had to drive her home
> in my car, the trade-in value of which has now
> drastically declined. Plus, she got all sulky and resentful
> toward
> me , when I made it clear I wasn't interested in petting
> her --never mind a belly rub--until I had the chance to
> give her a bath (which was no fun, I can tell you.)
> Although our relationship is pretty-much back to
> normal, we are still a little edgy toward each other
> about the whole thing. Heck, we have been through
> worse together over the past 11 years.
> 
> As I doubt there is any prevention for this kind of
> normal canine behavior (beyond avoiding places that people
> are known to use as a bathrooms), I am wondering what
> inspires some or all dos to act this way. What possible
> value is it to the canine species to "roll in it" this
> way?
> 
> 

Well actually it is a natural hunting and survival method for animals ...by 
rolling in anothers scent they are covering their own ...this enables them 
to be less obvious to their pray and or predatores as well .

//////////////////////////////\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
\\\\      Falcore@gatecom.UUCP (Carolyn C. Doss L.V.T. )     ////
////                    I Love My Critters !!                \\\\
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\///////////////////////////////////
From: nkli_ltd@uhura.cc.rochester.edu (Natisha Kling)
Newsgroups: rec.pets
Subject: chinchillas as pets
Date: 16 Oct 92 01:42:18 GMT
Organization: University of Rochester - Rochester, New York

I believe that chinchillas make wonderful pets.  They are not as cuddly as
cats, but they love attention and if gotten at the right age they can be
very friendly and loveable.

Temperatures above 80 degrees is uncomfortable for them and above 90 degrees
is dangerous for them.  On very hot days my chinchillas get their own fan
which I set at a low to medium setting, high if it is really hot.  Keeping
them in a place of a fresh air current and out of a draft when it is cold
keeps my chinchillas happy.

When it is moderately humid, I just increase the amount of dust baths my
pets have a week.  It is best and highly suggested that they be housed
inside.  There are several reasons for this:  to avoid subjecting the animal
to high temperatures, it is generally less humid in doors, and they are very
good at escaping if they put their little minds to it.

Chinchillas can live 20 to 30 years if cared for properly.  They are
odorless if cleaned properly, they don't shed, they aren't noisy animals,
and they are pretty smart.  

In comparison to the Guinea Pig (which is a relative to chins) they are both
friendly and very trusting animals.  Chinchillas although have very little
ailments and disease is rare. Chins have a longer life span than a Guinea
Pig.  On the other hand a Guinea Pig is more eager to be held and will cry
often for attention.  A chin usually mostly wants out to explore.  In his
exploration he will prance all over a room and brag that he is out.  They
like to play catch me if you can.

On the downside, both Chins and Guinea pigs love to knaw on things and
should not run loose un-supervised unless the room is rodent proofed. 
Remove any wires and block any holes that could provide an escape.  A full
grown chinchilla can jump vertically 4 feet and will do it if he gets bored
with things on the ground or sees something he wants higher up.

This is not the whole story but if anyone wants any further information they
can e-mail me at nkli_ltd@uhura.cc.rochester.edu
Newsgroups: rec.pets
From: rrome@nyx.cs.du.edu (Robert Rome)
Subject: Thanks from my Hands
Organization: Nyx, Public Access Unix @ U. of Denver Math/CS dept.
Date: Wed, 14 Oct 92 01:34:11 GMT



Thanks to those who sent advice about my biting ferret.  I tried the
squirt bottle first, but he seems to enjoy that.  The nose thump has
promise, though.  I was glad to hear that he is quite tough, so at least I
don't feel bad about disciplining him.  Bitter apple will be my last
resort, although I think this might just work.

To anyone who has actually read this, I have another question which I hope
you can answer:
What are the best ways to train a ferret to travel?  Mine has to go for
about 3 hours, and I have been using a box with plenty of holes.  There is
no facility in the box for him to use as a litterbox, but he has just been
"holding it in" for the whole trip.  Is this ok?  Are there better ways? 
Will he become more accostomed to travel? Also, is it ok to leave him in
his cage for a couple of days (with food/water etc)?
Thanks once again in advance.

Newsgroups: rec.pets
From: maci9154@mach1.wlu.ca (macivor dawna)
Subject: Re: Rats!
Organization: Wilfrid Laurier University
Date: Thu, 8 Oct 1992 04:56:20 GMT

YES!  Rats make wonderful pets.  I've had them before and I just got one
about a month ago.  They don't bite as much (if ever) as hampsters, they
aren't moody if you wake them up, they're very smart (my first rat learned
how to find her way to her cage with no help!), and very easy to care for.
I know a lot of people don't like the idea because of their naked tails and
the bad image from their wild relatives.

How old is the rat you might get?  What was it used for in the lab?  It will
take time for it to get used to you - it might not trust humans too much -
but be patient.  When I first got my rat she was very nervous, and nipped me
a few times (not very hard, just enough to startle me.).

If you have any questions please don't hesitate to e-mail me!

Smiles,
   Dawna =)

(It's about time I read something about rats!  I've been on this for a
month, and there was nothing until now!)

*****DAWNA & ECHO (my rat)*****maci9154@mach1.wlu.ca*********=)*********
Newsgroups: rec.pets
Subject: rat scabs
From: chelsea@oneb2.almanac.bc.ca
Date: Wed, 14 Oct 92 20:10:53 PDT
Organization: The Old Coot's (Spare) Almanac

Hi all.
 I have a pet rat who is about 7 month's old.  A while ago he got some
scabs all over him.  I took him to the vet and she said that he wasn't
getting enouph protien in his diet.  She gave me some rat pellets and at
first he liked them,(my rat that is.)and the scabs went away....
 ...how ever,they seem to be back because he recently decided that they
were not "yummy" any more.  Does any one have any ideas?  I would really
appreciate any sugestions about this.

           CHELSEA + MICKEY (MY RAT)

chelsea@oneb2.almanac.bc.ca (Chelsea Graham)
                  The Old Coot's Almanac
               Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada
                    Courtesy the old coot hisse'f!
Newsgroups: rec.pets
From: clewis@ferret.ocunix.on.ca (Chris Lewis)
Subject: Re: Ferrets -- good age to intro to baby?
Originator: clewis@bcarh1d7
Organization: Ferret Mailing List
Distribution: usa
Date: Fri, 16 Oct 1992 18:45:12 GMT

In article <1992Oct14.173313.12546@mlb.semi.harris.com> dfranck@su102r.ess.harris.com (Deniz Franck) writes:

>My ferret has been rather lonely for the last 9 months or 
>so since the arrival of my daughter... I havent let him roam 
>around as much... he seems happy, but has lost a ~little~
>weight (not as interested in eating) ... when would it be safe
>to introduce Ferris and Jasmine?? Jasmine is now crawling and 
>starting to stand up...is she big enough to hold him off? 

If he gets really upset, there's no way she could fend him off.  I
wouldn't rely on that until she's 5 or older.  But that isn't
really the issue.

It depends on what you mean by "intro".  Chances are that Ferris
would be perfectly fine around your child as long as they were
supervised, and Jasmine was prevented from grabbing him.
Small children are prone to grab anything.  Especially anything
that moves.  A ferret is too small to simply be able to walk away
(as a cat or dog can), so will bite if grabbed improperly or hurt.
(ie: pulled whiskers)

Unsupervised playtime between a child of 2-3 or less and *any* pet is
very dangerous.  Children should not be allowed unsupervised play
with a pet until the child is old enough to be trusted not to hurt
the animal.

Gregory, now 3, is pretty good.  But he has gotten a warning nip
for picking up Mocha in a way that hurt her.  Mocha puffed
up around a 1mo old (before Gregory came along), but she's
behaved perfectly with Gregory.

As long as Ferris doesn't puff up around Jasmine, carefully supervised
and controlled "visits" will be fine.  Chances are that Ferris
will want to do a lot of licking.  Jasmine might like that ;-)
Newsgroups: rec.pets
From: dschlow@epas.utoronto.ca (Deborah Schlow)
Subject: Re: Thanks from my Hands
Organization: University of Toronto - EPAS
Date: Wed, 14 Oct 1992 04:03:55 GMT


Travelling should never prove to be too much of a problem with a
ferret. They don't seem to hate the motion of a car the way cats do
and if you just shred some newspaper in the bottom of the carried,
this should do for temporary litter. I don't think it's such a great
idea to leave her/him in the cage for two days, mainly because she
will be a crazed maniac when she finally gets out. What kind of cage
do you have anyway, that she/he hasn't figured a way out of yet? We
asked a pet store in Hamilton, Ontario once (we travel around the
province stopping at pet stores to look at the baby ferrets) why they
didn't have any, and they said because no matter what they did, no
matter what kind of a cage they used, no matter how tight the security
was ALL the ferrets escaped EVERY night and wrecked the store. Good
Newsgroups: rec.pets,sci.med,rec.pets.dogs
From: mdkline@rodan.acs.syr.edu (Mark D. Kline)
Subject: Re: Obsessive-compulsive disorder
Organization: Syracuse University
Date: Sun, 11 Oct 92 17:16:45 EDT

In article <1992Oct7.214616.25985@frcs.Alt.ZA> linda@frcs.Alt.ZA (Linda Jacobson) writes:
>I'm currently treating a puppy with a condition which seems to
>parallel obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in humans. It presents in
>the form of compulsive tail-chasing, to the point where he has worn
>out his paw pads just from turning in circles all the time. He barks
>at his tail while chasing it, but rarely actually catches or bites
>it, though he snaps at it in mid-air. He seems to lie quietly in his
>cage much of the time, though he does tail-chase while unobserved; but
>he invariably starts doing it immediately he is aware of having
>someone watching him. I don't know if this is fear or
>attention-seeking.
>
>He's currently on clomipramine, which is supposed to help humans with
>OCD (so far not helping). I was wondering about other approaches,
>though, possibly behavioural rather than medical. Does anyone have any
>info on OCD - in particular the current line on suspected causes in
>humans, and the kind of approach a therapist would use in a human with
>the problem? 


Recent research suggests that obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) in
humans in associated with the neurotransmitter serotonin and with focal
hypermetabolism in particular brain areas (viz, the caudate nucleii,
left > right, and the supraorbital frontal gyri, also left  > right).
The hypermetabolic state has been demonstrated by positron emission
tomography (PET) studies now replicated in at least three centers.  The
hypermetabolic state decreases when OCD symptoms are effectively
reduced with either medication (like clomipramine) or behavioral
methods.  

Judith Rappaport (of NIMH) wrote a great article for Scientific American
entitled "the Biology of Obsessions and Compulsions" - which 
appeared in either 1986 or 1988, I believe.   I heard a rumor that
Dr. Rappaport has recently been collaborating with veterinary behavioral
experts studying ethological angles (? animal models) of the disorder.
Dr. Edna Foa, probably the premier expert on the behavioral treatment
of OCD, has recently written a book entitled "Stop Obsessing!" which
outlines the behavioral treatmentn approach in people; not sure how
much help it might be with fido.  


--
================================================================= 
mark kline                              mdkline@rodan.acs.syr.edu
suny health science center, syracuse    voice: (315) 422-1050
================ courtesy of syracuse university ================
Organization: Graduate School of Industrial Administr., Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA
Newsgroups: rec.pets
Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1992 10:41:31 -0400 
From: Barbara Carlson <bc1w+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: Re: Ferrets, Where can I find a Breeder ?
Distribution: usa

Excerpts from netnews.rec.pets: 9-Oct-92 Ferrets, Where can I find a..
by Peter Murray@earth.njit. 
> I am looking for a good breeder of Ferrets in the 
> central NJ area.  PA, NY, Conn 
>  
> I can't find them in the phone book or anywhere???

Marshal Farms (I believe based in NY or NJ) is a major supplier of good
quality ferrets to pet stores in PA. I don't know if other breeders do
it, but Marshal Farms tatoos a blue circle on the ferret's ear. Of the
ferrets I've met, Marshall Farms ferrets have been about 90% gentle,
healthy and of good temperment. (Of course, I've met other really great
ferrets from private breeders, too)

--Barb--