How To Be A Competent Owner Of An Unusual Pet

November 13, 2020 Leave a Comment

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Being a competent owner of an unusual pet is much better than being the unusual owner of a competent pet, although both can apply in this circumstance. When many of us seek to bring a pet into our homes, we think along default terms. A dog is perhaps considered one of the most obvious choices, but little pets, such as rabbits, hamsters, gerbils and even kittens can be a good ‘starter pet’ for a young child, as they are either simpler to take care of or have their own independence and needn’t be trained.

 

That being said, these are hardly the only pet categories you have to choose from. It could be that now you have your own place and own independence, you feel it necessary to collection a pet or two of quite unique, unusual origin. While you shouldn’t bring a Serval into your home anytime soon, it might be that a snake, a bearded dragon, or even a particular type of fish (and its associated environment) is something you hope to bring into your home and nurture.

 

So, how can you be a competent owner of an unusual pet? Let’s consider:

 

Get Ready To Invest

 

Remember the old ad campaign that suggested a dog was for life, not just for Christmas? It gave people pause to think about how puppies were not just something you purchased as a nice token of appreciation, but they were a living being that required a dignified standard of care. While it could be harder to relate on a personal level to a reptile, the same principle applies. In some cases, it may be essential for you to spend a good amount setting up your environment before you even deign to purchase your pet. 

 

This might involve purchasing a large tank with decorative elements. It might mean purchasing heat lamps to keep cold-blooded creatures warm. It could mean investing in high-quality protein sources. It also means understanding the time investment, such as cleaning their environment for them two hours each and every week. You must understand and itemize these requirements as they are most crucial to you providing a standard of care necessary to keep your pet not only alive, but in a thriving atmosphere. Remember – you can have fun with this! Bringing Koi into your back garden, for instance, can be aided by a fantastic garden feature design you spend the winter preparing for and the summer implementing. If you’re investing in an unusual pet, be sure to invest in its environment and upkeep.

 

Species Specifics

 

Never assume you know everything about a certain species simply because you’ve a friend who has taken care of them, or because you read one article, or because it seems simple. A good pet owner observes their pet and tries to pick up on what expressions and behaviors are worth paying attention to. Sometimes, this can be quite obvious. If your dog is limping, for example, that’s quite a clear sign that something is wrong. But how can you ‘read’ a bearded dragon? It may seem utterly alien to you.


Well, luckily, that’s not the case. You can see in this bearden dragon behavior guide: https://beardeddragonguidance.com/bearded-dragon-behavior/ – that there are many telltale signs that help you understand what to do in certain situations. At the very least, studying in this manner will help you stay as informed as possible – which is your first essential step to consider before bringing any pet into your home.

 

Careful Attention & Suitability

 

It’s very important to take the time to make carefully assess your own home environment and if you are suited to this task. For instance, many people will find that bringing a puppy home is cruel if they’re simply going to be working, away from their apartment, for sixty hours a week. While no reptile will require the love and attention that a little fuzzball will, it’s also important to ask yourself if your home is suitable for this kind of pet.

 

Do you have children, or other pets? How might they learn from you keeping this exotic pet? Do you have to register your pet, and what additional inspections might need to take place to ensure you’re giving it a good home? If you already have a unique pet, can you place a new one in the same tank, or might that prove dangerous? What medications might they need during their growth? These questions are worth asking. Even stupid questions are worthwhile. They help you understand if this is a worthwhile cause, from start to finish.

 

With this advice, we hope you can provide careful attention and suitability to bringing your pet home for good.

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Serving Their Wishes: Preparing Yourself For The Death Of A Parent

March 9, 2020 Leave a Comment

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There are few inevitability’s in life. When we are taking care of aging parents we’ve got to prepare ourselves for the fact that they will pass away. It’s not necessarily something that we want to think about, but emotionally and practically it can be something that can help us get the grieving process started. But in one respect we will struggle to imagine life without our parents as they’ve been there for all of the big moments in our lives we will have to face it at some point. And as difficult as it can be, what can we do to prepare ourselves?

 

Serving Their Wishes

We have to remember that as our parents get older or become unwell we will want to avoid thinking about them passing away, but we have got to remember that preparing emotionally can help us and help them. We need to remember that there are things that they will want to leave for us and there are things that we can help them to do. We could help them to create a record of their life by incorporating stories and anecdotes into a book or even prepare a videotape for them to leave behind sage advice. And as morbid as it can be from your perspective, helping them to prepare the funeral can help to achieve closure. Picking the songs for the ceremony, the dress code, and even the headstones, can be a very therapeutic process. Helping your parents to pick through headstones made by Memorials.com or other suppliers can give them a far better idea of the legacy they would like to leave behind. We have to remember that it’s not just about us; we have to serve their wishes first.

 

Reminisce Before They Go

We live a life of regret on occasion. It can be magnified when someone we love passes away. There is always that regret that we didn’t tell them that we love them or forgave them while we had the chance. If we take the opportunity to honor them while they’re still alive and reminisce about times gone by it shows them how much they mean to us. One of the things we tend to do is wait until the funeral to share those funny stories or what they meant to us. In one respect this is futile. Why don’t we include our parents when we’re looking back? It’s one of those little moments that you will remember forever. Taking an opportunity to remember about times gone by and bring things up that you had completely forgotten about can give you a newfound perspective of the situation but also of your parents. In one respect it’s the perfect opportunity to be their child again rather than being all grown up. When our parents treat us like children it can be frustrating but it’s at this point where we should remember that they want to to view us as their little babies again.

 

Understanding Your Grief

Preparing for their death is physically and psychologically draining. We’ve got to remember that grief is such a diverse topic. Everybody grieves in their own way. There is some advice on Winstonswish.org to highlight this. But some people feel that they have already grieved for their parents before they’ve gone. This is especially true with those that have dementia or age-related cognitive decline. And the very act of passing away solidifies it in their minds. The most important thing to remember is that each situation is unique. When we are preparing for death it is something that we have to recognize but also understand that these things can take time. Grief is not a one-size-fits-all situation. And this is especially true with our parents. When we start to think about those times when they picked us up after we grazed our knee, all the way through to helping us buy our first house, all of these little acts given by someone who is not here anymore can greatly overwhelm us. And grief is not something you need to go through alone. But you should also remember that grief is about celebrating who they are. When our first parent passes away it is a major shock and everything caves in but we have got to remember that if we focus on the act of death we’re not celebrating their life.

 

And don’t forget it’s not anything you need to go through alone. There is always plenty of help available through professional organizations. We all prepare in our own way.

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