lepidopteraqueen: “ 毬藻 its alive! this marimo is about 6 years old. The bottom of Lake Akan in Hokkaido Japan is inhabited by miraculously spherical rare algae called “marimo.” In 1921 they were declared a “Japanese Natural Treasure” and the public’s...
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lepidopteraqueen:

毬藻 its alive! this marimo is about 6 years old. 

The bottom of Lake Akan in Hokkaido Japan is inhabited by miraculously spherical rare algae called “marimo.” In 1921 they were declared a “Japanese Natural Treasure” and the public’s interest in Marimo was stirred. Many Japanese have Marimo as pets in their homes and offices. They are beautifully soft and smooth like velvet and are very easy to care for. 

Marimo are happiest when they are in filtered water.
Just change their water once a week.

Marimo like baths!
Sometimes you will see cloudy bits of filth clinging to the Marimo. Simply run the marimo under the kitchen sink and he will be clean and very thankful.

Marimo can thrive wonderfully in artificial light but they do NOT like direct sun light. 
When you receive your Marimo it will probably float for a while on the surface, this is the Marimo’s natural way of getting lots of light and then once its had enough he will float down to the bottom. 

In the waters of lake Akan the Marimo bounce around in the lakes current and the current helps them grow into their nice spherical shape so they like to be poked, and moved around. This also helps them get even lighting. its perfectly safe to hold Marimo. Marimo are great pets for children.

Marimo grow 5mm a year and live to be over 100!

Look no further, the Marimo i care for are the greenest and healthiest.
no chemicals are used in their aquarium. 

(via Giant Japanese Marimo Moss Ball by MilkyLeaf on Etsy)

(via red-ananas)

Source: etsy.com

straightcougar: “ scalestails: “ What people thank an animal should be kept in and what the animal actually should be kept in. (click the pictures) Not based on personal preference, but observable fact. An animal kept in an environment that is too...
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straightcougar: “ scalestails: “ What people thank an animal should be kept in and what the animal actually should be kept in. (click the pictures) Not based on personal preference, but observable fact. An animal kept in an environment that is too...
Zoom Info
straightcougar: “ scalestails: “ What people thank an animal should be kept in and what the animal actually should be kept in. (click the pictures) Not based on personal preference, but observable fact. An animal kept in an environment that is too...
Zoom Info
straightcougar: “ scalestails: “ What people thank an animal should be kept in and what the animal actually should be kept in. (click the pictures) Not based on personal preference, but observable fact. An animal kept in an environment that is too...
Zoom Info
straightcougar: “ scalestails: “ What people thank an animal should be kept in and what the animal actually should be kept in. (click the pictures) Not based on personal preference, but observable fact. An animal kept in an environment that is too...
Zoom Info
straightcougar: “ scalestails: “ What people thank an animal should be kept in and what the animal actually should be kept in. (click the pictures) Not based on personal preference, but observable fact. An animal kept in an environment that is too...
Zoom Info
straightcougar: “ scalestails: “ What people thank an animal should be kept in and what the animal actually should be kept in. (click the pictures) Not based on personal preference, but observable fact. An animal kept in an environment that is too...
Zoom Info
straightcougar: “ scalestails: “ What people thank an animal should be kept in and what the animal actually should be kept in. (click the pictures) Not based on personal preference, but observable fact. An animal kept in an environment that is too...
Zoom Info
straightcougar: “ scalestails: “ What people thank an animal should be kept in and what the animal actually should be kept in. (click the pictures) Not based on personal preference, but observable fact. An animal kept in an environment that is too...
Zoom Info
straightcougar: “ scalestails: “ What people thank an animal should be kept in and what the animal actually should be kept in. (click the pictures) Not based on personal preference, but observable fact. An animal kept in an environment that is too...
Zoom Info

straightcougar:

scalestails:

What people thank an animal should be kept in and what the animal actually should be kept in. (click the pictures)

Not based on personal preference, but observable fact. An animal kept in an environment that is too small is unhappy and stressed. This can absolutely lead to a short miserable life.

I see a lot of people, virtually every day, who have these preconceived notions about what an animal can live in. A hamster lives in a hamster cage of course, because the happy little hamster on the box says so! This cage is for finches, they even keep them in it at the store! My friend had a rabbit and it lived in that cage so I’ll get that one. This sort of dangerous socially accepted neglect is not just limited to bettas and goldfish. Mammals and birds are subject to it as well.

What people don’t realize is that almost all commercial or common cages are completely unacceptable as homes for what they are marketed for. Those guinea pig/rabbit cages? Garbage. Those tiny finch cages? Torture. That cute technicolor hamster cage? A gimmick.

All animals need a certain amount of space for enrichment and general well being. That does not mean the cages someone is trying to sell you. It means the cages that are best.

And to all those people who are thinking “Well I had a hamster in a cage that size and it was fine.”

Stop.

You have only observed your animal. You have only observed the animal in a confined space and most likely showing signs of distress or behavioral problems. But you interpreted it as normal because that is all you know. You haven’t seen rabbits in appropriate sized cages. You haven’t seen parakeets in appropriate cages. You haven’t seen a hamster who is happy.

Signs and symptoms of cruelly confined hamsters. (The same applies to mice, gerbils, and rats):

  • Biting the cage bars
  • Obsessive digging
  • “Laziness” (lack of foraging/exploring)
  • Aggression
  • Pacing
  • Running in circles
  • Obesity

Signs and symptoms of cruelly confined rabbits:

  • Biting the cage bars
  • Running in circles
  • Bouncing off the cage walls
  • Aggression, irritability when being held
  • Cage aggression
  • Constantly banging toys/decor around
  • Obesity
  • “Laziness”

Signs and symptoms of cruelly confined guinea pigs

  • Biting the cage bars
  • Banging their water bottle on the side of the enclosure constantly
  • Aggression toward other guinea pigs or you
  • Obesity
  • “Laziness”

Signs and symptoms of cruelly confined parakeets

  • Feather plucking
  • Aggression to other parakeets
  • Pacing
  • Obesity
  • Repetitive behaviors (constant singing into a corner, going from the same perch to the same perch over and over again)
  • Fearfulness

Signs and symptoms of cruelly confined finches

  • Aggression to other finches
  • Flight tracing: Going from one perch to another in the exact same spot the exact same way over and over again
  • Obesity

Animals are more complex than people give them credit for. They to do all of the natural behaviors they’re built to do. Exploring, foraging, playing, hiding, interacting (or not interacting) with another animal, etc. All of this is taken from them in cages like the ones above.

People need to educate themselves about an animal before getting one. It’s a thought that’s been said a million times over and yet nobody actually does it. The reality is people who want a hamster/guinea pig/rabbit are not going to sit down and read ten articles and three books waiting 2 months while they set everything up unless they are already enthusiasts who are willing to put that much into their pets. I can say from experience that over 80% of the people who buy pets buy them to make their kids happy with no regard to what the animal needs. What is most important to them is getting a present for their child regardless of any consequences that decision comes with.

So we have to try and get this information out there. We have to try and make THIS the general knowledge about these animals.

Resources and very good reads for anyone who has or wants any of the animals listed here. I’ll add more when I find them.

Rabbits: X X X 

Guinea pigs: X 

Hamsters: X X X 

Finches: X

Parakeets: X 

This is very important. i have seen so many animal live unfulfilled and short lives because of this.

(via moreanimalia)

Source: scalestails

whyshouldeye: “ “The ability to experience positive emotions, like love and attachment, would mean that dogs have a level of sentience comparable to that of a human child. And this ability suggests a rethinking of how we treat dogs. DOGS have long...
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whyshouldeye:

“The ability to experience positive emotions, like love and attachment, would mean that dogs have a level of sentience comparable to that of a human child. And this ability suggests a rethinking of how we treat dogs.

DOGS have long been considered property. Though the Animal Welfare Act of 1966 and state laws raised the bar for the treatment of animals, they solidified the view that animals are things — objects that can be disposed of as long as reasonable care is taken to minimize their suffering.

But now, by using the M.R.I. to push away the limitations of behaviorism, we can no longer hide from the evidence. Dogs, and probably many other animals (especially our closest primate relatives), seem to have emotions just like us. And this means we must reconsider their treatment as property.”

Dogs Are People, Too - NYTimes.com

(via moreanimalia)

Source: The New York Times

end0skeletal: “ In case you’re having a bad day…here are some puppies sleeping with stuffed animals. (Credit: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. A note on the first puppy: At 5-½ weeks old, Daisy was mauled by a larger dog. As a result of that attack,...
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end0skeletal: “ In case you’re having a bad day…here are some puppies sleeping with stuffed animals. (Credit: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. A note on the first puppy: At 5-½ weeks old, Daisy was mauled by a larger dog. As a result of that attack,...
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end0skeletal: “ In case you’re having a bad day…here are some puppies sleeping with stuffed animals. (Credit: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. A note on the first puppy: At 5-½ weeks old, Daisy was mauled by a larger dog. As a result of that attack,...
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end0skeletal: “ In case you’re having a bad day…here are some puppies sleeping with stuffed animals. (Credit: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. A note on the first puppy: At 5-½ weeks old, Daisy was mauled by a larger dog. As a result of that attack,...
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end0skeletal: “ In case you’re having a bad day…here are some puppies sleeping with stuffed animals. (Credit: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. A note on the first puppy: At 5-½ weeks old, Daisy was mauled by a larger dog. As a result of that attack,...
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end0skeletal: “ In case you’re having a bad day…here are some puppies sleeping with stuffed animals. (Credit: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. A note on the first puppy: At 5-½ weeks old, Daisy was mauled by a larger dog. As a result of that attack,...
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end0skeletal: “ In case you’re having a bad day…here are some puppies sleeping with stuffed animals. (Credit: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. A note on the first puppy: At 5-½ weeks old, Daisy was mauled by a larger dog. As a result of that attack,...
Zoom Info
end0skeletal: “ In case you’re having a bad day…here are some puppies sleeping with stuffed animals. (Credit: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. A note on the first puppy: At 5-½ weeks old, Daisy was mauled by a larger dog. As a result of that attack,...
Zoom Info
end0skeletal: “ In case you’re having a bad day…here are some puppies sleeping with stuffed animals. (Credit: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. A note on the first puppy: At 5-½ weeks old, Daisy was mauled by a larger dog. As a result of that attack,...
Zoom Info
end0skeletal: “ In case you’re having a bad day…here are some puppies sleeping with stuffed animals. (Credit: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. A note on the first puppy: At 5-½ weeks old, Daisy was mauled by a larger dog. As a result of that attack,...
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end0skeletal:

In case you’re having a bad day…here are some puppies sleeping with stuffed animals.

(Credit: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. A note on the first puppy: At 5-½ weeks old, Daisy was mauled by a larger dog. As a result of that attack, she lost an eye, hence the stitches. Daisy is now 6 months old and doing well!)

(via )

Source: 500px.com