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Dougal's Pet Corner
The place for your pet stories and pictures, let me have them |
| RATS AND MICE |
Mice are lively and easily
tamed, but are active at night and may smell. Rats are intelligent and interesting to look
at, but need a lot of space and attention.
What do rats and mice need?
Companionship - to be with other rats or mice and to have human company. A balanced diet
of mixed grains, washed fruit and vegetables. Rats can also have seeds, nuts and small
pieces of cooked meat. Both should have a salt or mineral lick to keep them healthy. A
constant supply of fresh, clean drinking water in a drip feed bottle with a metal spout. A
large home kept indoors in a warm place, out of direct sunlight. Rats need a lot of floor
space, ideally on more than one level. Mice should have a solid exercise wheel (with no
open rungs) fixed to the wall of their home. A nest box inside their home and plenty of
hiding places. A clean layer of wood shavings on the floor of their home with soft hay and
kitchen paper for bedding. Do not use newspaper or cotton wool. Toys to play with, like
cardboard tubes and ladders. Their home to be tidied every day and thoroughly cleaned
every week. A hardwood gnawing block to wear down long teeth. To be taken to a vet if they
are ill or injured. To be looked after when you are on holiday.
Rats and mice usually live for two to three years. Mice need to be with other mice and
rats with other rats. Male mice are likely to fight, unless they are littermates, so it is
better to keep female mice in groups. However, they can be teritorial, so introduce new
mice into a neutral area first. Rats like the company of humans, but are clever enough to
escape if they have a chance. |
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To pick up a rat, place one hand round its
shoulders and support its hindquarters in your other hand. Handle rats fairly regularly to
keep them tame. To pick up a mouse, lift it up by the base of the tail while supporting
its body with your other hand. Hold it on your hand and keep it close to the ground or
over a flat surface. |
Rats and mice may bite if frightened. A female rat could
have a litter of up to 11 young every four to five weeks, while a female mouse can have as
many as 14 in a litter.
Rats and mice can suffer from overgrown teeth if they do not have enough wood, hard
pellets or raw vegetables to gnaw on. Your vet may have to cut them back. Remember - a pet
needs your time and interest for the rest of its life.
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| Binocular
basics 3: Porro v Roof Prism |
| Binoculars come in two basic formats: the first, the Porro
prism, is the traditional 'stepped' pattern that is based on a configuration of prisms
invented in the 1850s, by an Italian, Ignatzio Porro, hence its name; the second, the roof
prism, is the more modern design where the binocular is essentially two parallel tubes,
made possible by a prism resembling a double pitch roof. Each design has its pro's and
con's, but whereas the traditional Porro design can give a good image relatively cheaply,
the major manufacturers such as Leica, Zeiss, Swarovski and Nikon all produce their
top-of-the-range binoculars in the roof prism format. The characteristics of the Porro
design are: good optical quality at an affordable price; a 3D effect enhanced by the
objectives being further apart, and, usually, a good field of view, ie more width in the
image. They are not often waterproof, although putting them under a coat when it rains is
usually sufficient to avoid any problems. They are wider than roof prism binoculars, and
focussing is done externally, with the two eyepieces on a bridge that moves up and down.
With 'roofs', more effort has to go into construction to obtain optical quality equivalent
to that of a 'Porro', so although they are slimmer, they are more expensive and usually
heavier because they contain more glass. On average, roofs have a somewhat narrower field
of view, but most have good 'eye relief', which makes them easier to use for people who
have to keep their spectacles on. Most are internally focussing and fully waterproof.
Waterproofing also prevents 'fogging' in high humidity and keeps out dust, fungal spores
and insects! Most roof prism binoculars focus closer and are easier to use at close range,
than Porro prisms, which makes them good for butterfly and dragonfly-watching. Cley-Spy |
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The Cinnamon Trust |
The National charity for the elderly, the terminally ill
and their pets.
Peace of mind and practical help for people. Love, care and safety for pets.
For more details: Foundry House, Foundry Square, Hayle, Cornwall, TR27 4HE. Tel: 01736
757900 Fax:01736 757010
Registered Charity Number: 293399 |
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| The 'sustainable development of the environment' |
The Holt Rotary Club held a special meeting on Tuesday 30 September at the Southlands
Hotel in Sheringham. The guest speaker was Professor Tim O'Riordan, Professor of
Environmental Sciences at the University of East Anglia. Prof. O'Riordan arrived just in
time to partake of an excellent dinner with the Club members and guests for which we thank
the management of the Southlands Hotel. His delayed arrival was due to the fact that he
had just returned from addressing a Portuguese Presidential Committee, including the
President himself, on the 'Sustainable Development of the Environment'. Prof. O'Riordan
was full of praise for the UKs lead in this field.
The UK is committed to decreasing the output of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere
by increasing its production of renewable energy by means of more wind farms etc. Air
travel now generates more CO2 into the atmosphere than cars and lorries. Air travel is
increasing all the time. The International movement of food supplies both in the air and
on land accounts for a very high percentage of the output of CO2. If supermarkets relied
more on local and regional food supplies then the output of CO2 could be reduced
significantly. This must be music to the ears of our farmers
These were just some of the interesting points raised in an excellent talk. |
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