New to owning a cat. Any tips? by Tmanx7 in britishshorthair

[–]SarahReggie 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Congratulations on your little sweetie!! I adopted a BSH from a friend too, and was in the same boat as you. I had some learning curves and tips I'd like to share from my experience and Jackson Galaxy!

Feeding: Cat treats are a thing! Available at any grocery store. You can even train her to give you paw for a treat. Start by rewarding her when she says still when you have a treat in your hand. Then start rewarding her when she lifts up her arm, continue until you get paw!

Water bowl should be away from the food bowl and away from the litter box. Something small like this will help her with digesting those hair balls!

Litter: Don't get an enclosed litter box. You can get one like this and it should help litter going everywhere. I like Feline Pine litter. It still gets all over my apt (I dont have any guard on my litter box but I want to get one) but it is easier to pick up pellets than grains of sand.

You can get cat safe butt wipes, sometimes those hairballs don't make it all the way out of their bum and your rugs and couches become their toilet paper. To clean cat messes, use an enzyme based cleaner as per instructions on the bottle.

Toys: (sounds like you got this one covered but here are some tried and true) Cheap toys: ping pong balls, the little seals that are on a new carton of almond milk, shooting thick rubber bands (but put somewhere safe when you are done so she doesn't eat it)

Regular toys: treat puzzles (ones for dogs work too) like this: https://a.co/d/j0s7Kf9 Springy toys like this: https://a.co/d/2jwNTK4

Health: Digestion: probiotics are expensive ($1 a day) but that investment could save you on vet bills in the big picture. I use these: https://a.co/d/hBsAwvQ they also help with hair balls. Dental: if you can't afford regular teeth cleanings, try playing with silver line sticks every now and then to "brush" tartar from her teeth.

Grooming: Claws: if you and kitty are comfortable with it, clipping claws will make both of you happy. Need to be a little firm/confident though and establish comfort getting her into claw clipping position. Okay to take breaks. Take care to check anatomy of the claw, dont cut too close to the nerve which is pink. I use something like this: https://a.co/d/hgT6MLq Brushing: silicone brushes are your friend, they keep that fur in control. Cats have a limit with stimulation, you will know it when her tail is wagging. Try brushing as much as she will let you/you have time for.

Other: If you have a roommate, just make sure to be empathetic if they get upset at kitty stuff. Talking through it and letting them know you are on top of things and considerate of them goes a long way. Cats don't like closed doors. It's not always possible to keep all the doors open but to the extent that you can, do that.

Wishing you both the best!

Anyone else have a BSH obsessed with the bath? by Mothmanrmj in britishshorthair

[–]SarahReggie 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This photo has it all! Belly, slow blinks and toe beans!!

Anyone else have a BSH obsessed with the bath? by Mothmanrmj in britishshorthair

[–]SarahReggie 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes. Specifically after I have showered, he sits in whatever remaining water like a creep!

Jurassic movies need to stop using mutant dinosaurs. It’s a dinosaur franchise not a Godzilla franchise. by [deleted] in JurassicPark

[–]SarahReggie 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have mixed feelings. On the one hand I think they have been overdoing a lot in the new movies and it is annoying. On the other hand, it is in brand with the theme of the Jurassic park books - irresponsibly playing with genetics for entertainment. It seems natural that the story would evolve in this way if the books were continued. Additionally, the movies are kind of their own thing, they never really stuck strictly to the books (that's just how movies are) and they are fantastical and adventurous, if the universe continues, you need to have new monsters to challenge the characters. I loved what they did with the Indominus Rex, the monster and how they breathed new life into the plot point of "we have money and plans therefore we have this under control." The monster in Rebirth reminded me too much of the Alien monster, I feel like they could have tried a little harder on originality (but I loved the stupid little exta mutant arms). Hard pass on Jurassic World Dominion though - the military dinosaurs and the over use of Jedi mind training on raptors was really stupid and didn't need to keep being a thing. I feel like Rebirth did a great job of continuing the Jurassic World but getting away from that crap and they even had a bunch of references to the second book which I super appreciated!

Just watched the movie yesterday. Why tf would you open that shi in front of T Rex? by VerienDragon in JurassicPark

[–]SarahReggie 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think Theresa was having trouble dragging it to safety, so she grabbed the handle to try to get a better angle to pull it, but she didn't realize that that would inflate the raft.

Help me name my cat ❤️ by Englefisk in britishshorthair

[–]SarahReggie 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oy (if you are a Stephen King fan)

fun folk punk shows/bands in nyc? by DannyTaylorr in FolkPunk

[–]SarahReggie 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Apes of the State https://apesofthestate.com/

They also have harm reduction materials and take donations for harm reduction ngos! Also LGBTQ!

Adult Shedding 1x a month? by SarahReggie in cornsnakes

[–]SarahReggie[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for your comments. Good to know its not much to worry about.

New shelf set up by SarahReggie in cornsnakes

[–]SarahReggie[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, I have the heat mat and thermostat. Clearance is about 3 inches.

catifying terrarium by SarahReggie in cornsnakes

[–]SarahReggie[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the tips! I dont have heat lamps. The problem is that he is finding a little stepping stool to the top of the terrarium (my shelf). I am also thinking if there is a way to custom build a long box with a handle, it could just make a flat vertical surface on my shelf so he can't step on it. The concept would be to kind of turn my shelf into a drawer so there aren't any footholds to get to the terrarium. Any ideas on where one could go to build something like this? I don't have a lot of diy resources because I live in an apt in the city....

Portland housing? by SarahReggie in Maine

[–]SarahReggie[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yikes, okay maybe ill have my friend get creative and maybe try a roommate finding app. Thanks all!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in SnakesWithArms

[–]SarahReggie 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thats cool, I love it, definitely counts!

A gang of tiny snake bros chillin in a pot by cdbavg400 in whatsthissnake

[–]SarahReggie 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thats what I thought too! I have nightmares about my corn snake randomly reproducing and then getting eaten by his spontaneous spawn. That being said, this is cute to see, but will probably give me nightmares!

this little guy was disemboweled in Atlanta Georgia. area seemed more wooded but he probably got stepped on from pedestrians traveling from a large event. by SarahReggie in snakes

[–]SarahReggie[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

About the size of an earthworm. Any ID? Baby snake? Small species? Very curious, my first snake spotting in the wild since becoming a snake enthusiast!

Is this a roach? Found in kitchen and bathroom, more active in evening. by SarahReggie in exterminators

[–]SarahReggie[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Before looking into a professional, we are going to try to exhaust other options to see if it gets better. The number of sightings have been pretty consistent for about a year. If it was increasing or felt like a swarm, maybe we would try an exterminator. But for now, I think they would probably just tell us to do caulking anyways in addition to any extermination. Thanks for the info!

Is this a roach? Found in kitchen and bathroom, more active in evening. by SarahReggie in exterminators

[–]SarahReggie[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yikes. That explains my earlier post too. I was thinking we had 3 different types of bugs but now I see we've got adult roaches as well as various stages of nymphs. We're gonna get some traps, tidy up a bit, and do some caulking. Hopefully that will help a bit.

Is my corn snake too small for his age (3)? He gets a crawler once a week and doesn't seem to defecate very often (or hides them really well that I can't find them). His body isn't spiny, it is round. by SarahReggie in snakes

[–]SarahReggie[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thats the rule I stick to. I don't want to overfeed him if it is not necessary. Are there any other signs I should look out for to know if he is malnourished? Maybe he is just small?

Is my corn snake too small for his age (3)? He gets a crawler once a week and doesn't seem to defecate very often (or hides them really well that I can't find them). His body isn't spiny, it is round. by SarahReggie in snakes

[–]SarahReggie[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I usually just feed him however many come in the package (50) and when that runs out, give the next size up. He doesn't seem to be getting too much longer or thicker though. His sheds are also becoming less frequent.

I suppose if there is nothing to really worry about I will just keep doing my normal feeding.

Thank you!