Have you ever thought about how frightened your neighborhood birds are of you, a deer, a rabbit or virtually any other animal out there.

As soon as they see you, they dart for cover…

You may not have thought anything of it because we’re so used to it.

This wasn’t always the case, you know…

When Adam named the animals in the Garden of Eden, he could communicate and speak with them. Everyone got along together in perfect harmony. Imagine that…

Imagine a world where a wolf would just walk up to you as though you were it’s friend. How amazing would that be?

This issue struck me the other day when I read and wrote about the new discovery of a bunch of new species in Papua New Guinea – who may have never seen a human before.

The animals were coming down from the trees – one even sat on a researcher’s shoulder. A new species of woolly rat came right up to the humans with no fear at all.

Why do animals fear us? Well, why wouldn’t they – for the most part, we’re either hunting them, trying to get rid of them, capturing them to be in captivity or destroying their habitats.

No doubt, the animal parents teach their babies to fear us – we are killers, captors and destroyers.

The animal kingdom often sees us as bad creatures they would much rather steer clear of.

What a sad state of affairs. Let’s try to change that! We need to try to regain their trust on a whole…We are their keepers, in essence.

I wonder what goes through their minds when they see us…I’m sure it would be eye opening, heart wrenching and saddening for most of us here on the planet.

Treat the animals you see well…They were made by the same Amazing God we were. Treat them as such!

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I hope you enjoyed this Animal Behavior Info on Exotic Animal Lover! Until next time…

Live Exotically,

Kimberly Edwards

P.S. For more information on the way God intended our world to be, check out the book of Genesis in the Bible:

The Bible: Genesis : King James Version

Technorati Tags: wild animals, animals fear, fear of animals, scared of humans, no fear of humans, Garden of Eden, animal kingdom

Animals Are Scared of Us – Isn’t That Sad? is a post from: Exotic Animal Lover

One of the simple joys in my life is watching the squirrels in the trees play around the neighborhood.

They do vex our crew of dogs at the house, but they’re so fun to watch at the same time.

They chase each other, run up and down the trees, and they’re so busy with all of their chores, like cleaning themselves, watching out for predators like dogs and cats, and tending to their meals.

Today, I took a look out of the window to see a squirrel actually lazing around in this midday Texas summer heat!

I’ve never seen this before. He was just “chillin’ out” in the tree with it’s arm hanging off a wide enough branch to lay down on.

Squirrel Hangin' Out in Tree

Too cute! Look at him with his leg hanging off the branch “chillin’”!

I’m glad my hubby was quick enough to catch a great photo…

Who knows…a minute to us might be an hour to them since they move around so fast and have shorter life spans than we do! LOL

When you’re looking for some simple pleasure, take a seat and watch the squirrels outside…

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I hope you enjoyed this North American Animal post on Exotic Animal Lover! Until next time…

Live Exotically,

Kimberly Edwards

P.S. Do you love Squirrels too? Check out this awesome art poster print:

Art Poster Print Red Squirrels By Steve Shachter Print Size 7.75 x 10 inches. Image Size 7.75 x 10 inches. High quality art poster. 7.50 Flat Shipping Rate to Continental US. No Extra Charge for Additional Prints Find all your favorite Red Squirrels posters art prints and framed art at Barewalls.com the Web’s leading art retailer. In business since 1997 Barewalls offers unmatched selection service and prices. Browse our huge selection of wall art including fine art popular posters vintage posters and decor prints.

Technorati Tags: squirrels, squirrel, North American animal, animals, arboreal species, arboreal, tree animals, common animals

Hanging Out with Squirrels in the Trees is a post from: Exotic Animal Lover

I have a little lizard friend that comes by my window and walks along the fence running the length of our home in Dallas.

Mock Chameleon

He’s a cute little guy – maybe 10 cm from nose to the end of his tail and is a khaki color.

When he sees me looking through the window, he starts showing off by forcing this rounded fan-like piece of skin out from his throat area. It turns a beautiful bright, ruby red color surrounded by sunshine yellow.

Now, I think he’s showing off to me. He’ll bob his head then thrust his beautiful fan out, walk a few inches and repeat, all the while peaking to see if I’m looking.

I think he thinks he’s a tough guy! LOL…

I don’t know if the showing off is because he feels threatened or he fancies me!

Today, just as I was telling my mother about him and describing what he does, he runs down the fence only to see me looking out the window again.

He stopped in his tracks and started his beautiful display. Just in time to accurately recount what was going on to my mother.

He came across a tree near the fence right outside my window that was about 1 foot away from him and he decided to really show off by jumping onto a limb for me to see.

This made him eye level with me and he continued to climb slowly, stopping and showing off.

The closer he got to green leaves, he turned a green color. As I wasn’t sure what kind of lizard he was, when he did this, it immediately hit me that he is a mock chameleon.

This does not mean he is actually a chameleon. He is a lizard that changes color like a chameleon.

Anyway, “Toughie” – this is what I’m calling him from now on, I enjoy our daily encounters and can’t wait to see him tomorrow.

He’s really got some personality! What a funny guy!

***

I hope you enjoyed this Reptile post on Exotic Animal Lover! Until next time…

Live Exotically,

Kimberly Edwards

P.S. Check out this great Field Guide for identifying all of the reptiles in Eastern & Central North America:

The Bartletts’ guide to the alligators, crocodiles, turtles, and lizards of eastern and central North America features all 207 species inhabiting the… The Bartletts’ guide to the alligators, crocodiles, turtles, and lizards of eastern and central North America features all 207 species inhabiting the region from west Texas, to western Manitoba, to the eastern seaboard. Each species account is accompanied by a color photo, distribution map, and description including appearance, behavior, range, habitat, and prey. Some introduced species covered in theiGuide/i, such as the large and predatory Nile monitor and spectacled caiman, illuminate ever-worsening environmental and ecological conditions, particularly in Florida and Texas.   This authoritative and user-friendly reference will appeal to hobbyists, amateur naturalists, biologists, and herpetologists seeking a focused, detailed, well-organized, and richly illustrated field guide. “The Bartletts have completed a monumental undertaking in compiling information on and photographing all the diverse amphibian and reptile taxa of eastern and central North America.”—Kevin M. Enge, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission “My choice as an effective primer for budding naturalists and young naturalists at heart wishing to become acquainted with this interesting segment of North America’s natural legacy.”—Walter Meshaka Jr., Section of Zoology and Biology, State Museum of Pennsylvania The Bartletts’ guide to the alligators, crocodiles, turtles, and lizards of eastern and central North America features all 207 species inhabiting the region from west Texas, to western Manitoba, to the eastern seaboard. Each species account is accompanied by a color photo, distribution map, and description including appearance, behavior, range, habitat, and prey. Some introduced species covered in theiGuide, such as the large and predatory Nile monitor and spectacled caiman, illuminate ever-worsening e

Technorati Tags: mock chameleon, chameleon, Texas lizards, lizards, cute lizards, North American animals, reptiles, Texas reptiles, Dallas lizards

Mock Chameleons in Texas is a post from: Exotic Animal Lover

If you live in Dallas, you’ll know exactly what I mean…

They’re everywhere!!!

There are many different visible species of these “black birds”…In fact one of them has a chocolate hugh; there are some with a blue hugh – some are larger, some are smaller…

Now, they’re not crows and they’re not the black birds I remember from Canada…

So What?
Well, I want to strongly caution you to ever park under a tree in a parking lot – that space is empty for a reason.

There can be upwards of 100 of these very loud birds per tree, and you’ll see them lined up on the telephone wires in the city.

In the springtime and summer, there are definitely a large increase in the number of birds, primarily because, well, in the winter it’s cold and they’re less active or because they migrate further South when it gets cold – like to Mexico or further – and come back when it’s warm.

Last night, while watching the boys play tennis, I actually watched one single solitary black bird at the school on the top of a telephone pole.

(So, one day, when you’re having a tea at Starbuck’s, just watch a few of them in the parking lot.)

It was very loud with a shrill and changeable call…But it had to be loud to attract a mate to him and only him!

How do you get heard in a crowd? You yell at the top of your lungs, right?

That’s what he was doing – trying to get the attention of a lady passer-by!

This species, I have no idea what species that may be, but at the beginning of their call, they have a crackle – kind of like an old vinyl album sounds when it starts, but much louder…

…Then, the call reverts into sounding like an old, short frequency radio – like when you’re trying to channel to listen  to someone talking – all crackly, with strange, swirly sounds…

…Then, they give one loud increasing pitch whistle at the end – one call lasts up to about 30 seconds or so…

When they’re not all in a huge gang, you can actually appreciate the measures they need to go to to find a mate and make their crowded lives work!

***

I hope you enjoyed this Bird post on Exotic Animal Lover! Until next time…

Live Exotically,

Kimberly Edwards

P.S. I’ll need to get that

Technorati Tags: Dallas birds, Dallas, birds in Dallas, black birds in Dallas, black birds, birds, North American animals

Black Birds in Dallas – What’s That About? is a post from: Exotic Animal Lover

This is a video taken from chartered fishing boat out for tuna 60 miles South of Orange Beach, AL from WKRG’s news info:

That is amazing…really amazing.

They weren’t afraid of the boat, and came right up to it, which usually means they know no fear of man yet…They’ve been sheltered somewhere out of man’s reach.

It’s a real treat to see these guys, but it makes me wonder what in the world they are doing down in the Gulf of Mexico.

It doesn’t just make me wonder, it makes me a little worried.

They are found in most ocean water and seas of the world, but they much prefer polar and cold water!

Animals have a keen sense of instinct and often know about things that are happening in nature way before we ever could.

What are they doing here?

Killer Whales are also called Orcas, Seawolves, and Blackfish.

Scientific Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Cetacea
Suborder: Odontoceti
Family: Delphinidae
Genus: Orcinus
Species: O. orca

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I hope you enjoyed this Whale post on Exotic Animal Lover! Until next time…

Live Exotically,

Kimberly Edwards

P.S. Although there is no really accurate data on the numbers of Killer Whales still in our oceans, they are most likely in danger of being extinct. Numbers suggest that for all subspecies of orca, there are only about 100,000 total in the wild:

Killer Whale: In Danger of Extinction!

Technorati Tags: killer whales, killer whale, whales, mammals, ocean animals, seawolf, blackfish, polar animals, marine animals

Killer Whales Spotted in the Gulf of Mexico is a post from: Exotic Animal Lover

A baby giant panda! LOL

If you haven’t seen this video before, it’s must-see! Too funny & waaaaaaay too cute!

Conservation Status:
The giant panda is on the endangered species list!

Scientific Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Ursidae
Genus: Ailuropoda
Species: A. melanoleuca

Adult males can weigh up to 253 lbs and live to be 25-30 yrs old in captivity.

It is estimated that there are only about 1590 giant pandas still living in the wild.

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I hope you enjoyed this Bear post on Exotic Animal Lover! Until next time…

Live Exotically,

Kimberly Edwards

P.S. Get more information on their endangerment of extinction:

Giant Panda: In Danger of Extinction! $2.56

Technorati Tags: panda, bears, baby bears, baby, giant panda, panda bear, cute, mammal, bear

Giant Pandas – Giant Cute is a post from: Exotic Animal Lover

I asked her to fill us in on having a Canadian Lynx as a pet.

This is her account:

Firstly, his name was Snaggletooth, and I rescued him from a breeder in Iowa. I found his information online and called him to find out more about owning a lynx.

I had always thought how wonderful it would be to own a big exotic cat. I went with a lynx because he would mature around 65lbs., which is equal to that of a medium sized dog.

With a smaller cat there are a lot of advantages. First off, the amount of food involved…I fed little Snaggletooth Zoopreem, a Purina dry pellet food, mixed in with raw turkey. This cost me less than $10 per week to keep him fat and happy.

Also, a cat of that size is not considered a lethal cat. Since I was new to exotic cat ownership, I certainly didn’t want to jump off and get something that would chew me up in the middle of the night. I did my homework before I picked up little Snaggletooth from the airport.

I made sure he had a large litter box (2) in each room of the house and removed anything from the shelves/tops of tables or cases that I didn’t want knocked off and broken. I also made sure to provide him with a fully enclosed outside run where he had access to trees and grass and plenty of space to play.

Now, most domestic cats learn to use the litter box by following what their moms do. Since Snaggletooth’s mom was an outside lynx (outside in an enclosure) and taken from her at 2 weeks of age, he never had a mother lynx showing him where to use the bathroom.

It is natural for a cat to want to dig and bury their eliminations, however a lynx doesn’t mind urinating on your floor or couch and doesn’t feel the need to dig and cover anything up. This was the case for little Snaggletooth.

So…I went and purchased a special clay cat litter that has an attractant in it to lure cats to the litter box. He got the idea almost immediately when I replaced the litter. This didn’t mean he never had an accident after that point, but in general, he knew where to go when he needed to eliminate. I had to provide him with 2 litter boxes (side by side) because it is normal for an exotic cat to want to defecate in one and urinate in the other.

He had a favorite toy and I used that toy to get him to come when called and as a reward for when he was being good. I never fed him treats as a reward since he had a tendency to be too interested in food and very possessive of it. When I would feed him, I would have to place his food down in the room and close the door and leave him alone. If I didn’t, he thought I was going to steal his food and would hiss and growl at me.

We had a system that worked well and we just stayed with it. Now I did try different things to get him to be less possessive with his food but each one of them failed. Trust me, an exotic cat acts nothing like a dog or domestic cat. So…he taught me a lot on how to be patient and compromise.

Snaggletooth is no longer with us, and of course I miss him quite a bit. If I had to pick again for an exotic cat to own I would own a Canadian Lynx again hands down. They are very personable. Snaggletooth would lay on the couch with me and watch TV. He also followed me all over the house during the day.

He had moments of boundless energy and would literally run on the sides of the walls. He also tested out the curtain’s strength, several of my free standing lamps and of course anything I left out for him to get to. I learned quickly that if I wanted to drink anything I had to put it in a bottle with a lid. Otherwise I could expect to find it all over the floor just minutes after setting it down.

Lynxes are not raised to be pets for the general public. Mostly, they are bred for the fur trade. This means that there are a lot of breeders out there who do not care about the health of these cats, since they are just interested in a nice fur for later use.

Some have serious health problems and don’t live past 1 year. So, you need to do your homework if you are looking for a breeder to purchase a lynx for yourself.

Some points to also consider before you run out and get a lynx for yourself is do you have other pets?

Snaggletooth got along with my large Akita and my Great Pyrenees, but a domestic cat he would have killed. In fact, any pet smaller than him was prey…This also includes small children. So, if you have children, or small pets, a lynx isn’t for you.

If you have heirloom furniture in your home you don’t need a lynx. Trust me they love wood furniture to scratch on. We purchased a large cat tree complete with scratching areas. It looked like a jungle gym covered in swizzle rope. Well he did enjoy scratching it, but he still managed to find furniture he liked just as much to kill.

You need to check with your state or province to see if you are even able to own a Lynx. Once you do, you will need to contact your state Vet to see what requirements are needed to keep a lynx. Some states require permits while others not only require permits but also a double fence system to keep your lynx from getting loose.

Also, you need to purchase insurance just in case your exotic cat does get loose and hurts someone.

In conclusion, if you think you would love to own an exotic cat, please think it through very carefully.

Owning an exotic cat isn’t like owning a dog or domestic cat. As you can see, there is a lot of homework that you need to do before you settle on a lynx to own. I actually advise most people not to purchase an exotic cat.

Several rescue organizations are overloaded with exotic cats that people saw and thought, “Oh man, I would love to own a lynx or tiger.” They either weren’t honest in their abilities or they didn’t do their homework. This isn’t fair to the pet, nor is it fair to the rescue organization that you will expect to clean up the mess you made.

Actually, if you want something exotic, I would recommend a Savannah cat. These are Serval (exotic cats) crossed with domestic cats. They are large cats and have beautiful exotic cat looks. They are a recognized breed by TICA and there are several reputable breeders out there who produces healthy Savannah cats. These cats do not require permits or any restrictions on ownership.

Well that is about it…I really want to stress to your readers that owning a Lynx isn’t for everyone, and of course to do your homework before you purchase one.

Running a rescue organization like the one you are thinking of would include getting exotic animals that were once thought of as a unique pet. Big Cat Rescue in Florida (I am a member there) has nothing but large exotic cats. 3 are retired cats from the circus (and they paid big bucks for these guys to keep them till they passed away) but the rest are cats that they rescued from breeders who didn’t provide proper housing or again, people who had illusions that an exotic cat made a great pet.

They have to turn away over 50 cats per year…Where do these cats go? Either to other rescue places or they are euthanized. Its a sad, cold fact of life, but it just shows you as humans, we need to be responsible and govern ourselves and not expect someone else to come clean up our messes.

BTW…I am not an animal rights activist. In fact, I do not believe animals have rights. I believe humans have rights, and with those rights comes the responsibility to do the right thing. LOL! You can never expect an animal to be responsible.

I donate annually to the ASPCA, however I never donate to PETA, who has made a mockery of what taking responsible care of animals is. (I’ll get off my soap box now)…LOL

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I hope you enjoyed this Unusual Pet post from Exotic Animal Lover! Until next time…

Live Exotically,

Kimberly Edwards

P.S. Check out this beautiful Canadian Lynx Print from the 1899 Zoological Gardens:

Technorati Tags: Canadian lynx, lynx, big cat, exotic cat, unusual pet, exotic pet, Canadian animal, North American animal, mammal, cats

A Canadian Lynx as an Indoor Pet? is a post from: Exotic Animal Lover

I’m not kidding either…

Let me tell you a story about what just happened in the past few days…

It has been an extremely busy week, and I didn’t feel like cleaning out Kalypso’s 10 gallon fish bowl. She has 2 filters with bubbles and a floaty fish toy that she loves snuggling and pushing around the bowl.

Kalypso has grown quite a bit in size since I got her in the spring. I’d say she’s more than doubled in size. So, I got this new 10 gallon bowl just for her as an upgrade from her 5 gallon bowl. A big difference.

Now, when I didn’t feel like cleaning out all of her home the other night, I brought out her 5 gallon bowl just for the night (I call it her condominium), so I could clean the 10 gallon in the morning. It was already late at night, mind you.

She had a pretty plant new glass beads at the bottom and fresh water, and she was sitting right next to my computer, so that she could see me!

The next morning, I sat down to check my email and do about 30 minutes of work. Kalypso was fine…Swimming around, happy to see me, etc.

However, I was sitting there no longer than 10 minutes, and all of a sudden, she turned upside down, floating, as if she were dead! No warning of distress, nothing visually wrong with her either.

Freaking out, I called my mother over who turned her right-side up, and moved her back and forth to keep her gills working, as an angler would returning a fish to water.

I rushed to clean up her 10 gallon bowl, fill it and replace her fish friend and filters, etc. It was a panic and a frenzy…

No sooner did we put her back into her large home with her bubbles from her filter, did she change her tune.

Seriously, it was as though she was boycotting, saying, “If I don’t have my bubbles, I’ll just die!”

I think she was depressed that I took away her huge home, her fish friend and most of all, her bubbles! She loves her bubbles.

Within 1 hour, she had perked up as though nothing ever happened. She’s lucky we’re so diligent and I love her so much – she’s a special fish – because anyone else would have flushed her…She wasn’t moving and upside-down.

Boy, did she show me!!! Don’t move your fish into a condominium from a huge mansion, especially if there are no BUBBLES involved! They might just die!

How melodramatic!

***

I hope you enjoyed this Fish post on Exotic Animal Lover! Until next time…

Live Exotically,

Kimberly Edwards

P.S. For Heaven’s Sakes, give your fish their bubbles! This is the system I use for Kalypso:

Technorati Tags: Kalypso, red oranda, goldfish, Asian animal, diva, fish, exotic pets, pets, fish behavior, red capped oranda

Kalypso – My Diva Red Cap Oranda Goldfish is a post from: Exotic Animal Lover

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Great video…such funny, little animals!

Scientific Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia???????? ????? ????????
Order: Carnivora
Family: Procyonidae
Genus: Procyon
Species: P. lotor

Conservation Status:
The raccoon is considered a species of least concern.

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I hope you enjoyed this North American Animal post on Exotic Animal Lover! Until next time…

Live Exotically,

Kimberly Edwards

P.S. Check out this adorable Raccoon poster:

Barbara Von Hoffmann Raccoon Framed Art Poster Print – 20″ X 16″ “You are looking at a great poster, that comes with a fully pre-assembled frame, for easy set-up. Black frame is made of high quality painted wood, and comes with clear protective lens covering. This poster, which measures approx. 16″” x 20″”, fits right int”

Technorati Tags: raccoon, raccoon thief, animal video, animal humor, animal thief, mammals, North American animals, European animals, omnivore

Watch Out For Animal Thieves In The Night… is a post from: Exotic Animal Lover

“Do you know how a pearl is made?” The old man asked me.
An irritant enters the shell of an oyster; sometimes very small, sometimes not so small.

The oyster, aware of it’s pain, begins to cover the irritant’s jagged edges with a solution created from inside itself. It will continue to slowly cover the invader until it no longer feels pain, until what we call the pearl is formed.. The oyster does not hate the irritant, it simply responds according to it’s nature, and creates out of it’s pain a jewel.

There is no pearl of hatred.”

~ Unknown

Wow…Not only did we learn something about how a pearl is made, but maybe we can take this excerpt and apply it to our lives and the pain we experience.

If we could make a jewel out of every hurt and pain we have inside, we could make this world, and ourselves, a better place to be!

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I hope you enjoyed this Animal Behavior post on Exotic Animal Lover! Until next time…

Live Exotically,

Kimberly Edwards

P.S. Just look at the beauty! Check out this gorgeous pearl ring I found:

18k South Sea pearl ring 18k gold South Sea pearl and diamond ring with star cutouts 9-10mm pearl 0.15 cttw. G color SI1 clarity diamonds. Our designer pearl rings are available in one size which ranges between 6 and 7.

Technorati Tags: pearl, how a pearl is made, how a pearl is formed, oyster, bivalve, ocean animal, animal behavior, pearls, jewel

Do You Know How A Pearl Is Made? is a post from: Exotic Animal Lover