Fancy a little fun and games with your rabbit? Rabbits are intelligent animals. With patience and the right steps, they can even perform a "high five" or "sit."
Trust is the basis for training your rabbit to become a little show star. Before you start working on tricks with your rabbit, your little prey animal should not flee into its burrow out of fear when you approach. You can read more about how to gain your rabbit's trust in the article "Training rabbits – how to succeed." With the right methods, an affectionate and open-minded animal can be persuaded to perform one or two tricks quite quickly. Once you have understood how to get your pet's attention and approach the task with sufficient patience, you can think up lots of tricks and work on them with your rabbit. Below are a few exercises to give you some basic ideas – there are no limits to your creativity when it comes to thinking up eye-catching tricks for your rabbit. The most important thing is always to have fun together!
As with all exercises, you first need to get your rabbit's attention. Use a tasty treat to make your rabbit curious. Small pieces of carrot work best.
Hold the treat close to the animal's nose and, as soon as it wants its reward, guide the rabbit around its own axis. Ideally, it will follow your hand with the treat. Once the rabbit has completed its circle, it will of course receive its reward immediately. It is best to start by using a clear command and a hand signal or gesture for the exercise. Repeat this during the exercise and stick to it later on. For example, say "turn" and move your hand in a small circle. At the beginning, you still have the treat in your hand. Later, when the rabbit already knows what is coming, a command and the hand movement before the reward will be the signal to perform the trick.
A piece of carrot is also helpful for this exercise. With a gentle upward movement, show your bunny that it should stretch until it is standing on two legs. It can support itself with its front paws on your hand and will receive its reward. It will certainly take some patience until the rabbit understands what it is supposed to do, but even this task is not impossible. In the next step for the high five, extend your hand so that only one paw can fit on it and, as with all exercises, use your command immediately.
These exercises may require a little more training, but with the right lure, you will succeed here too. Sit on a stool and place a bowl of tasty greens on your lap. Lure your rabbit until its attention is focused on what is on your lap. It may stand up on its hind legs at first and rest its front paws on your legs. Then continue to lure it and use your command for conditioning. You can also hold one hand a little lower to create a kind of bridge for the rabbit. Ideally, it will hop onto your hand and then onto your lap. Once it has done so, be sure to praise it, praise it, praise it – and let it nibble on lots of greens.
Thanks to improved preventive care, senior dogs are no longer a rarity. Similar to humans, they suffer from classic age-related ailments such as osteoarthritis, cataracts, and dementia. Around 20% of nine-year-old dogs and almost 70% of 15-year-old dogs suffer from dementia, also known as canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CDS or "dog Alzheimer's").
Winter affects humans and animals differently than summer. The body has to adjust to the cold, darker season. We can also help our dogs get through the winter very well.
Did you know that color rats have a pleasant calmness and can bring a lot of joy to those around them with their friendly nature?
There are many reasons why a mare that has previously been a riding horse might be turned into a broodmare. There are a few factors to consider on the way to your first foal.
The dog, which is descended from the wolf, has teeth that are designed for hunting, killing, and tearing food apart. However, the search for food has changed for our four-legged friends: today, we open a can or even cook for our beloved furry friends. Breeding different breeds has also changed the length of dogs' noses and the spacing between their teeth. Unfortunately, all of this can lead to dental problems.
A dull coat, hairless, inflamed areas of skin and often very severe itching are characteristic of this parasitic skin disease, which occurs worldwide and can affect dogs of all ages. It is triggered by a mite, Demodex, which is also found on healthy dogs. Why it multiplies at an above-average rate in certain cases and leads to the skin changes mentioned above is still not fully understood. The disease is not considered contagious.
It happens in the paddock or even in the stall: your horse injures itself and may be bleeding. What should you do? Is it just a small scratch, a bump, or even a huge, gaping wound? Do I need to call the vet, or can I treat it myself, and if so, how? How can I minimize the risk of injury in the future? Kicks, bites, falls, or foreign objects can cause cuts, puncture wounds, abrasions, bruises, contusions, or burns in horses, which may require veterinary treatment depending on their severity. The severity of an injury always depends on its location and the involvement of surrounding structures, such as muscles, tendons, or joints. As with humans, a distinction is made between covered and open injuries in horses. In covered injuries, the horse's skin is undamaged, which is why this type of injury is not always easy to detect. For example, a kick may have caused a bruise that we as owners may only notice when grooming or when the horse is lame. Damage to the skin is referred to as an open injury or wound. This results in bleeding of varying severity, but even here, smaller wounds can be overlooked due to the coat.
Borna disease, also known as contagious encephalomyelitis or head disease of ungulates, is a rare viral disease of the nervous system that mainly affects horses and sheep. However, other animals and humans are also susceptible to the Borna virus. The disease was first described in 1813, when a whole group of cavalry horses fell ill in the town of Borna.
Periodic eye inflammation has been known for over 2000 years and is the most common eye disease in horses. It describes a recurring inflammation of the middle layer of the eye (uvea) in horses. In veterinary medicine, the term "equine recurrent uveitis" (ERU) is now used. The disease occurs repeatedly, initially at longer intervals and later at shorter intervals, and can lead to significant visual impairment. Since the affected horses often went blind from this disease and it was suspected that it was related to the phases of the moon, it was also commonly referred to as moon blindness.
Skin diseases are one of the most common reasons for visits to the vet, alongside gastrointestinal disorders. Pyoderma refers to purulent infections of the skin caused by various bacteria. In healthy animals, the skin provides good protection against infections through various defense mechanisms. There is a balance between the normal microflora of bacteria, yeasts, and parasites on the one hand, and the formation and breakdown of skin cells and their waste products on the other. The microflora feeds on the waste products of the skin and at the same time prevents the colonization of infectious germs.
Is your dog moving more stiffly, reluctant to go down stairs or jump into the car? Is he limping or does he have a swollen joint? Around 20% of all dogs develop joint diseases such as arthritis and osteoarthritis during their lifetime. But what is the difference between them?
Ear infections in dogs are one of the most common reasons for visits to the veterinarian. However, the condition is often detected too late and not treated consistently. The anatomical structure of the ear canal in dogs and its length make it prone to inflammation. Due to various factors, some dog breeds are even more susceptible to inflammation in the ear area. Outer ear infections, also known as otitis externa, are the most common type. Middle and inner ear infections are less common. However, if not detected early, these can develop into chronic conditions that require intensive treatment.
