Pet Pictures are all about cute pets. And what better to make a great pet picture than babies of different pet species ? Baby ducklings are very, very cute. Small and helpless, there's something that makes you love 'em.

Unfortunately for us, ducklings grow up and become ducks. I don't have first hand experience with a pet duck and that makes me a little curious. Now that I think about it, I'm pretty traditional, all I ever had as pets were dogs, cats or the ocassional rabbit.

Oh well, there's plenty of time to experiment with different pets, and be sure you'll get some quality pet pictures from those experiments. ;)

After rats and iguanas, it's time for some classic pets (not like dogs and cats but still, with some heritage as pets, pictures of parrots from a long time ago as proof). Yes, the Parrot!

Why are parrots kept as pets ? I suppose it has to do with their rich and varied colouration. In some cases, also because of their ability to imitate human speech or other sounds (many species of parrots can do that it seems).

The species of parrots that are kept as pets are: macaws, cockatoos, african greys, lovebirds, amazons, conures, budgerigars (also known as parakeets), cockatiels and mini-macaws. Pet Parrots often have their wings clipped but that doesn't mean you won't find flighted parrots as pets.

Unfortunately, their popularity as pets has led to a thriving trade in the birds ( often illegal , go figure :) ) and the result: some species are now threatened with extinction. Over the years, there have been some cases that have rocked conservationist and ornithological circles, none more than the Tony Silva case of 1996.

But we're drawing away from the purpose of this article. You should also know that larger species of parrots, like macaws, are used in falconry in some wildlife centers. That Pet Parrot you always wanted has a wild side he he.


Now, if you're asking yourself, in the end, which kind of parrot is better, we will recommend you one. They are colourful, playful and gentle. Their small size has the advantage of making these parrots suitable for children and the smaller home. They also have medium talking abilities. The fact that these parrots make for excellent pets has the effect that they are not so readily available as other parrot species, but they sure are worth the trouble or wait. So which species of parrot am I talking about ? The Pionus (you could also go for a Caique, they're basically the same). Yes, these little guys are the best pet parrots you could get :) .

It seems many people think rats are great pets. Why is that ? Well, they're clean (and that is VERY important in a pet), they seem to be extremely smart (ever wonder where the cheese on the trap went ?) and they are social towards humans (that'a a must since they'd have to interact with us all the time). One last thing i forgot to mention: they're small -> pocket pets.

Oh, don't go thinking these are your ordinary sewer rats, because that would be a mistake. In fact, they're the closest thing to a dog when it comes to small mammals.

If you ever decide on getting a rat, don't forget that rats, just like humans, are social animals. Therefore, it is very important to get at least two rats, preferably of the same sex and litter. Also an important social aspect is to familiarize your pet rat with yourself or otherwise humans as fast as possible, even from birth.

Although this may seem funny, rats should be picked up in a certain way. You pick up a rat around its middle and support its feet with your other hand. This is a 2-way winner: 1. the rat feels secure and 2. the chances of dropping it are reduced. When picking up your pet rat never pick it up by its tail because it si very uncomfortable for the rat and in some cases the tails break off or lose skin (the tail won't grow back nor can the skin be reattached).

When it comes to cages, make note that a hamster cage is NOT acceptable for your pet rat. It needs a lot more space and much better ventilation. Ideally you should get wire cages, like rabbit or ferret cages. The larger the cage, the better for your rat. It should offer a minimum space of 2 cubic feet per rat.

The best nutrition for rats is in the form of a Lab Block. It has all of the daily requirements a rat needs. Be sure to choose a block that does not have corn as its first ingredient; soy- or wheat-based blocks are preferred. Do NOT feed your rat cat, hamster or rabbit food. Each of those types of products are harmful in their own way. For example rabbit food contains alfalfa which rats can't digest.


You've just read some of the basic knowledge needed for pet rats. If you ever get a pet rat or own one, remember to send us your priceless pet pictures at YourPetPictures@gmail.com . Looking forward to posting some :)

Tags: pets, pet pictures, mice, mouse, rats, pet rats, pocket pets

Green Iguanas (Iguana iguana) are large, arboreal lizards from Central and South America. The green iguana is found over a largearea, from Mexico to southern Brazil and Paraguay, as well as on the Caribbean Islands. They are typically about 2 metres in length from head to tail and can weigh up to 5 kg.

The sex of a green iguana can be determined by examining the underside of the hind legs. Males have highly developed pores in this area that secrete scent, and are often covered in a waxy substance. Also, the spiny scales that run along an iguana's back are noticeably longer and thicker in males than they are in females.

These lizards have recently become extremely popular in the pet trade (is it a whim or are they here to stay ?)—over 800,000 animals were imported into the United States alone during 1995. When shopping for an iguana however, keep in mind that they are very demanding to care for properly over their lifetime, and the great majority will die within a few short years. Many ignorant buyers are tempted by the price of young iguanas and apparent low cost of feeding, typically giving inappropriate vegetables and insufficent housing without sources of heat. In captivity Green Iguanas need to be in temperatures of 75 to 90 degrees and must have appropriate sources of UVB and UVA lighting. Without proper UVB lighting they can develop metabolic bone disease which can be fatal if not treated.

If properly cared for, you should be happy with the result: a captive green iguana can live from 8 to 20 years. The oldest known pet iguana lived 29 years. (now that's a lot, having an iguana for almost half your life)

In the wild, green iguanas are diurnal and strictly herbivorous, feeding on leaves, flowers, fruit, and growing shoots (although the young were once thought to eat insects, this has been proven false), and can be found living in trees and near water, into which they will dive if frightened. Agile climbers, they can fall up to 40 feet without being injured, and can run quickly despite their clumsy appearance. Now you may not believe this but, in some countries, iguanas are served as fast food (don't know exactly how, although I doubt you're gonna see an iguana burger or hotdog). Because of this and the fact that they are sought after as pets the green iguana is considered a threatened species and is listed on the CITES Appendix II.

In the case of humans, a bite from an adult iguana can mean a trip to a hospital for stitches. No, they're not fatal in any way, but then again, why get a deadly pet ?

Well, a pet iguana would be interesting I think. It would certainly be a change from dogs, cats or birds :) And just imagine what cool Pet Pictures I could take of an Iguana. I wonder how many people like Iguanas. If you're one of them, give us a shout through a comment.

In conclusion, "green is good" for all you cheaters out there :D. Love your Pets, they deserve it. Cheers.

Tags: pets, pictures, pet pictures, iguanas, lizards, green iguana, blog, blogging, pet articles

Image credit goes to KillR-B

We've recently expressed our goals on the short term. You can find that article here: Blog Goals.

Now we would like to share with you some of the results brought by the use of Search engine Optimization or SEO Techniques. First of all, you should remember that this is a very young blog and that makes these results all the more important. Let's start with Google Search Engine and a few keywords for it.

1. Leporiphobia - I made an article about the fear of rabbits (Leporiphobia) and look what it got us:


As you can see, this wasn't so hard because of the lack of competition for that particular keyword. But let's move on to another example.

2. Priceless Pet Photos - now we're getting closer to home as our blog is about Pet Pictures. The article that contributed most is: Priceless Pet Photos. Here's how the search looked:


Now things are getting hotter. Not only is the keyword relevant to most of the content on our blog but we ranked second out of 2.140.000 sites competing for the keyword "Priceless Pet Photos". Let's move on to our last example, this time on Yahoo! Search Engine.

3. Buy Island Blogging - Even though this may not exactly represent our blog, it just goes to show what can be achieved through the use of SEO Techniques.


This is, I'd say, even better than number 2, because it managed to get to number ONE on the keyword "Buy Island Blogging" out of 1.870.000 sites competing for it. And it did it in only one article: Pro Blogging Skills.

I won't bother summarizing this up as the benefits of SEO Techniques are obvious.

Feel free to post your thoughts on this subject.

NOTE: Even though the subject of this blog is Pet Pictures mixed with Pet Articles, we will be doing a extensive follow-up on this, with a guide on SEO Techniques, sites worth reading for this, making money from you blog via AdSense and other Ads. Stay tuned !

Tags: blog, yahoo, google, seo, search engine optimization, adsense, keywords, leporiphobia, priceless pet photos, pet pictures, buy island blogging

When it comes to Funny Pet Pictures, Max takes the prize. This is Episode 2: The Chuckles. You might remember Max from an earlier post, Episode 1: Destroyer of Ducklings. I'm looking forward to more priceless pet pictures from Max. Expect more :D

Don't forget, you can send us your own Pet Pictures at YourPetPictures@gmail.com

Yes, it's time for some more Pet Pictures, this time a little duckling. Although not as popular as cats or dogs, ducks can be surprisingly dedicated to their owner. I think they look at their owners more like their Mother, unlike cats or dogs.

Small, fluffy and adorable, all the ingredients for a good pet picture :) Or so I hope.

Who'd want to see my pet pictures or pet articles if our now priceless pets were losing ground to our virtual companions or robot pets ? But are cyber pets winning the battle for popularity ? Let's study this problem more closely.

First of all, pets have been around for a long time and they're still here, as loved by their owners as ever. Maybe the cyber pet is merely a whim of our technological progress. I remember when I was growing up the only virtual pet I had access to was the japanese Tamagotchi. A Tamagotchi is an electronical pocket device that offers rudimentary control over a pet of your choice: Dragons, Dinosaurs, Cats, Dogs, Worms, Parrots and so on, almost any pet immaginable. The graphics were and still are rudimentary but that wasn't the idea of the Tamagotchi. The purpose was to teach children responsability. They had to feed their pet, walk it when it was neccessary, clean up after it . . . But all this was intended to prepare a kid for the real deal, taking care of his best friend, his closest companion.

Therefore, until now nothing that assumes to replace the classical pet was encountered. So let's move on. I think you've all seen the robot dogs, cats and the sorts emerging everywhere. While these to look threatening in the long run, I doubt they'll ever be looked at as more than toys. Then again, who knows where we'll be in 20 years ? At the rate our technology is evolving, it's hard to say.

Furthermore, there is one more kind of pet to be discussed, the virtual pet. I wanted to cover this category merely to be thorough. It's pretty clear I would never trade my precious pets for an electronic version. Maybe I'm old fashioned.

All in all, I sincerely believe our pets are safe and as long as they can take all our worries away with a look in their eyes, a joyful bark or lazy purr they'll never be replaced. It's impossible for something created by technology to replace the bond between our priceless pets and us.

Please post your comments regarding the subject of this article. What do you think ? Looking forward to a discussion :)

No, I wasn’t joking, we DO plan on buying an Island. We’ve been looking into different prospects and, let me tell you, they are NOT cheap. The closest you’ll get to cheap are those small, 2-beach, volcanic islands. But hey, give the extra buck or two and get yourself a nice, spacious, tropical one. I’m not sure about local inhabitants though. Don’t get me wrong, I’d like some cultural exchange on MY island in the Pacific Ocean. Maybe you can rent a village. My blog should cover the expenses. Oh yeah! I can’t wait! Although there are some legal issues to be addressed, having an Island kicks ass. Anyone can buy an island no matter what blog, no matter what field. All you need is faith, time and goooogle (*)

Now I should probably introduce myself, or better said ourselves. We're two students that, until recently, were not particularly interested in blogging. But since we needed a project to work on, we decided to give it a try and create a blog. Still, it's not as easy as it seemed at first and we've managed in such short a time to make quite a lot of mistakes. Nontheless, mistakes are neccessary. I guess it's all part of the process.

Moving on to our goals I can say that for the moment we're not overly interested in making a profit. We prefer to progress as bloggers and gain knowledge that will benefit us in future enterprises, maybe even pro blogging as you put it. After all, who isn't hunting for profit nowadays ?

Furthermore, it helps to have a place (in our case a blog) where one can go at the end of the day and lay down a few thoughts or post a few pictures. Some might even call it relaxing. I'd say a productive hobby is always a good thing to have. Then again, if you don't take care of your blog and strive to improve it and offer the extra piece of info, the extra feature, the detail that will bring you more visitors, you might just end up talking to yourself. In our case that's impossible since there are two of us :)

Now let's get down to it. Have we learned anything ? Has it all been a waste of time ? I for one don't think so. Why you may ask . . . Well, i'll just list a few things that, in my oppinion, prove our progress:


1. HTML coding - yes, we learned it out of the need to better our blog. Here I'd like to thank Darren Rowse from ProBlogger.net for the link highlighting he uses on his blog. It’s much better than simple underlining.

2. SEO techniques – amongst other things, we tried to look out for keyword density in our posts. Our chosen keyword is “pet pictures”. Also, we played around a little with the alt tags . . .

3. experience with Google AdSense – yes, yes, PR for the win ! And now . . . [make sure you’re seated for this incredible breakthrough I’m going to share with you] . . . we PASSED the $1 mark with Google. Stop laughing, we’re on course for that island.


In conclusion, we’ve kind of already completed most of our goals regarding gaining experience as bloggers. So here are our newest goals:


1. be listed in the first 10 sites on “pet pictures” searches on different search engines (for example google or yahoo).

2. reach the 100$ mark by the end of the month and get our first check from Goooogle.


And that’s it in a nutshell. I hope I’ve been able to retain your attention until now and thus, my fellow bloggers, I bid you farewell and good luck in your endeavours.

P.S. We already have a boat: Today the boat, tomorrow the island !

Feel free to post your comments here!


(*) and a little bit of . . . luck! . . . ok, maybe a lot.

Tags: blogging, buy island, html, seo, adsense, pagerank, problogger, pet, pet pictures, boat

Often dogs lash out when reprimanded for doing something wrong. This is because the dog does not know what it is doing wrong. It only knows you are being aggressive. Remember a dog should not be punished for anything after three seconds of the act, it just does not understand. Any punishment after that time can result in the dog fearing you and can often cause aggression.

Smack a puppy which nips you and you will just teach it to nip and run. Shout 'ouch' and ignore it. Teach it that nipping is not rewarding by ignoring.

Biting by dogs is a serious problem as these statistics from America show.

According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, dog bites are responsible for 4.5 million injuries every year in the U.S.A., 750,000 people requiring medical attention and 334,000 ending in a hospital emergency room. The Insurance Information Institute reported that insurance companies paid an estimated $250 million in dog bite liability claims in 1996. More than half of all dog bites come from familiar dogs, those of friends, neighbours and even the owner’s own dog.

While some breeds may have more aggressive tendencies, all dogs are potential biters so don't be misled by size.

However the Humane Society of the United States reports that period from 1979-1996, five breeds, the Pit Bull, Rottweiler, German Shepherd, Husky and the Alaskan Malamute, were responsible for two-thirds of fatal dog attacks and, in two years from 1980 to 1996, 304 people died from dog attacks.

The American Veterinary Medical Association reports that dog attacks in the U.S. are the No. 1 public health problem for children, with more than half of all children bitten by age 12, most before the age of nine years. The leading reason for dog euthanasia is aggressive tendencies.

Commitment, Firmness, but kindness.
by David the Dogman

Tags: pet pictures, pets, pictures, dogs, dog biting

Damn, it seems lately, I'm getting sh** load of traffic coming into this blog, lots and lots of users and comments to my pet pictures and articles. It's all coming so nice lately. I'm learning so much each day now :) I'm on top of things, just like that turtle!

Oh well.. time to take up from the dream, nobody comes here, and nobody is interested but I guess I should not lose hope, not all things happen after night. As far as that is concerend I might see a comment from someone this year ;)

The old saying "Build it and they will come!" for sure does not apply, and I know that, quality links, quality content and top search engine rankings is what's needed... COMING SOON! :p

Keep the Faith !
keywords: fallout sharing sad blog thoughts :]

Tags: pets, pictures, articles, blogging, traffic, turtle, faith

Barking

I guess we've often had the "dog barking issue"... Here's a bit of info on it. Oh and that Pet Picture on top kind of gives me the shivers, bad memories I guess :)

So here it is:

Barking at night
The simple answer is to ignore the dog. By barking, it is training you to respond. You might have a few noisy nights but you will be showing it that barking is not productive. Certainly do not respond by shouting or scolding. If you do so the dog will only know that its barking has been productive by making you bark as well.

Barking, excessive
The reason for excessive barking in one word is FEAR, and it is frightened because it has not been socialized. It is nervous of every sound it hears and barks in a futile attempt to send the perceived threat away. Sometimes a dog which constantly whines, cries, barks, or is destructive, suffers from skin problems brought about by scratching and licking themselves because of the stress of being left. Generally this is not a problem with dogs which have been socialized through training classes at an early age. The solution is socialzation through obedience classes and home management.

Barking when the owner is out
This is a big problem caused by bad owners. The dog is a pack animal and if, as a member of the family pack, it is given the freedom of the home by being allowed to rest on the furniture and sleep in bedrooms, then it will suffer a form of stress when the pack goes off to work because it expects to go with the pack. When people leave home they should not look, touch or talk to the dog for about 10 minutes beforehand. The same applies when coming home: ignore, no talking, no patting, no looking, nothing. This way, the dog understands that its barking has not brought the owner back. If it has been barking while you were away and is rewarded by your attention when you come back, it then thinks it was its barking that brought you back to the house. A dog’s bark is said to be worse than its bite. It certainly is for the neighbors of a constantly barking dog left alone for too long, unsocialized and with uncaring owners. Hopefully no readers would permit their dogs to be such a community nuisance.

Barking at the postman
The postman or any kind of regular deliveryman is regarded by your dog as an intruder and so it barks and is immediately rewarded by the postman going away. It thinks it has frightened off the intruder and done its duty. Talk to your postman and try to get him to cooperate. Tell him you will leave a tit-bit outside the door and ask him to push it through the letter-box before the letters. The tit-bit will be a better reward for your dog than chasing the postman away.

Barking when the telephone rings
If you shout (bark) at your dog when it barks at the telephone ringing, you are encouraging it to bark more. It feels there is danger if you react. Get a friend to phone you at several agreed times. When the phone rings do not move and do not speak. After your friend has done this a few times your dog will no longer bark when the telephone rings.

Barking from balconies
When a dog barks from a balcony at someone passing by, it is simply asserting its dominance, firstly by looking down on humans and secondly by successfully telling them to shove off. As far as the dog is concerned, it is objecting to someone invading its territory. And even more pleasing, its barking is rewarded by the passerby walking away. Answer: ban the dog from the balcony.

Barking deterrent
Abistop is a French invention resulting from chemosensory research into the dog barking problem. It is attached to the dog´s collar and automatically emits a small spray of citronella whenever the dog barks. Brief exposure to cintronella immediately distracts dogs but does not cause them distress and even smells pleasant to humans. It is effective but expensive at £90. A cheaper method might be a quick squirt of water from a plant spray bottle or putting a bit of food in front of the dog’s nose. It cannot eat and bark at the same time.

Commitment, Firmness, but kindness.
by David the Dogman

Conclusions ? So what are your thoughts on this... I've personally came to hate dog barking at night, losing precious sleep time over it, just because a feel dogs feel like chatting up. It's times like this I had some super elite alien techlonogy remode, and just press "mute" button. Just my 2 cents.

Tags: pet, pictures, dogs, barking, fear, bite, blogging

There you are, a new wave of quality pet pictures for your delight. That little kitten has always been a natural in front of the camera :) . Every now and then i take a photo that deserves to be posted here at our pet pictures . I am currently working on his affro :D . Wish me luck, I'm gonna need it!

Tags: pet, pictures, cats, kitten, photo, photos, blogging

Every pet needs a little fresh air on a daily basis right ? What better place for your pet to socialize and get some exercise at the same time than the park ? I'm a dedicated dog fan and owner myself and I just wanted to make you give them a chance. Give one of these guys a home and you'll never be sorry.

Tags: pets, pictures, dogs, photo, photos

Sciurophobia - Fear of Squirrels

We're going to bring you all the nicest pictures, on a wide range of animals, anything actualy, Pet Pictures is the name, and Pet Pictures is our game, stay tuned for our daily dose of Pet Pictures and Pet Articles.

Check out the picture on the left, now that's a "tuned" animal, he's eagerly waiting out new content :) And I caught him on my camera!

Feel free to add your own comments here, and stay tuned for new stuff each day !

Also, don't forget to mail us at YourPetPictures@gmail.com with your own unique Pet Pictures !

Quality Pet Pictures content.

Tags: pets, pictures, articles, squirrels, photo, photos, blogging

And here is Pet Pictures again...
It was early morning and Blondu' had no intent to start off the day that early. I don't blame him :D . He doesn't seem to agree with the saying "The early bird catches the worm". Good thing he's not a bird :)

Quality Pet Pictures content.

Everyone loves bunnies right? Wrong! The fear of rabbits even has it's own name: Leporiphobia. Who could be afraid of a fluffy little bunny ? Apparently lots of people. That is why we , here at Pet Pictures , will tell you a little about the fear of rabbits or Leporiphobia.

Most sufferers are surprised to learn that they are far from alone in this surprisingly common, although often unspoken, fear.

Rabbit phobia is an intense fear of something that poses no actual danger. While adults with Rabbit phobia realize that these fears are irrabbitional, they often find that facing, or even thinking about facing, the feared situation brings on a panic attack or severe anxiety.

Rabbit Phobia, just like any other phobias, can be treated and some of the treatments are: Hypnosis-Hypnotherapy, Neuro-Linguistic Programming and Energy Psychology.

P.S. That bunny is OK, it escaped from that human and went on to raise it's own family :)

P.P.S. I think that bunny now suffers from fear of people which is called Anthropophobia.

Quality Pet Pictures content.

Tags: pets, pictures, photo, photos, rabbits, Leporiphobia, Anthropophobia, phobia, blogging

It is not true that dogs are completely colourblind. While dogs do not have the same color vision as humans, they are able to tell yellow from blue. Like a human with red-green colourblindness, they are unable to tell the difference between red and green.

The reason for this limited range, in both the colourblind human and the dog, is that there are only two kinds of colour receptors in the retinas of their eyes. While most humans have three kinds of colour cells, with three different receptor molecules sensitive to blue, greenish-yellow, and red, dogs only have receptors for yellow and greenish-blue.

Canine eyes also lack another human trait: the fovea, an area especially dense with detail-sensing cells. As a result, their detail vision is not as good as ours. But they make up for this by having much better night vision and greater sensitivity to movement.

Commitment, Firmness, but kindness.
by David the Dogman

Tags: pets, pictures, photo, photos, articles, dogs, blogging