Sea otters and giant river otters are like if someone got two artists to design a giant otter, but ended up with two very different ideas on what they should look like cause one draws hello kitty fanart and the other was a nihilist.
So animal misinformation is very common within society so I thought about making a list of a couple of things that you probably should know about animals:
Do not flip rabbits upside down (it can literally kill them)
While we’re talking about rabbits, do not bathe them in water
Rabbits can’t eat lots of carrots, they have too much sugar
75% of their diet should be hay
that cage you bought for your hamster is most likely too small
Any tank or bowl under 5 gallons is way too small for anything unless you are keeping snails
Your aquatic animal needs a filter
Yes, your beta fish needs a heater (as do all tropical aquatic animals)
No, fish are not decorations
Goldfish and koi are pond animals, goldfish can live in some tanks but they need to be big
You can not just buy 2 fish that school (like guppies, neon tetras, etc)
Trust nothing that petsmart or petco tells you about fish they actually know nothing
When you purchase a reptile you need to be willing to take care of it for it’s entire lifespan (some of the common reptiles sold at the store can live up to 50 years)
Your reptile needs a heater
Live feeding rodents actually isn’t that good and can harm your snake (only do this if the snake refuses frozen)
DO NOT RELEASE REPTILES INTO THE WILD! ESPECIALLY IF YOU LIVE IN A WARM STATE LIKE FLORIDA!
your reptile needs a water dish
Your turtle can’t live in a fish tank that just has a floating log for them to rest above water on
Most birds are social and should have companions
If they do not have a companion you need to make sure you spend enough time with them daily to make up for that
They can’t live off just seeds
You can’t cohabitate large and small birds
You should not put bedboxes or encourage nesting for tropical birds unless you plan on becoming a professional breeder and taking care of the babies yourself when the parents are incompetent
On the opposing side, domestic birds like pigeons and chickens need a nesting box because they will lay eggs reguarly (although these eggs will be unfertilized)
The chicken eggs you buy at the store are not unhatched baby chickens
Chickens legit don’t care if you take their eggs, they will eat the unfertilized eggs if left in the coop for too long, the eggs have a lot of nutrients that can help them, but do long as the chickens are getting a good diet they won’t need to eat the eggs
Honeybees make way too much honey and taking it from them prevents them from swarming (something that most of the time ends in the death of the entire colony)
You know how your neighbor/farm down the road/etc has horses? Yeah it’s fun to pet them and all but do not feed them random stuff you bring, you don’t know if they have special diet regulations or what is/is not poisonous and sending a horse to the vet is very expensive if you want to feed them something ask the farmer beforehand
I shouldn’t have to say this but do not enter any cow/horse/large animal pasture without the owners permission
Cows aren’t as sweet as the media makes them out to be, never let your guard down around a cow
Pigs are not herbivores, they are omnivores, they eat meat and basically whatever else they can
The same applies to chickens
Do not release domestic or domestic raised animals into the wild. Ever
You shouldn’t declaw your cat (get those rubber claw covers instead!)
Also don’t let your cat be an “outdoor” cat
That doesn’t mean don’t let your cat go outside, but when they are outside it should be under supervision and on a leash
If you don’t want to leash train them, get a catio!
Your omnivorous or carnivor animals CANT BE VEGAN
Feel free to add more to this list!
Rubber claw covers are actually bad for cats! Those kinds of covers designed more for dogs or other animals that have their claws out all the time, but cats don’t. Instead train your cat to scratch at a scratching post/board, or clip their nails (but be careful so you dont cut too far - just the very tips of the claws are enough).
Nail caps, when correctly applied, do not stop cats from extending and retracting their claws. Cats’ claws do not retract inside of their paws. Please don’t spread misinformation about claw caps, when they are a completely safe alternative to declawing. Please stop spreading misinformation. You can Google search information regarding claw caps, but here is a source for convenience:
Despite the fact that we like to think all pet owners can dedicate enough time/money to training their cats to use a scratching post, many don’t. Declawing is still a very serious and wide-spread problem, and if any safe alternative is available, we should be using it. Please don’t spread misinformation about an alternative that can save cats’ physical and mental health.
There aren’t Bad Dogs but there are breed-specific needs and temperament issues that owners need to be familiar with to successfully care for their dogs. The idea that “breed is irrelevant!!!” to a dog’s behavior is very foolish and leads to a lot of unhappy pet/owner combinations. We have spent thousands of years breeding dogs for specific traits and instincts and it’s our job to manage and accommodate those behaviors as responsibly as we can.
