Cage Cleaning Day

Today is Saturday which means... CAGE CLEANING DAY!

Yes, that's right. Today everyone's cage/tank/habitat gets cleaned.  New bedding.  New water.  Whatever is needed.  We'll also head to our local pet shop lady for some crickets later today.

Here's some of what needs to be done:

• Chinchilla - wash fleece blanket floor of cage, exchange out food and water, clean litter tray where he urinates, sweep up the poop from the cage and floor, wash hammock, wipe down ledges
• Hedgehog - change bedding and water in playpen (plywood box) and cage, wash dishes from cage and playpen, wash bed from cage, wipe down cage and toys
• Toads and lizards - rinse out water dishes and add water, change bedding, wash off plants and/or driftwood
• Cat - litter box, wash out food dish, wash bed
• Dogs - wash food dishes, wash beds
• Fish - add water or do water exchange if needed

Of course there is also a lot of sweeping and vacuuming, too. It takes a while, but it keeps the animals healthy.  

Introducing: Giant and Leafy

Giant and Leafy are two fire bellied toads (named by the youngest children, if you can't tell).

 

According to National Geographic, Oriental fire-bellied toads secrete toxins from their skin, and they want potential predators to know it. When threatened, they rise up on their front legs and arch their back, sometimes even flipping themselves over completely, to reveal the bright red-and-black coloration of their underside. This behavior, known as the unken reflex, warns predators, “Eat me, and you might croak.”

Our toads are green to brown with spots on their backs with a red and black belly that resembles fire.  We feed them crickets and make sure they have a large water dish to sit in.  Some people give them more of a swimming area like a shallow aquarium with rocks to rest on.