BackyardStyle Lawn, Garden and Pond » Outdoor Pet Supply

It’s all about the Rabbits – Housing Tips for Domesticated Bunnies

admin — Thu, 07 May 2009 04:00:00 +0000

Many types of housing for rabbits are available these days – but the homes that are preferred by our editorial staff are backyard rabbit hutches.

Popular rabbit homes include suspended wire rabbit cages that are kept inside a shed or building and weatherproof rabbit hutches that are raised above the ground and kept outside. The size of cage or home depends on the breed of rabbit and the owner’s individual preference. It is important to ensure that your rabbit has plenty of room and overcrowding does not exist in the hutch.

Common rabbit cage sizes are 30 inches × 30 inches, 30 inches × 36 inches, and 30 inches × 40 inches. These rabbit cage sizes can house a rabbit doe and her litter for dwarf, medium-sized, and giant rabbits, respectively.

If you are investing in housing for your rabbit(s) – remember that it must keep your rabbits dry, without drafts, and must provide an environment with temperatures of at least 40°F and not more than 90°F. Too cold is not good, but too hot can be deadly also.

Watering and feeding supplies that are available at RabbitMart range from bowls to self rabbit feeders and automatic rabbit waterers. The rabbit enthusiast with only a few rabbits can operate with simple rabbit feeders and earthenware water bowls. The commercial producer with 20 or more breeding rabbits will prefer large self-feeders and automatic drinking valves. Additionally, the new rabbit owner or breeder will need wood or metal nest boxes.

One of the most important considerations for a rabbitry is adequate ventilation. Rabbits during warm weather must have a constant flow of fresh air. The minimum ventilation rate, regardless of season, must be about eight total air changes every hour.

If you smell ammonia fumes or see moisture condensing on rabbitry walls and windows, you must increase the ventilation rate. Avoid drafts, however, regardless of ventilation method.

Pee Post Helps Create Harmony with Plants and Pets

admin — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 04:00:00 +0000

Simple Solution Pee Post Pheromone-Treated Yard Stake

I showed this beautiful photo of Harry, my beloved dog, to my mother. She glanced at the photo and almost went into cardiac arrest. I thought I might have to dial 911. Her response to this photo was “You let that DOG lay all over your plants?” and “Do you let him pee all over too?”

Oops… I forgot how my mom feels about plants and pets. She loves her garden, she has a green thumb and she worries about dogs urinating on her plants and lawn. Although she likes Harry, she couldn’t resist telling me”That DOG pee will kill your lawn and plants….wait and see.”

So, I tell her about the Simple Solution Pee Post™ Pheromone-Treated Yard Stake. This is a simple training device that teaches your pet to urinate in a specific area of your yard. You decide the location of where your pet can relieve themselves and hammer the Pee Post gently into the ground. The Simple Solution Pee Post has non-toxic pheromones that will attract your pet to urinate in the designated area and help maintain your lush lawn. The Simple Solution Pee Post can also be used as a housebreaking aid.

After my explanation, my mom looked at the photo again. I think this time she saw my beautiful dog resting amongst the planst and realized that perhaps, pets and plants can live together in harmony.

For more solutions on maintaining lawns with pets, visit http://www.backyardstyle.com/.

Escape from the Backyard – About Dog GPS Locators

admin — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0000

Global Positioning Systems.

They are cropping up everywhere and making our lives easy, safer and more convenient. There isn’t a person that I know that hasn’t raved about a new GPS product. Most notably are the car GPS systems – but as you know there is much more out there and much more to come.

If you are a pet owner, I am sure that you guessed that GPS locators for dogs would be coming soon – but the part that I DIDN’T guess was the ease of use of some of the systems and the way they are incorporated with an excellent online account experience and great customer support.

We carry the PetSafe system and we have heard nothing but great reviews from anyone that has had experience with it.

The PetSafe® GPS Locator collar is a powerful tool that helps you find your lost pet using assisted global positioning system (AGPS) tracking and two-way wireless technology. APGS is just GPS with a friendly person and technology helping you out.

This GPS system has simple-to-understand features and a dedicated live support team standing by 24/7/365. Petsafe makes it easy for you to pinpoint the location of your roaming pet so you can bring him back home quickly and efficiently – without too many tears shed.

The “Home Zone” is the key to how this innovative system works. You establish a Home Zone in a 3 step quick process. Once you’ve established that Home Zone™ area for your dog, the system will notify you (through any methods that you choose) whenever he crosses the Home Zone boundaries.

You will get an escape alert via phone, email or text message if your pet goes outside without your permission. At that point, call PetSafe. A PetSafe Customer Care Specialist will walk you through recoving your pet. You get the peace of mind that comes from always knowing where your dog is and service that keeps the recovery process fast and easy.

Best of all, the PetSafe GPS Locator comes with a money-back guarantee. If
you’re not completely satisfied with the product, simply return it to the manufacturer within the first 30 days for a full refund.

EZEE Corral – Equine Portable Corral

admin — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 04:00:00 +0000

Many of us outdoor types are horse lovers also. BackyardStyle carries many products for the farm and home and also carries select products for equine and livestock care. Our “brother site” is Shane’s Tack which carries thousands of Equine products.

I wanted to talk a short while about a new product that I found for our horses that has a number of applications because it is portable. The NEW EZEE corral by Zareba.

We know that horse riders on the go want quick and simple solutions for safely containing their horses when away from home. This equine kit is self-contained and is the perfect solution for trail rides and horse shows.

It also does a great job keeping critters out of backyards when not in use at a show!

Fits any terrain. Secure corner posts with eight tie-down stakes and six ft (1.8 m) of cord, included. Corral design is easily configured to fit available terrain.

No special tools necessary to install the electric corral or fence. Assembling the EZEE Corral is easy. Simply step on post anchor and press it into the ground. Drive plastic stake through the center of the anchor. Then slide each post on an anchor and lock in place. Four corner posts and four line posts included.
No complicated wiring with this system! Stretch poly tape, which carries electrical current, around the perimeter of the corral. Tape is firmly held in place by built-in insulator clips on line posts.
No grounding needed—poly tape carries both positive and negative charge.
Easy connections. Attach poly tape reels to corner posts (adjust height as necessary). Use plug-in connectors to attach poly tape to poly tape reel, completing the circuit.
Reels dispense and store 30 ft (9 m) of tape, which quickly rewinds for re-use.
High visibility. Rest easy. Your horses are safe and secure. White components mean high visibility by day, reflective strips command attention at night.
Easy entrance/exit. Turn system on/off with toggle switch, then come and go as you please. Quick disconnect feature makes it easy to enter or exit the corral from any corner post.
Reliable power source. Don’t worry about running out of power. The EZEE Corral will operate up to 30 days, 24 hours a day, on four alkaline D-cell batteries (not included).
Produces up to 8,000 volts and .05 joules per shock. Fencer control box is self contained in corner post.
Features on/off switch and LED light that displays green when in operation or red if batteries are low.

Have a great week everyone!