Tip of the Week
Snails aren’t just for eating algae! Freshwater snails make wonderful pets as additions to many aquariums.  But remember, most snails do not thrive on algae and will need their diet supplemented with other goodies!  More info to come when the new Snail Care page is up!

Tip of the Week Archives

Pet Bios

Meet Our Bettas

Aikidoka:  Aik is a rescue.  His previous owners were unaware of proper betta care and forced him to live in unsanitary and unhealthy conditions by placing him in a vase with a peace lily.  He was purchased from a large supermarket, where he lived in a cup.  He was then moved to his vase home where he spent about a year of his life.  He now enjoys swimming and playing and making bubble nests in his five gallon home.  Aik was our first betta. 

Dazzle:  Dazzle is a betta who we purchased from a large retail store.  She was spotted one week in a typical, small betta cup.  Two weeks later, she was still there, in the same cup in dirty, rancid water.  So, we snatched her up.  She was a dull, drab, gray color and she was laying on her side in her little cup.  Once she got home to her own tank, she perked up and has been happy ever since. She has even begun to color up and is a gorgeous Mustard Gas betta!  Dazzle is a mean little thing who will not tolerate any intruders in her tank, whether it be a snail or a finger!  She will defend her home with every effort she can put forth!

Meet Our Orandas

Sharona: Sharona is a Red Cap female Oranda.  She too has more than tripled in size she came to us and also has a lot of growing left in her.  She is about 2 – 3 years of age and has got a petite, more feminine wen growth.  She’s a friendly little girl that loves making smoochy faces and eating everything in sight.  Monk and Sharona were the start of our fish collection.

Adrian: Adrian is Sharona's new pal, since Monk passed away.  He does his best to keep her happy and follows her around like a little puppy.  Adrian is a red and white male Oranda who loves to play with his peas and who makes a game of uprooting and carrying around the plants in the tank!  Adrian is a happy guy who is a lot of fun to watch while he interacts with Sharona. 

Meet Our Birds

Paisley: Paisley is a female Normal Gray Cockatiel.  She was given to us as a gift in 1997.  She’s been a wonderful bird through the years and has a distinct personality.  She loves to be talked to and to be fed from the table.  Her favorite snack is cheese (which is fed in very small quantities occasionally) and she loves to watch TV.  Paisley is a little firecracker who will let you know as soon as she’s upset about anything.

Ruby: Ruby is a female Solomon Island Eclectus. Ruby came to us in November of 2004 from a family who wanted someone to take her who could provide for her the care and time she needed.  Ruby is a sweet bird who loves sitting on shoulders, cuddling, and talking and singing in the morning.  She also enjoys watching TV and surfing the internet.

Posey:  Posey is the newest addition to our feathered family.  She's a sweet little bird with a lot of personality.  She's got the call of a hawk, which makes you easily think she's much bigger than she really is.  Posey is an albino Indian Ringneck.  She loves playing "Who Can Scream the Loudest" with Paisley and chasing Heidi away from her cage.  

Meet Our Cats

Levi IhcIhc: Levi came to us on Halloween of 1996.  He was a tiny kitten running down the median of the interstate.  He’s a solid white, deaf cat and he’s a wonderful companion.  He loves being the head of the household. His favorite snack is angel food cake with some sweet tea; although, he’s not allowed to have it.  Levi was our very first pet.

Diablo: Diablo is a male Flame Point Siamese who was a rescue in 2001.  He was presented at the animal hospital as an emergency with a broken leg.  His owners left him in the care of the hospital to splint the leg, but they never returned for him.  Had someone not taken him in, he would have been euthanized.  His leg has since healed, he’s been neutered, and is a wonderfully loving cat.  His favorite past time is to have his head scratched while he “makes biscuits”.  He adores his buddy Gordon and will do anything to stick up for him and to keep him safe.  Diablo was our second addition.

 Gordon: Gordon is a male tabby who we incorrectly but lovingly call a Sphynx Mix.  Gordon was also a rescue in 2002. He was presented to the animal hospital because of his odd appearance.  He was about 8 weeks of age and completely hairless except for a small patch on his head, a Mohawk down his back, and sparse hair on his tail.  The owners thought he was too ugly to keep and would do unmentionable things to him to get him to stay away from their house but he kept coming back to them purring and wanting warmth.  I had to have him; so now we have Gordon.  His oddity is that he sheds all of his hair during the winter and will grow most of it back during the warmer months.  He has a wardrobe of sweaters to get him through the colder times.  Gordon is a crazy cat who enjoys doing anything he can to get into anything that he’s not allowed to have.  He’d basically sacrifice anything to find a bit of food someone left behind. Gordon was our third feline addition.

P-Kiddy:  P-Kiddy is the newest feline addition to our household.  P-Kiddy is a kitty that was brought to the animal hospital when he was ill. After being hospitalized for about a month, P-Kiddy came home with us.  He's been treated for his illnesses and is on his way to making his place in our home, among the other "boys".  P-Kiddy is such a sweet cat who loves to be petted and loved on.  He loves lying on the bed pillows and best of all, he loves to eat!  P-Kiddy (his original name is Pumpkin) loves his food so much that he has a bit of a weight issue, but we are working on that!

Meet Our Dog

Heidi: Heidi is a Greater Swiss Mountain Dog who, again, was a rescue.  She was owned by an elderly man who could no longer take care of her.  She came to us in 2003 and she’s turned out to be perfect for us.  She’s protective of her home but is a big baby when the threat of an intruder on her property, whether is be a human or squirrel, is no longer near.  She loves laying around the house playing with her softee toys, and getting a good chest scratch.  Heidi has been through a lot of procedures as she has a few health conditions, but she still gets that tail wagging and is always excited and happy to see us.  She’s a wonderful girl.

Meet Our Snails

St. Louis: St. Louis, or Louie, is a Ramshorn Snail.  When we got him he too was living in a teeny tiny cup.  He came to us in the winter of 2004 to give Riddley companionship when Tai Sabaki passed away.  He will most likely stay small but he doesn't let that get in his way of living with the giant Riddley. Louie's favorite activity is hitching a ride on Riddley's shell, as seen in this picture, and joining him for a snack of carrots. 

Grimmace:  Grimmace is the newest addition to our snail collection.  He (or maybe she) is a brigs snail with a purple shell and a light foot with orange dots.  He's quite cute and quite small for the time being.  Grimmace came from a local pet store and is now living in his new tank accompanied by all the rest of the snails. Grimmy seems to enjoy fresh leafy veggies the best but will also steal a bit of betta food from Mickey. 

Hansel:  Hansel came to us from someone who sells snails that we found on the most informational snail site out there: www.applesnail.net.  Hansel is a Haustrum Snail, who we later found out is a female.  We thought about changing her name but she keeps right up with the big boys so we will leave it the way it is.  Hansel loves her snail cookies just about more than anything else.  She was pretty small when she came to us but has now almost outgrown Riddley! She is seen here with her air tube stretched way out!

Jack:  Jack, too was a mail order snail.  He is an Insularium snail.  Jack is a funny little snail who just loves to follow the smaller snails around.  We've even found him riding on the shells of snails half his size. 

Bee:  Bee is an Asolene Spixi snail.  She will stay very small but that doesn't matter to her.  she still keeps up with the giant guys.  We even found her sharing a green bean with the giant Riddley.  She knows not what her size is. 

Pat: Pat is a Malaysian Trumpet Snail.  This type of snail is a live bearing snail.  We were a little cautious about getting this type of snail as it is a hermaphrodite and we aren't to keen on the idea of breeding our snails.  However, after having Pat only for a couple of weeks, we started seeing little tiny babies in the tank and they are just too cute for words.  Pictured here is Pat with one of his first babies. 

The Triplets:  The Triplets came as an added bonus with the shipment of Hansel and Bee.  We almost didn't even find them as they were very tiny.  They were about pea size when they came.  Now, they have easily outgrown Grimmace.  They have been a lot of fun to watch grow and play.  They love their snail cookies and parachuting in the bubble wall.  Pictured here are two of the three triplets.  The Triplets are Cana Snails. 

Meet Our Other Fish

Michael: Michael is our first Angelfish.  I believe he is called a Black Standard.  He's protective of his territory but never actually picks a fight with other fish.  He has to investigate anything new, whether it be a fish, decoration, or food.  He even comes to the front of the tank to greet whoever walks by.  He has doubled in size after having him only a month or so and is so much fun to watch.

Woody:  Woody is a Twig Catfish, otherwise known as a Farlowella.  He's very unique and is quite the conversational piece in the aquarium.  He's a bottom dwelling sucker mouth and absolutely loves his zucchini and algae tabs.  He's been a lot of fun and is such a peaceful little critter.  

Gabriel, Charlie, Joy, and Grace:  These four are the newest angels in the tank.  They are albino angels who were all together when they came to us. They love to play with Michael and love to play the game of "who-can-be-the-fastest?" when it comes to breakfast and dinner. Angelfish are so nice to watch as they swim together across the tank. 

Whiskers:  Whiskers is a Bristlenose Pleco.  He will stay small but for now, is very tiny as he is very young.  Whiskers came to use along with the Gabriel, Charlie, Joy and Grace.  Whiskers loves his algae tablets and will do anything for a bite of cucumber!  He also enjoys following his buddy, Woody, around.  (Whiskers' photo coming soon)

Krusty: Krusty is a Clown Pleco and he is the newest addition to our pet family.  Krusty is still getting acclimated to his new home but doesn't let that stop him from devouring a slice of cucumber! Krusty will stay relatively small, like Whiskers, but he'll be able to keep up with the rest of them! (Krusty's photo is coming soon)

Those We Have Lost