If you read Part I of the Reading Labels article (and we hope you did), you probably wondered what else we could possibly have said on the subject. Hopefully, after reading this concluding chapter you understand why we begat this magnum opus… and also why we could have said even more! Continue Reading

There is no household harm into which a bird can’t find its way. There’s a good chance that no matter the aerial proficiency of your bird, it’s still not nearly ready for the Top Gun Academy. Continue Reading

Going back to the third issue of Total Pet Magazine, we spotlighted the snake as a pet, discussing its care and briefly touching upon a few of the sources for culture’s negative perception of the snake. We’d like to look into this negative perception further by exploring the history of the snake. Is that a little too broad? Absolutely. But we promise there won’t be any preaching about learning to love a snake or imploring you to go to your nearest herp-stocking pet store for a meet and greet. Okay, to be a little more honest, there won’t be much preaching. At best we’re asking you to consider the snake as a figure of historical and cultural significance, like Abraham Lincoln, Tattoo from Fantasy Island, or the guy that discovered gunpowder. Continue Reading

DNA research suggests that ferrets first appeared in domestication around 2,500 years ago; the oldest known ferret fossil remains are dated at 1,500 years ago. No matter from which date you choose to start, the ferret’s journey to pet stardom was a long trip indeed. Used domestically for many activities including hunting and guarding grain stores, the ferret didn’t gain the full measure of domestic comforts until the 1960s when they started to become a kind of novelty or celebrity pet. Dick Smothers and David Carradine were members of this fledgling ferret club. In more recent years, the ferret has made notable appearances in the Harry Potter universe and the film The Big Lebowski. Continue Reading