Water Bottles for Guinea Pigs

Clean, fresh water is essential to your guinea pig's health.

Water bottle advantages

When you're setting up your guinea pig's watering hole, keep in mind that a water bottle is better than a dish.

Water bottles offer several advantages:

• They can't be easily spilled or clogged with bedding material, food, or other particles.
• Guinea pigs prefer clean, dry bedding, and even though they may mastermind the mess created by overturned water bowls, they won't appreciate the result.
• You probably won't either, since sodden bedding means additional cage cleaning.

What to look for

Water bottles are available in different sizes and styles.

• Size: 32-oz. water bottle
• Material: Glass is preferable, but plastic works well, too, and is more commonly sold in pet supply stores.
• Features: Angled stainless steel sipper tube with a ball bearing in the spout.
• Cage placement: The water bottle should hang off the side of the cage at a height that's easily accessible for your guinea pig.
• Care and maintenance: Change your guinea pig's water every day, and wash the water bottle thoroughly during the weekly cage cleaning. A bottle brush can help remove any stubborn particles. When re-hanging the water bottle, check to make sure the sipper tube isn't clogged by gently tapping the ball bearing.

Male Sugar Glider Anatomy

Male Sugar Glider Anatomy

Head Scent Gland

A lot of people refer to the Head Scent Gland as "The Bald spot", it is not really a "bald spot", they actually do have a full head of hair, err um, fur. The scent gland that is present on the top of the head produces an oily substance that slicks down a little patch of hair where the scent gland is, creating that handsome balding look. ;-) The Male Head Scent Gland, one of a few scent glands, develops during puberty. They will rub their head all over whatever they think should belong to them. :-) (marking) So if you get "rubbed", its a good thing! The Head Scent Gland (as well as the Chest Scent Gland  will disappear and be hardly/not noticeable at all after a male Glider gets neutered  (Neutering also cuts down on the smell- Males do tend to be a little smellier than the females.) * Sometimes the Head may appear to get a little crusty or yucky from the buildup of oils from the scent gland. If this should happen, you can take a soft clean cloth or Q-tip and dip it in warm water and gently clean the buildup from the scent gland :)

Chest Scent Gland

The Male Chest Scent Gland, one of a few scent glands, develops during puberty. They will rub their chest all over whatever they think should belong to them. :-) (marking) So if you get "rubbed", its a good thing! The Chest Scent Gland (as well as the Head Scent Gland) will disappear and be hardly/not noticeable at all after a male Glider gets neutered. (Neutering also cuts down on the smell- Males do tend to be a little smellier than the females.)

Male Privates

The Male Glider has a long bifurcated penis...meaning- the tip of the penis is split in two or forked. (So no, your glider's penis is not mangled or disfigured, it is very normal. :-) At times the male will let his penis hang out pretty far and some have even seen what appears to be their Gliders, Ummm, weeell, flossing their teeth with it!!?!! (both of which are very normal) When a male Glider is relaxed the scrotum can hang down further appearing as though the testicles are barely attached by a tiny amount of skin. (this too is normal) If for some reason you see that your Gliders penis is NOT retracting (going back in) for a long period of time, then you can use a water soluble lubricant (IE: KY Jelly, etc...) to keep it moistened until you get them to the vet soon for a check. :-) * Both Males & Females have a Cloaca in which the reproductive, urinary, and gastrointestinal tracts open. (Meaning - (to put it bluntly :-) They use the same hole to urinate/deficate, have sex, and give birth.)

General Male Info

Weight - 4-5 oz (Average adult weight, although some are lighter/heavier.)
Body Length - 6-8 in.
Tail Length - 6-8 in.
Sexual Maturity - 8-15 months (although it could be a little sooner or later)
Heart Rate - 200-300 Beats per minute
Respiritory Rate - 16-40 Breaths per minute
Rectal Temperature - 97.2 F
Scent Glands - Paracloacal (alongside the cloaca), forehead, sternal (chest), surface of the paws, corners of the mouth, inside surface of the external ear.
Life Span - 4-5 Years in the wild. Up to 15 Years in captivity. * Both Males & Females have a Cloaca in which the reproductive, urinary, and gastrointestinal tracts open. (Meaning - (to put it bluntly :-) They use the same hole to urinate/deficate, have sex, and give birth.)

Female Sugar Glider Anatomy

Female Sugar Glider Anatomy

 

The Pouch

Female Gliders have a ventral abdominal pouch that opens forward. There are 4 teats in the pouch, but most females usually only give birth to 1 or 2 babys (2 being the most common). After a gestation period of 15-17 days, a female Glider will give birth to tiny embryonic offspring (about 5mm long). After making the trip to the pouch, the tiny embryonic offspring will remain inside the pouch for 60-70 days, where they will continue to develop and grow. Once OOP (out of pouch, after the 60-70 days...) the joey will continue to nurse and grow untill it can safely be weaned. (It is highly recommended that a joey is weaned no sooner than 8 weeks OOP.)

Female Privates

Both Males & Females have a Cloaca in which the reproductive, urinary, and gastrointestinal tracts open. (Meaning - (to put it bluntly :-) They use the same hole to urinate/deficate, have sex, and give birth.)

General Female Info

Weight - 3.5-5 oz (Average adult weight, although some are lighter/heavier.)

Body Length - 6-8 in.

Tail Length - 6-8 in.

Sexual Maturity - 8-15 months (although it could be a little sooner or later)

Heart Rate - 200-300 Beats per minute

Respiratory Rate - 16-40 Breaths per minute

Rectal Temperature - 97.2 F

Scent Glands - Paracloacal (alongside the cloaca), pouch, surface of the paws, corners of the mouth, inside surface of the external ear. Life Span- 5-7 Years in the wild. Up to 15 Years in captivity. * Both Males & Females have a Cloaca in which the reproductive, urinary, and gastrointestinal tracts open. (Meaning - (to put it bluntly :-) They use the same hole to urinate/deficate, have sex, and give birth.)

info:

http://sugar-pets.blogspot.com/2007/11/female-sugar-glider-anatomy.html

pic : google.com