Tag: pets

That’s My Pet: Freshwater Fish

 

“Mom, Dad, can I have a pet?” Is this a familiar question in your house? It certainly is in mine, and we are in good company. It’s estimated that over 60% of American households have at least one pet.

In this new DealDash Blog series we will highlight different pets, give some basic facts about pet ownership, and hopefully help you make informed decisions about your new furry, feathered, or finned family member. Let’s get started!

Today’s pet is the Freshwater Fish. As a person who spent a few years working at a pet store, and also as a pet owner I would say one of the best pets to start a younger child out with is a freshwater fish aquarium. You can spend less than $40 to get a basic freshwater fish aquarium going with everything you need, or you can go as big and as fancy as you would like for more money.

 

There are a huge variety of different aquariums that you can get for your first set-up, most people find that the easiest thing to do is to get a kit that is already pre-assembled. However, if you would prefer to pick up the pieces yourself, here are the very basics that are recommended for a freshwater fish aquarium:

  • Fish tank or aquarium
  • Gravel
  • Light source
  • Filter
  • Water conditioner
  • Air pump with airstone
  • Thermometer
  • Fish food
  • Heater (perhaps not needed if you are getting goldfish)
  •  Plants, rocks, decorations (optional)

Other than those items everything else such as a background, live plant, or pirate chest decoration is completely and totally optional and can be added at a later time if you so choose.

The size and type of aquarium that you purchase can determine the type and quantity of fish that you choose to put in your new aquarium. When people first start out with keeping freshwater fish they usually go 1 of 3 ways – Betta fish in a tiny aquarium, community fish in a medium-sized aquarium, or goldfish in a medium to large aquarium. Of course, there are many many many more types of freshwater fish to choose from, but these are the most popular options for beginners.

 

My personal favorite of these 3 options is the community tank. Most people use a 10-29 gallon aquarium for their community tank, and stock it with fish such as Mollies, Guppies, Platys, Tetras, and algae eaters. There are SO many more community fish to choose from, but those are some of the most popular options that should be easy to find in your local pet store.

Setting up your aquarium can be a easy or complicated as you would like to make it, depending on what look you are trying to achieve. Here are the basic steps:

  • Put your aquarium on whatever surface that you will be keeping it on long term, be it an actual aquarium stand, a dresser, table, desk, etc.
  • Rinse your gravel and put it in the aquarium sloping it a little bit up towards the back
  • Treat your tap water with a water conditioner and add it to the aquarium, leaving a few inches unfilled at the top
  • Install your heater, filter, and thermometer
  • Add any decorations that you would like
  • Finish filling the water to the top
  • Plug in heater and filter
  • Wait 24-48 hours before adding any fish

 

As a general rule you can add about 1″ of (Full Grown fish length) per gallon of water. For instance if you have a 10 gallon aquarium you can add 10 fish that will be 1″ long when they are full grown. Don’t be fooled by the size the fish are when you buy them, make sure that you do your research to see how big your fish will be when they are full grown.

I hope that this article has helped you understand a little bit about setting up a freshwater fish aquarium. If you are in the market for an aquarium, pet store gift card, or any other pet-related items head on over to DealDash‘s “Other” section and see what they have up for bid today. Good luck and happy bidding everyone!

Petco -Where the Pets Go

What do most DealDashers have in common? Pets!!

At least, reading people’s little bios and looking at so many different pet avatars it would seem like most DealDashers have at least one pet, if not more. I’ve seen bios referring to cats, dogs, birds, and even some more exotic pets like lizards and goats! I don’t personally have any exotic pets like that, but I do have two tanks of saltwater fish. And I don’t know about you, but the very first place I think of when it comes to getting pet supplies is Petco!

Petco has just about every item that I have ever needed or wanted, and even more items that I didn’t even know existed until I saw them in the store. They have pet supplies for just about every pet including your average cat, dog, and fish but also ferrets, rats, turtles, hermit crabs, and more!

When you think of a national chain pet store you might think that their offices are only thinking about the “bottom line”, but Petco is actually has a “Think Adoption First” philosophy, which means they always recommend that anyone who is looking to add a new pet to their family to first consider adopting a companion animal in need of a new home, rather than purchasing one – even from a Petco store. Petco and the Petco Foundation work with more than 8,000 local animal-welfare partners to find homes for more than 250,000 animals every year through in-store adoption events. Petco has never sold dogs or cats. They do however have ferrets, hamsters, bunnies, and more available to purchase.

In case this is the first time that you have heard about the Petco Foundation, They are an independent nonprofit organization, and they have raised more than $125 million since it was created in 1999 to help promote and improve the welfare of companion animals. Petco and the Petco Foundation work with and support thousands of local animal welfare groups across the country to host in-store adoption events and help find homes for adoptable dogs, cats, and other companion animals. That’s what I call “Thinking Adoption First.”

My favorite thing about Petco versus the other major pet retailer in my area is that Petco actually has saltwater fish and corals. I can get the exact same type of Clownfish (Ocellaris) for $10 at Petco that I could also get at my local fish store, except they charge almost double the price! I will go with the $10 Petco Clownfish every time. Also, Petco has consistently lower prices on dry goods such as salt mix, fish food, and fish medications. I foolishly bought a coral medication at my local fish store over the weekend for $24.99, and when I compared the price at Petco today I realized that I could have gotten it $5 cheaper. Lesson learned – check the Petco price before buying anything at a local shop.

 

Luckily for us pet-loving DealDashers DealDash now has Petco gift cards available! They come in $10 and $25 denominations, and you can spend the gift cards in store as well as online. They are really convenient, and since I know that I am always going to have an occasion to spend $10 or $25 in Petco I always bid them up to the limit. Give it a try, you never know when you might get lucky!

 

 

 

That’s My Pet: Bird

 

“Mom, Dad, can I have a pet?” Is this a familiar question in your house? It certainly is in mine, and we are in good company. It’s estimated that over 60% of American households have at least one pet.

In this DealDash Blog series we will highlight different pets, give some basic facts about pet ownership, and hopefully help you make informed decisions about your new furry, feathered, or finned family member. Let’s get started!

Today’s pet is the bird. As a person who spent a few years working at a pet store, I can say that pet birds are extremely popular, especially the less expensive ones such as a parakeet. However, if you live near one of the bigger pet stores they tend to have a large variety of pet birds, from the inexpensive to extremely expensive, such as a large parrot like an African Grey.

In my experience working at the pet store and seeing all of the birds come and go, I would say that my favorite kind of bird that was a nice balance of price and personality was the Sun Conure.

 

The Sun Conure is an absolutely gorgeous bird with an awesome, playful personality that delights just about everyone that they come into contact with. They are intelligent, playful, and are significantly quieter if kept as single pets instead of a pair. Sun Conures make good pet birds for a family because of their sociable, upbeat and affectionate personality. However, if they are kept as a single, be prepared to spend a lot of time interacting with them, as they are prone to picking at their feathers when bored and lonely.

Sun Conures have an adventurous attitude and are quite active – no boring branch sitters here! They entertain themselves in many ways, such as by playing in their water bowls or during bath time, playing with toys on the floor, or riding around on your shoulder.

Of course, the first question that most people have when talking about pet birds is: Does it talk? And yes, Sun Conures can learn words and phrases. You will never have a heart to heart talk with this bird, but it can definitely learn enough language to amuse you and your friends.

There are many many wonderful birds that can make great pets, and they mostly need the same items to keep them healthy and happy. Here is a list of the must-haves:

  • Cage of an appropriate size to your bird
  • A variety of perches for him to sit on
  • Cage lining (even just newspaper can work well)
  • Food – a variety of food is best, including commercialized seed, fresh fruits and veggies, calcium, treats
  • Toys – a variety is best, including small bells/balls, ropes, mirrors
  • Cleaning supplies that are safe to use with your friend
  • Food and water dishes
  • And of course…The name of a vet who specializes (or at least accepts) birds

If you’re looking into getting a pet bird, DealDash has a few of the above items available, please click here to see the auctions.

 

I hope that this article has helped you understand a little bit about setting up a home for a new feathered friend. If you are in the market for a cage or feeder, pet store gift card, or any other pet-related items head on over to DealDash‘s “Other” section and see what they have up for bid today. Good luck and happy bidding everyone!