The Wisconsin State Fair was a great time for all who attended! The day began with perfect weather and ended with many pleased fairgoers!

On our main stage we had Wind River Wildlife Sanctuary from New London, WI doing presentations as well as Marc Morrone, pet keeper to Martha Stewart!

Wind River is a non-profit 501c3 organization that presented on the “Wonder of Wildlife” they wowed the audience with a Red-Tailed Hawk, Kestrel and an Owl!

Marc Morrone is not only Martha Stewarts pet keeper, but he is also the owner of Parrots of the World pet store in New York and also the star of the television program Petkeeping! Marc gave great incite into keeping small pets, where he introduced the audience to some of our 4H friends and their awesome bunnies! All presentations were enjoyed by those who attended.

Other areas of enjoyment for fairgoers were Face Painting (always a hit!), Pine Cone bird feeders, a Coloring contest where participants may win a $25 Toys’R’Us gift card, Mask Making & of course the “oh so famous” Prize Wheel! We had people camping out in line 30 minutes before the prize wheel started in hopes of winning one of the six iPod’s we gave away!

There was staff that went above and beyond the call of duty and participated in the bunny hop and parade as costume characters!  Many enjoyed a photo opportunity with our Kaytee mascots, the Rabbit or Parrots!

You’ll find everything from tiny finches to giant macaws, from speedy gerbils to super soft chinchillas and with help from staff you are able to interact with the furry or feathery critter of your choice!

We recently added a new display to help visitors better understand Positive Pet Training!  A Positive Pet experience equals a Happy Home!  Pets and children help a home come to life, but a pet that has been trained using positive reinforcement brings entertainment as well as a rewarding relationship for years to come!

The Kaytee Learning Center is open the first Friday & Saturday of each month from 10:00-4:00 where one of our three full time employees or knowledgeable volunteers are on staff and ready to help you meet your favorite Learning Center Critter!

Stop by either August 6^th or 7^th to enjoy a FREE family fun experience!

Billions of birds are returning to their mating and nesting sites in North America.
Nesting is a very labor-intensive activity. They must first select a nesting site, a garden, a parking lot, the forest, on the ground, a roof, a tree cavity or a nesting box, nest step will be to find all the materials they need, carry them back to the nesting site, and then build  the nest.

All of this is extra activity happens in-between their normal activities of finding food and water.
Give the birds in your area a helping hand by providing a stash of nesting materials from which they can choose, Male and female birds will be finding mates, building nests, incubating eggs, and feeding ravenous young birds. Breeding and nesting season is an extremely busy time for birds so here are a few ways you can help out wild birds in your backyard.

Here’s some things you can put out:
Thin twigs

• Dog hair (I put out the hair from my dog after she is groomed)
  Human hair (put out the hair you pull out of your brush)
• Thin strips of cloth, about an 1 wide and 6 inches long
• Feathers
• Long dried grasses
• Yarn, thread or string cut into 4 inch lengths
• Pieces of cotton
• Long wilted leaves from daffodils, tulips or iris
• Fuzzy lint from your dryer
• Spanish moss
• Pine needles

As well as using the above materials, the birds may also use butterfly wings, flower petals, spider webs, snake skins, horse hair, and other found materials, even some of their own feathers to make the nest or to line it. Some birds use mud to construct their nests. Keep a muddy puddle in your garden available for their use.

I was so excited she was able to identify the bird and then later that day, she recognized the call of the chickadees in our yard. It was wonderful to know she was picking up the tidbits I had offered through the years as we watched (and listened to) birds in our yard and as we rode in the car on long trips.

Looking for and identifying birds can be a good activity in the car on trips since it gives the kids something to do on long drives and it also engages their brain.

It’s so gratifying to know the kids are learning about birds thanks to my interest. I could barely identify a robin when I was my daughter’s age. I will keep on pointing out birds as we see them and showing them pictures in our bird guide book. It’s so fun to see their brains grow.

–By MaryBeth Matzek

I received a call one day from a rescue I help out, asking if I could foster a pair of rats.  Their owner was severely allergic and they needed to go as soon as possible.  I figured – why not?  It was one thing we never had, and it would be fun to see the cats reactions.

The young lady brought them over an hour later, in a special carrier – along with a 20 gallon tank with a metal cage on top.  As we set them up in the computer room, she thanked me for helping her out, and casually mentioned this was their 4th home in a year.  I knew right there that regardless of what they were like – they were never moving again.

I spent the next hour getting to know Sammy & Niki, feeding them treats, and laughing at their antics.  Niki would gently take a treat, bring it downstairs, put it in a pile, and come beg for another one.  Sammy took his treats, moved to a corner and nibbled away. By the evening I was on-line ordering a new cage.

Sadly Niki passed away about a month after the boys arrived – and I found him one morning when I went to bring them treats.  So Sammy was now by himself in a huge 3 level cage.

His personality grew each day, and we discovered he had a very gentle old soul.  He loved to come out for play time and run around my desk when I worked at home. He enjoyed sitting on my shoulder playing with my hair and nuzzling my neck.

What was most surprising was he and my cat Morgan the Pirate Gato developed an incredible bond.  Morgan was born a rare diabetic kitten with cataracts, and spent a lot of time in the computer room.  He was fed 7 times a day, and had to be closely monitored.

Morgan would sleep next to Sammy’s cage, or on top of it, and you would often here Sammy squeaking away to him.  Morgan would meow back to him.

After Morgan had his double cataract surgery at Cornell he had to be crated unless under supervision.  He had to stay really quiet to ensure no damage to the stitches in both eyes.

Morgan and Sammy were both depressed.  Morgan wanted his rat, and Sammy wanted his cat.  Every time Morgan was let out of the crate – he made a bee line to climb up Sammy’s cage.  I finally had to put Sammy’s cage on the floor next to Morgan’s Crate so they could have their special time together.  They happily went back to their talks, and as soon as Morgan was allowed to take his e-collar off and be “normal” it was back on Sammy’s Cage.

A few months later we got another call, and ended up adopting 2 young girl rats – Mocha & Latte.  They were the silliest clowns I had ever met!  They loved to tease the cats, and get into mischief whether in their cage, or out for play time.  They always made us laugh!

Our current rats are two neutered siamese boys – Chili & Pepper, a siamese girl named Sandy, and a dark gray girl with white socks named Dusty.

Th e pros and cons of owning rats in my opinion are more on the pro side. They are sweet, gentle, very SMART little creatures.  I think many peopl e have a dislike for their naked tails, but you don’t even see them after a while.  There are so many different breeds of them.  Sammy was orange & white, Nikki was brown with white socks, Mocha was brown with white socks, and Latte was cream color.  I would love a dumbo one day – with the silly sideways ears. For me, the only con of owning a rat is that sadly their average life span is 2 years.

Rats are fun to feed – they need a good diet of healthy lab blocks, they love yogurt treats, but you can share a lot of people food with them.  Mine LOVE macaroni, toast (no butter), muffins, ham, chicken, cheerios, shredded wheat, banana chips, and other things.

Bedding can be aspen shavings, total comfort, or soft sorbent.  I love the soft sorbent mint for the rats myself.  I mix it 50/50 with the plain.   I also add shredded paper bedding for them to play with.

Cages should have 1/2 wire spacing, and be easy to clean.  I have my boys in a big Marshall Pet Rat Cage, and my girls are in a Super Pet Habitat Defined Rat Cage.

I love the size of my Marshall Cage – it’s HUGE – but – the only way to really get it clean it to take it outside and power wash it.  I tiled the main floor because rats are not very good at litter training – and I wash the floor twice a week.  I clean/SCRUB the whole cage weekly, but it still ends up with some parts you can’t get without the power washer.

My cage is super easy to clean, and to customize.  I re-did the shelf layout, only use one ramp and have their hammock in the middle.  I also now have a corner litter box in one section.  I remove the shelves, spray them with white vinegar, and in 2 minutes they are like new again.  The bars are also coated and come out like brand new.

The one thing I did learn was to block the locks on the sides with something.  Even with a bunch of hanging chew toys, rats will chew their cages.  The girls chewed the locks off from the inside, and almost had an escape through the side.  I know have the shelves set to hide one side, and a hanging litter box on the other.  I would love a cage like this double in size!

All of the rats that have joined our home have been rescues, and all have been in multiple households before they landed here in a FOREVER Home.

I hope the next time you’re looking for a fun and interactive pet, you’ll consider opening your heart to a needy little rat.  There are many, many for adoption through local shelters, rat rescues and pet finder.

Donna & the Crew