What Is Bird Suet?

If you're a bird lover, then you've probably stocked bird suet in your backyard feeder during the winter. But nowadays, bird suet has many uses beyond winter. During the spring, it can help give nesting birds the increased energy that they need. During the summer, it can be a good substitute for insect-eating birds. 

This will come in handy during the times when insects are hard to find. During the winter, suet can aid wild birds in storing the fat that they will need to migrate or to weather winter. Let's not forget suet's traditional use – it can replace the nutrients and energy that birds have used when they're trying to survive a long and chilly winter.

Bird suet comes from fat – most of the time, rendered animal fat. In today's health-conscious world, fat is often looked down on. But fat is actually important for both birds and humans. Together with carbohydrates and proteins, fat is one of the three sources of calories that can be found in one's diet. 

Calories are what gives us energy. In fact, the calories or energy is concentrated. Compared to proteins or carbohydrates, fat can give birds over twice the caloric energy. This is important for birds because their metabolism is very fast. Therefore, the energy from fat will actually help birds go about their activities for a longer period of time without eating meals.         

Modern suet is also about much more than fat. It can also contain fruits, seeds and insects. For those who want to put suet in their bird feeders during the summer, there are now melt-resisting types of suet. There is also suet that uses vegetable fat instead of animal fat. 

The more varied a suet's ingredients are, the more it will appeal to a wide range of birds. Buying varied suet will also give birds a bigger dietary benefit than plain suet. There are many forms of suet – cakes, balls, or logs. 

Make sure to put suet feeders at a height of five feet from the ground. Position it close to a tree trunk. This is because a lot of birds that like suet are cling feeders, meaning that they hang to tree trunks in order to look for insects.

Things to Consider in Building an Outdoor Rabbit Hutch

If you’re going to adopt a pet rabbit, one of the first things that you should plan for is its outdoor rabbit hutch. Since bunnies are fond of the outdoors, it’s only right that you have an outdoor hutch aside from an indoor cage. It’s one pet item that you can turn into a DIY project. But keep these factors in mind when building this type of rabbit housing. 

Legs

Unlike inside the house where you have control over what comes near your pet’s hutch, the same cannot be said outdoors. That’s why it’s a must that your pet is protected from foreign objects and one way to do that is to lift the hutch from the ground by putting legs at its bottom part. Be sure to wrap the legs with chicken wire or any other material that will prevent other animals from climbing into the hutch. 

Design

Design is a crucial factor to consider when building a hutch since it contributes to the comfort level and safety of your pet. Your rabbit hutch plan design should not only be convenient for your bunny but also for you. See to it that the hutch design allows for easy cleaning. 

Tray

Don’t forget about the tray when designing the outdoor rabbit hutch. It’s best to have a tray that can easily be slid in and out so that cleaning the cage and feeding your pet will be a cinch. 

Base

Do you have big dogs in your house like a bulldog or German shepherd? If yes, then it’s imperative to build a rabbit hutch with a solid base. This will ensure strength for the hutch and safety for your pet. 

Size

Of course, you can’t discount the importance of size. There should be ample space inside the housing for your pet to move freely around. It should not only be wide enough but also tall enough if your bunny stands up. 

These are the factors that you must consider when building a rabbit hutch outdoors. It would be a great idea to check hutch design ideas online before starting with this project.

Save the World: End Whale Hunting

Humans have been hunting whales for more than 8,000 years. Traditionally, people hunted whales for subsistence and for the preservation of cultural practices. Inhabitants of the northernmost coasts of the Pacific Ocean relied on whale hunting as their main source of sustenance in the cold, harsh environment they lived in. Most of them used nets and spears to catch the whales that came close to shore. 

With the passage of time, the commercial demand for whale products increased. People started hunting whales on a larger scale, using whaling ships and harpoons to catch these gentle giants. Whales are generally hunted for their: 

Meat

Whale meat has been the major food source of many Inuit tribes. It has also been eaten as a delicacy in countries, such as Norway, Japan, and Iceland. 

Oil

Before it was replaced with kerosene, whale oil has been used in lamps. However, some people still use the oil despite the availability of synthetic fuels. In addition, whale oil has also been utilized in cooking, especially in gelatine and margarine and as an ingredient in make-up.

Bone

Whale bones have been used for decoration and as a substitute for ivory. Some has also used it as building material.

Environmental Impact

To address the increasing negative effects of whale hunting and its impact on the environment, the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling established the International Whaling Commission in 1946. 

The main goal of the IWC is to protect the whale population and to make sure that the development of the whale industry is in accordance with the organization’s guidelines. The IWC is also tasked to examine and make the necessary adjustments to the standards that govern whale hunting around the world.

Why do whales need protection? Aside from hunting threats, whales already contend with other dangers such as ship collision, entrapment in nets intended for other fish, noise and environment pollution, and global warming. Because whales mature slowly, killing them will affect not only this generation but also those to come. 

Whales may be bigger than humans but it’s mankind that they need most protection from. Let us do our best to defend and respect these creatures for they have as much right to live in this world as we do.

A Pupa in my Garden

I woke up early yesterday to clean our garden and remove the grasses that have grown there. As I was about to finish my task, I saw a pupa. It is almost an inch in length and it is very funny because whenever I touch it, it starts to move. 

I wonder what type of insect is inside that pupa. I am thinking of keeping it to see what will it become, but I realized that it will be best if I leave it to a place where I found it. So I leave it near my plants and hoping that it will hatch and become a wonderful insect.

A Bug Visitor

I found a beetle in our curtain last night. It is small and black in color. Upon researching, I found out that it is a Darkling Beetle. This type of beetle are mostly seen in warm climate and they only feed on dry decomposing vegetables or animal tissues, which means that it is not dangerous.

I just took several pictures and then leave it so it can continue with it's rest. 

A Lowdown on Frog’s Diet

Frogs are some of the most interesting creatures in our planet. These amphibians undergo the process of metamorphosis, in which they start their lives as eggs that hatch into small tadpoles. Tadpoles are algae-eating herbivores that breathe through gills. Gradually, they develop hind and front legs. Their gills disappear and are replaced by lungs. Their herbivore diet also becomes carnivore. If they’re not eaten by a predator, they can live for as long as 40 years. If you own a pet frog, one of the ways to lengthen its life is to give it the right diet. Here are pieces of information about frog diet that you need to know about. 

What to Feed Baby Frogs

Baby frog diet is different from the diet of a mature frog. As mentioned earlier, tadpoles are herbivores while frogs are carnivores. Aside from algae, tadpoles also eat pond plants. When tadpoles grow legs, they become carnivores. Little frogs eat small creatures like insects and microbes. Some also eat smaller tadpoles but this is only in the wild. Feeding your baby frog with insects and plants will be more convenient and less disheartening for you.  

Frog Diet in the Wild

A young frog would hunt for and eat insects, snails, spiders, worms, and small fish. As it grows bigger, it begins to hunt for larger creatures like rats, lizards and other small reptiles. Some frog species have long sticky tongue that can be used for grabbing flying insects. Frogs are known for catching flies with their tongue in a blink of an eye. Before you can say the word frog diet, a frog has already unrolled his tongue and caught and gobbled up a fly.  

Diet of Pet Frogs

In the United States, the most popular species of frog adopted as pet is the green tree frog. It is commonly found in the south eastern part of the country and also in some areas in the west and north. It’s common for owners of this kind of frog to ask about its diet. The answer to this question varies. Tree frogs in the wild would eat flies, worms, crickets, moths and many different insects. 

In your home, it will be glad enough to hunt down fruit flies, house flies, moths and whatever insects are available. Don’t be too worried though if your house is insect-less as the green tree frog can survive two and a half days without food. You can also feed your pet with lettuce leaves and bread crumbs. 

Frog Diet in the Winter

An interesting fact: frogs eat more during the summer than during winter. This is because frogs are cold-blooded animals so their breathing slows down when the temperature drops. At 10 degrees Celsius, frogs would undergo a deep sleep that’s also called hibernation. They would bury themselves under the soil or stay deep in a pond. There are also some frog species that freeze during winter like the Rana sylvatica. So basically, frogs don’t eat anything during the winter. They spend all their time sleeping. 

How Frogs Eat their Food

Frogs don’t have any teeth. This can make you wonder how they grind the large food that they take in like rats for example. The answer is they don’t. They just swallow the whole thing. They use their long sticky tongue to help them accomplish this task. They also hold their food in their upper jaw before swallowing. You’ll also notice that the frogs’ eyeballs sink deep into the pocket and pop right back as they swallow their food.