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Breed: Cockatiel Temperament: usually affectionate, individuals can vary Cost: from $20-$100 for pets, more for show quality Lifespan: 15 years Recommended for: beginners and families Maintenance: medium Appearance Cockatiels are small to medium sized native parrots...
Breed: Abyssinian Temperament: loving, active, playful Maintenance: low Lifespan: 12 years Recommended for: cat lovers and families The Abyssinian is most widely recognised for its distinctive ‘ticked’ coat, though its heritage is not so obvious. History...
Breed: Birman Temperament: affectionate, docile Maintenance: medium Cost: $480 Lifespan: 13-15 years Recommended for: families According to Buddhist legend the Birman breed was created by a Burmese goddess. The legend tells of a colony of white cats living in a...
Breed: British Shorthair Temperament: placid Maintenance: low Lifespan: 15+ years Cost: $350-$500 Recommended for: adults, elderly History British Shorthair cats are thought to be the descendants of the first cats bought to England by the Romans more than 2000 years...
Ralph Obituary If you thought that something was missing from this week’s program you were right: it was Ralph, the pug. Sadly, Ralph passed away on December 19, 2000. The cause of his death is not known, but it was possibly snakebite. Ralph was born with the...
Tennis Ball Dog Monica Wilson wrote to Burke’s Backyard to tell us about Georgia, her black Labrador Retriever. Monica claimed that the dog can hold three tennis balls in its mouth at once! Don visited the Wilson family to see this amazing dog in action. Sure...
Maurie Don introduced a new member of the Burke’s Backyard team Maurie, the Pug puppy. He spent his first night in a box beside Don’s bed, so whenever he felt lonely Don was right there to comfort him. Like all puppies, Maurie is a bundle of mischief. He...
Problem Dog Roger the Red Setter is a fun-loving dog, who is also headstrong, easily excited and frantic around guests. Roger rampages through the garden, breaks plants, digs holes, barks incessantly at parrots that visit his backyard, and will not respond to normal...
There are six species of blue tongue lizards (Tiliqua sp.) in Australia. They live in a wide variety of habitats ranging from desert, to tropical and subtropical forests and mountainous areas. These large members of the skink family are hardy, adaptable and...
Don went into an aviary housing exhibition budgerigars. He demonstrated how important it is to move in a way that does not frighten the birds. When working with birds or animals remember these tips: Do everything in slow motion and avoid moving in a rapid, jerky...