Find the perfect companion for you and your family
Obese Dog Ricky, a smooth-haired, standard Dachshund, is about 15kg overweight. He is just one of the many fat dogs that veterinarian, Dr Rob Zammit, has seen in his clinic lately. Rob has put Ricky on very restricted food rations, with access to water at all times....
Soccer Budgie Don visited Mervyn and Sally Abrams and their amazing budgie, Beau. Beau uses his cage as a home base, but from 7am to 7pm he has free range of the house. He starts by having breakfast with Merve and Sally, helps them to do a crossword or two, then goes...
Don came across a pair of red-rumped parrots stripping a flannel flower. The flowers were too immature to have set seed, so he guessed the birds might have been feeding on the flower buds. Very little is known about the diet of our native parrots, so it’s often...
Sexing Peewees While filming a segment for Burke’s Backyard, Don noticed a pair of peewees foraging in his garden. Peewee (Grallina cyanoleuca) The peewee or Australian magpie-lark is also known as the mudlark, because it builds its nest from mud. The mud nest...
Breed: Chinese Silkie Chicken Temperament: docile, easy to handle Cost: $20 – $120 each Lifespan: 9 years Maintenance: low Ideal owner: great for kids, novices and fowl enthusiasts History Chinese Silkies are believed to have originated in Asia, although despite...
Breed: Bombay Cat Temperament: companionable, easy going Cost: $500 Lifespan: 13-15 years Maintenance: low Recommended for: apartments, elderly History In 1908, when Henry Ford, the American automotive pioneer said that his fellow Americans could have any colour as...
Breed: Chinchilla cat Temperament: placid and affectionate Cost: from $650 to around $850 Lifespan: 12-15 years Maintenance: high Recommended for: elderly, singles History Longhaired cats hold a special place in many cat lover’s hearts, and perhaps none more so...
Devon Rex Breed: Devon Rex Temperament: active and playful Cost: $350 – $500 Lifespan: 12 years Maintenance: low Recommended for: families and apartments History The Devon Rex is a young breed, only some 30 years old. It derives its name from the town in which...
Breed: Ragdoll cat Temperament: placid and relaxed Lifespan: up to 15 years Maintenance: medium Recommended for: single or elderly people, home units History Ragdolls are a relatively new breed, developed in the early 1960s in the United States. The Ragdoll is likely...
Breed: Scottish Fold Temperament: loving, inactive Maintenance: low (shorthair), medium (longhair) Cost: from $500 Lifespan: 10-15 years Recommended for: units, elderly, couch potatoes History In 1961 a white kitten, just one of a litter of farm kittens, was born in a...