Find the perfect companion for you and your family
Breed: The Muscovy Temperament: females make the best pets Cost: $15 – 25 for adult female, $30 for drakes, $100 for stud Muscovies Lifespan: 7 to 8 years Recommended for: anyone wishing to keep ducks Maintenance: low Muscovies are the all time versatile pet...
Pheasants Breed: Pheasants Temperament: secretive, nervous Cost: $60 plus per pair Lifespan: 15 to 25 years Recommended for: enthusiasts and poultry keepers with some experience Maintenance: low Appearance Pheasants are brilliantly coloured but are also excellently...
Temperament: docile Cost: $20 – $120 each Lifespan: 9 years Recommended for: children Maintenance: low Appearance The Silkie is a small 1.5 kg to 2kg (2-3lb) soft, hairy-feathered fowl. It is so named because their feathers lack barbs to hold them together so...
Breed: Bantam Houdan Temperament: hens docile, easy to handle Cost: from $30 Lifespan: average 7- 8 years Recommended for: enthusiasts Maintenance: medium – high Appearance The Houdan has a very bulky appearance and is said to be representative in appearance to...
Ultimate Birds – Pet Macaw The trouble with keeping birds in cages is that you restrict one of their greatest abilities – flight. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have birds as pets, but let them fly free and interact with the family? That would really be...
When Ears Go Back – Pat Parelli The ears are the most expressive parts of a horse’s body; read them and you can read the horse’s mind. Remember, the horse is a huge animal and if you can’t read its body language you risk being seriously...
Understanding Parrots Don visited Taronga Zoo and spoke to bird trainer Matthew Kettle about the social needs of parrots. Parrots are often perceived as ‘easy care’ pets, but there is much more to owning birds than putting them in cages and feeding them...
Silkworms Years ago every backyard had a Hills Hoist and a mulberry tree, and most children kept silkworms. These days, according to silkworm breeder (or sericulturist) Bridget Mahoney, silk farming is a lost art. Bridget’s passion for silkworms began almost...
Pat Parelli – Stop Horse Without Reins “How do you teach a horse to stop without pulling on the reins?” Internationally acclaimed horseman, Pat Parelli, has been asked that question a thousand times. Pat demonstrated a simple technique to teach a...
Teaching A Horse To Back-Up When you think about riding a horse you naturally imagine sitting on the animal’s back and moving forwards. However, internationally acclaimed horseman Pat Parelli says that it’s also very useful to be able to ride your...