I just saw on the news, there was a parrot who rescued his owner and the owners son. When a fire started in their Muncie, Indiana home the parrot, Peanut, was imitating the noise the fire alarm makes. This screaming like a fire alarm woke his owner and the boy. They made certain that they rescued their rescuer.

65% of the home was destroyed and the parrots owner feels that the parrot was directly responsible for prevent 2 deaths. He has publicly stated it is his belief that the bird is an angel.

So everyone who knows me knows my favorite animal is a penguin. Unfortunately, US law prohibits private ownership. i looked into it because I knew of 3 people in the world that are so lucky to have made friends with such a magnificent creature. One is a Portuguese fisherman, who I hear has some trouble with his government over the penguin, so it may be illegal that as well. Another is a person in South Africa.
The last is a family in Japan. They have taught the penguin friend how to go shopping for fish. I am amazed but in a way i expect this level of intelligence from an animal that mates for life.

Your younger daughter a bit bored? Does she need a fun healthy activity that she care share with friends? I have the answer!

Cartoon Doll Emporium.

Its curiously addictive. Cartoon Doll Emporium is one of the fastest growing online communities for “tween” girls. They have fun online activities, like dressing some of their favorite stars in fashions they choose, and often times they can choose to change the colors of clothes, hairs, etc. Its YOUR style after all!

Cartoon Doll Emporium also has “webkinz”. These are hand drawn dolls that you take care of online, dress up and play with. Theres even tools that allow you to send the dolls and webkinz to your MySpace.

Another big thing alot of tweens enjoy is dressing up the Hannah Montana superdoll at Cartoon Doll Emporium. Yeah I tried it, its interesting because there was so many different combinations of clothes and accessories, plus I even got to pick my own pet.

Its really dependant on the type of tank you have, there are a few types, but we will discuss the most common ones. The two most common are the small aquarium and the simple fish bowl.

***Fish Bowl***

Carefully remove the fish, and put him/her in a seperate container. Run the bowl under water and be certain to get the garbage and such out of the rocks.  Fill with room temperature water,  add vitamins and dechlorinator. In 30 minutes let the fish go back to his/her home.

Goldfish actually do poorly in a bowl. They need more room, and more air. Siamese fighting fish do well in this environment however.

***Small Aquarium***

Aquariums should not get completely emptied. Weekly you should change 20-30% of the total water and simply replace it with clean water. If you get a siphon tool with a gravel cleaner you have a very simple and efficient way to keep your tank clean. Remember to use dechlorinated water!

Also soap  in aquariums is a big NONO. If you must scrub, use salt.

Remember use partial water changes to keep your fish healthy and happy.