12 February 4 - 17, 2012 Pets from Page 1
Sugar gliders, chinchilla Lou Ann Remeikis, a resident of Stonebridge Lakes near Freestone Park in Gilbert, owns six sugar gliders, hamster-sized marsupials known for huge-eyed cuteness and a furred membrane stretching from wrists to ankles allowing them to “glide” like fl ying squirrels.
A self-proclaimed night owl, she chose these nocturnal pets when she retired.
“Unless your children do not attend school and you let them stay up all night, sugar gliders are not for kids,” she says. “Their care requires specialized knowledge: they must be caged most of the time or kept in an enclosed, inescapable area, and as colony-type creatures require keeping at least two together.” All the effort is worth it to Remeikis. “You’ll have hours of joyful moments watching their acrobatic antics as they scamper around a safe room. Plus, they make the most adorable sounds, from barking like a dog to a sneezing sound and little chortles. They can also make a crabbing sound that can scare you with its volume.”
“Simeon,” a chinchilla, has the
“softest fur you’ll ever touch,” according to owner Susan Blessing of Fox Crossing. She and her family were looking for a new and unique pet, and after some research, found a local breeder.
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NIGHT OWLS: Sugar gliders, nocturnal pets of Lou Ann Remeikis, keep her company with their night time antics.
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“He’s incredibly sweet and very smart,” Blessing says. “They also live a long time, like 10 to 20 years. They cannot sweat, so you have to make sure they do not overheat.” She says chinchillas also have to be handled carefully, as their bones are relatively delicate. Taking care of Simeon includes daily feeding and handling, weekly cage cleaning, dust baths every other day and lots of wood chew toys.
Reptiles, birds
“In the Southwest, desert tortoises make incredible pets for their beauty and simplicity,” says Driggers, who owns tortoises, an emu, an aviary of displaced birds and eight chickens
STSN photo by Debbie Jennings
WORKS WITH EXOTICS: Yoda, a budgerigar parakeet belonging to Lucie Clemings of Circle G Riggs Ranch, gets a checkup by Dr. Todd Driggers of Avian and Exotic Animal Clinic of Arizona.
and serves on the boards for the Phoenix Herpetological Society for reptiles and the Oasis Sanctuary for exotic birds. “A little food, water, shelter and love go a really long way. Tortoises know their owners, scratch on the back door to get in, and are phenomenal to watch.”
Avian medicine is the fastest growing segment for exotic pets, the veterinarian says. Raptors are exceptional for hunting, and parrots make “phenomenal pets,” he says.
STSN photo by Debbie Jennings
CHINCHILLA LOVE: Simeon the chinchilla is a soft, smart and sweet pet for a Fox Crossing family.
“One client of mine has trained an African Grey for 15 to 16 years to play dead when you pretend to shoot it with your fi nger. It is amazing at imitation, repeats the owner’s name, and picks out colors and shapes.”
African Greys can live 34 years, so many get readopted when people’s lives change.
Jill Simons, a chicken owner in Southern Chandler, already had two dogs, a guinea pig and multiple fi sh in her family, but she and her husband decided the care of chickens would enrich their three children’s lives.
See Pets Page 13
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