Bats in the Barn

This past summer, when shutting the barn door, many nesting bats fell out of their cozy nesting spot.  It was quite a sight to see, they squealed and made their way back up the wall of the barn to find their nest (it was a sliding door that had been left open most of the summer and they had made a next between the open door and exterior of the the barn.

By the time I got my camera most had climbed back to safety.

You can read the full story here.

As a result of this I spent some time on the Internet researching bats and was alarmed to find that a mysterious disease is killing them by the millions (not in my area).  This disease is known as "White-Nose Syndrome" and is one of the worlds largest disasters in terms of animal life being lost at the moment.   You can read more about White Nose Syndrome in bats here.

Keeping Flying Rats as Pets

Here at the Animal Cabin we know not everyone likes Pigeons.  Many city folk call them "Flying Rats", but there are many people who keep Pigeons in lofts and aviaries.  Breeders have developed some extreme appearances to these birds, some fly in loops, some can not fly well at all, but have beautiful fanned tails.  Pigeons make pretty good pets for somebody who does not want a lot of work, and likes to hear bird sounds in their yard.

To read more about the Fancy Breeds of Pigeons, click here.

What Color are Zebras?

Sometimes we will hear somebody ask if Zebras are black with white stripes or white with black stripes.  The trick to answering this is to look at their skin color, which we can see on their muzzle area.  The skin of the zebra is black, as such we can see that the Zebra is a black animal with white stripes. 

By American Library of Congress (http://www.dinosoria.com/mammifere/zebre_100.jpg) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Lots of horse loving girls (and boys) think owning a Zebra would be pretty cool, however these animals are not commonly kept as "pets" simply because they are hard to domesticate, or tame.  In the photo a team of four zebras is actually three zebras and a more tame - horse!

Zebras can be kept as pets in some areas, permits are required and they need to have sufficient space.  These are not pets suitable for everyone, and should only be kept by those interested in zebras as an animal - not for the sake of getting attention by having an unusual equine!


You may be interested to know that there are many different kinds of zebra each with its on unique traits.  Feel free to read some more interesting facts about these amazing animals, click here.

True Stories - Raising an Abandoned Lamb

It is story time at the Cabin.  As you may know we keep some pet sheep around to keep the pasture down (tall dry grass can be a fire hazard).  One year one of the ewes gave birth in the middle of winter, the lambs faced certain death as the temperatures were well below freezing.  It was a very lucky thing they were found, still wet, and one in its sack.

Raising a lamb is not an easy thing, but if they were to live we had to act fast. 

Read the Full Story, complete with pictures, on this Lucky Lamb and her Sister, click here.

If you are interested in sheep, you may want to check out our other Blog, all about sheep - click here.