Questions tagged [biology]
For questions about the biology of a pet. It's physical attributes.
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Does purring tire cats?
Hope it doesn't sound like a silly question.
Context: My cat is not the most affectionate cat in the world. But sometimes she comes to search for love and to play. When I pet her, obviously, she ...
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Why does my cat hold its mouth slightly open sometimes after smelling something?
On occasion, my cat will sit there with its mouth open, usually after smelling something new.
It looks similar to panting, but without the heavy breathing or a protruding tongue.
What is the reason ...
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Does picking up an adult cat by neck cause them to be paralyzed like kittens?
When kittens are picked up by the neck by their mothers the kittens become temporarily paralyzed.
Is this also true for adult cats if a human was to pick them up the same way?
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Why do groomers tell you not to shear a long-haired dog in warm weather?
Specifically, I have a Great Pyrenees. I've had groomers tell me that a dog's fur keeps them cool in hot weather as well as keeping them warm in cold. This argument holds as long as the environment is ...
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How do I determine the age of my turtle?
I recently adopted a yellow-bellied slider, and the people who had her said that they had been keeping her for about 10 years, when they adopted her from a rescue house. I don't know how old she was ...
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Diurnal, crepuscular, nocturnal, matutinal, vespertine; what do these mean and how do they impact my pet's life?
A recent answer listed all of these and said the group a pet falls in could impact how they behave: diurnal, crepuscular, nocturnal, matutinal, vespertine.
What do all of these mean and how do they ...
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Is whisker layout in a dog a constant?
Is the layout of whiskers in a dog constant over time, or do whiskers fall out and regrow in different spots? This is a lost dog situation, and there is a foundling that looks very similar but whisker ...
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Do cats recognize their family? Perhaps by scent?
Is there any scientific or anecdotal evidence that cats recognize other cats who closely share their DNA? As in, new kittens from the same mother and the such?
I'm suspecting that there might be such ...
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Light spectrum visible to hamsters
I'd like to build an infrared tachometer for my hamster's wheel, but I don't want to distract him with a light source. Therefore I want to choose the wavelength of the LED for my hamster not to see it....
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Does a pet boa/python measure the owner by lying straight?
I read it somewhere, maybe as a Facebook photo of some Tumblr or yahoo a long time back (hence not a reliable source) that the user found it's pet snake (which was not eating food for quite some time) ...
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How frequently do cats lose their whiskers?
Does anyone know how frequently cats lose their whiskers? Is it natural shedding, like their hair, or is it much less frequent?
I ask because I have two cats and am randomly find a whisker here and ...
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Why do cats often screech when mating?
My friend has two pet cats. I saw them mating. After mating, when the male jumped off her back, the female cat screeched. This is not to be mistaken with cats fighting, he didn't bite her or anything....
user6796
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Is it safe to get my cat on X-ray machine?
My vet advised having an X-ray taken of my cat's paw after she was stomped upon by my reckless neighbor who I am not speaking with anymore. She is always coming to drink my coffee and take my food, ...
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Can big cats retract their claws?
Some people do have exotic pets like tigers. I was watching a video where a man got his tigers to lean on his shoulders standing up. It got me thinking, would he get scratched?
I couldn't see their ...
user6796
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Do cats benefit from human probiotics?
My cat is going through a 4-week antibiotics prescription, and due to it he’s having a bad diarrhea.
I have a probiotic supplement containing:
Bifidobacterium bifidum
Bifidobacterium longum
...
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Hens and no rooster: what happens to hens and their unfertilized eggs?
I looked for the answer, but didn't manage to get clear information.
If I have a bunch of hens, but no rooster, hens will lay unfertilized eggs (as far as I know).
From what I read, hens will brood ...
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Why do dogs have black eye juice?
I always wondered; why are the bodily fluids, etc. that accumulate (and usually dry out) in the corners of a dogs (and cats too, I think) eyes black?; but in humans, it is not?
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Motion-induced dizziness in cats
Humans can become dizzy by spinning around quickly. Small children will occasionally do this on purpose, for the thrill.
However, intentional dizziness inducing behavior is (as far as I am aware) ...
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What is cats' color vision?
A couple of existing questions, answers and comments How can I train my cats to only eat from their own bowls? and Can cats see optical illusions the same way we can? involve cats' color perception. ...
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Do non neutered cats shed more hair?
I recently had a discussion with a pet owner and he claimed that non neutered male cats shed more hair due to anxiety. Is it true?
I have been feeding him high quality food but within a few days his ...
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Are dogs sensitive to star anise's smell?
I have just read (in Polish) a 1985 crime novel, by Norwegian author Gert Nygårdshaug. It seems, that it wasn't translated to English. Its original title is Honningkrukken.
There's a tiny end-story ...
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Glycemic load for foods with respect to dogs
Have there ever been conducted tests on how fast dogs digest various foods? That is, to determine the glycemic load of various foods with respect to dogs?
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My rabbit survived botulism poisoning; is she now immune to it?
According to this article by the Ontario Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs; an inactivated toxoid is used to vaccinate horses against botulism. Though it does call for an annual re-...
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Iris of my cat's left eye is discoloring on the edge
A few weeks back, I noticed my cat's left eye's iris is discoloring from the corner (brownish red, iris is gold color). She is 8 years old, female. She has no other complaint whatsoever.
I know I ...
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Do the colors of a cat's coat correlate with its personality?
I've heard some people say that a cat's coat color says a lot about its personality. I think it's fairly common to think that tortoiseshell cats have attitudes ("tortietudes"). Is this urban ...
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What problems does inbreeding in chickens cause?
I have a big farm (without animals so far) and want to get chickens. They can run freely in the farmyard and the garden, having approx. 1500 m² with grassland, sand, a dunghill and copse. I'd like to ...
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What is a rabbit's field of vision, range and visual acuity?
I have a pet house rabbit, rabbit eyes are pretty much on the side of their head. They also have great big ears.
What can a rabbit really see? How well can they see? Can they see 360 degrees?
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Is my guppy pregnant? How could I tell whether a guppy is pregnant?
I recently purchased a guppy and I feel that it's quite fatter and stomach is bulged compared to other fish.
Is it pregnant? How could I tell whether a guppy female is pregnant or not?
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What causes rabbits to spontaneously change gender?
Working with rescued rabbits we often have people who purchased two girl (or boy) bunnies from a pet store or breeder, and a few months later they have a bunch of baby bunnies that need new homes.
I ...
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Can cats see equally well in both light and dark?
I know that the cats can see in the dark, but I have been wondering: can cats see as well in the dark as they do in the light?
Or do they see better in the light?
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Do rabbits feel pain?
An answer at How smart are rabbits? includes the following quote and reference.
Rabbits also have no or very underdeveloped pain sensing regions in their brains (source):
Even as a predator rends a ...
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What age do cats stop growing on average?
I've heard humans stop growing around age 18-24. What about cats? When do they stop growing in height?
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Inbred kitten -- What are the risks?
I have a 6 week old male kitten; his mother had a litter before his, and the person who owns her kept one of them, so the son and mother bred. She only had three kittens. One passed away unfortunately,...
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How do windows impact health considerations of sunlight for pets?
I heard, the goodness in sunlight that helps people make vitamin D does not pass through windows.
Is this true, and if so, does it impact pets as well? If my pet only gets sunlight through windows, ...
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Why do dogs' and cats' eyes reflect light? Does bright light affect their vision?
At night when the light is pointed towards dogs and cats, their eyes give a gleaming effect (greenish light). It even happens during a flash of a camera. I've seen this on a cat and the dog and ...
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What are "growth plates" in dogs?
I've heard a lot of people say you should wait until a dogs "growth plates" are closed before fixing them. What does that mean? From what I understand it isn't really a bone structure called a growth ...
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What are the "points" in my rabbit's mouth that my vet is referring to?
My vet was looking in my rabbit's mouth and said she had a couple of "points" that might need to be addressed on the next visit. I forgot to ask for clarification and am wondering what he was talking ...
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At what age do ginger cats start having black whiskers?
I have an adopted ginger tabby male cat who was found somewhere and his age was estimated by the shelter to be about 4 years old.
You may notice that when your cat was young, their whiskers were ...
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How wide can a corn snake open it's mouth?
I know snakes can unhinge their jaws when they eat food that is large (rats, large mice, etc.), but I don't know how much that helps them to open their mouth. How wide can adult corn snakes open their ...
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Can eggs surgically removed from a pregnant platy fish still hatch?
My mom had a pregnant Mickey Mouse platy fish, but she just died today. We performed a little fishy c-section and got about 15 eggs out of her. Is there anything I can do to ensure they still hatch ...
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Are dogs much less sensitive to high noise than humans?
I must admit (a bit shamefully) that I was not aware of the fact that volume is on a logarithmic scale and thus following sentence (source) surprised me:
The back seats are closer to 87 dBA, which is ...
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My dog has very reflective eyes but no night vision!
I just adopted a dog from a local shelter and she bumps into things at night. She is 5 and very healthy. I am able to see, but she evidently cannot.
Her eyes are very reflective blue/green. I asked my ...
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Betta with black dots on fins
My Betta seems to have recently developed little black dots on his fins on both sides about a week after moving him from a small bowl to a little Top Fin 2 gallon (7.6 L) aquarium with a heater.
He ...
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Film on surface of female betta tank
I recently took in one of my friend's male Bettas to treat it for ich (Ichthyophthirius infection). When I brought him back I noticed a film on the surface of her other Betta's tank (this one is a ...
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Do house rabbits depend more on sound or vision for warning?
In the related question What is a rabbit's field of vision, range and visual acuity? we learn about a rabbits vision. This question is asking about what is the primary sense a house rabbit uses ...
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How do kittens prevent my cats from going into heat?
I have two indoor cats who're sisters. One of them got pregnant and had kittens, and the sister did not go in heat once during the 3 months we had the kittens. Do kittens prevent a cat from going in ...
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Why do cats have whiskers?
Whiskers definitely make the shape of a cat's face. I have always wanted to know why cats have whiskers.
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I really want a guinea pig, but I think I am allergic to rabbits
I always wanted a Guinea Pig as a pet. One time I cared for a friend's rabbit while she was vacationing. I had a mild allergic reaction to it. So would I be allergic to Guinea Pig? From what I found ...
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Can a cat cut its tongue on an open food can's edge?
It would be really convenient and save money, to let my cat "Mucca" clean her wet cat food cans with her tongue - but I'm afraid she might [at least eventually] cut her tongue on the edge of ...
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Gourami breathing at water's surface
I've had a pair of Pearl Gouramis and another pair of Opaline Gouramis for a few months now and, unlike any of my other fish (Tetras, Rainbow, Loaches), they spend time at the surface breathing the ...
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