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An exotic pet is a rare or unusual creature kept as a pet, or a creature kept as a pet which is not commonly thought of as a pet. The definition is an evolving one; some rodents, reptiles, and amphibians have become firmly enough established in the world of animal fancy to no longer be considered exotic. Sometimes any unique or wild-looking pet (including common domestic animals such as the ferret and the domestic rat) is called an exotic pet. "Exotic" may also be used for a species which is non-indigenous to the owner's locale. Many major pet stores and service providers (such as veterinary insurance carriers or online retailers) tend to classify any animal besides cats, dogs, or fish as "exotic". Learn all about exotic pets on Pet Life Radio. Primary Format : Pets Language : Unknown Also Listed as: User Tags: User Votes: RSS Feed Website People found this Podcast Searching for: View this Podcast on a Google Map. Podcast iTunes Link Text Only listing of PetLifeRadio.com - What Were You Thinking - All about exotic pets & animals you can keep as a pet on Pet Life Radio. Podcasts Methings.com listings of PetLifeRadio.com - What Were You Thinking - All about exotic pets & animals you can keep as a pet on Pet Life Radio. Podcasts If you like this podcast, you might also like:

PetLifeRadio.com - What Were You Thinking - Episode 57 Not a Non-Bird Birding Show, Take 2 (Part 2) It took host Bob Tarte so long to say the title of the show, "Not a Non-bird Birding Show, Take 2," that it wouldn't fit it into a single podcast. So Bob and Book Character Bill Holm are back for the second half of their trip to Magee Marsh in northern Ohio, where they lose themselves among a flurry birds and birders. Did they make it through the experience with their sanity intact? Does an ostrich have wings? More details on this episode MP3 Podcast - Not a Non-Bird Birding Show, Take 2 ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - What Were You Thinking - Episode 56 Not a Non-Bird Birding Show, Take 2 (Part 1) Six weeks ago, Bob Tarte and Book Character Bill Holm visited the usually ‘birdy’ Muskegon Wastewater facility to record the "Not a Non-Bird Birding Show," but the lack of birds doomed the podcast. This time they traveled to Magee Marsh in Ohio at the height of the warbler migration for a not-a-non-bird birding podcast that’s, well, not too bad. They ended up with such extensive on-the-scene reporting and so much baseless complaining especially from Bill, that "Not a Non-Bird Birding ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - What Were You Thinking - Episode 55 Shrew Show Bob and Linda talk about a pesky shrew that makes itself at home inside their house in a most improbable location. Shrewdly enough, they discuss other topics, too, such as Linda’s success in ferreting out pet book author Bradford Brown plus a staggeringly rare species of duck that shows up on the Grand River in downtown Grand Rapids. More details on this episode MP3 Podcast - Shrew Show with Bob Tarte Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - What Were You Thinking - Episode 54 Winter Doldrums Show 2011 Bob and Linda finally shake of the winter doldrums long enough to do a topic-filled show. It begins with big news about the German-language version of Bob’s book Enslaved by Ducks called Das Landneurotiker (The Rural Neurotic) and then glowingly describes Bill Volkart’s charming children’s book about a blind duck, Meep Finds His Way. Bob talks about the hubbub that ensued when he took bantam chickens Julia and Julius to see the vet, while Linda describes the early February blizzard an ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - What Were You Thinking - Episode 53 Animal Books for the Holidays Just in time for the holidays, any holidays, Bob and Linda Tarte talk about their favorite books about animals. And, no, this isn’t just an excuse for Bob to plug the brand new Kindle edition of Enslaved by Ducks and Fowl Weather, though he does accidentally mention the fact. Fortunately 99-percent of the show is spent gushing over other people’s must-read books about pets and various wild critters. (For a list of books discussed on the show, click the Episode Info link.) More details ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - What Were You Thinking - Episode 52 The Ghost Cat Just in time for Halloween, Bob and Linda talk about a mysterious 'extra' cat that both of them have seen and heard running down the basement stairs. Is their basement haunted? Shifting to less scary topics, Linda describes recent improvements to the outdoor barn pen to keep the snow and ice from flattening it every year. She also discusses the oversize ego of tiny bantam rooster Julius. More details on this episode MP3 Podcast - The Ghost Cat with Bob Tarte Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - What Were You Thinking - Episode 51Shore No Shorebirds It's supposed to be the peak of the shorebird migration. But when Bob Tarte and Book Character Bill Holm visit Muskegon Wastewater System on a birding expedition, they come up a little short in the sightings department. Not to mention the intelligence and common sense departments as well. They do manage to spot a pair of Peregrine Falcons and a few other migrating birds, but not enough of anything to come away with any trace of dignity. Don't miss this underwhelming you-are-there audio exp ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - What Were You Thinking - Episode 50 House Wrens and Cedar Waxwings Bob and Linda have been busy this summer with bird rehab. Okay, Linda has been busy, but Bob helps a little bit. Our author and his long-suffering wife talk about starting the season with a big batch of raucous starlings, and then ending the summer raising and releasing one of their favorite birds, the Cedar Waxwing. About 14 of them, to be more or less exact. Linda also discusses a visiting pair of House Wrens that nested in the yard and Bob makes weak excuses about why it’s been so long ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - What Were You Thinking - Episode 49 The Ultimate Pet Duck Podcast Bob’s guest on this episode is the dynamo of duckdom, Kimberly Link, founder of the Majestic Waterfowl Sanctuary in Lebanon, Connecticut and author of The Ultimate Pet Duck Guidebook. Unlike other duck care books which include a duck recipe section in the back, Kim’s book treats your ducks as pets instead of holiday entrees. It’s packed full of information on everything from day-to-day care to serious medical issues, and covers essential tips on food, housing, flock management, enrich ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - What Were You Thinking - Episode 48 A Shrimpy Podcast We've never done a jumbo podcast before. But this time we're definitely doing a shrimpy episode. Expert aquarist Rus Wilson tells host Bob Tarte about the pet shrimps that he keeps as pets. He has shrimp that live in freshwater, brackish water, and saltwater environments. Some dance, some can live in excess of 20 years, and all sound like interesting additions to the household. Visit Rus' website www.aquarimax.com for shrimpy facts and photos, plus various podcasts. More details on this ep ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - What Were You Thinking - Episode 47 Downunder Critter Sitter In the show’s first telephone call to the bottom of the globe, Australia pet sitter Karen Riddell describes her experiences as a professional pet sitter taking care of every kind of creature from house rabbits to axolotls. She discusses chilling out with bearded dragons to get them comfortable enough to eat and trying to convince a flock of spoiled chickens to go into their coop for the night. Karen also has excellent suggestions for helping folks choose a sitter for their critters. Bob w ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - What Were You Thinking - Episode 46 Bonus Winter Birding Show Don’t look at this as yet another off-topic podcast about birding. Look at it as a special bonus addition of the show. It marks the precise one-year anniversary, give or take a few days, weeks, or months, of host Bob Tarte and Book Character Bill Holm’s acclaimed "Quest for Crossbills" winter birding podcast. This time around, the hapless duo roll to Muskegon Wastewater to search for ducks with results that should have been predictable. But stay with our bumbling pair for a few unexpect ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - What Were You Thinking - Episode 45 Blame It On Rhea With their formidable beaks and attitudes, parrots and geese can make intimidating pets. So imagine owning a rambunctious bird that stands six-feet tall. Cheryl McAtee’s ostrich-like South American rhea named Myrhea thankfully had a pleasant personality (as long as Cheryl was careful to dress in gray). He loved to pluck blueberries from her hand. Cheryl tells Bob about raising Myrhea from an 18-inch-tall youngster and watching him grow a half-an-inch a day. She talks about his humming so ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - What Were You Thinking - Episode 44 The Rime of The Ancient Murrelet Bob hops into his car and drives just under 200 miles round trip for the chance to see an incredibly rare wild bird. A somewhat penguin-like seabird called the Ancient Murrelet lives in the waters off Alaska. But one of them somehow made it to Lake Michigan and was spotted off the pier at Tiscornia Park in St. Joseph, Michigan. Only five have ever been seen in the state before. Does he or doesn’t he get to see it? Bob talks about the trip and also discusses the best guide to raising and k ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - What Were You Thinking - Episode 43 The Frog That Sings For His Supper Why keep a canary when you can have an African Clawed Frog? These affable amphibians don’t take up much space, are easy to care for, and don’t have fussy eating habits. Added to all that, they can live for up to 20 years. Aquatic pet expert Rus Wilson talks about the many interesting qualities and endearing attributes of African Clawed Frog, Hiro, whom he raised from a tadpole. Not only is little Hiro as cute as the proverbial bug’s ear, but we’ll hear him sing in hopes of scoring a ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - What Were You Thinking - Episode 42 Not Just Another Duck Show Bob Tarte wrote two books that feature ducks, and gets lots of emails from people who keep them as pets, so it’s easy for him to do shows about the subject. This episode is different, though. It’s not just another duck show, because it is as much about Bill Volkart’s life story as it is about his Mount Holly Duck Sanctuary in Amelia, Ohio. Bill describes his death (clinically speaking) from a stroke and the strange appearance of seven Muscovy ducks when he asked the seemingly unanswer ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - What Were You Thinking - Episode 41 Katrina Versus Katrina New Orleans animal rehabber Katrina Perkowska Sanders had a lot on her plate when Hurricane Katrina struck. She and her husband had to evacuate not only their kids and vital necessities, but also numerous critters. They lost their home and ended up in a FEMA trailer. Then a few years later they had to move the gang all over again courtesy of Hurricane Gustav. The family is finally back inside a house, but life is hardly sedate. Living indoors with them (that’s right, indoors) are 23 chick ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - What Were You Thinking - Episode 40 Frankie the Walk ‘n Roll Dog A dog isn’t usually considered an exotic pet, but a dog who gets around on wheels might be! Barbara Techel tells Bob about her happy female dachshund, Frankie, and how she learned to use a doggie wheelchair after a spinal injury. Frankie has become an inspiration for people with disabilities, folks in nursing homes, and just about everyone that Frankie meets. Barbara also talks about the award-winning book she wrote about her pet, titled -- what else? - Frankie the Walk ‘n Roll Dog! Mo ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - Episode 39 Sugar Sugar Ever craved a marsupial as a pet? You don't have to play possum or kidnap a kangaroo to care for a pet that carries babies in its pouch. Sarah Worrell describes the joys of owning sugar gliders. These small marsupials from Australia love people and will sit on your shoulder like a parrot. Find out what it takes to keep these curious little critters happy and healthy - and learn the secret about the female sugar glider's 'dual beverage' nipples. More details on this episode MP3 Podcast - C ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - Episode 38 Clean Sweep Linda starts off this episode with her own telling of discovering a sleeping bear in the woods behind the barn. Then it's onto the topic of cleaning up after the indoor birds. Bob and Linda discuss the pros and cons of various approaches to seed sweeping. Their favorite cordless sweeper gets pluses for mobility and minuses for the delicate construction that necessitates buying at least two a year. It's a topic that will be dear to the hearts of every beleaguered individual who owns caged bi ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - Episode 37 Mink Attack An unusual consequence of river flooding threatens Bob and Linda’s outdoor pet ducks, chickens, and geese. A presumed mink slips into the barn at night through some miniscule crack and kills three of their hens. Bob talks about the steps they took to keep their birds safe after the attack, and then describes another bit of unique fallout from the cresting Grand River. Linda goes for a walk in the woods behind the barn and finds of all things, a bear sleeping in a tree way, way south of it ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - Episode 36 Lineolated Parakeet and Catch-up Show Soldiering on from his sick bed, Bob describes a new bird that he and Linda have taken in to help a friend who's moving. Lineolated Parakeet Houshi may not be beautiful, due to permanent feather damage, but he's 100-percent lovable. Bob also follows up on his last two shows, sharing the results of author and animal communicator Kathleen Schurman's reading of Bob's cat Frannie, and another unexpected and ironic White-winged Crossbill sighting for Bob. More details on this episode MP3 Podc ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - Episode 35 Locket’s Meadow Bob’s guest on this special episode is Kathleen Schurman, an extraordinary woman who has rescued 45 horses from slaughter and given them a wonderful home on a Connecticut farm that she and her husband David have dubbed Locket’s Meadow. Locket is an enterprising donkey who happens to be the central figure in Kathleen’s first book, Locket’s Meadow; The Long Road Home. Kathleen is as full of great animal tales as her home is full of animals. In fact, a recuperating pig and rooster on h ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - Episode 34 Quest for Crossbills A shortage of natural food sources in their normal territory has resulted in some species of wild birds wandering further south than usual this winter. White-winged Crossbills, which are usually uncommon in southern Michigan, have been widely reported in the Ann Arbor area. Bob Tarte and Book Character Bill Holm document their drive five-hour round trip to see these rare birds, and you're along for the ride on this show. Make sure to listen to the sign off and beyond... because when Bob arr ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - Episode 33 Second Annual ‘Zero Degree Weather’ Show In their second annual ‘Zero Degree Weather’ show, Bob and Linda complain about the more miserable than usual Michigan weather. Who else but these two could lose heat on one of the coldest days of the season in spite of the fact that they have not one but two furnaces, a geothermal heat pump and a back-up oil burner. In addition to describing the revolt of their home appliances, Bob and Linda talk about the tribulations of caring for outdoor animals, both wild and domesticated, under ar ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - Episode 32 A Duck in My Tub Kelly Meister, Ohio’s Crazy Critter Lady, joins Bob again to describe her latest efforts on behalf of domesticated ducks dumped in a Toledo-area pond by people who didn’t want their pets any longer. Kelly talks about the particular problems that these flightless ducks face, particularly during the recent spate of zero-degree weather that we’ve all been enjoying so heartily in the Great Lakes states. Kelly braves the cold to feed the pond ducks several days a week and check up on their ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - Episode 31 Hi-Tech Cat Capture In a podcast that wasn’t meant to be a podcast, but was originally just a bit of background info for Bob’s latest book, Bob’s brother-in-law Jack Smith shares an amazing tale about stray cats. Concerned that a pair of stray kittens wouldn’t survive the sub-zero mid-January temperatures, Jack devised a way to catch the youngsters with the help of technology and a week of nearly sleepless nights. Joining Jack is Bob’s sister Joan, Bob’s wife Linda, and the usual background chaos. ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - Episode 30 What’s It All About, Alfie? I met Angela Bowen while giving a talk at the Hackley Public Library in Muskegon. She asked if she could come on the show and share stories about her Holland lop rabbit Alfie, and it’s just that simple to be a guest on "What Were You Thinking?" Angela gives me the ins and outs about caring for a rabbit, including researching potential problems beforehand, and offers oodles of advice for anyone considering being a bunny benefactor. Alfie is a genuine character, as is brand new guinea pig T ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - Episode 30 What’s It All About, Alfie? I met Angela Bowen while giving a talk at the Hackley Public Library in Muskegon. She asked if she could come on the show and share stories about her Holland lop rabbit Alfie, and it’s just that simple to be a guest on "What Were You Thinking?" Angela gives me the ins and outs about caring for a rabbit, including researching potential problems beforehand, and offers oodles of advice for anyone considering being a bunny benefactor. Alfie is a genuine character, as is brand new guinea pig T ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - Episode 29 The Petsitter Puzzle When do you need a petsitter? How do you go about choosing a person to take care of your trusted critters while you're gone? Bob and Linda give you tips on what to look for and what to avoid when selecting a helper, and also, once you've picked your sitter, how to make a complicated job much easier for a person who has never pampered your pets before. More details on this episode MP3 Podcast - The Petsitter Puzzle with Bob Tarte Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - Episode 29 The Petsitter Puzzle When do you need a petsitter? How do you go about choosing a person to take care of your trusted critters while you're gone? Bob and Linda give you tips on what to look for and what to avoid when selecting a helper, and also, once you've picked your sitter, how to make a complicated job much easier for a person who has never pampered your pets before. More details on this episode MP3 Podcast - The Petsitter Puzzle with Bob Tarte Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - Episode 28 The Pet Lover’s Dream Job Janessa Kite has what most animal lovers would consider a dream job. She works at a zoo. She’s a senior bird keeper with the San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park and works with all different breeds of birds, from rare and endangered parrots to domesticated geese. Janessa shares some of her adventures as well as details about the less glamorous day-to-day tasks that are the main part of anyone’s life with animals. And what kind of exotic birds does this bird keeper have at home? Just a pair ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - Episode 28 The Pet Lover�s Dream Job Janessa Kite has what most animal lovers would consider a dream job. She works at a zoo. She�s a senior bird keeper with the San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park and works with all different breeds of birds, from rare and endangered parrots to domesticated geese. Janessa shares some of her adventures as well as details about the less glamorous day-to-day tasks that are the main part of anyone�s life with animals. And what kind of exotic birds does this bird keeper have at home? Just a pair of b ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - Episode 27 The Show That Cried Wulff! We've never done an episode of "What Were You Thinking?" about cats and dogs before, because this show is supposed to be about exotic pets. But what could be more exotic than devoting your life not only to rescuing homeless dogs and cats, but also taking in those with the biggest problems? Author Cayr Ariel Wulff shares humor and insights from her compelling new book, Born Without a Tail. She also tells what it's like to live in a log cabin in a national forest surrounded by trees and coyot ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - Episode 27 The Show That Cried Wulff! We've never done an episode of "What Were You Thinking?" about cats and dogs before, because this show is supposed to be about exotic pets. But what could be more exotic than devoting your life not only to rescuing homeless dogs and cats, but also taking in those with the biggest problems? Author Cayr Ariel Wulff shares humor and insights from her compelling new book, Born Without a Tail. She also tells what it's like to live in a log cabin in a national forest surrounded by trees and coyot ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - Episode 26 Lemon The Duck Bob gets his ducks in a row as he interviews Laura Backman, author of the new children’s book Lemon the Duck. It’s based on the true story of how Laura and her students hatched four ducks for a school project and discovered that one of them had neurological problems and couldn’t walk. But with lots of care, plus an invention that helps her stand up, Lemon learns to live life to the fullest. It’s a heartwarming and visually appealing book that adults will appreciate just as much as c ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - Episode 26 Lemon The Duck Bob gets his ducks in a row as he interviews Laura Backman, author of the new children�s book Lemon the Duck. It�s based on the true story of how Laura and her students hatched four ducks for a school project and discovered that one of them had neurological problems and couldn�t walk. But with lots of care, plus an invention that helps her stand up, Lemon learns to live life to the fullest. It�s a heartwarming and visually appealing book that adults will appreciate just as much as children. ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - Episode 25 Flickers Bob and Linda describe their adventures trying to get seven juvenile Northern Flicker woodpeckers to eat so that they can be released back into the wild. It turns out that this was the easy part, because two of the birds get into trouble within days of letting them go. Then, while taking them to the vet, Bob is caught in the worst rainstorm he can remember, and on top of that, he has to wash and blow dry one of the birds when he gets back home. And don’t even ask about the oriole and grac ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - Episode 25 Flickers Bob and Linda describe their adventures trying to get seven juvenile Northern Flicker woodpeckers to eat so that they can be released back into the wild. It turns out that this was the easy part, because two of the birds get into trouble within days of letting them go. Then, while taking them to the vet, Bob is caught in the worst rainstorm he can remember, and on top of that, he has to wash and blow dry one of the birds when he gets back home. And don�t even ask about the oriole and grackl ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - Episode 24 Rats! Rats get a bad rap. At least pet rats do. But 'fancy rats' are affectionate, intelligent creatures that can even learn to recognize their names. They are easy to care for, quiet, and neat, which makes them ideal companions for apartment dwellers. Chris Divelbiss talks to Bob about the 30 rats that rule his and his wife Clara's lives, and he contributes lots of tips for keeping the rodents happy and healthy. More details on this episode MP3 Podcast -Rats with Bob Tarte Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - Episode 24 Rats! Rats get a bad rap. At least pet rats do. But 'fancy rats' are affectionate, intelligent creatures that can even learn to recognize their names. They are easy to care for, quiet, and neat, which makes them ideal companions for apartment dwellers. Chris Divelbiss talks to Bob about the 30 rats that rule his and his wife Clara's lives, and he contributes lots of tips for keeping the rodents happy and healthy. More details on this episode MP3 Podcast -Rats with Bob Tarte Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - Episode 23 The Particulars About Pocket Pigs How do you tell if an African pygmy hedgehog doesn’t like you? It might roll itself up into a ball and hop away. Jill Warnick has been breeding these pocket pigs since 1995 and tells Bob what great pets they make. Hedgehogs are inquisitive, can be affectionate if socialized at an early age, aren’t difficult to care for -- and what animal on earth is cuter? More details on this episode MP3 Podcast -The Particulars About Pocket Pigs, with Bob Tarte Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - Episode 23 The Particulars About Pocket Pigs How do you tell if an African pygmy hedgehog doesn�t like you? It might roll itself up into a ball and hop away. Jill Warnick has been breeding these pocket pigs since 1995 and tells Bob what great pets they make. Hedgehogs are inquisitive, can be affectionate if socialized at an early age, aren�t difficult to care for -- and what animal on earth is cuter? More details on this episode MP3 Podcast -The Particulars About Pocket Pigs, with Bob Tarte Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - Episode 22 If You Find a Baby Bird It's the season when wild birds are nesting and raising their young. But what do you do if you find a baby bird on the ground? Bob and Linda describe the steps you need to take to keep the bird alive until you can get it to a licensed rehabber. Included are valuable tips on syringe-feeding a special formula to baby birds every two hours consisting of 1.5 cups of kitten chow, 1 jar of chicken baby food, three drops of liquid vitamins, and enough water to turn this into the consistency of yog ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - Episode 22 If You Find a Baby Bird It's the season when wild birds are nesting and raising their young. But what do you do if you find a baby bird on the ground? Bob and Linda describe the steps you need to take to keep the bird alive until you can get it to a licensed rehabber. Included are valuable tips on syringe-feeding a special formula to baby birds every two hours consisting of 1.5 cups of kitten chow, 1 jar of chicken baby food, three drops of liquid vitamins, and enough water to turn this into the consistency of yog ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - Episode 21 No Quibbles Over Button Quails If you quail at the thought of keeping large poultry as pets, you won't quibble about the virtues of the Button Quail, also known as the Chinese Painted Quail. Ethan Teerling of Ada, Michigan shows Bob his impressive indoor coop for these mild-mannered but constantly active birds that are about the size of a chicken egg. (Their chicks resemble brown and yellow bumblebees.) He explains the quails' housing, feed, and well-being requirements -- and warns about their tendency to fly straight up ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - Episode 21 No Quibbles Over Button Quails If you quail at the thought of keeping large poultry as pets, you won't quibble about the virtues of the Button Quail, also known as the Chinese Painted Quail. Ethan Teerling of Ada, Michigan shows Bob his impressive indoor coop for these mild-mannered but constantly active birds that are about the size of a chicken egg. (Their chicks resemble brown and yellow bumblebees.) He explains the quails' housing, feed, and well-being requirements -- and warns about their tendency to fly straight up ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - Episode 20 Are Two Pets Better Than One? Bob and Linda respond to an email from a listener who wants to know if she should get a new companion for a duck whose mate died. When should you have at least two members of the same bird species, and when is getting a second one a bad idea? They also discuss the pros and cons of having more than one pet rabbit, and ask listeners to tell them about their favorite books about pets for an upcoming show. Your favorite can be a how-to book, an author’s account of living with animals, or even ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - Episode 20 Are Two Pets Better Than One? Bob and Linda respond to an email from a listener who wants to know if she should get a new companion for a duck whose mate died. When should you have at least two members of the same bird species, and when is getting a second one a bad idea? They also discuss the pros and cons of having more than one pet rabbit, and ask listeners to tell them about their favorite books about pets for an upcoming show. Your favorite can be a how-to book, an author�s account of living with animals, or even a ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - Episode 19 Make Friends With A Hen As birds go, hens are fairly trouble-free as pets, as long you keep them outdoors, of course. They're more tidy than ducks and don't require a pool. And some municipalities that won't allow other 'livestock' give the okay to a backyard chicken or two. Bob and Linda discuss the winning if occasionally perplexing personalities of these personable birds, and they explain how Lucky earned her name and where the heck bantam hen Dottie was hiding when she went lost for a full day. More details o ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - Episode 19 Make Friends With A Hen As birds go, hens are fairly trouble-free as pets, as long you keep them outdoors, of course. They're more tidy than ducks and don't require a pool. And some municipalities that won't allow other 'livestock' give the okay to a backyard chicken or two. Bob and Linda discuss the winning if occasionally perplexing personalities of these personable birds, and they explain how Lucky earned her name and where the heck bantam hen Dottie was hiding when she went lost for a full day. More details o ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - Episode 18 The Rarest Bird in Michigan? Bob and Linda struggle through the worst Michigan February on record. And so do their animals, when an icefall from the barn roof demolishes their two outdoor pens. Fortunately, the critters were safe indoors. Prospering in the miserable weather is a Yellow-rumped Warbler which Bob considered to be unusual for the time of year, but not extraordinarily so. However, a sharp-eyed birder saw Bob's warbler photo online and tentatively identified it as the western 'Audubon' variety of the bird, w ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - Episode 18 The Rarest Bird in Michigan? Bob and Linda struggle through the worst Michigan February on record. And so do their animals, when an icefall from the barn roof demolishes their two outdoor pens. Fortunately, the critters were safe indoors. Prospering in the miserable weather is a Yellow-rumped Warbler which Bob considered to be unusual for the time of year, but not extraordinarily so. However, a sharp-eyed birder saw Bob's warbler photo online and tentatively identified it as the western 'Audubon' variety of the bird, w ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - Episode 17 Spooky, Bossy, Sneaky, and Quacky Where did that recording go? Bob talks to Georgiana Kotarski, author of the book “Ghosts of the Southern Tennessee Valley,” about her many flesh-and-blood animals, including a ‘practice cow,’ an escape artist donkey, and the inevitable house duck. Bob begins the show with a short excerpt from Georgiana’s forthcoming book about her critters, “Canoeing with Cows.” The excerpt hilariously describers her fear of chickens as a little girl. But the truly scary question is, what happ ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - Episode 17 Spooky, Bossy, Sneaky, and Quacky Where did that recording go? Bob talks to Georgiana Kotarski, author of the book �Ghosts of the Southern Tennessee Valley,� about her many flesh-and-blood animals, including a �practice cow,� an escape artist donkey, and the inevitable house duck. Bob begins the show with a short excerpt from Georgiana�s forthcoming book about her critters, �Canoeing with Cows.� The excerpt hilariously describers her fear of chickens as a little girl. But the truly scary question is, what happened to the po ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - Episode 16 My Chinny, Chin, Chin Elaine Campbell talks to Linda about her pet chinchilla Danny Boy and explains that chins have a somewhat delicate constitution. She offers tips on keeping your chinchilla happy and healthy and also describes chin vocalizations. Danny Boy, in fact, is so vocally expressive, that Elaine is considering teaching him to ‘talk’ at the same time that she trains her Senegal parrot. She also tells Linda about a possum she befriended and details how she rescued him after he took a spill from her ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - Episode 16 My Chinny, Chin, Chin Elaine Campbell talks to Linda about her pet chinchilla Danny Boy and explains that chins have a somewhat delicate constitution. She offers tips on keeping your chinchilla happy and healthy and also describes chin vocalizations. Danny Boy, in fact, is so vocally expressive, that Elaine is considering teaching him to �talk� at the same time that she trains her Senegal parrot. She also tells Linda about a possum she befriended and details how she rescued him after he took a spill from her roo ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - Episode 15 The Zero-Degree Weather Show Bob and Linda had intended to talk about African grey parrots the whole half-hour. But everything seems harder to accomplish when the weather is cold, and it’s zero degrees in Michigan. So, instead of rambling on about the greys, they discuss the drudgery of doing winter duck chores, while Bob reports a successful heater installation in the barn to safely keep poultry and waterfowl spirits up. Linda tells of a woodpecker population explosion on the ‘suet tree’ outside the back door an ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - Episode 15 The Zero-Degree Weather Show Bob and Linda had intended to talk about African grey parrots the whole half-hour. But everything seems harder to accomplish when the weather is cold, and it�s zero degrees in Michigan. So, instead of rambling on about the greys, they discuss the drudgery of doing winter duck chores, while Bob reports a successful heater installation in the barn to safely keep poultry and waterfowl spirits up. Linda tells of a woodpecker population explosion on the �suet tree� outside the back door and foll ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - Episode 14 Pests, Pests, and More Pests It’s an episode you’ll be telling your great, great grandchildren you heard! Book Character Bill Holm (featured in Bob’s books Enslaved by Ducks and Fowl Weather) hijacks the show with the help of Marcia Davis, under the guise of offering suggestions to increase Bob’s audience. They lock Bob out of his house and exclude animals from the first half of the episode. In the second half, Bob and Linda apologize for Bill and Marcia’s pesky intrusion and spend the remainder of the show d ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - Episode 14 Pests, Pests, and More Pests It�s an episode you�ll be telling your great, great grandchildren you heard! Book Character Bill Holm (featured in Bob�s books Enslaved by Ducks and Fowl Weather) hijacks the show with the help of Marcia Davis, under the guise of offering suggestions to increase Bob�s audience. They lock Bob out of his house and exclude animals from the first half of the episode. In the second half, Bob and Linda apologize for Bill and Marcia�s pesky intrusion and spend the remainder of the show discussing ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - Episode 13 Duck Diapers, Boas, and Geckoes Bob invited April Rousseau on What Were You Thinking? to talk about her pet ball pythons and fat-tailed gecko. Instead, Bob and April open the show discussing duck diapers. Yes, such things do exist, and April knows all about intimate apparel for waterfowl. In addition to the lizards that light up her life, she also keeps an indoor white Pekin duck named Kamikaze Duck, or KD duck, for short. In addition to giving us the lowdown on KD’s personal habits, April describes the eating predilect ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - Episode 13 Duck Diapers, Boas, and Geckoes Bob invited April Rousseau on What Were You Thinking? to talk about her pet ball pythons and fat-tailed gecko. Instead, Bob and April open the show discussing duck diapers. Yes, such things do exist, and April knows all about intimate apparel for waterfowl. In addition to the lizards that light up her life, she also keeps an indoor white Pekin duck named Kamikaze Duck, or KD duck, for short. In addition to giving us the lowdown on KD�s personal habits, April describes the eating predilectio ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - Episode 12 A Healer for House Pigeons on Pet Life Radio Like most people, Edie Britt had a negative attitude toward pigeons. But she changed her mind as soon as she took in her first one as a pet and discovered its affectionate nature and intelligence. That bird led to many others. Edie releases the wild pigeons that can be rehabbed, finds home for others, and keeps a few in her home to spoil. In her interview with Bob, she also talks about her collared doves (also known as ring-necks) plus her unusual gifts as a psychic medium, which help ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - Episode 12 A Healer for House Pigeons on Pet Life Radio Like most people, Edie Britt had a negative attitude toward pigeons. But she changed her mind as soon as she took in her first one as a pet and discovered its affectionate nature and intelligence. That bird led to many others. Edie releases the wild pigeons that can be rehabbed, finds home for others, and keeps a few in her home to spoil. In her interview with Bob, she also talks about her collared doves (also known as ring-necks) plus her unusual gifts as a psychic medium, which help ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - Episode 11 Janet's Ark We don't know if Noah brought fish aboard his fabled ark, but when Linda and Bob visited Janet Twesten's house, they marveled at her saltwater and freshwater aquariums. (Or did Noah pluralize them 'aquaria'?) Linda talks to Janet about her fish and marine invertebrates, inquires about her lizard pets, and straight from the horse's mouth gets the skinny on her smarty–pants equine pets. Who knew that horses were such accomplished escape artists, or that they played tricks on one another? It ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - Episode 11 Janet's Ark We don't know if Noah brought fish aboard his fabled ark, but when Linda and Bob visited Janet Twesten's house, they marveled at her saltwater and freshwater aquariums. (Or did Noah pluralize them 'aquaria'?) Linda talks to Janet about her fish and marine invertebrates, inquires about her lizard pets, and straight from the horse's mouth gets the skinny on her smarty�pants equine pets. Who knew that horses were such accomplished escape artists, or that they played tricks on one another? It's ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - Episode 10 Orriel The Oriole What would an aria sound like if a chicken sang opera? This isn’t a rhetorical question. Classically trained vocalist Orriel Smith joins Bob to crow about her CD, “The World’s Favorite Cluckoratura Arias,” which interprets classical operatic selections as a hen -- and in one case, as a hen and a cat -- might have performed them. Orriel also talks about her folk singing years in the flower power era, her appearance as a harem girl on “The Jack Benny Show,” getting dragged around ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - Episode 10 Orriel The Oriole What would an aria sound like if a chicken sang opera? This isn�t a rhetorical question. Classically trained vocalist Orriel Smith joins Bob to crow about her CD, �The World�s Favorite Cluckoratura Arias,� which interprets classical operatic selections as a hen -- and in one case, as a hen and a cat -- might have performed them. Orriel also talks about her folk singing years in the flower power era, her appearance as a harem girl on �The Jack Benny Show,� getting dragged around by German sh ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - Episode 09 Bird Rehab Not everybody can have a pet. Maybe you live in the frigid north and move to a condo in the Caribbean every winter. That means you probably don’t own a cat, dog, or one of the great apes. Or maybe you just don’t want the responsibility of a year-round pet. Bob and Linda Tarte sympathize, and on this week’s show they talk about a way to get involved with birds on a short-term basis. Each summer, Linda helps the Wildlife Rehab Center raise and release orphan songbirds. (Bob hel ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - Episode 09 Bird Rehab Not everybody can have a pet. Maybe you live in the frigid north and move to a condo in the Caribbean every winter. That means you probably don�t own a cat, dog, or one of the great apes. Or maybe you just don�t want the responsibility of a year-round pet. Bob and Linda Tarte sympathize, and on this week�s show they talk about a way to get involved with birds on a short-term basis. Each summer, Linda helps the Wildlife Rehab Center raise and release orphan songbirds. (Bob helps a ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - Episode 08 Going Whole Hog This week, Linda hogs the entire show with her interview of Helen Tucker, who talks about her Ossabaw Island hogs, Dusty and Rusty, which she obtained from George Washington's birthplace. These smaller-than-average pigs are a heritage breed which dates back 400 years when the Spanish first brought them to the New World. Fewer than 200 breeding pairs are known to exist today. And speaking of pigs, more of less, Helen also tells Linda about her Hog Island sheep, a very hardy domesticated bree ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - Episode 08 Going Whole Hog This week, Linda hogs the entire show with her interview of Helen Tucker, who talks about her Ossabaw Island hogs, Dusty and Rusty, which she obtained from George Washington's birthplace. These smaller-than-average pigs are a heritage breed which dates back 400 years when the Spanish first brought them to the New World. Fewer than 200 breeding pairs are known to exist today. And speaking of pigs, more of less, Helen also tells Linda about her Hog Island sheep, a very hardy domesticated bree ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - Episode 07 Slow But Steady Wins the Race Do you root for the tortoise or the hare? This week turtles get their due as Bob interviews Lisa Frankland, the secretary of the Rio Grande Turtle and Tortoise Club [http:// www.rgttc.org]. Lisa talks about turtles as pets, including her Ornate Box Turtles and Red Eared Sliders, plus her Bearded Dragon and Kenyan Sand Boa. You’ll want a turtle of your own after spending a few minutes with Lisa. After the interview, Bob asks his wife Linda, how many mistakes can he make in a single show? L ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - Episode 07 Slow But Steady Wins the Race Do you root for the tortoise or the hare? This week turtles get their due as Bob interviews Lisa Frankland, the secretary of the Rio Grande Turtle and Tortoise Club [http:// www.rgttc.org]. Lisa talks about turtles as pets, including her Ornate Box Turtles and Red Eared Sliders, plus her Bearded Dragon and Kenyan Sand Boa. You�ll want a turtle of your own after spending a few minutes with Lisa. After the interview, Bob asks his wife Linda, how many mistakes can he make in a single show? Lis ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - Episode 06 Happy Rehab Habitat This week, Bob visits the Wildlife Rehab Center in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and gets a tour from Executive Director Peg Markle. Peg shows Bob some of the animals that she’s caring for, including an injured Great Blue Heron and Red-eared Slider turtle. After showing Bob around, Peg shows off husband Roger’s latest pet, an African Spurred Tortoise. Back at the Tarte house, Bob and Linda talk about some of the juvenile migratory birds that they have raised and released under sub-permit fr ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - Episode 06 Happy Rehab Habitat This week, Bob visits the Wildlife Rehab Center in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and gets a tour from Executive Director Peg Markle. Peg shows Bob some of the animals that she�s caring for, including an injured Great Blue Heron and Red-eared Slider turtle. After showing Bob around, Peg shows off husband Roger�s latest pet, an African Spurred Tortoise. Back at the Tarte house, Bob and Linda talk about some of the juvenile migratory birds that they have raised and released under sub-permit from t ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - Episode 05 Along Came A Spider Don’t squash that spider. It just needs a little love. Wade Harrell has been keeping invertebrates as pets for thirty-four years and first started keeping tarantulas fifteen years ago. He is the current president of the American Tarantula Society and keeps more than a hundred tarantulas and other arthropods in his basement. Just in time for Halloween, he joins Bob to talk about why tarantulas make good pets and also discusses the habits of the really big spiders that Bob has been s ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - Episode 05 Along Came A Spider Don�t squash that spider. It just needs a little love. Wade Harrell has been keeping invertebrates as pets for thirty-four years and first started keeping tarantulas fifteen years ago. He is the current president of the American Tarantula Society and keeps more than a hundred tarantulas and other arthropods in his basement. Just in time for Halloween, he joins Bob to talk about why tarantulas make good pets and also discusses the habits of the really big spiders that Bob has been see ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - Episode 04 Do The Zoo, with Brian O'Malley Maybe you don’t want a pet monkey smoking your cigars while swinging from the drapes. You might not even want a parrot eating the woodwork. One way of satisfying your craving for exotic critters without having pets of your own is volunteering at your local zoo. Brian O’Malley describes his volunteer duties at the National Zoo in Washington D.C. Brian feeds macaws and sloths, raises crickets, and stays out of the way of large, serpent-like fish called arapaimas. More details on this ep ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - Episode 04 Do The Zoo, with Brian O'Malley Maybe you don�t want a pet monkey smoking your cigars while swinging from the drapes. You might not even want a parrot eating the woodwork. One way of satisfying your craving for exotic critters without having pets of your own is volunteering at your local zoo. Brian O�Malley describes his volunteer duties at the National Zoo in Washington D.C. Brian feeds macaws and sloths, raises crickets, and stays out of the way of large, serpent-like fish called arapaimas. More details on this episod ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - Episode 03 What Were You Thinking - Shhh... We're Talkin' Wabbits Proving that you don’t have to be cwazy to have a wabbit in the house, reassuringly normal Utah artist Julie Jacobsen shares her memories of family bunny Skoobit. Bob and Linda talk about traits to consider before taking home a rabbit, and why two bunnies are better than one, even if they don’t get along. Bob uses the skit that opens the show as a valuable lesson in how not to do a podcast. More details on this episode MP3 Podcast -Shhh... We're Talkin' Wabbits, with Bob Tarte Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - Episode 03 What Were You Thinking - Shhh... We're Talkin' Wabbits Proving that you don�t have to be cwazy to have a wabbit in the house, reassuringly normal Utah artist Julie Jacobsen shares her memories of family bunny Skoobit. Bob and Linda talk about traits to consider before taking home a rabbit, and why two bunnies are better than one, even if they don�t get along. Bob uses the skit that opens the show as a valuable lesson in how not to do a podcast. More details on this episode MP3 Podcast -Shhh... We're Talkin' Wabbits, with Bob Tarte Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - Episode 02 What Were You Thinking - The Crazy Critter Lady Bob Tarte phones Kelly Meister, the Crazy Critter Lady (www.crazycritterlady.com), and she talks about how she takes care of other people's ducks that were dumped at Miller's Pond in Perrysburg, Ohio. (To see Kelly in action, visit BobTarte.com and watch the Duck Man vs. the Crazy Critter Lady video.) After the interview with Kelly, Bob's wife Linda describes the kind of care and housing that pet ducks require. Ducks make great pets, but you have to accommodate them properl ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - Episode 02 What Were You Thinking - The Crazy Critter Lady Bob Tarte phones Kelly Meister, the Crazy Critter Lady (www.crazycritterlady.com), and she talks about how she takes care of other people's ducks that were dumped at Miller's Pond in Perrysburg, Ohio. (To see Kelly in action, visit BobTarte.com and watch the Duck Man vs. the Crazy Critter Lady video.) After the interview with Kelly, Bob's wife Linda describes the kind of care and housing that pet ducks require. Ducks make great pets, but you have to accommodate them properl ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - Episode 01 What Were You Thinking - From Pet-Free to Forty On the premiere episode of What Were You Thinking?, author Bob Tarte (Enslaved by Ducks, Fowl Weather) and his wife Linda talk about how they went from a blissful, pet-free existence to a life of constant demand from over 40 animals. They discuss some of their first animals and extol the virtues of doves as companion birds. Linda explains how you can be a part of the show and share your experiences with birds, reptiles, guinea pigs, rabbits, tarantulas, rats… you name it! More details ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - Episode 01 What Were You Thinking - From Pet-Free to Forty On the premiere episode of What Were You Thinking?, author Bob Tarte (Enslaved by Ducks, Fowl Weather) and his wife Linda talk about how they went from a blissful, pet-free existence to a life of constant demand from over 40 animals. They discuss some of their first animals and extol the virtues of doves as companion birds. Linda explains how you can be a part of the show and share your experiences with birds, reptiles, guinea pigs, rabbits, tarantulas, rats� you name it! More details on ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - Episode 00 Welcome to "What Were You Thinking?" Bob Tarte welcomes everyone to his new show, "What Were You Thinking" about exotic pets, and gives a preview of what to expect in upcoming episodes. More details on this episode MP3 Podcast -Introduction- Welcome To "What Were You Thinking" with Bob Tarte Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | PetLifeRadio.com - Episode 00 Welcome to "What Were You Thinking?" Bob Tarte welcomes everyone to his new show, "What Were You Thinking" about exotic pets, and gives a preview of what to expect in upcoming episodes. More details on this episode MP3 Podcast -Introduction- Welcome To "What Were You Thinking" with Bob Tarte Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache |