Why are hedgehogs illegal in Pennsylvania?

This question was answered by Kelly McCorkle, our library intern.

While attending college in Pennsylvania, an Ohio native and Newton Falls Public Library patron became aware that it was illegal to have a pet hedgehog in the state of Pennsylvania. However, she did not know why this was the case. To answer this question, we started with a simple Google search which led to the website for The International Hedgehog Association, a non-profit organization devoted to creatures. IHA reports that hedgehogs do not emit odors like most small rodents, are easy to litter train, have a gentle demeanor, and require no immunization shots. Given these rather positive characteristics, why would hedgehogs be considered illegal?

A news article on Pennlive.com about illegal animals in Pennsylvania provides the short answer to this question. According to the article, the concern regarding hedgehogs is that “they could hurt the local ecosystem if they were somehow released into the wild.” Furthermore, Hedgehogged.com states that the law was originally intended to prohibit the importation of hedgehogs into Pennsylvania but that breeders continued to do so which led to banning hedgehogs entirely.

The current Pennsylvania Law against the importation of wildlife can be found in Title 34: Game under Chapter 21, Subchapter D, and Subsection 2163. However, this law does not specify hedgehogs or any other animals directly. 

We found our information on the IHA website, the article “These pets are banned in Pennsylvania” by Teresa Bonner, and the article “Places Where It’s Illegal to Own Hedgehogs and the Laws Around Them," as well as the Pennsylvania Law on wildlife importation. General information about hedgehogs can be found in the following books: Hedgehogs: Everything About Purchase, Care,and Nutrition by Sharon Lynn Vanderlip, GuideTo Owning an African Pygmy Hedgehog: Housing, Feeding, Breeding, Exhibition,Health Care by Dennis Kelsey-Wood.

Do big cats like lions get hairballs?

One of our patrons has been dealing with his cat’s hairballs as the weather warms up and the cat sheds more of its winter coat. Since they groom themselves by licking their coats just like their domestic cousins, wildcats have this same undignified issue.

Hair typically passes through a cat’s digestive system without causing any issue, but sometimes it collects in a hairball which, if not vomited up, can cause an intestinal blockage that must be surgically removed. These troublesome hairballs have made it into the news at least twice in recent years – in 2013, CBS reported on a 4-pound hairball that was removed from a 400-pound tiger, and in 2015, there was an ABC news story about a 450-pound lion that needed a 3.8-pound hairball removed.

Grooming is important for cats, and not only because it keeps them clean. According to Wild Discovery Guide to Your Cat, grooming can regulate body temperature, with cats aligning the hair to better retain heat in cold weather and using saliva as a coolant when it’s hot out. Mutual grooming allows cats to exchange scents, and may help strengthen social bonds. Grooming also seems to serve as the cat equivalent of nail-biting, with cats using it to displace anxiety.

Why does my cat drop his toys in his water dish?

Drowning toys in the water bowl isn’t uncommon behavior in cats, but we couldn’t find one definite explanation for it. Arnold Plotnick, a veterinarian blogging at catexpert.blogspot.com, and S. Hartwell, a writer for messybeast.com, both offer some guesses.

Our patron’s cat may be trying to store the toy in a safe place. If the toy is a particular favorite or if they’ve just finished with it, they could be “putting it away” in their food-and-water area, which they may see as a safe and central part of their territory. Wild cats will take their prey back to their nest, and the indoor cat dropping its toy in its dish could be following the same instinct.

Some cats like to play in water. Hartwell relates stories of cats that liked to pat the water with their feet and then pop the bubbles or watch the ripples, or a cat that would drop catnip in the water and watch the leaves float around. Our patron’s cat could be playing at fishing, or they could just like the texture of the wet toy.

According to John Bradshaw and Sarah Ellis in the books Cat Sense and The Trainable Cat, cats treat their toys like prey. They often like toys that resemble creatures they would hunt, and treat them differently depending on the size. They will be more cautious, for instance, with rat-sized toys, and tend to hold them at arm’s length rather than close in their front paws, as rats are more likely to fight back. Cats also tend to get bored with a toy unless they can damage it – a resilient toy that doesn’t show any sign of being “killed” indicates that it’s not really prey, or, if it is, that it’s too hard to subdue. As Bradshaw believes that cats think they are hunting when they play with toys, he would probably put the water-bowl behavior down to some kind of hunting instinct.

Why did we domesticate ferrets? What are they for?

It’s generally believed that humans domesticated cats to help us with pest control and dogs to provide protection and help with hunting and herding. One of our patrons has two pet ferrets, and he wanted to know when people began bringing ferrets into their homes, and what purpose they originally served.

We found some information in Ferrets for Dummies by Kim Schilling and Susan A. Brown’s article “History of the Ferret” on weaselwords.com. Today’s pet ferret is assumed to be a domesticated form of either the Western or Eastern European polecat, and they have been in our lives for about 2,500 years. It’s not certain who first tamed them. While some sources say Egypt, citing hieroglyphs depicting weasel-like creatures, Schilling believes that the hieroglyphs were probably depicting native mongooses, which were kept as pets to kill snakes and small rodents. While mongooses look similar to ferrets and weasels, they are not part of the same family. Ferrets, weasels, otters, wolverines, badgers, martens, stoats, and minks are all Mustelids.

Ferrets seem to have been first domesticated for hunting and pest control. Between 63 BC and 24 AD, Caesar Augustus was requested to sail ferrets out to the Balearic Islands where an overpopulation of rabbits was causing a famine. They assisted hunters in catching the rabbits. (The practice of hunting with ferrets, called “ferreting,” involves releasing the ferrets near a burrow. The ferret is not meant to catch the game, just drive it out of its burrow to where the hunter is waiting. The ferrets would often have bells on their collars so that the hunters could keep track of them, and sometimes they would also be tethered.)

Like cats, ferrets were considered very useful on ships for the ability to keep the rodent population down. The Colonial Navy of Massachusetts named the ferret their official mascot in 1986, saying that, in the days of wooden ships, ferrets were even better than cats, as they could fit into all the tiny nooks and crannies where mice tried to hide.

Ferrets were once even used to transport wires and cables through narrow pipes. According to Brown and Schilling, oilmen, telephone companies, camera crews, and sailors have used them in this way. People would tie the wire or cable to the ferret or its harness and the ferret would run through the pipe on its own.

They are still raised for their fur, although this is less common than it once was, and they’re often used in biomedical research. However, most people today know them as companion animals.

Do my dogs need special paperwork to travel?

“I’m going camping in Canada and I want to bring my dogs with me. Do they need any special paperwork?”

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency, which regulates the import of food, plants, and animals, has a section on their website for people who are considering bringing their pets to Canada. A healthy pet dog that is over eight months old and accompanied by its owner requires a rabies vaccination certificate, but no other paperwork that we can find. The certificate must state that the dog has been vaccinated. It needs to include the dog’s sex, breed, color, and weight (for identification purposes), the date of the vaccination, the vaccine’s serial number and trade name (also known as a brand name – for example, Tylenol is a trade name for acetaminophen), and it must indicate how long the vaccine will be effective. (If there is uncertainty, the vaccine will be considered effective for one year after it was administered.) This certificate must be issued and signed by a licensed veterinarian.

According to the Center for Disease Control website, dogs must also have a rabies certificate to cross the border back into the United States. They require a little more information, including the owner’s name and address and the veterinarian’s name, address, and license number. Otherwise, the requirements are about the same.

The website GoPetFriendly.com gives a few more tips. They recommend that, if our patron thinks their dog’s health might be called into question, it’s a good idea for them to get a health certificate from their vet as well, just to prove that their dog is not carrying anything contagious.

GoPetFriendly also calls attention to a law against pit bulls or “a dog that has an appearance and physical characteristics substantially similar to any of those dogs” in Ontario. The full law can be read on the Ministry of the Attorney General’s website and states that “It is against the law to bring pit bulls into Ontario, even for a short visit” and that no exceptions are made for tourists.

As our patron prepares for their trip, they can also bring up to around 44 pounds of pet food, so long as both the food and the pets it will feed are with them when they enter Canada, and so long as the food is of United States origin, and commercially packaged. (Sources vary as to whether or not the packaging can be opened.)

If our patron would like more information on camping and Canada specifically, they are welcome to check out the Lonely Planet Guide to Canada and Vin T. Sparano’s Complete Guide to Camping and Wilderness Survival, both of which are available here at the library.

Why are my fish disappearing?

One of our patrons was concerned about their home aquarium. They had maintained it for many years, but their older fish were starting to die off. They had started to add new fish, but a few of those fish had disappeared. Was one of the older fish eating them? Was something wrong with the environment?

Assuming that the tank was tightly covered, the water was clean, pH balanced, free of harmful chemicals, and an appropriate temperature, and the fish were not being under- or over-fed, we checked Mary Bailey and Peter Burgess’s Tropical Fishlopaedia, Maddy and Mic Hargrove’s Freshwater Aquariums for Dummies, Dick Mills’s Aquarium Fish, Stuart Thraves’s Setting Up a Tropical Aquarium Week-by-Week, John Davies’s Complete Encyclopedia of the Freshwater Aquarium, and www.aquariumcarebasics.com for more information.

Our patron’s aquarium included a Buenos Aires tetra, a rainbow shark, and a rosy barb. They had been attempting to add an otocinclus catfish and a few varieties of platys and tetras.

According to Bailey and Burgess, an omnivorous fish who has never bothered its old tankmates may go after small new fish. If it came into the aquarium at the same time as the old fish, or if it was too small to eat them when they were added, the omnivore seems to recognize them as companions and not food. It’s used to food coming from above – which is also where new fish are introduced. Platys, tetras, and barbs are omnivores, and Thraves mentions that it’s common for larger fish to pick off neon tetras, so that could be a problem. While our patron’s fish are generally known to be peaceful, Buenos Aires tetras can get aggressive as they age, especially the larger ones. Rainbow sharks (which are not actual sharks but are closely related to barbs and danios) are also somewhat aggressive and territorial, especially toward their own kind. Only one should be kept in an aquarium and it should be given plenty of places to hide. (The Buenos Aires tetra and the rosy barb, on the other hand, are schooling fish and are happiest in groups of at least six.)

It’s also possible that the fish were simply unhealthy when our patron purchased them, or that they didn’t take well to the stress of transport, depending on how long they lasted. The otocinclus catfish in particular is known to be delicate and often has trouble acclimating to a new environment.

If our patron is still worried about their fish, Tropical Fishlopaedia and Freshwater Aquariums for Dummies both have information on troubleshooting aquarium problems.

Why do my dogs lick each other's ears?

“I have two Labradors and they’re always licking each other’s ears. Why do they do that?”

According to What Dogs Want by Arden Moore, Caring for Your Dog by Bruce Fogle, and the article “Why Do My Dogs Lick Each Other’s Ears?” by Lisa McQuerry, there are a few possible reasons. Dogs lick to relive stress or just for something to do, so they could be anxious or bored. It’s also a way to show submission – when two dogs meet, the lower-ranking dog will often lick the higher-ranking dog.

However, it’s also just a good-natured show of companionship. From a young age, dogs will lick each other to establish and re-affirm bonds. Mothers will groom their puppies, and the puppies will lick her muzzle to indicate that they’re hungry. If our patron’s Labradors are friendly with one another and otherwise content, they’re likely engaging in friendly allogrooming.

While this is likely a harmless display of canine friendship, McQuerry cautions to keep an eye on the dogs to be sure that moisture from excessive ear-licking doesn’t lead to an infection.

For more information on dogs, Decoding Your Dog and Myrna Milani’s Dogsmart are both available for borrowing here at Newton Falls Public Library.

How Soon Can I Spay My Cat After She Has Kittens?

“I have a pregnant stray cat hanging around my house. How long until she has her babies? When can I get her fixed?”

According to the Wild Discovery Guide to Your Cat, a cat’s pregnancy will typically last between nine and ten weeks. They don’t start to look bigger until around four or five weeks, so if your cat’s very visibly pregnant, she’s probably quite well along. You can prepare a birthing box for her by cutting a hole in a clean, covered, cardboard box (low enough that she can use it as a door, but high enough that the kittens won’t be able to crawl out of the box right away – about five inches) and lining the bottom of the box with shredded newspaper and clean cloth. However, there’s no guarantee she’ll use it – strays tend to try to hide their kittens from people.

You can bring the mother cat in to be spayed once her babies are weaned – usually about five to six weeks after they’re born. It’s possible for her to get pregnant again while she’s nursing, though, so keep her separated from tomcats. The kittens can be spayed or neutered once they weigh at least two pounds. Sources vary on how old they need to be, anywhere from eight weeks to twelve, so it’s best to check with your veterinarian and see what they recommend.

Because spaying and neutering cats and dogs is vital in reducing the overpopulation problem that leads to so many homeless animals being euthanized, animal welfare programs provide a lot of resources to make it as easy and cost-effective as possible. The ASPCA provides a searchable database of low-cost spay/neuter programs across the country so you can find the one that’s most convenient for you.

Anyone considering taking in a cat or kitten is welcome to come check out Eric Swanson’s We’re Having a Kitten!: From the Big Decision Through the Crucial First Year and Wendy Christensen’s Complete Guide to Cat Care, both available here at the Newton Falls Public Library. 

Can Dogs and Cats Share Food?

“I have a dog and a cat, and they each like to eat from the other’s food bowl. Is that bad for them?”

While none of us here at the Newton Falls Public Library are veterinarians, we were able to check online and look through our collection of pet-care books, eventually finding the answers in Cats for Dummies and on PetMD. Cats and dogs have different nutritional needs, so although it’s okay for them to have the occasional snack from one another’s dish, according to PetMD, it’s generally best for them to stick to their own food.

Cats need a lot of protein – over double the amount per pound of body weight than dogs or even people do, according to Cats for Dummies. Cats also need to get fat from animal sources, since they can’t manufacture essential fatty acids from plant sources like dogs can. Taurine, an amino acid found in animal proteins, is necessary for cats, and a deficiency can cause serious eye and heart problems. Dog food doesn't have these nutrients, nor does it have enough protein for a cat to be happy and healthy.

On the other hand, because cat food is so high in fat and protein, dogs tend to really like it. Unfortunately, it’s not very good for them either. It’s so rich that it can cause digestive problems, and eating it too often can lead to obesity.

For more information about pet nutrition, David G. Wellock’s Health and Nutrition for Dogs and Cats: A Guide for Pet Parents is available here at the Newton Falls Public Library. If you’d like to try your hand at cooking up your own treats for your pets, Gregg R. Gillespie’s Tasty Treats for Demanding Dogs is available at the Newton Falls Public Library and Liz Palika’s The Ultimate Cat Treat Cookbook is available through CLEVNET.

I'm Worried About My Dog's Health

Newton Falls Public Library patrons often come into the library seeking information to help their pets. "I think my dog has allergies.  His eyes are red rimmed and he is scratching himself."  "I'm worried my dog has been poisoned. He is vomiting.  What things are poisonous to dogs?" Most of our staff members have pets, so we understand the concerns our patrons have about theirs.

We were able to locate some information about allergic skin reactions in the The Merck/Merial Manual for Pet Health, Bruce Fogle's ASPCA Complete Dog Care Manual and Caring for your Dog.  The website, www.petmd.com had a wealth of articles about dog allergies for our patron.

PetMD was also a useful source of information for our second patron.  Our patron's description of symptoms matched some described on the website: "Your pet may be experiencing unexplained vomiting, diarrhea, or may appear to be weak (lethargic) to the point of being unable to move."  There was some information about poisonous substances, but not a list that our patron wanted.  We located additional websites for her which included: 24/7 Animal Poison Control Center run by ASPCA (phone # 800-213-6680); pets.webmd.com that has a list of the top ten poisons; and www.doctordog.com/dogbook/dogpoison.html  that has "Dog Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook." This last site had the type of listing she wanted printed to take home.

Each book and website we consulted encouraged the user to contact a veterinary professional in order to correctly treat both allergies and poisoning.

Why is Fido a Popular Name for a Dog?

"Why is Fido a popular name for a dog?  Where does it come from?"  Over the years, the Newton Falls Public Library staff has found that patrons are often interested in the origins of words.

We began our search with a selection of print materials including the Oxford English Dictionary and Cassell's Dictionary of Slang by John Green, and Pet Names by Jean E. Taggart.  In our shared Clevnet catalog we found the title Don't Call Me Rover!!: 5001 names to call your pet by Rita Blockton.  Since we do not currently have this book on our shelves and the patron did not wish to wait for it to come from another library, we continued our search online.  However, this title did intrigue our patron and he now wished to know about Rover as well.

The website english.stackexchange.com is a question and answer site for linguists, etymologists, and serious English language enthusiasts. They posted that a "stereotypical name for a dog is Fido, from the Latin for faithful."  The etymology for Rover, states that "Rover was a common name for a hunting dog in 1718" and the Oxford English Dictionary says it is "an animal which ranges over a wide area."

PetAdviser.com had the interesting article Old School Dog Names You Don’t Hear Anymore  by Jenna Rohrbacher (December 26, 2012), which examined the names Spot, Rover, Fido and Lady. Much of what Rohrbacher included was similar to other information that we found.  She did note that "Fido is possibly best known historically as President Abraham Lincoln’s trusty pet."

Where Should I Live and What Can Live Here?

The Newton Falls Public Library staff is asked questions about places to live and what is allowed to live in places. One patron was thinking about her future retirement. She didn't need to know financial information, but about lifestyle, and where she and her spouse may consider relocating. Our second patron wanted to know if people are permitted to keep a monkey in the city limits of Newton Falls.

Searching for "best places to retire in the United States" brings up a long list of websites for our patron to examine.  One site, www.topretirements.com  offers not only the top places to retire but also a list of the worst places. It also had links to other sites including: CNN Money Magazine 2011 Best Places to Live, Wall Street Journal -MarketWatch  "Top 10 Places to Retire", Kiplinger's Retiree Tax Heavens (and Hells), Forbes/MSNBC Best Places to Retire,  AARP 10 Best Places to Retire Happily, and US News Best Places to Retire. www.bankrate.com also has a whole section on retirement as well as a cost of living comparison calculator.  This is very useful when considering relocation, to compare how much purchasing power an individual's income will have as compared to where she is currently living. The patron's final decision will be determined by her personal lifestyle choices, preferences, and finances.

We were able to give a second patron a more definitive answer to the question. Going to Community Links on the library's home page, we selected Newton Falls City. From the city's website we chose Mayor,City Council and Legislation. On this page one may select CODIFIED ORDINANCES – Including Charter. These have a search function. There were no results for a search of "monkey," but the term "exotic pets" brought up Chapter 505. 505.13 is Report of escape of exotic or dangerous animal addresses the escape of animals not  indigenous to this State, but not specifically monkeys. Under "505.16  Certain Animals Prohibited (a)     No person shall keep or harbor any horses, cattle, sheep, ponies, mules, goats, pigs, hogs or poultry in the City." We informed our patron of this list. Our staff remembered that several months ago an article appeared in one of the local newspapers listing individuals in Newton Falls who had applied for exotic animal licenses for a variety of animals including monkeys; unfortunately we were unable to locate the article

What is the Breed of the Large White Dog I Saw?

“I saw these large white dogs, and the owner said they were not Great Pyrenees.  The name began with a k.  Can you help me find what kind of dog they are?”  Many of the Newton Falls Public Library staff are dog lovers, so it was enjoyable browsing through the books in this area of our collection. The Complete Dog Book is an Official Publication of the American Kennel Club. The index listed only four breeds beginning with that letter, and the patron recognized Kuvasz as the name given by the dog owner.

Looking at color photographs in The Complete Dog Book: A Comprehensive, Practical Care and Training Manual and A Definitive Encyclopedia of World Breeds by Peter Larkin, we could better see the similarities and differences in the two breeds. As the patron said, they are both large and white. The Hungarian Kuvasz can range from 26-29.5 inches, weighing 66-115 pounds.  The Great Pyrenees or Pyrenean Mountain Dog, depending on the sex, can be 25.5-27.5 inches, and 88-113 pounds. The coat of the Kuvasz is pure white, medium in length, and thick. That of the Pyrenees is coarse-textured, and can have color variation especially on the head and ears. They are both flock herding dogs.

I Think We Have a Skunk Under Our Shed

“I think we have a skunk under our shed; the dog is going crazy. How can we get rid of it before it meets up with the dog?” Skunks are a critter none of the Newton Falls Public Library staff wants to meet, so we can understand the urgency of this request

All the editions of Harold E. Bailey’s book, The Friendly Trapper say that skunks find ammonia to be repulsive and cower away from it. He also suggests a poison gas cartridge like ones used for groundhogs. Our patron preferred the former option, as she only wished to discourage the skunk from living so close to her home.

If her dog should meet up with the skunk before she is able to remove it, we also searched for how to deal with the results. The Merck/Merial Manual for Pet Health recommends dealing with skunking while the spray is still wet as it is an oil. They encourage using a commercial product, as many homemade concoctions can be too harsh especially in the eye and ear areas or will bleach the dog’s coat. A recipe for a homemade treatment can be found at the Humane Society’s website. The instructions do come with cautioning notes not to get it near the pet’s eyes, leaving on too long and bleaching his fur, and premixing as it can explode if left in the bottle. It also includes follow-up instructions for cleaning the owner’s clothing by washing in laundry detergent and baking soda.

Why Do Dogs Circle Before Lying Down?

“Before lying down my dog circles and circles. Why?”  Many of the Newton Falls Public Library staff members own dogs and have noticed their pets exhibiting this same behavior.

We began our search by looking at some of the numerous library books about dogs, specifically dog behavior. Closely examining Dogs: a startling new understanding of canine origin, behavior, and evolution by Raymond Coppinger and Lorna Coppinger, The truth about dogs: an inquiry into the ancestry, social conventions, mental habits, and moral fiber of Canis familiaris by Stephen Budiansky and Wild discovery guide to your dog: understanding and caring for the wolf within, we found many interesting facts about why they do many of the things they do. Budiansky’s book has a very readable chapter entitled Odd, but (Mostly) Normal Behavior. While very intriguing, it didn’t address our patron’s question.

Continuing the search online, we found there seems to be a general consensus of reasons on many of the websites. The behavior is possibly genetic, stemming from wild ancestors who circled their sleeping areas before lying down. It ensured grassy or snow covered areas were flattened and clear. It also gave an opportunity to examine the area to see if there were any dangerous things such as snakes or poisonous insects which needed driven away. As a pack animal, it also marked this sleeping area as theirs.

Is It True That I Am Responsible For My Renters' Pets?

“I’m thinking of renting my home. I heard that if the renters have pets and something happens, I am responsible. Can you find out if that is true?” While the staff of the Newton Falls Public Library cannot answer legal questions, we can direct the patron to materials which give them some answers.

Every landlord's legal guide by Marcia Stewart, Ralph Warner & Janet Portman was a good place to begin. The book covers many questions faced by those planning on becoming landlords and contains a CD-Rom with forms to use. In reference to dangerous pets the authors say [pg. 20], “It’s not common, but you could be liable for the injuries caused by a tenant’s pet . . .” In reference to wild animals, if you become aware or should be aware of its presence “. . . a court will assume that you understood the danger, and you, may be liable if the animal causes injury and you fail to take steps to prevent it.” Leasing to pet owners is not discouraged by the book; only that the landlord be aware of potentially dangerous situations and take proper steps to prevent them, which may require having the tenants remove the animal or face eviction.

A Google search for “ohio landlord liability for tenants' dogs.” found the Injury Board Blog Network  and Attorney Dale Emch's Toledo Blade column, Is Ohio landlord liable for personal injury resulting from dog bite? He states, “Assuming that we're talking about a single-family home that does not share any common area with other property owners, I don't think you'd be liable for a dog-bite injury caused by your tenant's dog. Under Ohio law, the owner, keeper, or harborer of a dog is liable for any injuries or damages caused by the dog, provided the person who was injured wasn't trespassing, attempting to commit a crime, or teasing the dog. The question is whether a landlord can be construed as a harborer. Almost all of the case law I found says that landlords are not harborers of a dog if the tenant has exclusive possession and control of the property. And, in most situations, tenants are deemed to have possession and control of rental property during the lease period.”

Since the information found for this patron seemed to conflict in some ways, the staff also recommended that the patron contact their insurance company or a legal professional to discuss this matter.