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You may worry about your pet if you have to go out of town for a long period and cannot take him along. A better idea than a pet sitter in this case, is a pet grooming and boarding facility.

The pet grooming and boarding facility should be such as to take proper care of your pet in both physical and emotional terms, in your absence. So, you should look for a facility that has a complete package of all your pet’s needs.

The grooming aspect of your pet involves nail clipping, cleaning the ears, controlling parasites like ticks and flea, brushing teeth and most important, looking out for infections, lumps and any other internal or external health problems, all this along with the regular shampooing and hair cutting.

It is important to find a professional pet grooming and boarding facility because the trained staffs are adept at tackling all needs of the pets properly. A trained person can safely do medical bathing, remove harmful substances, odours and matted fur and carry out other procedures that an untrained person cannot do easily.

The pet grooming and boarding facility should be clean and well lighted all over. The employees must handle the pets gently, should be aware of and accordingly meet their physical and emotional needs. The pet must be given special care and supervision so that he does not feel your absence and should not be under stress.

The trained staff should be quick to spot any health problems. The pet grooming and boarding facility should provide a complete record of medical, grooming and vaccination schedule. Some facilities even have report cards for the pets so that you can know how your pet behaved in your absence.

In spite of all the care and supervision, there are some drawbacks of leaving your pet with a pet grooming and boarding facility. The most important thing is that even though they may be looked after well, a pet could feel greatly stressed while living with strangers in an alien place. He may miss you a lot. Apart from this, being in close contact with other pets could lead to exposure to some health problems.

However, with no other alternative, it is best to leave your pet in the safe hands of a pet grooming and boarding facility with the hope that your pet will feel at home there.

For more such articles visit http://www.home-gyms-fitness.com

Ravi Agarwal is publisher of dating-tips website - http://www.petgroomingtip.com

He has written several informative articles on pet grooming tips topics.

Giving the cat a bath has been the subject of many a joke and funny story, but the bottom line is this: Cats don't need baths.

However, that said, it does come up now and then, because some cats do get into situations that require bathing. But it's not needed as often as some would have us believe.

Nature has provided the cat with a means to keep itself as clean as necessary... its 'sandpaper' tongue. Cats are masters of self-grooming, as well as shared grooming. In fact, grooming is a major part of every cat's life, not only for self-cleaning, but as a social mechanism for bonding with friends and family.

Mother cats keep their kittens immaculately clean, simply by their daily schedule of almost constant licking. The reason is primarily a survival tactic: Elimination of odors and residues in the nest is essential for preventing discovery by predators.

This is also why mother cats often move their nests every week or so. There is only just so much disinfecting a mother can do with her tongue. It becomes necessary to move to fresh quarters frequently to stay safely away from enemies. And enemies often include other cats... in particular, male cats who did not father the kittens. Stray tom cats will kill all kittens in their territories in order to force the females back into heat so they can father their own kittens. But that's another topic for another day...

The simple truth is that cats are driven to maintain their cleanliness, and they do it by licking themselves and other cats and kittens they are close to. They do not need human help to do this.

However, since they domesticated themselves to us and willingly subject themselves to our lifestyles, certain situations can arise where we may need to administer the dreaded... ugh... bath.

Indoor cats may escape to the great, but unknown, outdoors from time to time, and find themselves mired in something awful, perhaps grease, oily mud, spoiled substances found near trash areas, or even an encounter with odor-causing varmints, such as skunks.

Show cats may not get out much, and they may not become smelly, but their professional careers may depend on looking their fluffy best.

The lucky cats are those who actually like water. Most cats regard all bathing events as either mildly annoying, or anywhere along the scale to abjectly terrifying.

It is our duty, then, to minimize the discomfort and to maximize the more enjoyable aspects of this humiliating or frightening experience.

If you have the luxury of time and are raising one from kittenhood, it's a good idea to begin teaching kitty that water can be safe and pleasant... as long as you make sure that it is. Playtime might include a little water splashing, if they go for it, or letting them retrieve a toy from a pan or sink full of water. Allowing kitty to sit on the bath tub rim while the humans bathe might also help give them the idea that it's not so bad. Cats learn by observation, so seeing you or the kids in the water might help them to see that being there is OK.

The main things to remember are to be gentle when handling kitty, but firm (a struggling wet cat can be pretty slippery!), keep the water warm, not hot, and keep the session as short as possible. Keep an upbeat attitude. If you act happy and pleased, at least you will not be transmitting negative feelings to the cat. Use gentle products that will not burn their skin or eyes, and be positively certain that nothing bad happens while they are in the water.

Also remember that bathing a cat is not a regular necessity. Some humans have a cleaning obsession and will overbathe their cats. It just is not needed, and could even dry out their skin as the bathing removes the natural oils, and you could find your kitty suffering from an uncomfortable skin condition.

Dry kitty in a big fluffy towel right away, and if they don't mind it, a warm blow-dry with a hair dryer can help shorten the drying process. Be sure to speak softly and reassure your little sweetie that you still love her!

Dr. R.J. Peters has an extensive background in health care, animal care, journalism, computer repair and systems administration. She has co-authored a book on PC security, writes articles over a wide spectrum of topics and has numerous ebooks available on the Internet. Visit http://www.theproblemcat.com/catbath.html for some very funny bath photos.

Of more than 350 species of parrot, the Eclectus is considered by many to be the most beautiful. Eclectus are not just beautiful, however. They are also great talkers, repeating many words and phrases, and singing songs. If you have more than one Eclectus, they will sing and talk to one another as well as to their human friends.

Which Eclectus Do You Want?

Eclectus parrot prices differ according to the Eclectus you want.

The Eclectus belongs to the genus Eclectus, and the species Roratus. There are 7 to 9 subspecies within the species. The three most popular are:

1. The Red-sided Eclectus from New Guinea, to the north of Australia. It is the most popular Eclectus in Australia, and highly popular in other lands as well. With plumage that seems to be hair rather than feathers, the male sports emerald green with blue in the bend of his wings When he flies, red flashes from beneath the wings. The female has a red head, maroon body, deep blue to purple breast feathers, and a tail that ends in a pale red-pink to orange.

2. The Solomon Eclectus native to Bismarck and the Solomon Islands, north of Australia. Males have yellow-tinted green bodies with dark blue wings, edged in green. The upper side of the tail is green with yellow edging. The underside of the tail is black, edged with a thin band of pale yellow. Females have stunning red plumage, with dark blue under-wings and a band of dark blue running to the nape. Wings are the same as the male – red tails have pale edging.

3. The Vosmaeri Eclectus native to Moluccas, Indonesia. Males have a bright green body, with oval patches of bright red on upper thighs, widening across the body when wings open. The tail is blackish blue, tipped with pale yellow. Females have bright lavender breasts, with red bodies and heads. The nape of the neck, upper mantle, and wing bend show deep lavender. The wings are deep red, tails cadmium-yellow beneath, dark red on top, and a band of yellow.

General Pricing

Eclectus parrot prices usually range from the Solomon Eclectus at the low end to the Vosmaeri at the high end.

Breeder Eclectus Parrot Prices

As of the writing of this article (February 2007), Eclectus parrot prices ranged from $800 to $1,200 each. Sample Eclectus parrot prices are listed here:

1. Solomon Eclectus: $800, male or female
2. Red-sided Eclectus: $845, male or female
3. Vosmaeri Eclectus: $1,000 for a male, $1,200 for a female

All Eclectus parrot prices given are U.S. breeders, U.S. dollars.

“Bargain” Eclectus Parrot Prices

When is a bargain a bargain? Eclectus parrot prices can be lower on eBay or other online auction sites. You can also find lower Eclectus parrot prices in local newspaper classified ads. These carry no guarantee, of course, and the parrots may not be healthy.

Whatever the Eclectus parrot prices you find, you will want to be more careful than the buyer in this bit of humor.

The Multilingual Eclectus

A man passing a pet shop sees 3 beautiful Solomon Eclectus priced at $1,500. He goes into the shop and asks, “Why such high Eclectus parrot prices?”

“Each of them speaks five languages,” says the salesman.

“Five languages!” exclaims the man. “Do they speak Yiddish?”

“Sure,” says the salesman.

The man looks at the Eclectus again. “My mother lives all alone in the Bronx,” he says, “and a bird would be good company for her,” He pays the $1,500, asks to have a parrot delivered to his mother, and goes on his way.

The next day, he calls his mother and asks, “Mom, how did you like the Eclectus parrot I sent you?”

“Oh son, it was delicious!” she says.

“What do you mean delicious?”

“I made soup out of it – came out great!”

“But mom, that parrot spoke five languages!”

“So, why didn't he say something?”

Hidden Eclectus Parrot Prices

Before you purchase, you should consider the fact that Eclectus parrot prices are only the beginning. You will also have the costs of a large cage, toys, food, and other needs. Hidden Eclectus parrot prices can mount swiftly.

©2007, Anna Hart. Anna Hart, a career educator and writer, spent 3 years in New Zealand, near the home of the Eclectus parrots. She has researched Eclectus parrot prices carefully for you. Anna invites you to read more of her articles about parrots of the world at http://www.parrots-of-the-world.com If you would like more information on preparing for a baby Eclectus parrot, you won’t want to miss Anna’s insights on the subject.