PodcastDirectory.com's listings of the PetLifeRadio.com - What Were You Thinking - All about exotic pets & animals you can keep as a pet on Pet Life Radio. Podcasts

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 |

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 |

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 |

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 |

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 |

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 |

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 |

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 |

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 |

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 |

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 |

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 |

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 |

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 |

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 |

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 |

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 |

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 |

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 |

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 |