What Were You Thinking - All about exotic pets & animals you can keep as a pet - Pets & Animals on Pet Life Radio (PetLifeRadio.com)

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 her porch pipe up in the background as she talks to Bob. You’ll also hear about the mischievous ghost that roams the property, plus an unusual talent of Kathleen’s which allows her to get deeply in touch with her critters. Don’t miss this fun and fascinating interview.

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 arrives back home, he receives a stunning announcement from Linda.

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 arctic temperatures. Bob also learns that Muscovy duck Victor knows him better than he thought

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 general welfare, but her dedication goes far beyond that. One duck, whom she has named Pretty Boy, has suffered various wing and eye ailments and on three occasions ended up living in her bathroom a few days while getting veterinary attention. Now that’s dedication!

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. Joan and Jack currently provide a home for a dozen cats. All of them are rescues. The Smiths are as good as people get, and you’ll love hearing their story.

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 Tobie.

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.

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 budgies, but an entertaining pair at that.

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 coyotes.

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.

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 grackles. You’ll hear about them anyway.

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.

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?

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 yogurt in your blender.

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 in the air and bump their heads when startled.