Talking animals are a unique species of animals who have the ability to communicate through the use of meaningful sounds. They are non human animals who have the ability to communicate through the productions of sounds which can be referred to as speaking. Many species of animals have developed languages of communication between its members. Talking animals are features of mythologies, folk tales and children’s literature. A combination of human behaviours and the characteristics of animals makes a fictional story more appealing to children. Examples of talking animals include frogs, parrots, crickets, cats, elephants, dogs, laughing jackal, orangutan, wild ducks, geese, etc.

Frogs have a unique way of communicating with their counterparts using complex calls. Just like humans, the communication is oral by the passage of air through their lungs. Talking by frogs is most prominent during the mating season; a male species makes calls to attract a female species who has the ability to identify the sexuality of the caller as a result of the distinctive tone of the call.

The parrot is another kind of talking animal, it comes in different colours. The parrot is popular because of their ability to imitate the human voice and other extrinsic sounds. Parrots also have the ability to sing songs. They are domestic talking animals who have the ability to use words to identify and describe objects, humans and other birds. Amazon parrots are the best imitators. With proper training, they can communicate with humans.

Crickets are an interesting specie of talking animals who have the ability to sing by making repeated sounds at a particular time. Besides this, they also make oral calls to their counterparts during mating. A male specie makes calls to attract a female specie who has the distinctive ability to identify the tone of the specie making the call. Both species have special ears called tympana, which enables them to detect one another’s calls.

Cats have an elaborate system of producing different sounds used for communication to depict fear, aggression and happiness. Cats have two set of languages which includes communication between mother and offspring and communication between other adults within their territory. Cats express their different emotions and needs through the intensity, pitch and volume of their meowing.

Another member of the talking animals’ family is the elephant. They communicate with low frequency vocals which are referred to as rumbles. Elephants have the unique ability to communicate with each other from great distance using infrasound from a range of 20 to 20,000 hertz. Familiar elephants greet each other with quiet rumbling.

Dog is said to be man’s best friend, this is as a result of its unique communication ability. Dogs pass messages across to each other through signals and sounds. Dogs communicate different kinds of sounds which includes alert to announce a possible threat to its owner or other dogs and approaching sounds to locate himself and other dogs.

Talking animals play vital roles to the existence of man. Their pleasurable sounds make good listening, like the songs of the birds. They also add beauty to historical events like myths and folk tales.

Interactions with animals as a child can help the terminally shy to make new friends and learn how to socialise, it helps children understand ownership, boundaries, relations and responsibility, as well as helping those with disabilities, such as autism or lost limbs. Working and guide dogs are a recognised and respected part of our society, and are given more leeway than other pets. But what kind of influence can children get from elsewhere?

Studies show that children who visit zoos often may not understand the nature of the animals held there, and might not understand the nature of wildlife loss. A monkey loses the human links and cognitive abilities like forethought, planning or emotion and becomes ‘just’ another monkey, sitting in a zoo to be looked and laughed at. Wild animals stop being concerned about, because you can always ‘just visit the zoo’ to see them. It causes a detached view on the animal world that may explain the correlation between cruelty to animals and violence towards humans.

Children need to be socialised correctly towards animals and taught the boundaries; that it is not okay to pull on the cat’s tail, or to sit on the dog’s head. They should be read stories that do not paint animals in a negative light, or use certain animal stereotypes as the ‘bad’ guys; fear is bred through the unknown and the experience, and by making an animal seem ‘evil’ or ‘malicious’ in stories we are reinforcing those stereotypes for reality.

Children that visit zoos should be informed of the plight of wild animals and use the trip to be taught what they can do to help animals around the world, and maybe even be given the opportunity to volunteer. You don’t have to turn your children into eco-warriors, just help them understand that not everything is perfect in the animal kingdom, and that humans have the capability to help where they can. This can be used to help them understand recycling as well, and even show them the effect of humans on the animal world.

We aren’t saying that every child will be a bad person if they don’t understand or socialise with animals, but we do believe that making the most of the animal kingdom can help your child grow maturely and with a greater understanding of the wilder world. Children may hurt animals for a number of different reasons, and should be thoroughly investigated with a professional if your child begins exhibiting these behaviours.

The best all round choice of feeding would be a top quality commercially prepared hamster food mix which should contain various types of seeds, different grains with the addition of cracked wheat. It is very important that you feed your hamster on a fairly rigid balanced diet to ensure maximum health simulating their food as far as possible to their homeland diet which consists of assorted seeds and grasses.

Surprisingly they are actually omnivores and therefore rely on a high protein intake to guarantee their health. Hamsters digestive systems work fairly slowly therefore making meal times a lengthy process and they must be fed on a daily basis, keeping a close eye on their intake as they can become very selective feeders and will choose their favourite foods which may not always be the best for them as hamster food needs to keep its balance of different elements. If you choose to offer them nuts do this in moderation as some types can be very high in fat and will not compliment any diet.

Also it should be possible, given the range of hamster food on the market today, to avoid heavily processed and refined foods and use fresh supplements such as fresh green vegetables, carrots, raisins, apples, cauliflower and even dandelion greens. It is always prudent to check carefully before using any new foods including fruits and vegetables as not all are good foods for hamsters and given that they are very small creatures could have a serious health impact on them. Make sure the foods are served at room temperature and are freshly washed to eliminate the possibility of contamination, also offering a daily portion of high quality hay to aid their digestive systems.

Hamsters are natural foragers so they would be very happy to find ‘treats’ deftly hidden in their cage to encourage this instinct. If you are using a product purchased from a pet shop or supermarket make sure that it is low in fat and does not contain too much sugar and always remove any uneaten foods from the cage especially in the summer months as it can rapidly decay and attract unwanted insects and parasites. If for any reason your hamster shows tendencies towards selective feeding you should immediately cut down on the normal portion size and gradually build-up to the daily allowance. As always, fresh drinking water should always be supplied as it is imperative when using a dry food diet and you will see that following the correct steps will result in one very happy, energetic little creature who will be a delight for the whole family.