Smaug the Dragon Boss

01/11/2023

A weekend reminder from the Dragon Boss 💗🔥🐉

01/11/2023

Smaug thé Dragon Boss 🔥🐲 is getting into the fall spirit!
⚠️Note: Decorative gourds can be toxic to people and pets! They can cause a bad upset tummy. Don't let your pets eat or chew on them. Pumpkins are fine! No gourds were nomed in our fall enrichment activities 🍂🎃

01/11/2023

Did you know? Bossy dragons are especially fond of the snow!

12/09/2023

30/07/2023

Obligate Carnivore... What does it mean? Professor Lysander has the answer!

Obligate carnivores are animals that require a completely meat/animal protein based diet. Obligate carnivores lack the anatomy and physiology to properly digest and utilize plant matter. A few examples of obligate carnivores are ferrets, felines, and mink. Here are some of the issues that obligate carnivores face if forced to consume a plant matter inclusive diet:

• They have no flat molars to properly crush plant matter- their teeth are instead designed for slicing through meat and appropriately sized bone.

• They have no salivary amylase to begin the process of breaking down and digesting starches- salivary amylase, or Ptyalin, is an enzyme found in saliva that breaks down the insoluble starch found in foods into smaller, soluble sugar fragments. Obligate carnivores lack this important enzyme and cannot efficiently digest starches because of it.

• Obligate carnivores also lack a cecum to aid in the absorption of plant based foods- the cecum is a developed organ seen in small herbivores like rabbits that aids in the absorption of plant food and aids in the retention of supplements. Because obligate carnivores lack this important component of the digestive system, again, they cannot properly or efficiently digest and utilize plant based foods.

• And finally, when fed a diet containing carbohydrates (plants contain carbohydrates), many obligate carnivores may develop medical issues as a result, such as insulinoma in ferrets or diabetes in cats. Plant based proteins in dry kibble may cause issues as well - though it's still being studied, there is a strong suspicion that pea protein is linked to increasing the risk of kidney & bladder stones in felines, ferrets, and other carnivores.

Obligate carnivores are clearly built to thrive on a diet of exclusively meat/prey- when we choose to have these animals in our lives, it's vital that we provide a species appropriate diet.

Professor Lysander is sponsored by
Don & Erica Dawn Haney 🐾💗
and
In loving memory of Carl the Ferret ☄️💗

Special thanks to Katt Rall , owner of Holistic Ferrets raw feeding educational group, for helping Lysander with his educational post!

Pictured are:
Tucker the Ferret ☄️🌌🌈
Lysander the Mink 🐾💗🦦
Nicolas the Angel Mink ☄️🌌🌈

02/07/2023

What is the Paul Project, and how will it work for participants?

Paul Project is a social media campaign to bring awareness to fur farming, and to encourage support of the current legislation aimed at ending mink farming. **Why a walrus?? Click the link at the end of this post to read the story of Paul the Walrus.

How it works for participants:

• A plush walrus (Paul) and a small book will be mailed to you.

• In the book, you will write a message about why you think fur farms should be ended (it can be super short, longer, a poem, a drawing - feel free to be creative).

• After you write your message, you will snap a photo of the walrus and your message page together- you can make it a selfie & include yourself, you can include your pet, you can take the picture with a local landmark in the background, at your business if you are a business owner, etc. Again, feel free to get creative with your photos.

• You will then post your photo/s in the public Paul Project group (they can absolutely be submitted anonymously if preferred). Note that it is a public group and your photos will be shared widely and posted on the Paul Project page, Instagram, and Twitter. If you wish to remain anonymous that is no problem.

• Now it's time for Paul to move on. You will repackage Paul & the little book back into their envelope, and pass them on to the next person. You can pass them on by hand to someone else locally who wants to participate, or you can mail them. The Paul Project can provide you with a participant to send the envelope to if needed.

• It is generally up to the participants to pay for postage to send Paul on. However, if you would like to participate but cannot cover postage, please reach out to The Paul Project for assistance.

Why a walrus: the story of Frostfang the Mink and her walrus, Paul

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=119074694468636&id=100090983183324&mibextid=Nif5oz

02/07/2023

IT'S TIME
Now that the bill to end mink farming has been proposed, it's time to truly begin the Paul Project to raise awareness about this bill & push for it to be passed.

The army of Pauls are ready to go out into the world and tell people about the cruelty of mink farms. If you would like to be on the list of people to receive (and pass on) a Paul, let us know in the thread below 👇 shipping will cost about $5-$6 to pass on the Paul/book to the next person. Please only sign up if you are ok with that aspect of the project.

02/07/2023

12/03/2023

Hey guys, Smaug the Dragon-Boss here! Wow what a crazy week! My new brother and sister arrived and it's been a whirlwind of chaos. My sister, Ember, is NOISY! I can tell she's feeling a little anxious, so when I met her I was a perfect polite gentleman. I welcomed her to my company (a company is what you call a group of mink btw) and told her not to worry, everything was going to be ok. I decided to give her my own accommodations so she would be more comfortable, so I packed up my stuff and moved to the bachelor pad!

That brings me to my new brother! Lysander seems like a pretty cool guy, I just need to make sure he knows *I* and the one and only BOSS. When I moved in to the bachelor pad, I made sure that I peed EVERYWHERE so the he would know this is *my* house & I make the rules 😏 but I'm definitely looking forward to getting to know him, he told me that he came from the same rescue I did! AND we are about the same age! Small heckin' world 😎

I really gotta do something about the decor in this place though, it needs a manmink's touch. Like, seriously hooman? A pink flamingo? Wtf am I even supposed to do with this? 🙄

Anyway, I'll keep you guys updated & once my new sibs settle in and start to feel at home, I'll have them do their own intro posts! I already made the hooman sign them each up for FB, gotta be a high tech mink to keep up with this high tech world! 😎💻📱

🦦🐉 Smaug the Dragon-Boss is sponsored by Dustin 🐉🦦

06/03/2023

Smaug the Dragon-Boss here! I just wanted to show off my new high-space! The hooman says I don't have to go in this cage, she's just going to stash extra blankies and stuff inside it. BUT, I'm allowed to use the top as my high-space!! My mountain!! Did you know that minkies like me value the ability to get up high almost as much as we value access to swimming water? Pretty cool! The hooman installed a toob so that I have a safe way to go up and down 💗 she also said she's going to put a cover on the bars to protect my feeties (this video was right after she assembled the cage-mountain).

Anyways, carry on hoomans!

Smaug the Dragon-Boss, sponsored by Dustin 🐾🦦💗 (I can be such a forgetful minky 😅)

PS- the hooman told me my new brother & sister are on the way, right now 👀

13/02/2023

Smaug is currently sponsored by Dustin! Thank you for your support Dustin 💗🐾

There is one sponsorship space left for Smaug on Patreon! Check out our Patreon tiers for early access to news, previously unpublished mink & ferret content including Nico & Frostfang, monthly goodies, and sponsorship!

https://www.patreon.com/minkrescue

11/12/2022

Shout-out to Magdalena Rybkowska for this adorable mink art! Nico, Frostfang, Smaug 🐾
IG: lonely.muskdeer

05/10/2022

I got me a new treasure hoard! Thank you Linda 💗

03/10/2022

I can haz eggs hooman?!?!

01/10/2022

Bahahaha, I am mighty Smaug the Dragon!! All the things belong to ME 🐉

29/09/2022

28/09/2022

Welcome to me page! My name be Smaug da Dragon (though technically I guess I be a minky). Nico da Boss explained I could make me own page to share me story and me adventures 😺