HELOISE: She bakes birdseed to kill the germs

Dear Heloise: Years ago, a friend said to put birdseed in the oven for 30 minutes at a low temperature. This kills germs but leaves the seed nutritious for birds. Even the squirrels like it, and best of all — no weeds!

Jean in Thousand Oaks, Calif.

Jean, the hint I’ve printed for a long time is to put the seed on a flat cookie sheet for only eight to 10 minutes in a 140-degree oven. A national bird association said it does not recommend baking the birdseed because it could change the nutritional content. It suggested the following for keeping birds fed without sprouting birdseed on the lawn:

Clean the area under the bird feeder once a week or more often to pick up the fallen seeds.

Buy a feeder with a tray at the bottom to collect the seeds, or add a tray to the bottom of an existing feeder.

Black oil sunflower “chips” are a good choice for birds because they are no-waste.

Check with your local pet/bird stores to see if they carry no-mess, nonsprouting seed blends that do not germinate. The main ingredient should be sunflower “hearts” or “chips.”

Heloise

Dear Readers: Grace Denecker of Chino Valley, Ariz., sent us a picture of her beautiful black-and-white long-haired cat, Loveable Baby, comfy in a pretty floral blanket. To see Loveable Baby and our other Pet Pals, visit www .Heloise.com and click on “Pets.” We invite you to send in pictures of your fun and frisky pets for future columns. Mail pictures to: Heloise/Pets, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000.

Heloise

Dear Heloise: Your reader’s advice about hamsters brought back memories. My children had a hamster, Princess, when they were young. That squeaking wheel at night drove us crazy. I discovered I could rub some bacon grease around the shaft of the wheel to stop the squeaking. The grease wouldn’t harm Princess if she licked it, and it solved the problem for quite a while.

Judy in Texas

A fond memory, but bacon grease probably is not the best thing for a hamster to ingest. Better to use a little vegetable oil instead.

Heloise

Dear Readers: Eye discharge is a common problem for dogs. One part plain baby shampoo to 10 parts water is a good formula to use. Mix the solution and, using a cotton ball, gently wipe the area. Repeat until the staining is gone. Then wipe with warm tap water. If the dog has an excessive amount of eye discharge, you may want the vet to check out the animal, just to make sure there is not a more serious issue going on. Heloise.

Dear Heloise: When our rat terriers had pups, we gave them all away except the runt, whom we named Nacho. When someone chose him, I would say, “Sorry, he’s Nacho dog -- he’s mine.”

Ronni in Texas

Send a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000, fax it to 210-HELOISE or e-mail it to Heloise@Heloise.com.

King Features Syndicate