Five of the best animal instagrams that will make you laugh, cry, and just plain old brighten your day. Follow them and you won’t be disappointed. Here is my own Instagram account, where you can follow the wolf, the dingo, the hound, doggie visitors and their feathered friend all over New York City.
What is your IG account about and what year did you start it?
https://www.instagram.com/abbyandtinker/
My account started in 2015, and originally was to show off the rather unusual friendship between my dog and bird. It’s since changed to include all of the animals we have and I post few random photos of whatever I am up to as well.
Who are Abby and Tinker?
Abby is a 3 year old, German Shepherd and Tinker is a magpie – she’d be about 18 months old now.
What other kind of animals do you have?
All of my animals except the GSD (Abby) are rescues i.e.; were destined to be put to sleep, or were actually in harm and I removed them from the situation. I hate to see animals suffering because of bad humans and will do whatever I can to fix it. Oh hang on – I lie about the goats, I went to the store to buy food for my hens one day and came home with 3 baby kids in the front seat of my car. I have since banned myself from the pet stores 😉 Anyway back to your original question – I have (in size order) 4 highland beasts (cattle), 3 goats, 2 lambs, 5 dogs, 1 cat, 2 ducks, 10 hens, 2 roosters, 1 peacock, a ring neck dove, 2 ex lab rats – Oh and a butterfly. I think that’s all… unless you count the 2 magpies (Tinker’s Mum & Dad) they’re wild, but over the course of a couple of years, I got them tame enough to come take food from my hand, which was such a neat experience. And they thanked me by bringing Tinker to me when she was a baby and fell from the nest one windy day, LOL.
Which one makes the most mess?
If we remove the whole “animals poop” factor, I’d have to say the dogs and birds are the messiest. The dogs love to swim and then come inside with half the river bed in their coats – which dries off and turns to dust all over my furniture and floors. The birds preen and leave little piles of feathers that float around my house and gather in the corners. Thank goodness for my robot vacuum cleaner!
Is it difficult sharing your life with Tinker, the magpie?
It definitely has its moments. Recently, Tinker has decided strangers are for attacking (they’re territorial birds, naturally) and so I’ve had to make a huge enclosure for her to go in when I have people here. It is mainly for their protection. She is also quite destructive, we had a cockatoo once that shredded cables and wood and anything she could,Tinker is much the same. They’re curious, added to which it seems their first instinct is to bite something (one day she ran around the yard snapping all the flowers off the plants in my garden – cos she could.. grr!) and they’re very independent. So yes – it can be a challenge, at times. But the positives outweigh the negatives, so it’s all good. And besides, she’d have died if I hadn’t taken her in.
What are Abby and Tinkers favorite foods?
Abby is the least fussy dog ever, I am so lucky. All my dogs are fed raw beef and organ meat (eww!) they do also like Royal Canin dog biscuits and if I am disorganized, they’ll also eat canned food quite happily. If I had to call it = I would say cheese is their favorite thing but they also are very partial to duck eggs. (So much so that I have to run and collect them before Abby does or she’ll eat ‘em freshly laid – shell and all LOL) A variety is what they get, but mostly raw meat. Tink is also very fond of beef/meat. Cat biscuits are always fun to steal. Oh and she’d also sell her soul for peanut butter on toast and adores currants. She doesn’t like anchovies – but will cheerfully feed them to Abby lol.
Where does Tinker sleep?
In winter, I bring Tinker inside at dusk and she sleeps in a fairly large (parrot) cage, perched on one foot, similar to how hens roost. That cage gets draped with blankets (depending on the temperature) and I let her out in the morning. Come summer, I put her in the enclosure in the yard overnight. Two reasons: she loves to get up early and hunt worms etc so isn’t dependent on me getting up early. And I don’t trust stray cats not to jump the fence and have a go at her while she’s sleeping and vulnerable. She has an upturned child’s bicycle and loves to perch on the wheel of it, (that’s her favorite sleeping place in the enclosure).
Anything else you would like new followers to know?
I want to share a funny story.
One day I was standing out on the veranda having a coffee, animals everywhere, as is, normal. Tinker was being very vocal and singing away, pottering about in the plants by the fence. Now: you can JUST see over the fence here, if you’re tall, and from inside – you occasionally see a hat bobbing past as someone walks along the footpath.
As I said, I was standing there whistling to Tinker, as I always do. When she did a particularly loud wolf whistle. JUST as a young man was walking past!
He turned, looked over the fence – saw me standing on the veranda and I have to admit – he looked quite shocked. He was probably thinking “filthy old cougar”, he looked young enough to be my son! LOLOL May we all say “Bloody Bird!” 😉
What is your IG account about and what year did you start it?
https://www.instagram.com/rocky.the.akita.germanshepherd/
I joined Instagram in 2013, but it didn’t turn into a full account for Rocky until 2015.
How old is Rocky?
He is 12 years old
Where did you find Rocky?
I got Rocky from the city of Buffalo animal shelter. My friend knew I was looking for a dog and stopped at the shelter on her lunch break. She called me and said “you have to get over here and see this dog” The next thing I knew I was bringing Rocky home.
What does a typical day look like for Rocky?
On a normal workday I take Rocky out for a short walk before work then feed him breakfast and run out the door. After work he gets his dinner then a longer walk to the park near our house. Most nights, he gets another walk before bed. I don’t know what he’s up to all day when I’m not with him.
What do you love most about Rocky?
His personality. He’s the most unique dog that I’ve ever met.
Does Rocky have any animal friends?
Rocky is really not a dog’s dog. He does get along with my best friend’s pitbull Kuma.
Meet Coco, the African Grey Congo bird below. She is hilarious with all of her bathroom antics. Definitely on the list of 5 of the best animal Instagram accounts.
What is your IG account about and what year did you start it?
https://www.instagram.com/mss_jackie_j/
I started my account in March of 2014. It was supposed to be personal for me… but my bird Coco was way more popular than I was and she took over my account. She’s full of so much personality and fun so I decided to post only about her.
How old is Coco?
Coco had been with me since October of 2012 and she was purchased without paper work … I have tried to track her band but I’ve had no luck. So I really have no idea how old she is.
What does a typical day look like for Coco-bird?
Coco bird is a little busy body and she loves to play, I feed her 4-5 times a day and clean up after her about the same amount of times. Eat, play, sleep and cause trouble in between are part of her daily routine!
Recently I bought a new home and with all of the renovations, new paint, and not being set up for myself or Coco, I have started taking her to work with me. She was a little scared of the new environment for about a week but she got settled in and being Coco, the bathroom addict that she is, she took over the bathroom at work too.
My coworkers are in love with her but they are all scared of going to the bathroom and I often have to escort them in and hold off Coco while it’s in use. Coco is truly a handful in more ways than one.
What are Coco’s favorite foods?
Coco loves fruits: grapes, cherries, watermelon, apples just to list a few. She also gets Nutriberries as treats. She’s fed a pellet diet, with lots of peas and beans mixed in. Nuts, cereals, and pasta are also included. She’s really not that picky once I am eating it, she will too.
What time does she go to sleep?
Coco goes to sleep between 9pm and 10pm every night.
Is sharing your life with an African Grey difficult?
Life with a grey bird is never dull, they are very intelligent and require a lot of mental stimulation, a varied diet of high protein and low fats and by character are very messy and wasteful when they eat. So I spend a lot of time cleaning up, entertaining her with toddler toys, and sharing my personal space with her because she loves to be around me at all times if possible. It is a very thin line, because she is very independent, yet needy.
What do you love most about Coco?
Just her sassy attitude and how she never fails to amuse me or amaze me with her intelligence, she’s not a big talker but she makes a lot of noises which all mean something.
Does Coco have any friends over to visit?
Coco has Tigger, her African grey boyfriend whom she visits.
Has Coco ever bitten you?
I have been bitten 2 times.
How did it make you feel?
It was when coco was new to my home, and I was changing her food and water bowls. I felt sad to know she didn’t trust me yet, but I was not angry at all. She came from an abusive home and was very ill when I got her. So patience and love was what she needed to get past that. I am very happy to say now, that she is not scared of anything at home and she truly feels safe with me.
What is your animal Instagram account about and what year did you start it?
If you would like to follow Francine and see what the little peanut is up to you, can find her at: https://www.instagram.com/francinefrolics/
My IG account is about a baby squirrel I found beneath a tree in my backyard in August of 2016. I started an account for her shortly thereafter because she was/is a marvel of nature and raising her has been the second most wonderful act of my life besides being a parent.
How old is Francine?
Francine is approximately six months old now.
Where did you find her?
There were really strong thunderstorms the week I found her in mid-August of 2016. I found a dead pinkish squirrel the week before in nearly the same spot in our backyard. The night before I found her, there were strong rainstorms, the second time I let my dogs out that day is when I found her. I’m assuming she had been on the ground for quite some time. She was turning blue and was ice-cold but I could see her little heart still beating.
I had no idea what to do at that point but picked her up and covered her in a towel and took her inside then began researching frantically on how to save her. I immediately put her on a heating pad and covered her with towels and made nests then I went out and purchased baby blankets, syringes for feeding, Espilac puppy formula, heavy cream, and non-flavored Pedialyte. I waited until she was warm and began feeding her small doses of Pedialyte every 1.5 hours until she was rehydrated then eventually switched to the formula. I fed her every 1.5-2 hours around the clock for weeks. I didn’t sleep very much, in other words, I set a timer on my phone to wake me every two hours for nearly a month.
What does a typical day look like for Francine?
Her days have changed with age. The first two months were constant feedings and checks and I felt I checked/fed/stimulated her to go to the bathroom after every feeding/bathed her beginning at every 1.5-2 hours for quite awhile. She went from a large plastic case, to a large dog kennel then to a 4’×5’×3′ multilevel cage and now has her own room and is only caged for sleeping. We play. A lot! Everyday I switch her cage and room around and am daily adding new foods, branches, and enrichment activities. I also hide nuts daily in odd places for her to find. She typically only finds 2 or three out of six. She is also currently making multiple nests daily out of materials I hide. I spend all of my free time with her, to be honest, and was home with her full-time for the first 5 months. I actually turned down several jobs to care for her!
What are her favorite foods?
Francine’s food choices change weekly if not daily. I am constantly introducing new vegetables and fruits, but her main staple is 3 Henry Healthy Rodent blocks a day which provide 80% of the vitamins and minerals she needs as well as six deer antlers for teeth maintenance and extra calcium. But she ALWAYS likes raw corn, snap peas, and oranges. Everything else always changes. Some days she wants kale…other days…avocados (only recently…) and occasionally sweet potato or squash. She LOVES natural sunflower seeds and pecans as treats EVERY DAY, if she could have them, but Metabolic Bone Disease is a serious issue so they are treats only AFTER she’s eaten the HHB’S and her veggies.
What time does Francine go to bed?
Squirrels are diurnal. She’s typically ready for bed by 8pm. I only cage her for sleep and typically start that process after 7pm. She naps after 12pm during the day but now that it is winter, she will take “rest periods” throughout the day too. She sleeps as much as we humans do, if not more. She exerts a lot of energy playing and always needs “down time.”
Is it difficult sharing your life and home with Francine?
Squirrels are NOT pets. I cannot stress this enough! She consumes my days not unlike a human child! She requires specific care and constant research and due diligence in her care, ethically! Do I find this difficult? No. I accepted responsibility for her the day I found her and I’ve loved many many animals but she’s the most affectionate and unique animal I have ever had the honor to care for, and raise. I’ve made many sacrifices to ensure she’s happy and healthy and I don’t regret one!
Vacations have been out of the question. I couldn’t even accept jobs to care for her the first two months but she’s such a magnificent little loving and intelligent being that those sacrifices have never mattered to me. But this is rare with squirrels. She was accidentally released and returned to me. Squirrels are highly intelligent and emotional beings and I d struggle on a daily basis, with what is best for her, even though I know she returned and clung to me exhausted. 😔
Is there anything else that you would like new followers to know?
Again, I cannot stress enough that squirrels are NOT pets. They are a COMMITMENT FOR LIFE, NOT UNLIKE A CHILD! Their temperaments change with age and the maintenance of their health and dietary needs are extensive and expensive and constantly evolving with the seasons. One should NEVER purchase a squirrel nor take a squirrel from its mother! Squirrel mothers are the BEST mothers. I’ve had to teach Francine how to build a nest on her own by leaving random materials out constantly and she only began doing this at 5 months. If she had her mother she would have known this by 12 weeks!
Best animal Instagrams, meet the Lovely Hungry Friends below.
What is your animal Instagram account and what year did you start it?
https://www.instagram.com/lovelyhungryfriends/
April 2014
Who are the lovely hungry friends?
It’s hard to say. I post pictures of my dogs, about a dozen street dogs that I often feed, talk to or play with, my family’s dogs, and some shelter dogs. Most of them are in Chiang Mai, Bangkok and Phayao.
Although,”Lovely Hungry Friends” probably referred to Misha, Timber, Joy, Ploy, Pim and Ranger. They were a pack of 2 adult dogs and 4 puppies living in the same area with more than 40 stray dogs at that time. The lady who fed the dogs had a problem trying to get food to them, as they were too scared to come out. I lived nearby, so I decided to help.
Are there ever any new dogs that arrive?
There are, all of the time.
Have any become friendly with you or let you pet them?
Ranger is starting to let me pet him.
Do you live with a dog yourself?
Yes! I live with five dogs.
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