Q: I would like to know the correct way to feed my pit bulls. Is once-a-day feeding OK or is it better to feed them twice a day? I do not want them to get overweight, and everybody tells me something different.

A: Growing up, I was always told by other dog keepers that an adult dog should be fed only once a day, in the evening. That caused both me and my dogs a lot of stress — me because I love to feed animals and my dogs because they liked to eat.

However, I soon started to feed them twice a day, and they did just fine. They never got too heavy from this routine, and were not scrounging around for food all day.

How much to feed the dog each time varies from dog to dog. Some pet keepers I know just leave a dish of dry dog food out for the dogs all day, and their dogs eat a bit here and there. However, there are dogs that would eat as much food as is offered — and the dish, too, if that were possible.

Q: I know my African gray parrot needs to be misted every day, but he has so much powder in his feathers that I could stand there for an hour misting him until my hand hurts and he is still dry. Is there any other way to get him wet? Some people say to take the bird into the shower with me, but who has time for that?

A: When I was a kid, I worked in a garden center. When we were mixing the peat moss potting soil for seeds to be planted in, my boss would mix some dish soap in with it to wet it instantly. Otherwise, the water would just run off it and we could never get to work.

Pet stores sell shampoos made just for birds, and I always add some to my birds’ misting bottles to wet them instantly.