Thanks everyone! To answers the questions regarding my camera and setup:
The camera is a Canon 500D and the lenses are a Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro and a Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 zoom.
I'm shooting on a white poster board with a Speedlite 580exII bounced off of another white poster board that we taped to Brad's ceiling. After that, its just tweaking a few settings on the camera to get the exposures right.
One of these days I would like to get a proper set-up with a light tent and studio lights but for now I'm working with what I've been able to afford! lol
As far as camera settings go. They are not static throughout these images. I'm shooting on manual and changing my aperture and iso based on distance from the animal, etc...
That's pretty much everything- if there are any other questions, let me know!
Aaron