When animals try and give their owners heart attacks

Imagine if you will. You are laying in bed, out like a light and dreaming about. . . . . whatever tickles your fancy. I don't want to know, none of my business. Anyway. You're sleeping away a hard day of work/school/watching kids and suddenly you are awake and you have no idea why. You look around your apartment. Doors are shut, everything seems upright, cat is playing with blinds. . . . .OH. MY. GOD!

My cat was not playing with the blinds. She had managed to get the string that holds my blinds together WRAPPED AROUND HER NECK! You know when you have venetian blinds, and a string runs through them so they can be pulled up? She was hanging there, flopping around like a fish on a hook trying to get free or get some ground beneath her feet. I hopped out of pet and tried to pin her to the window sill so I could free her. She ended up scratching the hell out of my arm and hand and breaking the string, freeing herself.

As I was standing there, near tears, my heart beating, hers beating about a hundred times faster, I was able to collect my thoughts. Thank God my apartment is small. If my bedroom, living room and kitchen weren't all one small room, I might not of ever woken up. If I wasn't a light sleeper, the sound of her knocking a change jar in her panic might not of alerted me to what was happening. I can tell you right now, Callie (that's her to the left) is a lot more careful. She eyes the window like it might jump out and bite her.

I have gone crime scene investigation on the blinds and can't for the life of me figure out how she did it. The hole where her head was is large enough that my friend's cat, who is bigger then her by quite a bit, can walk through it. For comparisons sake, I will put a picture. Jake is my friend's cat. He's the black and white fellow to the right. Callie is being a blender cat to the far left. Do not mock the amount of moose on my bed. I love moose. See the size difference in the cats? Everything about Callie is compact and tiny. How did she manage to get her freakishly small head stuck in a hole where a larger cat can fit his whole body?? Also, the string supports the blinds so they can be pulled up, so it is held in place by rings. How did she manage to cause a loop? I asked her, she is blocking out the bad memories and doesn't want to talk about it. I will continue to stare at my window and contemplate. Maybe get a stuffed cat the same relative size as Cal and see if I can reenact the crime.

All in all, I am now afraid to leave her home alone. I am also afraid to lower my blinds. I live in a ground level apartment and that MAY get awkward. Feel free to share your crazy stories, cause that can't be the weirdest there is!

When Frustration Boils Over

I am in a bad mood. When I am in a bad mood, people suffer. In this case, it's not you guys. It's Big Name Pet Store. Your secrets are about to be revealed, Big Name. Beware the wrath!! This blog is about to live up to it's name!

Today we are going to discuss mark-up. BA HA! Just so you know, the mark up at pet stores is INSANE. You pay $6.99 for a pack of wood chews. Employees pay $1.99. You pay $250 for a rabbit cage, employees pay $80. The one thing that pained me about leaving the pet store was that I would no longer get my discount. Paying full price for these things when I know what the store pays for them makes me wanna cry.

So, as revenge against The Man, I am going to give you some awesome cheap alternatives to the pet store crap. I mean really. I want to help you. I used to send customers to Wal-Mart all the freaking time.

Tip #1
Check online. I swear, www.kijiji.com is a God send. Not only can you get cheep pet stuff, but you can get cheap pets. If you MUST have a hamster *shudder*, people are often selling or giving away the hamsters WITH their cages! It's a steal. You can get cracked tanks for free, and they are great for lizards.

Tip #2
Guinea pigs can't jump. They can't climb. They have stubby little legs that allow for very little in the way of escape mechanisms. My point? They can live in large Tupperware containers (with no lid on, of course). As long as it is large enough area wise, a guinea pig can live happily in a Tupperware container. The sides don't even have to be that tall. The same can be said for hedgehogs.

Tip #3
Every time I saw someone come into the store to buy cat toys, I wanted to cry. $2 for a crinkle ball?! Are you kidding? You want a crinkle ball for your cat? Ball up a piece of tinfoil. Voila! Toy. Cats are so easily amused. A string tied around a Kleenex. Fun! Go to the dollar store. They have pet stuff (please no food from there, toys only).

Tip #4
If by some chance you happen to have rodents, they love to chew. I'm not going to say pick any chunk of wood you find. Some are processed with chemicals and some naturally contain toxins that can harm your pets. Apple tree branches are usually safe, as long as no pesticides are being used. Also, smaller rodents love to chew and play with toilet paper or paper towel rolls.

Tip #5
Rats and ferrets love to sleep in hammocks or beds. An old t-shirt is awesome. My rat loves his. If you are a seamstress (as I am so very NOT) you can buy cheep fabric and make a hammock. No need to spend $14 on one in the store. For hide homes, boxes. Simple.

Tip #6
Check places like Wal-Mart and Zellers for products first. They will most likely have it for cheaper. They won't have such a wide selection, but saving a few bucks is worth it. Also, as a side note, if you are decorating a terrarium for a reptile or something similar, the dollar store sells fake leaves and vines.

Tip #7
Treats are expensive. For rodents and birds, you can go to places that sell bulk foods and get dried fruits and veggies for them (fresh stuff too, but in moderation).

Those are just a few simple money savers. I'm sure there are a tone more and you guys can feel free to share them on here! I'd love to hear more innovative ideas then the very obvious ones I listed.

That wasn't very mean. My wrath was more of a poke in the side then a slap in the face. . .

Mice are Nice

As previously stated, my mice came to me by accident. I never thought about mice as pets. I was like "ya, they're cute" but never like "I must have them". So when I adopted my first two mice, I never knew what was about to happen.

The thing with mice is, they're like Lays chips. You can't have just one. Mainly because they are social animals. So when one of my first two died (she was ill when I got her, untreated eye infection), I had to get her a friend. This friend was a good 8 months younger then the origional one, which equates to about 80 years in mouse time. SO of course origional mouse passed away long before new mouse, so I had to go get her a friend. And the cycle continued.

So I continued to have 2 mice. For about 3 years. Then I got a bigger cage that could hold six mice, and it did for another year. I was getting busy, so I decided to cut back on the amount of mice I had (they weren't getting the attention they needed) by not buying anymore. Pretty simple. 4 of my girls have since passed on. I always have females (males will fight and males + females = zillions of mice) and they are prone to cancer. Having Houdini (pictured left) put to sleep was extremely hard and I cried like a baby. I did the same when I put her sister, Spook, down as well. Some of you may think I'm crazy for doing it, but it was the right thing to do.


As of right now I have two girls. Piper and Juno. Piper is all black. In her old age of 2, she is getting white hairs in her black coat. Piper has an attitude problem. When I had the 6 mice, I could always rely on her to start a fight once a day over something. She really disliked Ebony, a little grey mouse. I think they had a difference in opinion bout who was the boss. Piper may live forever. The oldest mouse I have had lived to be 2 1/2, and Piper is nearing that mark. She would live forever, too. Me and her have a love hate relationship. I love her. She hates me. Ingrate.


Juno is a tan mouse. She is about 4 months younger then Piper and lets Piper rule the roost, so they are a good pair. The two of them are adorable together. When Piper is sleeping, Juno likes to clean her. Juno is like that protective sister that always makes sure you are eating enough, that you are clean, that you have enough blankets. I also suspect Juno might have OCD. If I go into the cage and move something, she runs around like crazy until it is restored to its original place. If she can move it herself, she will. I keep saying these two will be my last mice for a little while. . . .but I think I may be lying. I can't imagine my life without these little guys! They've been my little companions for 4 years now. It'll be weird not to have My Girls. They are just so affectionate. When I had Spook and Houdini, they would follow my voice around my apartment in their little mouse balls. And when Spook got sick, Houdini would bring her food and helped her get up the ladder in their cage. They are wonderful.

In closing, everyone should have mice! Ok, maybe not. But I definately reccomend them over hamsters. Hamsters are evil. You will never hear me speak of owning a hamster on this blog.

Side note: If you ever decide to get mice, get girls! not only can they live with each other and do adorable things, but they smell about 100% less then males. To the left there is little Romeo. One of my friends used to call him Brad Pitt because she said he was the most handsome mouse she had ever seen. I had to agree. He had long hair and everything. The issue is I would clean his cage, and a day later it would smell again because he sprayed everything to mark it. If you plan on having boy mice, prepare for the smell. And I don't mean that faint "What is that?" smell. I mean a walk on the front door "Oh my lord what is THAT?!" smell. I have a small apartment, so its a little worse for me, but still. Be prepared *mimicks Boy Scouts*.

Responsibilities

Let's talk about responsible pet ownership. I know, I promised another introduction, but this has been weighing on my mind lately. I don't want to get into an animal rights discussion. We can all agree that you have to care properly for your pet. Feed it, give it proper health care and home care, treat it kindly, etc. I want to talk about the less obvious irresponsibility occurring.

This has come about due to a friends actions. A year ago she decided to get a snake. Ok. That's cool. I mean, I had doubts. She had trouble keeping track of her rabbit, let alone a snake. But I had faith. So she gets the least maintenance snake out there, the corn snake. It went ok for a little while. Then summer hit. She left it with a friend for 4 months and saw it once. She now has it at her camp because her mom won't let it in the house. Now the snake has lost it's novelty and bites her. It's a snake. I'm willing to bet she moves too quickly with it and BAM, snake thinks dinner has arrived. Anyways, she doesn't want it anymore. She is attempting to sell it (just the snake) for $150. Any snake person knows you can go to a private breeder and get a hand raised snake for half that. She's just trying to make a profit.

My point here is that when you decide to get a pet, think ahead! Do research! When I was at the pet store, people would drop off their hamsters, rats, rabbits, guinea pigs and fish because they didn't want them anymore. They return them because "they smell, they keep me awake at night, I lost interest" which they would have known if they had done research before getting the pet. It's a pet peeve, excuse the pun. These are living creatures, not trading cards. So here are some simple rules to help people choose a pet that they will keep and care for:

1. Research - Plain, honest to goodness research. Use the internet or go to the library. Pet store staff will (at least SHOULD) be able to help you. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Seek out people who own the type of pet in question and ask them questions. It's so easy. Don't be shocked after you buy the pet that they are nocturnal or that they smell.

2. Appropriate to lifestyle - If you are not home a lot, don't get a dog, cat or bird. If you think bugs are gross, don't get a lizard. Pick something the smoothly integrates into your life. This connects to the research aspect of your life. Never, ever, EVER get a pet because you think people will think you're cool or because you want to make people react. Get a pet because you want it, you like it and you want to care for it.

3. Think ahead - How long will the pet live? Where are you going to be then? Don't be caught moving somewhere where your pet cannot also live. If you know you will be moving home with your parents in 2 months and mom hates snakes, don't get one. Wait until you are living on your own.

4. Parental supervision - By this, I mean parents have to think smart. Lots of kids want pets. What the parent has to think of is if they are going to be willing to take on the responsability of said pet when Jr loses interest 2 weeks later. A way to help this is to get a pet the entire family likes. If mom is scared of mice, don't get one. Get something she can like as well so that if little Susie or Jimmy suddenly hate said pet, there is someone else who cares enough to take care of it.

5. Don't dump - A vacation is 2 - 3 weeks, tops. Not 6 months. If you are going on a vacation, make sure someone responsible will look after the pets for you. Do not pick someone who does not like animals. I will be leaving for a week or so at Christmas and I am already looking for people to care for Devi because I know it will be difficult to find someone who loves her like I do. If you are leaving for 6 months and you know it a) Don't get anymore pets! That's just mean to the people who will be caring for them and b) Make sure whoever is taking the pets you have is super ok with it, knows the care for them and is prepared for the money that will be involved. Leave a care fund in case of medical emergencies.

6. Rehoming - If you do have to get rid of the pet, make smart choices. I got my first two mice because someone was going to set them free because he didn't want them anymore *head smash*. If an animal has grown up as a pet, it will not suddenly be able to defend itself in the wild. It has wild RELATIVES. It is not wild itself. I may have relatives in France, doesn't mean I speak French. Pet stores will usually take fish, rodents and birds. Warning to mouse and rat owners: If dropped off at pet stores, these will go as reptile feeders 95% of the time. There are so many places to advertise these days (I am madly in love with Kijiji) that you should be able to rehome your pet to a good home. If rehoming online, be careful.

I know some situations cannot be helped. Allergies arise, family members pass on and little Hammy has to go somewhere. I just hate it when a perfectly good pet gets dumped because novelty has worn off.

Ok, next post will be pictures of cute, fuzzy animals I swear!

Devi

So I went to the reptile expo. And I didn't buy anything! Go me! I was amazed at my will power. I did meet a little plated lizard that I fell in love with and will go to the pet store to price what I would need for him. This is not my first encounter with plated lizards and wanting one, so here's hoping it's within my budget!

This leads me to the first introduction! Devi, my black emperor scorpion. Now, the typical reaction when people hear I have a scorpion is a cringe, followed by "Ewwww". Let me explain. No, that will take too long. Let me sum up (Bonus points for people who can identify where that quote came from). I worked at a pet store. We can talk about THAT issue later. So anyways, in my duties of caring for the animals I had to mist and feed the scorpions. I was like everyone else. I wanted nothing to do with the little venom packers. Until one day I sprayed them and they all let their tails lay relaxed. Apparently that means their happy. I felt. . .rewarded. And then they turned thier faces up into the spray and started to drink! So cute! Yes, that may sound crazy, but I think they are adorable. Then I discovered that when I stuck my hand in, they would use their pincers to block their face in a "If I can't see you, you can't see me" sort of defense. OMG cute. I . had. to. have. one. So I did.

Devi was a miss pick, if that make sense. Each of the three had different personalities. I wanted the little friendly one that I could pick up. I asked my boss to get that one for me while I got everything else. What I got was the little psycho one. Sweet. This is a regular feeding with Devi:
Me: "Devi, where are you?"
Devi: "Hiding in the vines"
Me: "Scorpions don't climb!"
Devi: "Pffft"
Me: "Out you come"
Devi: "I kill you"
Me: *eye roll*
Devi: "For real!"
Me: "Eat your cricket"
Devi: "No"
Me: "Eat it"
Devi: "No"
Me: "Eat it"
Devi: *snatches up cricket like I am going to tear it away from her* "What TOOK you so long?!" *runs and hides until next feeding*


Above is the best picture I have of Devi. See, I don't have a camera and my closest friend who does hates her, so we are at an impass in the Devi picture area. The fact that Devi is adamant that I am out to get her doesn't help. I will try for more later.

Black emperor scorpions have the least toxic venom of any species, so I am more danger of her pinching me with her pincers then anything else. If she did get me, it would be more like the flu for a couple of days then anything. Regular scorpions DO. NOT. CLIMB. Devi spends 80% of the day hanging in her vines like a freaking monkey. When she's not hungry, she pushes her feeding tongs away with her pincers (awwwwww). I am in the works of learning more about these little guys because I want to breed her! Awesomeness? I think so.

Next post: Millions of Mice!

My First Blog!

I've done it. I've gone over to the world of blogging. I don't know how well this is going to work out, but I guess we'll see! I guess the first order of business is to introduce the cast and characters.

I'm an Animal Science student. Not as exciting as it sounds. I spent 4 years as an undergraduate learning a little about everything in the world of agriculture. Next up. . . .vet school!! Or not. Rejected. Me, being the seeker of knowledge I am, did not let vet school rejection get me down. I am now a masters student (which sounds more important then it is), working towards to goal of doing something cool with cows and getting it publish! Hurrah!

Being an animal lover, I have had everything from horses to mice. This blog is going to be where I can share and vent about my pets, my friends and their pets and all pet related nonsense, adventures and shenanigans I can get myself into!

For now, I am off to a reptile expo. This, dear readers, is a dangerous place for someone who just got paid. In the days to come I will introduce the pets. I know that's the only reason most people read animal blogs. You aren't interested in MY thoughts, opinions and goings on. Pets! Stories about pets! Pictures of pets! In due time, my friends. In due time.