Pets, past and present.
Welcome to the Zoo!
Okay, okay, so I said no more pets!! I lied! My family has increased a little more since I last posted here. I have yet to take photos of them all, but those that I have will hereby be introduced!
First there are Peanut and Cashew. Peanut is a red guinea pig. He fathered a litter and needed re-homing, so I brought him home. His companion is Cashew, a miniature lop-eared rabbit. Cashew came to the shop at just 5 weeks old, with his brother, Houdini. Within 24 hours Houdini was on a drip at the Vet, fighting for his life. He died. Cashew became sick a wee while later and so was brought home to be nursed. He responded well and improved, being given medicine orally for about a week and being fed on fresh produce from the garden. I took him back to the shop and a woman expressed an interest.
Sadly she never returned and as the days wore on, it was clear that Cashew wasn’t thriving. So I bought a smaller hutch and brought my two “little nuts” home! They settled really well together and are the best of friends!
Billy needed company, so I brought home Pumpkin, aka The Kid. He is adorable. About a year old, he has fathered two litters and was “surplus” to requirements. Older guinea pigs don’t get re-homed easily, so there was little in the decision to bring him home, too! He is very affectionate and loves it when I hand feed him freshly picked clover or dandelion leaves!
Lastly, as far as bunnies are concerned, meet the new kids on the block. The rabbit, Burdock, is a Flemmish Giant and will soon be around 10kg in weight. He isn’t growing too fast, but is one of the largest breeds of rabbit I’ve ever seen. I met his Dad and he was an amazingly huge and placid bunny indeed! The little chap with him is Dandelion, a baby guinea pig, who because of his being albino, no-one else wanted. He loves his bunny-brother and is most contented when they are chewing on the same piece of carrot!
I have a third hutch being made so soon they will be outside, enjoying the fresh air. For now they are in a cage in the main bathroom, which is seldom used at the moment! (no, I don’t go dirty, I use the en suite!)
I also have a sixth cat! Meet Fern, this picture taken the first day she was here. She is a darling! I got two more mice, but need to get pictures of them taken during daylight times as using a flash would be cruel! Anyhow, when my neighbour commented on the latest cat I pointed out that with 6 mice, I needed to even the odds, in case of a mass escape!
Fern was one of five kittens who were brought into the shop. They all had gummy eyes and needed to see the Vet urgently. They had caught something from their mother and needed help to shake it off. SO I brought them all home to be cared for in a more homely atmosphere, prior to being sold. All were reserved except for Fern, so with a pang in my heart, I asked if I could keep her! She now rules the roost!
Fern and Teak are becoming very close friends and she has won Cherries heart, too. Both the older ones play so nicely with her. She is happiest when she is snuggled up on my shoulder, purring, or when she is out eating “with the BIG kids”! Her smoky grey coat has a real shine to it now, which is wonderful, as she was really malnourished and underweight when she first arrived. It’s nice to see the little body starting to fill out!
So that’s it for now! I won’t say watch this space! I dare not tempt things to happen! But with the shop now closed, I won’t be gaining more pets from that particular source!
Edited on 6th January 2006 to say: Cashew, who was found to be a female when she had her Calici virus vaccination, died suddenly last night. She was found in a state of collapse in her run. At first the Vet suspected heat stroke, but with a failure to respond, further treatment was given. She rallied for a short time but then failed fast. In the end the decision was taken to let her go, so the Vet came out at 10:30pm and eased her into a peaceful sleep. He is performing an autopsy to ensure that the others are kept safe, in the unlikely event of it being a transmittable disease. Initial investigations point to a congenital heart defect.
Peanut wasn't entirely happy being alone, so when we spotted this little sweetheart for sale, she had to come home with us.
She was very tiny and wasn't going to get a lot bigger. Meet Indigo. She is a Miniature Rex, with black velvet fur. She has mended Peanuts broken heart and can be found playing with him and nibbling on the same leaf whenever possible. He adores her and is a very active little chap now!
Can you see him smiling?