Amy's cats, rabbits, etc!

[katt]

EileenH wrote:

I love your mousie! He is so cute. I have a PEW at work (Algernon, of course, named by m volunteers).

My .02 on gerbils: they are a step up from mice but not quite a rat. My gerbil is very social and interactive with us, but he sure isn't up to rattie-speed!
Peg, don't knock it till you've tried it - rats are totally awesome, says baby Millicent & grown-up Agatha:

okay, not to totally take over your blog amy (since I never post in here, but do know that i read it all the time) but that photo is SOO cute! makes me want a rat again! and I love the names!

 

[EileenH]

Thanks...

When I see Amy's photos of her guys, it makes me want to get them again too.
Especially photos like this one:

Those eyes:inlove:and he looks like he is smiling...

 

[undergunfire]

Eileen...I have always loved that picture of your girls !

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So, Jenson the foster is doing good. I have had 2 incidents where he's been aggressive outside of his cage area, but those were with reason. The first time he chased me through the house with his teeth bared & he was boxing....all because I used my camera with the flash (ooops!). The second little tiny issue was when he jumped up onto the fireplace ledge which is also our entertainment center and he was thinking about chewing up the sound system cord....sooooo, as soon as I walked over there his tail when right up and he looked at me like "Don't you dare spoil my fun!!!" - I knew I'd get bitten if I reached my hands down to push him off, so I used a full roll of paper towel that happened to be in my hand...and he didn't like that very much and fought the roll for a few seconds.

On a good note, he has learned that when I clap...I mean business and he better knock it off. Sometimes he still continues to be naughty, so I have to pull out the spray bottle.

I had to take out all of his towels, his carpet, and his stuffed animal because he decided they were good for peeing on...so I think hes a bit mad about that. I did put down a fleece/flannel rat hammock so he had something soft to sit on, but I assume that will be peed on by morning, LOL.

Here is his cage now. I had to put down Molly's old (well, was only used for a week) cage base because I didn't want his peeing to ruin my MIL's wood floors. Oh, and he got a new bigger litter box since Molly didn't need hers anymore (she's sharing with Morgs).....

Here is the new bunny room since Molly and Morgan are now bonded :yes:.

I am going to try to list my Critter Nation (rat cage) for sale again, so that when I sell that I can buy a less bulky rat cage because the CN takes up a ton of room and all my boys do is sleep. Plus, if I get a different cage then it can sit on the floor and they can come out on their own when its play time.

 

[EileenH]

Wow, that room is beautiful! You also have some great hardwood floors too..
Do you find the NIC cages stay together well? I've always wondered.

Glad to hear Jensen is doing well. It's a learning process, what sets them off and how to get them to understand what you want them to do.

 

[Dragonrain]

Congrats on the bonding!! :thumbup

 

[undergunfire]

Thanks, Eileen! The NIC cages stay together very well....sturdier then my Critter Nation rat cage . Marlin and Brody's NIC cages (the "stacked" ones) are made without the connectors, but I did use 1x2 wood for extra support. I have up to 3 kitties at a time that sleep up on there (I had to sew them a "pad", lol) and all together that is about 25 pounds.

Chelle....thanks for the congrats - I am soooo happy to have bonded bunnies.

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Its funny how much more you can bond to your rabbits when they aren't inside of a cage - even a large NIC cage. Miss Molly has been overly friendly since she is now free ranging with Morgan...and she has made Morgan more outgoing too :rofl:! As soon as you walk into the bun room she comes hopping up for pets and Morgan will come up too. Morgs has always been really bonded to me, but he never was the type who would run up to you for pets (especially if you were standing).

I was down on the floor and Molly kept nipping/nudging me for pets while I was crawling around picking up stray poops :laughsmiley:.

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I'm staying home from groom school today because I am not feeling very well - my tummy hurts. I'm going to rest for a while and then see how I am feeling, if I'm okay then I'm going to go to PetSmart to get kitty food and see if there are any bunnies or other small animals up for adoption at the HS center inside of PetSmart. I bet there are some dump offs from Easter already...I hope none are white with red eyes because they seem to be there a while .

 

[undergunfire]

So, I am going to post a cheesy post followed by cute pictures!

Today (after school) I spent a lot of time just sitting and talking with the cats, rabbits, and my dog. I have to say.....I just love my babies so much. And not to forget the foster rabbits that have come into my life have been so special - Benson, Lilli, and Jenson. Not to mention all of the rats I have fostered (I can't even count them all!). So, I guess it is just one of those days where I wish I could hold every animal in my house in my arms and give them a big huge hug :laughsmiley:.

Tomorrow I am going to dedicate time to spend with the ratties and the mouse - I have to start making special days just for them where I spend a ton of time with them and also make them a big dinner..."rodent days", LOL. The rats and I have had quite a battle since loosing Spootie (my 3.5 year old heart rat) last fall, but I'm really trying harder to be emotionally there for them - Spoots made me want to give up on "all things rat" and in ways....I really did give up, but there is still a "peice of rat" in me that has begun to resurface. I doubt I will have rats for a long time, or maybe even never again, but my 4 boys are still here and its taken me quite a while to realize that....so I feel like I need to make the past months up to them.

More pictures to come tomorrow - I took cute ones of my kitties and another one of my dog (Sammy) .

 

[JadeIcing]

:biggrin:My babies!

 

[undergunfire]

Miiiiiiiiiiiiine.
No one can steal myyyyyyy preciousssssss :twitch:.

 

[JadeIcing]

undergunfire wrote:

Miiiiiiiiiiiiine.
No one can steal myyyyyyy preciousssssss :twitch:.

Dork :whistling

 

[undergunfire]

Whatever...you are just jealous because you can't be as dorky as me :wiggle.

 

[JadeIcing]

undergunfire wrote:

Whatever...you are just jealous because you can't be as dorky as me :wiggle.

Pretty sure I am worse than you.

 

[RandomWiktor]

Great looking cages and beautiful bunnies! I'm glad to hear things are still going well with Jenson despite his occasional bouts of nastiness. I think some buns are just a little big for their britches and like to try and push our limits. Glad to see some techniques (clapping) seem to be breaking through to him though.

 

[undergunfire]

Jenson sure is a handful, but not really in an aggressive way. I've been giving him a ton of space until his hormones calm down....I really think that is the way to go - why put myself at risk of being bitten and him pick up on bad habits? I think it would be best to start a "clean slate" in a few weeks. Of course, he still gets his pets....but I try not to interact with him too much right now when he is out running around.

I had to give him a 2nd litter box because he keeps peeing on the other side of his cage. I hope that helps because if not then I'm going to have to figure out what to do because he's going to ruin my MIL's wood floors if he keeps it up. I did put down a sheet of plywood with stick on tiles down under his cage...but it runs off and under the wood. I have sheets of coroplast in 2x3 panel sizes....but I don't want to put him into a 2x3 because his litter box is big and at that point, he wouldn't have much room. I don't think the sign shop in the next town over is open on Saturdays, or I'd go and get another sheet...but I'm at school from 9:30am to 3:30am then have to pick Ryan up from work around 4pm. I'll give it a few days with the 2nd litter box, then I might have to ask to leave school early to go get a sheet....luckily its not expensive - a 8ft x 4ft piece is like $22.

I did have to throw away a lot of his toys that were wood (he had a wood bird perch thing and a throw toy) because they were soaked in pee. The gross part is is that he will walk through it and then his ears get wet with pee and also his paws....then he flicks them and pee goes flying everywhere - I got pee on my face when I was trying to clean it up, LOL!!

I think he is pissed off about his 2nd litter box because as I type this he is chewing the sides of it, HAHA!

 

[RandomWiktor]

Have you tried putting a big 'ol plastic table cloth or shower curtain to cover the wood under and outside of his entire pen? We do this with our bunnies and chickens, and it keeps water and waste from getting on the floor below. You can get some pretty big ones - we have one that spans an 8 x 4 pen with ample room to spare all around. When we clean the rabbit cages we simply roll it up, take it outside, hose it down, and let it dry, then put it back. It can also be spot cleaned easily with vinegar water.

 

[undergunfire]

Thats a good idea, Ren! I can just see it now though....cats shredding it, LOL. I think the wood with stick on tiles will start getting smelly, though, if the pee is still allowed to run underneath it. I'll keep the tablecloth/shower curtain idea in mind though.

 

[undergunfire]

Oh man....Jenson is being a handful tonight, LOL. He's out running around right now and hes getting himself into EVERYTHING and being insanely binky crazy. I don't know what his deal is....but hes been binking and head flicking like every 3 minutes. Right now he is running laps through the house and then doing bunny 500's around the coffee table (where the area rug is).

I think he's getting bored when he's outside of his cage and that is why he is getting himself into everything and just being a total pain (of course, he is a teenage lop rabbit, so that plays a major part). Im going to see if my parents can meet us at Costco this Friday so that I can get some free boxes to make play castle things out of. I don't exactly want a huge cardboard jungle in my living room, but oh well.

I'm not really sure what else to entertain him with while he is out, besides a cardboard castle thing :?.

 

[JadeIcing]

Sounds fun! I wish I could see, I love when you send my the vids.

 

[MCatCar]

I absolutely LOVE Jenson! English Lops are one of my favorites,

 

[undergunfire]

Yeah, Jenson is a fun little guy! I really like him, but I don't think I'd ever actually own an Elop - they just aren't my type of bunny .


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So yesterday I had to bring money by the grooming shop so I could pay off the last of my schooling fees. I have been wanting Ryan to see one of the groomer's Poms (she shows & rarely breeds), because I have fallen in love with her male Poms - they are so calm, loyal, loving, quiet, little cuties! Ryan was sooooo against another dog until we moved to PA and bought a house and he was REALLY against a Pom (probably because they aren't "manly dogs").

So....its a shock to me that Ryan LOVED MaryAnne's Pom, Drew. She just plopped him right in Ryan's arms and its almost like Ryan's face lit up. He has been asking questions like "So how much would MaryAnne charge us for a Pom puppy? What colors will her next litter have? So she will take payments? Are they healthy dogs?" And he's been asking all of these questions about showing Poms. He has also been saying stuff like "I can see our little Sammy having a Pom as a brother! A Pom would be an easy little dog to just pick up and take with us anywhere. I really want a black/tan colored Pom and I want a little boy, not a girl." etc.

:?

I find it quite weird that I haven't mentioned a Pom at all since getting in the car after the shop, but yet Ryan is bringing up up constantly :expressionless.

Ehhh....so it looks like we might actually get a little Pom this winter :whistling.