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drat Bananas posted:I'm not white knighting the mills, I'm white knighting a pet owner who had good intentions and put a lot of time into trying to find an animal from a good source. If they had a flippant attitude and said "gently caress it, thems just rodents" then sure, go ahead and be a oval office. But this is the reason people hate, or avoid, PI (and probably get their animals from BYBs on their own when they otherwise might not have with help).
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Jun 21, 2010 17:51
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If I knew it'd be met with open hostility I'd have never posted where I got him from. Jeez. The "limited encounters" I mentioned were the new one running around and stopping by the outside of the other one's cage. It's not like I just chucked him in there and left them. Anyway, he's here to stay. I'm not sending him back to the store just because some people on the internet got butthurt that I bought a chinchilla from a pet store. He's being kept separately from my other chinchilla for now and I have a vet appointment for him in an hour to make sure he's healthy and actually a male. Before you all start flying off the handle about taking him to the vet (which I'm sure you will, because everything in PI is Serious Business and you all have determined that I'm a horrible person), I'm taking him to an exotics vet who treated my guinea pigs for years and is very good. To the poster with the mites problem with his mouse: My guinea pigs had mites at one point, I took them to the vet and he suggested going to Lowes and getting some Sevin dust and sprinkling it on their fur. It worked pretty well for the pigs, but I'd definitely check with a vet before you do anything like that with your mouse.
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Jun 21, 2010 18:11
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Aquatic Giraffe posted:My guinea pigs had mites at one point, I took them to the vet and he suggested going to Lowes and getting some Sevin dust and sprinkling it on their fur. It worked pretty well for the pigs, but I'd definitely check with a vet before you do anything like that with your mouse. Sevin is very bad for guinea pigs, I certainly wouldn't recommend using it on anything smaller. According to the MSDS, it's harmful if inhaled, ingested, or contacted with skin or eyes: MSDS posted:Overexposure may cause salivation, watery eyes, pinpoint eye pupils, blurred vision, muscle tremors, difficulty breathing, excessive sweating, abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, headache. Advantage or ivermectin are MUCH safer.
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Jun 21, 2010 18:43
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My 1.5 year-old Siberian dwarf hamster is losing a little hair near her nose. Is this a normal part of the hamster aging process, or should I be worried? Here is a picture of her (in her younger days) ruling the galaxy with an iron fist: Darth Hamster.
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Jun 21, 2010 19:21
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I admit I was a bit skeptical about applying commercial pesticide to my pigs, but the vet told me that it was safe as long as I didn't put it on their faces. It got rid of the mites and my pigs were perfectly fine. YMMV, I guess. Still, consult your vet first.
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Jun 21, 2010 20:10
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Aquatic Giraffe posted:I admit I was a bit skeptical about applying commercial pesticide to my pigs, but the vet told me that it was safe as long as I didn't put it on their faces. It got rid of the mites and my pigs were perfectly fine. YMMV, I guess. I think the big concern would be that even if you didn't put it directly on their face, they're still going to groom (sticking their face in it, and licking it off of themselves). It's still kind of weird that a vet would send you to Lowe's to buy pesticide -- he should have ivermectin in his office, the stuff is cheap as dirt. (I just bought a liter of it for like $10).
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Jun 21, 2010 20:33
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Yeah, that would make me really skeptical about a vet's qualifications to see exotics. First guinea pig vet I ever found claimed the only way to treat my pig's mites was with a sulfur dip bath. He also told me that pigs could not be altered because there was no anesthetic safe for them - yet the pig with mites was adopted as a spayed female along with three neutered brothers.  Fortunately I found a real exotics vet for subsequent care, but it makes me wonder how much other bad advice that first vet was dispensing. I stick to vets with avian/exotics board certification, now.
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Jun 21, 2010 20:47
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TheSpook posted:My 1.5 year-old Siberian dwarf hamster is losing a little hair near her nose. Is this a normal part of the hamster aging process, or should I be worried? What an awesome picture  It is a regular aging thing for hair to thin a little among dwarfs, but keep an eye on her to make sure she isn't scratching around that area, as it can also be a sign of mites etc. My own hams are getting a little thin all around their ears.
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Jun 21, 2010 21:12
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Is ivermectin a brand name or is it known as something else? Is it topical or added to food? Is the dosage on the packaging pretty accurate for weight/species? I'm gonna see if I can find it later tonight. (Err, is it sold at pet stores or just vets? I'm looking on Petsmart, Petco, and Pet Supplies Plus's websites and don't see it) Right now I have a big ziploc of bedding in the freezer, and tomorrow I'm going to throw everything paper/wood out, put the plastic stuff in the dishwasher, and wash the tank with bleach. I might substitute bedding for old t-shirts for a while and wash and dry them on hot every day. Any further tips?
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Jun 21, 2010 23:28
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About 2 months ago, Darwin jumped off my shoulder and hit the hardwood floor. OUCH. He was walking with a limp, so I took him to the vet, and sure enough he'd broken his femur. It was a clean break, and the vet was very sure our young piggie had the nerve to heal it up in a matter of weeks. He was put to sleep, x-rayed, and put in a cast.  Click here for the full 1651x1239 image. We were told to set up a separate enclosure for him, small enough so he wouldn't want to walk around. We took a tupperware drawer out of our cake supply cabinet, put some fleece in it, and kept it inside the big cage. I cut his bell peppers into strips and gave him his ration of hay.  Click here for the full 1685x1264 image. He spent 4 weeks on anti biotics and pain meds, and now he's all healed up. Total cost of visits and care, more than $450. Part of me thought, "His name is Darwin, maybe nature should take it's course", but $450 is s small price to pay to get our little buddy back.
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Jun 22, 2010 03:58
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End of Life Guy posted:
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Jun 22, 2010 04:12
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End of Life Guy posted:Wow, I'm kinda shocked that this type of injury would be treatable for a guinea pig. It must have been hard to see him cooped up in a little container for so long. Glad to hear he is all healed up!
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Jun 22, 2010 04:13
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drat Bananas posted:Is ivermectin a brand name or is it known as something else? Is it topical or added to food? Is the dosage on the packaging pretty accurate for weight/species? It's non prescription large animal parasite treatment: this stuff. Since it's technically sold for large animals, you can get it from vets, but also OTC from farm & feed stores. It comes as a bottle of injectable but the recommendation for small animals is to use it topically. Either way you'll need to get a 1 mL syringe with a needle on it to draw it out of the bottle. The dosage instructions on the box are correct, but since it's measured in mL per HUNDRED POUNDS, you'll need to do some math, and for a mouse you'll be finding that it's like a tiny little portion of a droplet. More info on use in small animals, and help with the math, can be found on these pages. Since you're looking to dose just one mouse, I'd say buying a bottle and doing all this measurement might be overkill. You might find it just as cheap and easy to go to the vet and request that they draw you up 4-8 premeasured syringes' worth. They can even mix the ivermec with an inert substance so the actual amount you'll apply is more than nearly invisible. End of Life Guy posted:About 2 months ago, Darwin jumped off my shoulder and hit the hardwood floor. OUCH. Dude I think you made a mistake, that does not look like a parrot.  You and he really lucked out - from that height he could have easily broken a whole lot more. My partner broke a pig's leg by dropping him from less than 18 inches. Sirotan posted:Wow, I'm kinda shocked that this type of injury would be treatable for a guinea pig. If you have a good enough vet there is practically no injury or (non-terminal) illness that is untreatable. 
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Jun 22, 2010 14:56
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alucinor posted:Dude I think you made a mistake, that does not look like a parrot. My Parvati used to love to perch on my shoulder, but it was always when I was in a recliner, for the sake of safety. That game ended abruptly, however, when one night she ran up to my shoulder, burrowed in behind my neck, and pissed all down my back.
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Jun 22, 2010 23:33
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Yeah, I can understand getting a chin from a shop if there are literally no other options... maybe, but it's just this mentality:Aquatic Giraffe posted:The way I see it is that the little guy was still going to be for sale in the store no matter what. Might as well have him go to a home where he'll be taken care of properly instead of continuing to live in a tiny cage in a store by himself or be adopted by people who have no clue what they're doing.  . Like, how do people think stores work? Do people understand why there are mills in the first place? They're there because the stores make money. The stores make money by pumping out and selling pets. If you keep giving them money, they will keep pumping out pets. If they are no longer getting money, they will no longer have any reason to keep pumping out pets. Your purchase of one chin equals an additional chin that they'll have to bring into the world to replace it. And if crappy pet owners would adopt him, they'll just-as-likely adopt the next chin that the store pumps out as well.Yes, you can then make the "drop in the bucket argument." Mind you, that argument is the same reason half of America doesn't vote. Imaduck fucked around with this message at 20:28 on Jun 23, 2010 |
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Jun 23, 2010 20:23
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I heard the most god damned retarded thing to come from the mouth of someone working at a pet store today. I had to make a quick stop at a Petco during my lunch hour to buy hay. I really hate to even walk inside that place but my bale of hay has run out and I can't make the drive to buy another one until Saturday. Ran inside to just grab the smallest bag of Timothy that they had, and while checking out the cashier told me:  : "Our rabbits really love that stuff!"No poo poo man, maybe it's because THAT'S WHAT THEY EAT. Might as well tell me your family is really fond of water while I'm buying a bottle of Evian. I mean I guess this rant is a bit pedantic, but working in a pet store that sells rabbits shouldn't you at least know the one main food that they eat? How could you not learn that even by osmosis while working there?
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Jun 24, 2010 18:22
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The stuff pet store employees have told me over the years absolutely blows my mind. While picking up an accidental litter of guinea pigs a woman had had, she told me the store told her guinea pigs didn't start mating until they were 6 months old and that they only had one heat a year so you could keep them separated like dogs.
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Jun 24, 2010 18:33
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I once got a baby rat from a pet store that had a huge abscess on the side of his face that required hundreds of dollars worth of treatment and never stopped recurring. The girl who got him out of the cage said "Awwwwwwwwwww he's got food in his little pouches!!!!" No Pet store girl Rats do not have cheek pouches
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Jun 24, 2010 18:44
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Sirotan posted:I heard the most god damned retarded thing to come from the mouth of someone working at a pet store today. I had someone hand me alfalfa hay for my piggie one time when I asked him where the hay was. I proceeded to tell him that guinea pigs really shouldn't be eating alfalfa that they should only stick to Timothy and he proceeds to give me attitude and tells me that's what they've been giving the ones in the cages and that "they're all perfectly fine"  loving moron.
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Jun 24, 2010 19:00
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CagedLiberty posted:What an awesome picture Thanks for the reply! Isn't 1.5 years a little young for a dwarf hamster to be entering "old age," though? I'd always thought their average lifespan was closer to three years. I haven't seen her scratching it, so hopefully it is just natural balding.
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Jun 26, 2010 05:15
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TheSpook posted:Thanks for the reply! Isn't 1.5 years a little young for a dwarf hamster to be entering "old age," though? I'd always thought their average lifespan was closer to three years. Their lifespan is closer to 2.5-3 years usually, but any dwarf is considered elderly past 1.5 years because they do start to age around then. I definitely noticed mine getting a bit more scruffy!
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Jun 27, 2010 01:43
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Myself and my gf are the new owners of a black bear hamster. Anyways, we have the hamster in a 10 gallon tank with one of these toppers. http://www.amazon.com/Super-Pet-First-Home-Topper/dp/B0006IUL64 It seems pretty good. The highest platform that doesn't have the food bowl in it would move on its own so I ziptied it to the cage so it doesn't move now. Anyways, I have a few questions. She seems very timid. She does NOT want to be handled. She will do everything in her power to avoid being picked up. She doesn't bite or anything though. Is there something I can do to get her used to us? So far the only way we can get her out of the cage is to put her running ball into the cage and she'll climb into it. She also loves to climb. Something I did not realize. She will climb up to the top on the wire section and usually drop down. She also found out she can squeeze between the plastic first level and the ramp and jump down. Do I have to be worried about this? I have enough soft bedding in there that she seems fine, but it makes me worried. Also the topper came with a little water bottle. It seems to work fine but the hamster goes crazy on it like she isn't getting enough water out. I took it out and just pushing the ball bearing in a bit brings out a drip of water, but she is putting enough force on it to lift up her little house. Another concern? I put in a plastic top of a pill bottle with water and she drank it up.. Also, I may be smoking crack but when I was younger I remember seeing aquarium toppers for 10 gallon aquariums that had tubes on them that let you connect to the habitrail cages. Does this exist? She also seems to like to chew on the metal bars. I put in a chew stick, so hopefully that'll satisfy her. But she seems to want to escape!
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Jun 28, 2010 20:45
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My Robos claws are getting really long and there is no chance I can hold one of her legs still long enough to clip them even though I have proper small animal clippers. Any ideas?
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Jun 28, 2010 21:49
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I put a rough decorative brick thing from Home Depot under my water bottles. It keeps the edge off. Alternately you could smooth them with an emery board instead of clipping; she doesn't have to be as still for that.
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Jun 29, 2010 03:12
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TLG James posted:Myself and my gf are the new owners of a black bear hamster. Anyways, we have the hamster in a 10 gallon tank with one of these toppers. Your set up looks good. You just have to give her time to warm up to you. Give her treats, apple, yogies, carrots, stuff like that - keep it in your hand and just sit there with you hand in the cage, get to her associate your hands with good things. She's probably young, they're the nicest and friendliest hamsters ever, so just give her time. quote:She also loves to climb. Something I did not realize. She will climb up to the top on the wire section and usually drop down. She also found out she can squeeze between the plastic first level and the ramp and jump down. Do I have to be worried about this? I have enough soft bedding in there that she seems fine, but it makes me worried. Does she have a wheel in the cage? something to run on? Hamsters have HUGE territories in the wild, and they will run literally all night. So she needs something to keep her entertained. My ham also does that, but he only likes to do it when he's really bored/has no food. quote:Also the topper came with a little water bottle. It seems to work fine but the hamster goes crazy on it like she isn't getting enough water out. I took it out and just pushing the ball bearing in a bit brings out a drip of water, but she is putting enough force on it to lift up her little house. Another concern? I put in a plastic top of a pill bottle with water and she drank it up.. I have a bottle like that, what I would recommend is either you get another one, or jam the spring that's inside the water bottle that's keeping it from leaking constantly so there isn't so much pressure on the ball that your ham's tongue has to push in. Sure the bottle will leek on occasion, but it'll be easier for her to drink. Until you do this, put a shallow bowl with water in there. quote:She also seems to like to chew on the metal bars. I put in a chew stick, so hopefully that'll satisfy her. But she seems to want to escape! Again, I think she might be bored, put in some toilet paper tubes/paper towel tubes, a wheel, some stuff to chew on. Give her stuff to do and she won't be so set on escaping.
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Jun 29, 2010 04:30
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Nereid posted:Does she have a wheel in the cage? something to run on? Hamsters have HUGE territories in the wild, and they will run literally all night. So she needs something to keep her entertained. My ham also does that, but he only likes to do it when he's really bored/has no food. She does have a wheel in the cage. She does run all night. I figure she is still in her escape mode. I also put in a toilet paper tube. We'll see how that improves. Thanks for the advice. I think we're going to get a new bottle for the tank. I left the pill cap top in there with water on the upper deck till I can go later and buy a new bottle.
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Jun 29, 2010 14:50
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Well I bought her a new bottle last week. I'm glad I did. Because even with a paperclip I was able to get any water out of the bottle on my own. Stupid spring loaded bottle. She is doing better. She still won't let us hold her, though she doesn't mind the occasionally petting. She did however get ahold of a fleece blanket while rolling around in her ball and managed to chew up a corner of it. Ack!
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Jul 5, 2010 20:43
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My pigs are getting spoiled rotten with fresh clover, dandelion and timothy. How can I ease the transition come fall?
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Jul 5, 2010 22:46
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cat with hands posted:My pigs are getting spoiled rotten with fresh clover, dandelion and timothy. How can I ease the transition come fall? go to a local food co-op. see if piggies like chard/kale/collards. ???? success.
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Jul 6, 2010 01:09
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Nereid posted:go to a local food co-op. see if piggies like chard/kale/collards. ???? success. Or bladder stones. Be sure to balance your Ca:P ratio - you should be aiming for an overall ratio of between 1.5:1 and 2:1. Personally I'd recommend starting a window box with herbs and baby romaine. I started one a few weeks ago and I'm hoping it'll be nice and bushy come winter.
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Jul 6, 2010 14:25
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TLG James posted:She does have a wheel in the cage. She does run all night. I figure she is still in her escape mode. In my experience, some hamsters are always in escape mode. Of all the rodents I've owned and spent time with, hamsters are the most escape-prone and hell-bent on doing so. I've had lazy hamsters that were content to sit around, but I also had one that got out several times and spent the majority of his life trying to free himself. As long as she has a wheel and other stuff to play with, don't worry too much about her trying to get out -- just make sure she can't!
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Jul 8, 2010 03:22
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RumbleFish posted:In my experience, some hamsters are always in escape mode. Of all the rodents I've owned and spent time with, hamsters are the most escape-prone and hell-bent on doing so. I've had lazy hamsters that were content to sit around, but I also had one that got out several times and spent the majority of his life trying to free himself. As long as she has a wheel and other stuff to play with, don't worry too much about her trying to get out -- just make sure she can't! Perhaps. She is also in love with her ball. I just have to stick in near the top entry point for the cage and she jumps right in!
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Jul 8, 2010 23:44
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I just started volunteering as a small animal socializer for my local Humane Society. We have mostly rabbits, which I have read up on and learned lots about. They weren't as good about informing us how to approach and socialize the other small animals we might encounter, however (currently we happen to have only rabbits, so my training was entirely rabbit-oriented). So - guinea pigs, rats, hamsters and chinchillas I am clueless about, and all I was told is to put a seed in the palm of my hand and stick it in the cage and wait. I also know to support their paws when lifting them. I was hoping you guys might have some better information for me, including confirmation of whether this is the right way to approach the small animals or whether I'll likely get the poo poo bitten out of my hand. Also, socialization - would a guinea pig be interested in the same playthings as the rabbits - little tunnels etc? What are some good ideas if I have twenty minutes of socialization time with a rat? They told me just to stick it in a big tupperware bin and let it run around, but that seems... boring. For the rat, I mean. I'd really like to do a good job with this and giving the animals some quality time, and I freely admit to being quite clueless, so any advice is appreciated.
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Jul 9, 2010 00:45
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Karatehamster posted:What are some good ideas if I have twenty minutes of socialization time with a rat? They told me just to stick it in a big tupperware bin and let it run around, but that seems... boring. For the rat, I mean. I'd really like to do a good job with this and giving the animals some quality time, and I freely admit to being quite clueless, so any advice is appreciated. My rats liked two things best: chilling out on my shoulder or lap, and exploring. I used to take a small x-pen and put small boxes on their sides and then drape a blanket or towel over top, and they thought it was loving Disneyland. If you want him to be super tame, just carry him around with you. You can also try some "enrichment" activities for him - tie something dangly to the top of his cage, buy in-shell nuts, that sort of thing.
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Jul 9, 2010 00:56
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Karatehamster posted:So - guinea pigs, rats, hamsters and chinchillas I am clueless about, and all I was told is to put a seed in the palm of my hand and stick it in the cage and wait. Guinea pigs and chins (and rabbits) should not have seeds. Additionally, none of these are really animals which are going to get more accustomed to handling by being offered a handful of food - it's more likely that they'll start nipping your hand every time. Food bribes may make them relax from your approach, but you'll still need to end up picking them up, often against their will, if you want to handle them. You can read about chinchilla handling here and guinea pig handling here. Yes, guinea pigs like tunnels like rabbits do. However, they will often just get inside them and stay there if there are scary noises or people about. Mostly, they are food motivated. Does your shelter feed hay to these animals? (If they don't, let them know that chins, pigs, and buns should all eat a diet which includes unlimited timothy hay.) Something as simple as a pile of hay loose in a pen, instead of up in a manger, is a good enrichment for pigs. A paper bag or cardboard box filled with hay (like a saltines box, open on one side) is an excellent toy; they like to climb in and eat their way out. If you do want to bribe them with food, use veggies for the pigs and buns. Sweet bell peppers and fragrant herbs like basil or parsley are exceptionally good. Chins' diets are more restricted, but they can have something like one raisin or a tiny piece of carrot a few times a week, or some dried herbs (rose hips, basil) a few times a week. However, all of these animals can be bribed with the exact same type of food they already have in their cages - pellets are fine, hay is best. It's crazy - they'll drop hay that they have in their mouth in order to take a strand I'm offering them.
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Jul 9, 2010 15:40
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Is there a better way to wake up in the morning than having a chinchilla trample you? In order to get me up this morning, my sister took Sifl out of his cage and let him run around on the bed. He kept alternating between jumping on top of me and the kitty, who was not as happy to see him as I was.
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Jul 9, 2010 17:08
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Part-Time Robot posted:Is there a better way to wake up in the morning than having a chinchilla trample you? The best part of that is how cold their feet always are. So, so icy. It boggles the mind, but I love it.
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Jul 9, 2010 17:11
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RazorBunny posted:My rats liked two things best: chilling out on my shoulder or lap, and exploring. I used to take a small x-pen and put small boxes on their sides and then drape a blanket or towel over top, and they thought it was loving Disneyland. If you want him to be super tame, just carry him around with you. You can also try some "enrichment" activities for him - tie something dangly to the top of his cage, buy in-shell nuts, that sort of thing. I can't unfortunately carry a rat around with me since there is a chance it may escape and run through the shelter. And the socialization area is tiny. But I could definitely built something fun for them to play with and explore in the area. That's an excellent suggestion. Thank you. alucinor posted:Guinea pigs and chins (and rabbits) should not have seeds. Additionally, none of these are really animals which are going to get more accustomed to handling by being offered a handful of food - it's more likely that they'll start nipping your hand every time. Food bribes may make them relax from your approach, but you'll still need to end up picking them up, often against their will, if you want to handle them. You can read about chinchilla handling here and guinea pig handling here. The sections about handling at the sites you linked to were very helpful. I'll have to pick up each animal to transfer them to be socialized and I obviously want to make sure I do it right, that I don't hurt them or traumatize them in any way. I learned how to do that with rabbits, but the other small animals the shelter tends to get were a bit neglected in a "they aren't difficult to deal with, you'll figure it out" sort of way. We just got in a gerbil and a guinea pig I'll be responsible for socializing on Sunday.
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Jul 9, 2010 17:28
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Karatehamster posted:They do feed unlimited timothy hay, and in every cage there's some stuffed in a toilet paper tube for enrichment. I'm not necessarily focused on bribing them with food, it's just one of the few things I was actually told by the shelter as being a good idea if they're shy. Do you happen to know if pigs and bunnies can have thyme? Sounds like an excellent place, then. I'd avoid the thyme except in occasional small quantities. It's very high in calcium and has a bad Ca:P ratio.
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Jul 9, 2010 17:57
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I may or may not be spoiling a ground squirrel that lives under my porch in my apartment.
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Jul 11, 2010 01:08
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