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So Daisy appears to have come down with a case of wet tail. I'm thinking that one of three causes is to blame: 1. I may have been handling her too much. We work on handling every night, and yesterday we worked for a fairly long time, comparatively, but she seemed to be having fun. 2. I gave her a new treat, a miniature ear of corn, and put the husk in her nest for bedding. I'm wondering if she ate too much of it, or too much of the husk (it was chewed on) and that might've caused it. 3. My apartment had some work done today to fix some water damage in the bathroom; this involved two strangers coming in, scraping down my walls, and repainting them. All in all, it took them from about 9 AM-2 PM. I'm thinking that the stress from the noise and smells, which I did my best to isolate her from, is the most likely culprit. Other than her butt being all matted, she's drinking, and just came down out of her house to grab some food and take it back up, and I can hear her chewing it right now. Is this something that can resolve itself, or is it a vet call every time? Edit: Awake, alert, drinking, and running like a mad woman in the wheel attached to the new cage attachment I bought her today. She seems to have cleaned herself up as well. McCloud24 fucked around with this message at 03:05 on May 26, 2012 |
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May 26, 2012 00:44
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| # ? May 30, 2024 18:47 |
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do rats normally smell like ramen?
snoo fucked around with this message at 18:08 on May 26, 2012 |
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May 26, 2012 17:39
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I can't seem to find any information on this, so I thought I might as well double-check... I'm growing some greens/herbs for my hamster (swiss chard, cilantro, parsley), and I'm just wondering if the swiss chard is safe to feed to him from the time that they sprout, or if I should wait for them to mature? He seems to like the sprouts, I figure it's fine, but i'd feel better knowing for sure.
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May 27, 2012 18:17
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Here's a small heartwarming story for you guys. I posted up an ad for a bird cage on craigslist and got two people inquiring about the other cage I had in the same picture - a rat cage, the ones my rats are currently using. I said "unfortunately not selling that" to both, but then the latter one contacted me and told me about a hamster she rescued and needed a new home for. It's a big ol' Syrian hamster that was mistreated by his former owners. The would drag him out of the cage kicking and screaming by his ears and tail, and she was looking for a bigger home for it. So I offered my first cage - those dinky rat starter cages that can fit like, one male rat at best? But man it's the perfect size for that hamster. Long story short, rescued hamster is getting a big new home for basically the price of gas to meet them from a completely unrelated ad.  Yeah, I'm a sucker for sob stories.
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Jun 1, 2012 02:40
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It's funny how things can work out like that sometimes. Good on you for being so generous.  I hope the big guy makes a full recovery.
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Jun 1, 2012 03:43
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I have a couple of plants in my house (blackberries in one pot, raspberries in another, and some little herb pots with basil and parsley in). My blackberry plant is growing like a goddamn machine, and I was wondering if it'd be safe/okay to snip off some parts of it and put them into the mouse cages? The plants are outdoors now but have only just gone out a week or so ago, and they haven't got any special soil (just basic clean stuff from a garden shop) or been sprayed with any pesticides or anything. Anyone know if it'd be okay? The mice got some parsley stems today and loved them!
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Jun 1, 2012 23:36
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I picked up three gerbil boys yesterday and have a couple questions. Unfortunately I had to pick and choose between some that were in different cages, so I'm going through introductions right now. Are there any methods to make the process go by easier? There's two larger boys and one who's pretty young yet. The two larger ones seem to be doing some light dominance quarreling which I expected. How long should that last, and how do I know if it's going beyond mere dominance and straight into never-going-to-get-along fighting? I just don't know how long it should take for them to decide whether they're going to be buddies or not 
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Jun 2, 2012 17:39
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Typically for gerbils, I've found split-tank intros to work best, and that generally takes several days to several weeks. I wouldn't just pop them in together. http://agsgerbils.org/Learn/Gerbil_Care_Handbook/adopt.php
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Jun 2, 2012 17:55
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Are you using the split-cage method to introduce everyone? I highly recommend it, especially if you're nervous about dominance behaviours turning into fights. The split-cage method really helps to ease tensions between the gerbils and will make introductions less harrowing. Things like chasing, mounting, rude peeing, rough grooming and boxing (where they stand up and push each other around) are normal dominance behaviours. The thing you need to watch for is the line between regular dominance feuds and full-on serious injury fighting. When two gerbils latch onto each other and start rolling and flipping out on the ground in a ball, that's a real gerbil fight. You'll need to separate them if that happens, so keep some gloves around just in case. The two will need to be kept apart for a while afterwards. Be sure to check both gerbils for injuries. Also, if a fight draws blood, it puts a serious damper on the gerbils' relationship. I've never experienced this personally, but I've heard that it's extremely hard to re-introduce a pair that's had such a fight in the past. That's why you need to intervene quickly. Introductions are a pain in the rear end, but take your time with it. I don't know how long it takes on average, I think it depends a lot on the gerbils. Don't be discouraged if it doesn't happen in a week, or a month.
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Jun 2, 2012 18:30
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Ok thanks for the suggestions! How would I go about it since there are three? It's only the two larger ones that seem to be the problem, would it be ok to leave the smaller one in there on either side so long as the others leave him alone?
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Jun 2, 2012 18:33
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What do people here (hamster people, mice people, gerbil people - whatever!) deck their cages out with? Mine are looking a little sparse at the moment. In return, here have a mouse. 
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Jun 2, 2012 18:41
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If I get a mouse or gerbil again I think I'll go nuts with the cage. Fleece hammocks and pouches, wood bridges or branches to climb. I think bird toys work well depending on how much of a chewer you have. Basically I'd give them lots of places to hide and climb.
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Jun 2, 2012 19:22
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My hamster currently has two wheels, a lazy lookout that she nests in, and a loop-de-loop that she uses as a watch tower. For toys she has a ball made of wooden sticks that she rolls around to try and get the nut inside it, and then she has a hanging toy (actually a bird toy I think), with a bell on the end that she loves to smack around. She's also got a couple of cardboard tubes that she shoots in and out of constantly when she's awake. I have her in a pair of crittertrail cages that I've got connected with tubes, for reference.
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Jun 2, 2012 21:39
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rear end Crackers! posted:Ok thanks for the suggestions! How would I go about it since there are three? It's only the two larger ones that seem to be the problem, would it be ok to leave the smaller one in there on either side so long as the others leave him alone? I think that would work, so long as the bigger gerbs aren't picking on the little one too much. Some teasing is to be expected, but you don't want the little one to be terrified all the time, or he could accidentally hurt himself. If he seems really uncomfortable (constantly cowering or ping-ponging around the enclosure), he should have his own space. Give that solution a try and see how it goes. Good luck!
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Jun 2, 2012 22:01
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I picked up three, young gerbil sisters the other day (the lady helping me with the adoption didn't know their age because the people who brought them in didn't provide it--the people apparently also didn't know male + female = babies, and that's why my three girls were there), and I was wondering how I could interact with them positively? They seem really small in comparison to other gerbils I've seen, so I have to believe they are actually fairly young. One of them is so afraid of me, she'll just freeze where she is if I put my hand in the aquarium, but I'd like to get to a point where none of them mind my presence. I've never had gerbils before, so even basic "getting to know you" advice would be appreciated!!
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Jun 4, 2012 20:58
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Awesome Kristin posted:If I get a mouse or gerbil again I think I'll go nuts with the cage. Fleece hammocks and pouches, wood bridges or branches to climb. I think bird toys work well depending on how much of a chewer you have. Basically I'd give them lots of places to hide and climb. I forgot about making fleece things! Thanks for the reminder. My mice have fleece tunnels and hammocks each now. I've also bought new cages because I think my females are fighting a little (their current cage is great--but it isn't big enough for four fatasses). Planning to go crazy when their cages arrive!
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Jun 4, 2012 22:23
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Niemat posted:I picked up three, young gerbil sisters the other day (the lady helping me with the adoption didn't know their age because the people who brought them in didn't provide it--the people apparently also didn't know male + female = babies, and that's why my three girls were there), and I was wondering how I could interact with them positively? They seem really small in comparison to other gerbils I've seen, so I have to believe they are actually fairly young. One of them is so afraid of me, she'll just freeze where she is if I put my hand in the aquarium, but I'd like to get to a point where none of them mind my presence. I've never had gerbils before, so even basic "getting to know you" advice would be appreciated!! The link Rodent Mortician posted up the page ror me has a good guide for handling and getting more familiarozed with them. the whole site is pretty handy!
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Jun 4, 2012 23:53
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I have a pet hamster (Teddy Bear hamster) who is a little over 2 years old and just tonight she started dragging her two legs behind her as she walked and acting lethargic. Needless to say, some members of my family are concerned. Anyone have any experience with this? Is this the end of Hamlet, the hamster? :/
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Jun 6, 2012 02:59
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oribiasi posted:I have a pet hamster (Teddy Bear hamster) who is a little over 2 years old and just tonight she started dragging her two legs behind her as she walked and acting lethargic. Needless to say, some members of my family are concerned. Take your hamster to the vet.
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Jun 6, 2012 03:05
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Serella posted:Take your hamster to the vet. I would, but its 10:08 PM EST here and I work a regular M-F job. Sucks.
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Jun 6, 2012 03:08
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Unfortunately, dragging like that could be caused by a great number of things. If she climbs a lot, it could be an injury from falling, but accompanied by lethargy, it could also be a sign of heart, kidney or lung problems, cancer, or even a brain injury. It doesn't necessarily mean that your hamster is dying. For now, just keep an eye on her so that if you are able make time for a vet visit, you can give a thorough description. I hope she gets better.
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Jun 6, 2012 03:23
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oribiasi posted:I would, but its 10:08 PM EST here and I work a regular M-F job. Sucks. I've been to the vet at midnight more than once. And I work a 9-5 too. No one here can tell you what's wrong with your hamster, and no one's going to try and guess. I'm not sure what you're looking for.
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Jun 7, 2012 00:55
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2 and a half days later, I've arrived in Texas with the chins intact. I feel bad cause I accidentally roasted Smokey this morning (forgot that the sun would be beating down the side of the car once we turned south  ) but he seems ok now.I've been googling exotic vets in the area just so I know where one is in case I need one, and it looks like the closest one that'll see exotics is over an hour away near Texas A&M  Hopefully they'll stay healthy and not need to see a vet.
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Jun 7, 2012 03:23
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Aquatic Giraffe posted:2 and a half days later, I've arrived in Texas with the chins intact. I feel bad cause I accidentally roasted Smokey this morning (forgot that the sun would be beating down the side of the car once we turned south Keep an eye on him. It's possible he had a seizure in the car. Freeze some water bottles and some marble or granite tile just in case.
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Jun 7, 2012 17:03
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I'm lucky to live in an area where we have a 24 hour vet about fifteen, twenty minutes away. and a normal-hours one about ten minutes away. both care for exotics. my rat is so drat fat, she chose cheese toast over a strawberry. 
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Jun 7, 2012 17:10
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One of my girl mice (living in a cage with three others) has a couple of little bites around her eye/on her upper head. There's maybe 3-4 bites, but there's no marks on her anywhere else, and the others are fine. I'm pretty sure this is because of their current cage, which is smaller than I'd like. It'd be fine for three girls, or four normal sized girls... but my girls are fairly big, and space is a little cramped. Question is: should I get the mouse to the vet to make sure she's all okay, or just keep an eye on her for now? She's acting same as always, moving and eating fine, and it doesn't look like there's any infection. But the bites are kinda close to her eye, so... This is my first time being a Very Responsible small-pet owner, since my previous small animals were before I knew a lot about responsible pet care. So I don't know if getting her to the vet is necessary or if I'm just over-reacting. Stupid mice
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Jun 7, 2012 17:26
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Sorry to double post. Flower's eye has definitely started swelling shut as of tonight, and it's almost entirely closed. Looks like she has a bite near her other eye too. Gonna ring the vets and see if I can get her up there tomorrow or Saturday. I don't have a spare cage at the moment, and apparently my new cages won't be arriving for another week or so. If I take her to the vets will I need to set her up so she's not with the other girls for a while? If they're dog piling her it might be that I need to seperate her anyway...
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Jun 7, 2012 23:23
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Do you have a big tupper-ware container you can place her in with some bedding and food? It won't hurt her to be in a small space for a day. Also you can get a q-tip with warm salt water and gently rub it on the outside of her eye if it's getting crusty.
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Jun 7, 2012 23:44
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Awesome Kristin posted:Do you have a big tupper-ware container you can place her in with some bedding and food? It won't hurt her to be in a small space for a day. Also you can get a q-tip with warm salt water and gently rub it on the outside of her eye if it's getting crusty. I don't, but thankfully a friend came through and brought a small cage for her to be in for a couple days. It's not terribly large but she can suck it up. Her eye doesn't look crusty but I'll see how it is in the morning before we head off to see the vets. Getting her to stay still long enough to gently get salt water near her eye will be a fun ordeal!
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Jun 8, 2012 00:08
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SmellsOfFriendship posted:Keep an eye on him. It's possible he had a seizure in the car. Freeze some water bottles and some marble or granite tile just in case. He was just looking uncomfortable, he wasn't like, passed out or panting or anything. We'd stopped to get food and I looked back to check on him and noticed the sun baking his crate and him huddled up in the little bit of shade left looking uncomfortable and unhappy. I dug a towel out of one of my boxes and put it on top for the rest of the way and he's been his normal self eating and drinking. We stole some raisins from the continental breakfast at our hotel in Knoxville for them for putting up with this road trip. Dexter gets to go in his chinchilla mansion cage tomorrow, Smokey's isn't getting here until Monday so I'm probably going to make him a ghetto-fabulous cage out of moving boxes and a wire playpen from Petco in the meantime.
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Jun 8, 2012 01:06
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We just got 3 mice a few hours ago - we already have 2 gerbils so I think we're happy with the basics of keeping them. I'm particularly worried because one in particular keeps chasing the others and making them squeak (they're all boys). I can't tell if they're just playing or if I'll wake up to find one injured/dead Should I be worried?
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Jun 9, 2012 19:22
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Greyish Orange posted:We just got 3 mice a few hours ago - we already have 2 gerbils so I think we're happy with the basics of keeping them. It's definitely worth observing for a while. It could very well just be a little bit of wrestling and dominance play, but you don't want to take the chance that it's something more serious.
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Jun 10, 2012 15:16
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Greyish Orange posted:We just got 3 mice a few hours ago - we already have 2 gerbils so I think we're happy with the basics of keeping them. Separate them now. Male mice should NOT be housed together - the chances of them suddenly fighting (often to the death) is very high. There's lots of stories of people having males live together amiably for a couple of months, and then waking up to a dead mouse with no warning. Only female mice should be housed together, males should be housed singularly.
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Jun 10, 2012 15:22
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Smokey's cage got here today so he finally has his very own permanent place, yay! He hasn't done much exploring of it, he's sitting in his house looking a little overwhelmed. I don't think he's ever used an exercise wheel before either, he doesn't seem to know what it is or what to do with it. Is there any way I could help him out or is it one of those things he'll eventually figure out on his own?
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Jun 12, 2012 00:58
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Aquatic Giraffe posted:Smokey's cage got here today so he finally has his very own permanent place, yay! He'll work it out. But what kind of a wheel did you get? There are only a handful recommended for chinchillas.
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Jun 12, 2012 22:43
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SmellsOfFriendship posted:He'll work it out. But what kind of a wheel did you get? There are only a handful recommended for chinchillas. I got him the chinchilla mansion starter kit from Quality Cage, so it's one of those bigass solid wheels. He keeps trying to sit on top of it then jumps off all confused when it moves. He hasn't quite figured out that he can also sit inside it, AND make it move He'll get it eventually. I honestly think he's never had a wheel before in his life.
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Jun 13, 2012 02:31
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Aquatic Giraffe posted:I got him the chinchilla mansion starter kit from Quality Cage, so it's one of those bigass solid wheels. He keeps trying to sit on top of it then jumps off all confused when it moves. He hasn't quite figured out that he can also sit inside it, AND make it move Vincenza did the same thing and then she'd stare at it like "who are you?!!!" Sometimes, not so bright.
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Jun 13, 2012 16:57
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SmellsOfFriendship posted:Vincenza did the same thing and then she'd stare at it like "who are you?!!!" Last night I'm pretty sure Dexter tried to show him how to use it by running on his wheel for a couple seconds then running over and getting Smokey's attention and then running back to his wheel then back to Smokey etc. Smokey still didn't get it Someday he might figure it out.Dex and Smokey are now peacefully co-existing next to each other in separate cages. They get along much better when there's no threat of either of them encroaching on the other's territory and seem content to share the space between their cages.
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Jun 14, 2012 01:55
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My pigs have really slimmed down (don't worry, they have stabilized) since I dropped pellets altogether from their diet. Energy levels are up, now poo poo actually happens during floor time. Fur looks better too and they shed less. Thanks PI! (Should potential before and after shots go here or in YLLS?)
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Jun 14, 2012 10:14
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| # ? May 30, 2024 18:47 |
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I wanna see, post em here! When I weighed my girls last night I realized they feel like solid muscle. When I got them, 2 years old in a tiny cage on pellets only, they felt like bags of water - soft and squishy, like they would ooze through your fingers if you squeezed them. Now after a year running around in a giant C&C and eating hay and veg, squeezing them is like squeezing a marathon runner's thigh.
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Jun 14, 2012 14:15
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