The problem with all these plans is that I am insanely allergic to both cats and dogs. I sneeze. I wheeze. I become the sad little inhaler-around-the neck kid from elementary school. Gawd forbid I get a hair or dander in mah eye.
Fuct.Up.Eye. That's all I'm gonna say, cause the actual description of what happens is nasty. No really, like the whites of my eyes swell up and my eyes start producing this booger like...anywho...Not good. Not pretty.
My entire life has been spent this way. I would LOVE to have a cat. They're all prissy and bitching and particular-like me!
I'm not a dog person, even if I could be-I wouldn't be. I've only met one dog that was well enough behaved for my tastes. The dog we grew up with. Our dad raised and trained Black Labs for bird hunting. Our dog was so highly trained that my dad could tell her not to crap using a single command, and she would hold it. I s**t you not. *snicker*
So...Out of all this sneezing and snot developed a love for rodents.
That's right-I like mice. And hamsters.
I currently have:
A hamster named Momma Bear. (She used to possess the moniker of Annette, however, she failed to live up to this and instead became sassy, large and in charge. )
Five Degu named Sampson (the momma), Delilah (the daddy), Little, Pocket and Lullaby. If you don't know what a Degu is go HERE for more information. Long story short, they are Chinchillas with short hair, grumpy personalities and diabetes.
Sampson and Delilah sittin' in a wheel-h.u.m.p.i.n.g. Yeah, two turned into 10. We kept the parents and 4 babies but one passed away.
This is the cage Hubs and I built for them. They get big. Like somewhere between a rat and a smallish rabbit. Degu live anywhere from 8-15 years.
And our newest edition:
Jax! Jax is my new pet rat. She's a baby. She is missing hind paw. She was born that way. She probably will not be able to jump, climb and be as agile as others of her kind. She is so cute and so friendly! Earlier she hung out on my desk and helped me do the taxes. She snuggled with me while I bitched and complained and later cried a little--but that's a story for another blog. This is the first rat that I've raised and I'm fairly excited about it! I've been wanting one for a long while. When stopping in at the pet store to buy food for the "Goo's" I always check out the rats. Look them over, hold them if the store isn't busy, talk to the owner about them....I finally mentioned this to hubs last week who sighed loudly. And proceeded to tell me if I really wanted one, to go ahead. Still I held off. Not sure if I should take on another pet.
curled up in my sweater, helping me write this very blog post!
Here she is in her new house.
But today, my little Jax was destiny! You see, I had decided that I really shouldn't spend money on another tiny mouth to feed. Then, while at the convenience store I purchased a $1 scratcher ticket. I won five bucks. As luck would have it-that is exactly the price of a baby 'Fancy Rat'. (Fancy is the name of the domestic breed)
When hubs got home this is how it went down:
Me: Hai baby! Want to meet the newest member of our family?
Hubs:
Me: (holding out the little girl) This is Jax, you know, like the game!
Hubs: . . .
I've raised many a hamster over my lifetime. They don't live long. 3-5 years in captivity. What sucks about hamsters is that while cute and very tamable-there short life span makes for more pet funerals that I'd like to recall. I've been made fun of on more than one occasion for being upset about one of my rodents passing on.
You see, to most-rodents are disposable. It's sad really. Degu and Rats for instance are extremely intelligent. They can be trained to learn their names, solve puzzles and do simple tasks. They are also social creatures. A single Degu will die of depression if the owner does not spend enough time with it, they are best kept in groups.
One day, after my kids are gone and Hubs is in a home-I'll be the Crazy Rat Lady down the street. But I don't mind.
IT'S SO CUTE!!!!! Does she try to get away like the hamsters and the Goos?
ReplyDeleteShe doesn't. She is a total snuggle bunny! She is still super skiddish though, loud noises and the TV make her jumpy. That's to be expected though, she's still very young and in a new enviroment.
ReplyDeleteMomma Bear likes to be held, but only on her terms. And the Goos are just naturally skiddish. They can be trained to accept being held, but I haven't had the time to spend with them. Sampson will come up to me and put her little paws on my chest when I open the top of the cage. She knows I got the goodies.
Wow! What a neat conglomeration of critters! I think the Degus are cute. I've always liked guinea pigs, but if we ever went on vacation, I know I'd never get my mother to come and feed them - she has a *thing* about *rodents.*
ReplyDeleteShe will, however, come over and feed our extremely ornery and geriatric cat.
Have you ever thought of getting one of those hairless cats? To me it kind of defeats the purpose - don't we get cats because they're furry and fuzzy and so forth - and then here is this breed that's hairless.
I hear that labradoodles are kinder to those with allergies, too - but yours sound really severe!
I once heard of a young boy who kept a kitten in his dresser drawer, and mom didn't know until a few weeks later when the boy asked, "Mom, what do kittens like to eat?" Evidently he'd run out of tidbits to feed kitty. They kept the cat, of course!
I haven't had a guinea pig, but I would love too! I love the little long haired ones, but don't know what they would do to me.
ReplyDeleteI've thought about the hairless cats! I would love to have one, but they are SO expensive. There used to be a company that sold genetically altered cats and dogs that were supposedly hypo-allergenic. The pets were like 25K each! They closed though and now only donate their animals for seeing eye dogs, etc.
I would not put it past my kids to try it! I really wouldn't!
I have to say that I've never been one to want to have pet that have to be checked on while we are away. Hamsters are good for several days with an overflowing food dish and full water bottle. Since we got the Goo's though, we have to have someone feed and water them. They won't eat food that has been out for very long and they drink a ton of water. Jax can't be left either. She will need a pet sitter.
Cute post! Welcome Jax! I love them all!!!
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking.... "It's a good thing you're allergic to cats." Because those little creatures wouldn't have a chance!
ReplyDeleteNever wanted any type of pets of that nature. But I think it's neat that you do!
I'd just be worried that one would escape or something. They are cute though!
ReplyDeleteOh they have escaped! When the babies were little, all 10 Degu got out of the cage when I accidentally left a door open. It was a mad house!! It took hours to round them all up!
ReplyDelete