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Pew! Pew! posted:I judged people with dogs that have crops and docks without thinking. When I worked at Petco, I adopted/bought: -Babby Robo Hampster (omfg nothing should be that cute); kept for ~5 months because I moved from my tiny rear end apt into a tiny rear end bedroom in a house I rented=smelling bedroom -2 tree frogs, kept maybe 2 months. I couldn't figure out how to keep the substrate moist enough from sticking to their skin so they never came down to eat. So they got skinny. I guess I figured I was a bad frog owner and didn't want them to die so I gave them away -lineolated parakeet. Bought him/her from petco because she was on clearance (yes, I know) and I figured I could fix her from being broken (since she was at our store for maybe 2 years and before that came from another store). Nope. My expertise is limited to budgies and only budgies. I fed her bad food and never trained her. She was terrified of me so I rarely took her out. I found a good home for her on craigslist, of all places. Her new mom used to breed and raise them. She probably bred her but meh. I would get emails from her telling me how much fun my ex-bird was having with her new bff, a green linnie named Apollo. -Ocean, the budgie I adopted because a kid I worked with was going to take her and he was realllyyy bad at keeping animals. Plus I felt bad because he was found outside during winter. Had him just about trained. -finches, 3 other budgies; gave away because I got pnemonia and it was probably from having 7 birds in the house  and now I have REALLY bad bird allergies so that helps to insure I won't get another for a very long time-a puppy because I was stupid -the one that hurts the worst: my cat Maggie. I got her because I finally got my first apt. It was really awesome, just me and her. I moved into a house on a very busy part of town that had a doggie door. She was also declawed (came that way). I thought it would be cruel to keep her locked up in a tiny room all day. She used to sleep under the covers with me and always slept on her back with her paws up in the air. I now understand what I was doing. I was going through a whole shitload of problems and I figured that if I loved and cared for All the Abandoned Animals then all my problems would magically go away. Nope, it didn't work. It took a long time before I realized that the only way I would be happy (animal wise) was to only keep a few and spoil them rotten. I haven't adopted or bought anything since I got Riley, 2 years ago. I have even been volunteering at the local shelter clinic and I haven't gotten anything. I feel I do enough loving on them while they are at the clinic. So go me I guess 
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Nov 28, 2012 03:21
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A Sleepy Budgie posted:I now understand what I was doing. I was going through a whole shitload of problems and I figured that if I loved and cared for All the Abandoned Animals then all my problems would magically go away. Nope, it didn't work. It took a long time before I realized that the only way I would be happy (animal wise) was to only keep a few and spoil them rotten. I haven't adopted or bought anything since I got Riley, 2 years ago. This right here is exactly why I did it too, basically distracting myself from e/n problems by getting animals. I'm really glad I managed to stop myself before it got too bad (especially considering I work at a Petco now). So now I just quietly rage inside about people buying hamsters for a 3 year old, but otherwise I think I have that issue under control.
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Nov 28, 2012 03:35
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I love it when Beau reaches his harassment limit and becomes a nippy little gently caress to my girlfriend. I sometimes run the vacuum to just hear both dogs bark and carry on (Bridget at the Death Machine and Beau at her). I once had Genevieve shaved and I loved her a little bit less afterward. I like how Beau's feet smell.
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Nov 28, 2012 03:51
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When my two cats were but wee kittens, they would climb on me and fart something furiously evil. Now, when they sleep in my lap, I get my revenge 
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Nov 28, 2012 04:00
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My dog was starting to collect shoes when home alone, and then started chewing on a couple of them. My Manolos.  I picked up a flip flop and bopped her on the nose. It worked for Bunny Foo Foo and it worked for me.
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Nov 28, 2012 04:01
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I once got a hamster because OMG sooo cute I want! When it died four months later for reasons that were mainly my fault, I was a little sad, but not as sad as I guess I should have been. I also sometimes purposely shut our younger cat in the pantry when he walks in there. He's learned that's where we keep their food and he runs in expectantly, crying his greedy little head off. He's never in there for longer than two minutes, but it satisfies me. crashdome posted:When my two cats were but wee kittens, they would climb on me and fart something furiously evil. kinmik fucked around with this message at 04:15 on Nov 28, 2012 |
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Nov 28, 2012 04:09
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I sometimes feel smug because I humanely trained my dog with a clicker. Then I feel like a hypocrite because I trained him to bring me ducks that were probably having a pretty good day until I murdered them. Every winter I build the cat a snow cave directly under the bird feeder. She outdid herself last year by attacking a wild turkey and I honestly can't wait to watch it again this year. 
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Nov 28, 2012 04:09
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Ikantski posted:
If loving this is wrong, I don't want to be right. We discipline our baby conure with forced snuggles instead of something that would probably work better. It does distract her...
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Nov 28, 2012 04:15
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Seriously, Ikantski, do that again and detail and document everything that happens in its very own thread. I'd read the hell out of it.
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Nov 28, 2012 04:19
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When I was in college I only scooped Lucy's box like every three weeks or something horrible. She never ever peed or pooed outside it, though, the little champ. Also I have taken to high-fiving people out of habit because I high-five my cats all the time. That's not bad for the cats, but it makes me feel weird when I realize what I'm doing. Oh, and when I had mice I discovered I should not take care of things in cages because I really need my animals to be able to sit on my chest and demand that I take care of them when I'm in a depressive streak, because otherwise I just don't. Mighty Amoeba fucked around with this message at 04:24 on Nov 28, 2012 |
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Nov 28, 2012 04:20
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When I was in high school I had a parakeet named Hedwig. I took care of him and loved him dearly but I got really annoyed with how he would only eat some of his seed mix and leave the rest. I decided he would eat the stuff she didn't like if he got hungry enough and left him alone for a long weekend while my family visited my grandma with the seeds he didn't like. When I got home he was dying on the bottom of the cage. I blew into the seed dish and the hulls flew everywhere. He ate what he didn't like but he starved because there wasn't enough food for him. I have never forgiven myself for that. I'm sorry Hedwig. 
SuperTwo fucked around with this message at 04:46 on Nov 28, 2012 |
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Nov 28, 2012 04:41
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A Sleepy Budgie posted:
Yeah that was basically my mindset. I was fat and unmedicated and in a really e/n "relationship" with a whole lot of emotional abuse involved and Saving All The Pets was basically all I had for a while. If I spent 24/7 obsessing over, acquiring, and ~saving~ animals, I didn't have to confront the reality of my life and also got to feel like and pretend everything wasn't completely hosed up and unhealthy. I started out with a totally healthy number of animals, but the person I was with would, at random, get rid of one of them when I wasn't home and then claim they knew nothing about it and sometimes, legitimately get me to question whether I even actually owned that animal at all. The emotional fallout from this led to me acquiring more and more pets, in some kind of weak crazy person attempt at control + filling the deepening emotional void of disappearing animals. Save the pets, save all the pets, everything is fine!! I've had the same 2 dogs since I began the process of getting the gently caress away from this person. Turns out I'm not a hoarder when I'm not being gaslighted. Honestly, this is a huge reason I poo poo on ~rescue ladies~ and rescue animals, some kind of weird reactionary emotional defense mechanism against Caring About Animals so basically don't listen to me PI, I'm mean and am not over my old dogs and need more therapy Mighty Amoeba posted:Oh, and when I had mice I discovered I should not take care of things in cages because I really need my animals to be able to sit on my chest and demand that I take care of them when I'm in a depressive streak, because otherwise I just don't. Yeeeah when I feel myself taking a downward turn I move an animal with a water bottle into my bedroom so that if it gets low, the clicking of the empty bottle will keep me awake and I will be forced to water the rats and mice. On a less depressing note, I actively encourage my dogs to hump each other and then laugh at them until it hurts their feelings.
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Nov 28, 2012 05:05
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tsc posted:3 (now 2) cats, one giant litter box. I am guilty of this, with my three cats. I scoop it daily and they all use it religiously. This apartment's small, so why bother cramming more boxes in here if there's no problem?  I don't do a full cleaning nearly as often as I should though. Once a month tops.  Also I am selling my snake because he is very boring and I need the money. I walk my dog off-leash too much (but never where he can bother people/other dogs). I'm going to start leashing him more, though, except when we are in his Designated Romping Zones in the park. He does so well off-leash and turns into such a zombie on-leash.
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Nov 28, 2012 05:06
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Skizzles posted:
^5 buddy, I am selling 2 of my 3 leopard geckos because they are boring and I am moving and I want the money. I'm keeping the retarded one because it's broken and needs to be hand fed most of the time, unless I find someone who really wants a broken leopard gecko and will actually feed it and keep it warm.
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Nov 28, 2012 05:09
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Decoy always wins all play fights and squabbles with Hugo. One day, after hearing Hugo wail particularly loudly I held onto Decoys feet so Hugo could headbutt him retardedly without being pounded and Be A Winner. I also let my cats outside, but only when we're at home and not at night. I feel like I should be appalled by Decoy's kleptomania but I nearly wet myself laughing when I discovered his treasure trove of stolen food and toys he hid in my husbands tshirt.
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Nov 28, 2012 05:22
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I tend to have medical-related anxiety and sometimes I project it onto Beck and worry about her health. I just took her out one last time before bed and she kept doing this weird squatting thing while walking around looking for a place to pee. I was 100% convinced that her hips were giving out. As soon as we came back inside, she scooted on her butt really quickly on the floor and ran to jump in my bed, trailing a nasty fishy smell behind her. Gross little dog was trying to express her anal glands the whole time. I was having a panic attack because my dog was reluctant to drag her rear end on the cold ground outside and I thought her hips were shot.
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Nov 28, 2012 05:36
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Several dog breeds I'm interested in owning in the future are traditionally docked and I will put little to no effort in to finding breeders that don't dock despite thinking the reasoning behind it is stupid. There are just so many more important things I am looking for in a breeder. Also I have literally never had a dog with a full tail and just don't really care. I was never mad at you though Pew! I just get sick of hearing people be judge-y about docking. Major is only walked off my property maybe a handful of times a year. He freaks about car rides and there are dangerous loose dogs in my neighborhood so I just let him run amok in my pastures and figure it's good enough. I actively encourage him to go nuts chasing birds and wildlife because it wears him out more. I also taught him to fetch specifically so I could exercise him without getting off the couch at night. I alpha rolled a sheep. Not because I thought it was being dominant but because he was being dangerous towards me while I needed to work in his pen and didn't have anywhere to move him. I knocked him down and stood on his shoulder while I finished fixing the panel he broke so he couldn't charge me again. It was in front of his ladies too. He hasn't tried to butt me since.
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Nov 28, 2012 05:39
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I don't correct people when they mistake Zoso's name for "So-so" because, lets be honest here. He's only so-so.
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Nov 28, 2012 05:41
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I don't play with my cat enough so she gets bored and does bad stuff for attention. Which I then give to her. Which reinforces that behavior. I sometimes take two cats that don't like each other and smoosh them together. I play Youtube clips of cats fighting and hissing to confuse them. I bang on a plate to get them to come by making them think I'm going to feed them and then don't actually feed them.
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Nov 28, 2012 06:05
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I sometimes ignore my cats to watch silly videos I just took of them over and over, laughing like an idiot. "Go awaaaay, Valentine, I'm watching you play with your Da Bird."
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Nov 28, 2012 06:12
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Early morning, I'm not ready to get up...I will ignore Peanut's pacing around the house and flapping her ears for as long as I can, god I am a horrible dog dad
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Nov 28, 2012 06:32
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Lareine posted:I bang on a plate to get them to come by making them think I'm going to feed them and then don't actually feed them. Holy lord this poo poo right here LOL
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Nov 28, 2012 06:34
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Mighty Amoeba posted:I sometimes ignore my cats to watch silly videos I just took of them over and over, laughing like an idiot. "Go awaaaay, Valentine, I'm watching you play with your Da Bird." I do this to Indy, too. "Not now, I'm too busy looking at the pictures of you I just posted on Facebook. Look how many likes you got!" Cat: *just wants playtime, does not care about Facebook* 
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Nov 28, 2012 06:35
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Half the reason I'm potty training my bird is so that I can make her poop on people I don't like.
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Nov 28, 2012 07:12
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I want a Labradoodle. 
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Nov 28, 2012 07:18
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I have one kitty litter for two cats, and I clean it usually a couple of times a week. They don't seem to care so meh. My cats somehow never learned to complain meow so I take advantage of that and hug them far longer than they want because I want to smoosh their little faces and they don't know how to tell me to stop. Sometimes I'll yell or smack them on the butt if I get really angry, but that's usually only when they've broken something. Sometimes if I'm bored I'll go find one that's sleeping and annoy him to entertain myself. I'm not sure how much of a confession that is, since I'm pretty sure that's what pets are for.
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Nov 28, 2012 07:50
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There are times when I really don't know how else to treat something and... well... I say to myself, "Whelp, Pred before dead!" and give it steroids and antibiotics.
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Nov 28, 2012 07:59
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Superconsndar posted:^5 buddy, I am selling 2 of my 3 leopard geckos because they are boring and I am moving and I want the money. I'm keeping the retarded one because it's broken and needs to be hand fed most of the time, unless I find someone who really wants a broken leopard gecko and will actually feed it and keep it warm. Strangely enough, I also have a broken (brain-damaged) gecko who needs hand-feeding and help shedding and extra lights because he won't gravitate to the warm spot. He got bit in the head by the cat. I figure it is only fair that I baby him, given that I was the one who didn't close the cage securely. Also, I enjoy being able to say that I saved a 6 gram gecko who was bit in the head. I taught the cats to high-five, but when they transposed that into hitting each other in the face I decided that's close enough.
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Nov 28, 2012 08:02
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blackflare posted:What sort of monster would carpet a kitchen? I. KNOW. RIGHT. To be fair to my landlady the cottage is 600 years old and the kitchen floor is stone and uneven, but even so. At least the carpet is very old carpet  .Speaking of carpets, Mouse is house trained but also a frequent pee-er - if we get off schedule or I misread her I NEED TO PEE signals, there are sometimes accidents v  v
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Nov 28, 2012 09:35
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I actually like dogs.
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Nov 28, 2012 09:37
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RabbitMage posted:I want a Labradoodle. Also, I sometimes rub my face in our smaller cat's belly until my beard is saturated with fur. Not like it's the goal, just the result.
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Nov 28, 2012 10:01
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Savannah is a little leash-reactive, needs better manners, and her recall is poo poo and we just don't work with her on it.  My bird doesn't get enough one-on-one time. Luckily she is fairly independent and entertains herself with her toys well, and she's in a high-traffic area so I chatter with her and she gets to see us a lot and gets pets and scritches when she's playing on her cage, but as far as time perching on me, I suck. Also, she used to be fed Harrison's years ago, until I couldn't afford it anymore and started feeding her Lafeber's pellets. I have a good job now and make way more money and she's still on the Lafeber's, even though Harrison's are better. I'm also lazy about making her eat fresh veggies. In years past, when I was scraping the absolute bottom of the mental health barrel, my pets suffered for it in serious lack of attention and clean cages. I got my poo poo together finally and it hasn't been like that for years now, and I've been trying to make up for it (of course not succeeding 100% considering these other confessions), but I was kind of a lovely pet owner for awhile there. This one I feel the worst about. I went to a convention over Labor Day weekend and my snake died while we were gone.  His name was Sketti, he was a rosy boa, and I never posted about him. The worst part is, I hired somebody to come in and look after Poppy, but I figured the snake would be okay, because he always was when I'd occasionally be gone for a weekend. So somebody was coming in and out and never noticed him going downhill, or anything. I don't know if I could have saved him even if she had, but getting home and finding him like that...  I fed him before we left, he had fresh water, and I was just sure he'd be okay because he was so low maintenance. I feel so terrible about it. And I took him for a necropsy, but the basic one the vet did didn't turn up anything obvious, and he sent samples away to UGA but I still haven't heard back yet. I admit, I'm kind of avoiding calling to press about it because I have this irrational fear that somehow it was totally my fault and I was a terrible owner because sometimes I'd go a little longer than I should've between feedings, or substrate changes, or something. I also never handled him much.I was such an embarrassing wreck the next day at work I had to go home. People probably thought I was crazy, but at least I didn't get any "it was JUST a snake" stuff. I am getting choked up writing about it now, even. And this seems stupid to say because I do get very attached to pets, but I guess I never realized quite how much I loved him and enjoyed him being around until he was gone.
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Nov 28, 2012 11:28
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CompactFanny posted:Holy lord this poo poo right here LOL They are freefed dry prescription cat food and we supplement with the wet since they don't really like the dry too much. They aren't starving. That would be SUPER mean.
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Nov 28, 2012 12:12
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I have been slacking off like a total twat for the last couple of months with Lola, and resorting to just management/more punishment (verbal) when she does Things I Don't Like. She's getting more reactive because of it. Jess is pretty much ignored 95% of the time because she spends all day asleep in another room. Then when she wants attention she's really pushy and dickish. She winds me up like no other animal ever has and makes me want to throttle her sometimes. My mouse is taken out for checkups but he doesn't enjoy handling much and I don't enjoy it much so it just doesn't really happen. He's fat and happier than 99.9% of mice everywhere so idgaf. I still haven't trained my dogs to have appropriate reactions to the door, so if someone knocks or comes in they are gut-punched by Jess and screamed at and jumped on or barked shrilly at by Lola, depending on whether or not she knows them. Whenever I see people forking out looooads for rat/small animal surgeries I feel like total poo poo because I will not do that. Ever. I am a student, and would rather put my money toward food/housing/emergency funds for my dogs than for my rats. If my rats get tumors I will assess their quality of life until it starts to decline, then take them to be euthed. I do not have the money or inclination for rat surgeries. I am a dick 
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Nov 28, 2012 12:17
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Fraction posted:
I only forked out a ton for rat surgeries at my craziest, because if I spend a ton on rat surgeries, I'm the best pet owner ever, right??? Not gonna lie: if anything besides a dog gets sick, its pretty much SOL. Anything that can be treated with antibiotics (or basic cleaning and stuff in the case of wounds) will be treated if it's a rat or a reptile. If it's a mouse, it MIGHT get over the counter feed store antibiotics if I feel like it, if not I just euth it if it doesn't look like it's gonna get better on its own. I will baby older rats and give them 1 level cages and help them eat and keep them on antibiotics if necessary and do whatever I can to keep them comfortable, but if any kind of vet bill runs over about a hundred bucks it usually becomes a matter of management until it's obvious they're not happy anymore. ...Unless I just happen to REALLY like that animal for whatever reason, and then I will meltdown over it and spend whatever I can so basically I am horrible and play favorites. I am at least psycho about my dogs and if anything happened to either of them I'd spend every penny of my savings and then start selling poo poo and begging family members for loans to get them seen about.
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Nov 28, 2012 13:09
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Lareine posted:They are freefed dry prescription cat food and we supplement with the wet since they don't really like the dry too much. They aren't starving. That would be SUPER mean. Oh no, I wasn't suggesting you starved them. It was just really funny to me. Once, in high school, I was at my best friend's house. I was in the kitchen, with a paper bag full of air... I called for his dog, "wanna treat?!?" And when she came barreling around the corner I popped the bag and scared the poo poo out of her. She got over it and came out of hiding a couple minutes later, but then several hours later when I was about to leave, I asked her if she wanted a treat to make amends. She ran upstairs and hid.
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Nov 28, 2012 13:20
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I was bitterly disappointed in Rho when it became clear he is a gunshy worrier and more than a bit odd and it wasn't going to go away. So long dreams of making the SAR team and winning trials effortlessly in agility! Oddly enough once I got over the disappointment and came to terms with the fact that he is what he is, I started to be able to enjoy working with him again. I still felt horrible for being disappointed in him and I'll probably feel guilty about it forever.
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Nov 28, 2012 14:20
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Rixatrix posted:I was bitterly disappointed in Rho when it became clear he is a gunshy worrier and more than a bit odd and it wasn't going to go away. So long dreams of making the SAR team and winning trials effortlessly in agility! I got really disappointed when Moses turned out overly emotional and smart and weird, in spite of knowing that his breeding could result in exactly that. I feel bad because he's a really cool dog and I actually really like how challenging it is to figure out his brain- and then when I DO figure out his crazy leaps of dog logic, I'm always really impressed at just how smart and perceptive he is and how much he understands, and the hilarious filters his "gently caress all dogs" emotions throw over that logic...but then my sperg kicks in and I get mad that he isn't the way he "should" be, and then I feel guilty for caring that my dog doesn't have a temperament that assuages my nerdiness. I get mad when he freaks out about poo poo because "a good pit bull wouldn't know what the gently caress is even going on, oh my god shut up and stop staring at cats because I tripped over you and stepped on your tail in the hallway earlier and didn't spend 10 minutes telling you it was okay. Go be normal." He is a good dog and it isn't his fault he's anxious, and I get mad at him for not being dumb and oblivious enough.
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Nov 28, 2012 14:50
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CompactFanny posted:Oh no, I wasn't suggesting you starved them. It was just really funny to me. Once, in high school, I was at my best friend's house. I was in the kitchen, with a paper bag full of air... I called for his dog, "wanna treat?!?" And when she came barreling around the corner I popped the bag and scared the poo poo out of her. She got over it and came out of hiding a couple minutes later, but then several hours later when I was about to leave, I asked her if she wanted a treat to make amends. She ran upstairs and hid. Just had to make sure. This IS PI after all. More crimes. When my cat had her belly shaved for an ultrasound, I took the opportunity to give her raspberries on her tummy. She of course kicked my face and bit the top of my head. Recently, she licked off all the hair on her stomach due to what we think were seasonal allergies. Guess what I had to start doing again.
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Nov 28, 2012 14:53
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Our cats get largely ignored in comparison to the attention the dogs get unless I am doing late night computer stuff and the dogs are asleep in the bedroom. We have a dog door. Everyone gets housebroken the old fashioned way but once they're old enough to handle that biznez, they can come and go as they please. In fact, because our house didn't really have an existing door to modify, we made a removable dog door for our bedroom window. It has steps leading up to it on the inside and a ramp leading out to the yard on the outside. The whole thing can come out of the window if we aren't going to be home for any length of time and no one is allowed access to it if we aren't here but gently caress it, 6 dogs with wildly different bladder capacities can have a dog door and I'm not sorry. Part of the reason my wife prefers to adopt dogs that are older than six months is because she gets disappointed when baby puppies don't grow up how she pictured. We have mutts, it's impossible to pinpoint adult size perfectly but at the heart, she's a spergy, OCD doglady and it drives her crazy that mutts lack the general predictability that purebreds have for growth and development.
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Nov 28, 2012 15:17
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