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My vet's office is really dumb and just sent me a reminder email to say that my guinea pig who I had to put to sleep a year ago and who I still miss very much was due for her annual check-up. So now that I'm thinking about her, here are some pictures of the bestest pig ever, Flora. I have probably posted some of these before but whatever: This was her birthday party hat. Turned 6 about a week before she died.  She loved eating just about everything, including Cheerios.  She decided the hay caddy was her personal hidey home, and nothing I did could deter her. So it was rebranded the Flora Barn, and I gave it a fleece blanket inside. It was her favorite place to be since all the other pigs were too fat to get in it. RIP to a real one  https://i.imgur.com/SskIhdD.mp4
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Jan 29, 2020 16:14
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Hello thread! I figured I should probably finally post in here. This is Charlie. She's 9, we got her as a rescue when she was 3. She handled our recent cross-country move with her normal grouchness, and has now settled in and is living her best life.   Had a health scare right after the move, but we actually found a really great specialist vet who did some work on her teeth and got her back to 1000%. We've lived in three states with her now, and this is the first time I've felt truly confident in her vet.
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Jan 29, 2020 18:07
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Sirotan posted:
I love watching guinea pigs eat. There’s something soothing about it. She must have been great. In hamster news: Look at this fine rubenesque lady:  She got real mad today after I spot cleaned some parts of her cage. 
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Jan 29, 2020 23:42
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That hamster is planning to murder you in your sleep, op
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Jan 30, 2020 00:57
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mrfart posted:She got real mad today after I spot cleaned some parts of her cage. There's nothing like a really narked hamster to remind you that they're people with feelings. Small hairy people with a fairly narrow world view and who don't live anywhere near long enough, but people all the same.
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Jan 30, 2020 01:58
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Some real fuckin good babies on this here page!!! Esp Flora, rest in piggie power Flora  Jedit posted:There's nothing like a really narked hamster to remind you that they're people with feelings. Small hairy people with a fairly narrow world view and who don't live anywhere near long enough, but people all the same. Case in point. He is somehow my old grumpy Granda despite being 28 years younger than me. 
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Jan 31, 2020 18:36
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https://i.imgur.com/Pj5ihKr.mp4
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Feb 11, 2020 17:09
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yep that's a hamster being a hamster alright coco, one of my hamsters, is as far across the room as possible from the TV, and at a different angle too. but I guess there was some mixture of flashing lights that made her go defensive mode like that despite not really being able to see the tv, so she was just gnashing at the glass. never seen her do that before.
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Feb 11, 2020 17:17
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Just some recent guinea pig pictures..  
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Feb 12, 2020 21:24
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I found these treats that were dried carrot attached to an apple wood chew stick. My hams really seemed to enjoy them, especially Pokè who insists on keeping all her treats inside her wheel, She is like a rock tumbler when she runs in a wheel full of food. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMuxo2hsDc0
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Feb 13, 2020 00:52
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Alas, I cannot pay the picture tax for lack of a camera, but I believe that after 2 1/2 years, I can officially say we've adopted this squirrel and her family that live in our backyard. Every so often, usually spring and fall, we don't see her for a few weeks, but then she shows up inside our screen porch, standing on the ceramic snail on our pass-through and begging for her treat. My kids love Swirley, and my 2-year-old has to come with me to give her and hers their treats, and to say goodnight at naptime. She eats from my hand, and I know it's her because she lets me pet her 3 times out of 5. 
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Feb 18, 2020 21:43
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loving hell. We got a Syrian (golden) hamster with the thinking that the eventual letting go would be easier than with, say, a dog like the one wife had in her childhood. Spoiler-loving-alert, this theory didn't hold and the little dudette sleeping away last night is hitting harder than some deaths in the extended family.  
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Mar 5, 2020 08:25
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I know this will sound callous, but you do eventually start to get desensitized to it. though it did take about two dozen of them before I really started to just accept it and not get destroyed every time. and occasionally you still get the one that really, REALLY hurts, like with Screamer last year, the most energetic, adorable, talkative hamster ever, and then she just collapsed in my hand one day, barely over a year old. it's also why I won't get rats. I can sorta handle hamsters having short lifespans, since while they can have personalities, they're really not very complicated in their faculties. but rats, rats are absurdly intelligent and creative and playful in a way that can be almost like a very young child or dog at times. I don't think I could handle that with a hamster's lifespan.
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Mar 5, 2020 08:37
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Some definitely hit harder than others. Eventually you'll get to appreciate a good life well lived. Sorry for your loss Loezi  Not to make this the obituary thread but we also lost wee Pico a few weeks ago and it loving sucked. She was riddled with tumors and they just caught up to her all of a sudden. I still have the other three but shes left a big hole for such a tiny girl.
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Mar 5, 2020 09:01
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Captain Invictus posted:
I totally get it. We are on our 4 set of rats and every time it sucks so much and I don't think it will get better. They are just too awesome to say no to.
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Mar 5, 2020 13:23
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Loezi posted:loving hell. We got a Syrian (golden) hamster with the thinking that the eventual letting go would be easier than with, say, a dog like the one wife had in her childhood. Spoiler-loving-alert, this theory didn't hold and the little dudette sleeping away last night is hitting harder than some deaths in the extended family. Sorry to hear that. I think it means the little nest she dug into your hearts was much bigger than it first seemed, and she was a good little ham.  What is the longest it has taken you all to 'get over' the death of a little one? Bui Bui died a year and a half ago, but even just a few months ago, I started crying in a pet store because I saw a baby Chinese hamster and started thinking of her. I stopped crying monthly after I got a bunny, but even now, if I start thinking about her too much, I can't help it. I'm not even a crying type, nor did any of my previous hamsters hit this hard for this long.
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Mar 5, 2020 17:36
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I can't say I ever "got over" the deaths of any of our pets. They all make me really loving sad when I think of them and sometimes I cry. Even when we got a pair of Roborovski hamsters for free from Craigslist (because if we didn't, someone with snakes would). The person insisted they were both female, but when I cleaned the cage about a month later, I found a nest and 7 little baby hammies. Most of them lived, some got eaten. I think we ended up going through something like 30 of them and they were all found  in various states of cannibalistic consumption and it still bothers me to this day. Eventually, we were down to two and adopted one out - Donut's mama stayed in touch with us until Donut passed, and we got pics and videos at least twice a month. Then Danish passed in his/her sleep one night.It was really loving sad.
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Mar 5, 2020 18:29
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Mar 5, 2020 18:57
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Loezi posted:loving hell. We got a Syrian (golden) hamster with the thinking that the eventual letting go would be easier than with, say, a dog like the one wife had in her childhood. Spoiler-loving-alert, this theory didn't hold and the little dudette sleeping away last night is hitting harder than some deaths in the extended family. It’s the suddenness of it, we had a guy who was my hamster. Like he was given to us feral and weighing 30 grams fully grown (emaciated) and I was the first to hold him and he was my little guy. Cut to developing a lump one night, and the following morning having his entire belly rotten with infection and the vet telling me there is nothing he can do to save this vibrant hamster who is still climbing around as there’s not enough to stitch him up left and he’s just pre sepsis. Still fucks me up.
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Mar 6, 2020 05:20
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Yep that will most certainly gently caress you up. Jeeeeesus. I think sudden or just in their sleep is better. I found Pico cold and obviously on the way out in her sand bath but it took her wee heart 3 hours to give up. I kept her on my chest to keep her warm till she went which I dont regret doing at all but it was very not nice. Sudden peaceful nest deaths for all hams please.
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Mar 6, 2020 18:21
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Just over a year ago now I had to put to sleep one of the best guinea pigs I've had in the 27 years I've had guinea pigs, and it still haunts me. I can still see her being carried out of the room by the vet tech, happily chirping at me on a towel, completely there mentally. She had this tumor on her leg that just kind of came out of nowhere and that day it had become so obviously painful that she'd started to chew her skin off. It was really terrible and upsetting but I still regret that I did not take a chance at the amputation. She had been in not great health for a while so if she had made it through the surgery it would have likely been a tough recovery, and then I am not sure what kind of outlook a 3-legged guinea pig would have, so I logically know that the decision I made that day was the best one but gently caress, what if, you know? I had also had to put to sleep another pig just a few days earlier so I was kind of a mess. Just writing this up got me sobbing about it again and it's been over a year so idk that I'll ever really get over it, probably only because I am still doubting whether I did the right thing or not. I haven't had a pig just pass away in their sleep since like 15 pigs ago. :/ It never gets any easier to lose them, and every time I do I reevaluate whether I should continue with guinea pigs or maybe think about a pet that would live a bit longer. But I think I would get attached to just about anything the same way, thus I am now on pigs #18, 20, 21, and 22. anyway sorry that was kind of a downer, have this pic from way back of one of my very best pigs being a total dork 
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Mar 6, 2020 18:53
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Just think how much joy people miss out on by not taking on the awful rodent and piggie lifespans. Cowards! My heart will be gnawed to pieces but it will be well used!! Sirotan posted:
Sorry about your little heart piggie. For what it's worth I think the adage "better a week too early than a day too late" holds here. Recovery from surgery must be so confusing for tiny brains it'd be nice to go out before things get poo poo.
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Mar 6, 2020 23:43
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We got Hammy (the kids  ) a ball yesterday and she spent pretty much from 8-12 pm running around the house, saying hi to the bunnies and chasing the cats. One of the cats even started playing with her 
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Mar 12, 2020 15:11
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D34THROW posted:We got Hammy (the kids 4 hours is much too long a time for her to be away from food and water I'm afraid. She needs regular breaks! Remember she can't tell you that she wants to go home. Also, sorry to be a downer but those balls break open all the time or hams figure out how to open them and kitty might not be so nice when she realises the ball contained a snack. Please be safe
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Mar 12, 2020 21:26
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also also, make sure it's an appropriate ball for the size of the hamster, they are not one size fits all. I learned this the hard way early on when my chinese dwarf hamster got her paw stuck in the air slot of one of the regular hamster balls, I recognized right away what happened so she didn't get really hurt, but that was a quick lesson to be more careful with hamster equipment/toys.
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Mar 12, 2020 21:29
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I need to get more pics of Urchin. This hoggie is loving awesome as poo poo. Lately I've been scooping him up in the evening, putting him in his sac, wearing it under my shirt for an hour or so before he wakes up from his nap. He snuffles around and lets me know he's ready, so I set him back in his cage, and he runs to the litterbox, then to get his water, some food, then back to bed. Sometimes I wake him during the day to give him a piece of chicken. We have learned chicken, like mealworms, is a special treat. Otherwise he gets a bath, which he always poops in, leading to another bath. And he HATES baths.
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Mar 20, 2020 04:11
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So Albin is clearly reaching the end of his time, he's no longer washing himself, thinning out, etc. Is it okay to give him ratty, torn up old t-shirt to make a bed with(it's the shirt I've always used when I hold him/he sleeps in my shirt), something softer than his regular bedding, or will he just eat it and choke to death/whatever? I think I'm basically viewing this as a "last trip to mcdonalds before euthanasia for my dog" type of last forbidden gift.
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Mar 20, 2020 07:01
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Edit: bleh, imgur doesn't want to play well on my phone so can't share picture of 1 day old chinchilla at the moment.
Khisanth Magus fucked around with this message at 07:27 on Mar 20, 2020 |
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Mar 20, 2020 07:24
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Captain Invictus posted:So Albin is clearly reaching the end of his time, he's no longer washing himself, thinning out, etc. Is it okay to give him ratty, torn up old t-shirt to make a bed with(it's the shirt I've always used when I hold him/he sleeps in my shirt), something softer than his regular bedding, or will he just eat it and choke to death/whatever? Nothing to worry about with the shirt as long as he does not chew it, and even then you just have to make sure he’s not getting fibers wrapped around his teeth. We often move elderly hams into a few layers of fleece and supply some torn up napkins or TP as bedding material as it’s easier for them to move around and cuts down on the dust.
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Mar 22, 2020 21:45
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  Just some ham pics.
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Apr 9, 2020 20:08
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Albin's still trucking along, shockingly. He got over his eye gunk problem a little under a month ago, started to look healthier again, cleaning himself again, his weight improved. and then, about a week ago, spots all over him started to get completely hairless. then, massive lumpy scabs, including one the size of a dime, appeared. then he stopped cleaning himself again. I've been giving him baths and drying him off every day or two because he's not washing himself again. but this...this is like, megacancer, isn't it. warning, don't click this if you're not comfortable with seeing a scabrous hamster:  pictureshe's still active, eating, drinking(though notably he drinks a LOT more now, guessing it's the cancer), hell he jumped almost to the top of his cage in a single leap when I accidentally spooked him earlier today, so I'm wondering if I should just leave him be. He doesn't SEEM to be in pain, he doesn't recoil like a wounded animal or anything, but he's clearly not doing so hot either.
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Apr 22, 2020 00:21
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Oof. That looks awful poor little man!! They make it so hard to work out if they're okay or not. They'd literally walk off a broken leg. I tell myself if they're still enjoying their food and able to get around and explore like a hamster should then I'll let them carry on but you know the saying better a day too early than a minute too late. loving sucks trying to make that decision. You know him best and you'll do your best for him, I'm sorry for the both of you
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Apr 22, 2020 22:47
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I was really worried about my hoggie for a while; hedgehogs can get a shaking disorder. About the nerves, and there's no cure. So when I saw him walking funny, a bit hunched over, and some quick spasms like he was twerking, I knew it wasn't good. I got Urchin back in August last year with no medical history on him, even an age. A quick Google search showed me the truth, because he is still active and eating and pooping like mad. My little ouch mouse was just masturbating. A lot. Even on my hand.
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Apr 23, 2020 05:00
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Cowslips Warren posted:I was really worried about my hoggie for a while; hedgehogs can get a shaking disorder. About the nerves, and there's no cure. So when I saw him walking funny, a bit hunched over, and some quick spasms like he was twerking, I knew it wasn't good. I got Urchin back in August last year with no medical history on him, even an age. Look we are all just trying to get through this quarantine however we can... Filthy little Urchin!!! 
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Apr 23, 2020 10:13
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I really can't believe how fast cancer progresses in rodents. Albin got so much worse since I took those pictures, he just passed away as I comforted him a few minutes ago, the visible cancer spots from those photos quadrupled, he was lumpy from head to toe with tumors. It's unbelievable. It's the worst not being able to do anything to help them beyond comfort.
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Apr 29, 2020 23:28
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Reason I stopped getting rodents was getting attached to them and they having a short lifespan, still love rodents though.
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May 6, 2020 10:42
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at the same time, having a tiny, adorable little critter that just wants to crawl inside my shirt, curl up in a ball, peep a dozen times as she gets comfortable, fall fast asleep and then, if she maintains sleep long enough, stretches out and kicks her legs out as she dreams is so very wonderful
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May 6, 2020 13:01
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You get to love so many of them! I'm getting a couple of cats soon once we move house and I dunno how you recover when they die after being around every day for 10 fuckin years. Might have to get some geriatric cats with like 2-3 years left on the cloak to ease myself into it. Captain Invictus posted:at the same time, having a tiny, adorable little critter that just wants to crawl inside my shirt, curl up in a ball, peep a dozen times as she gets comfortable, fall fast asleep and then, if she maintains sleep long enough, stretches out and kicks her legs out as she dreams is so very wonderful 
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May 7, 2020 20:52
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Sorry to hear about Albin Captain Invictus. I agree though, Hamsters are absolutely wonderful creatures. Even with their short lifespan I would have a hard time not having their tiny fuzzy faces around.
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May 8, 2020 17:27
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I've been renovating a fixer-upper I bought last fall and finally got the office/pig room done last weekend. I upgraded the pig cage and gave it a wire grid base, which looks way better than the milk crates and plywood it used to sit on: ---->  My inspiration was this cage stand at guineapigcagesstore.com: https://www.guineapigcagesstore.com/cage-stand-jumbo  I used to have some vinyl covering the milk crates so you couldn't see the clutter, but it always looked like poo poo. Really like how their bins look in that example photo, so I just put in an order for ~$300 in cage upgrades including those bins and some specialty grids to give the pigs more space to run. Way more excited for this remodel than I have for anything I've done myself in this house so far, lol
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May 8, 2020 18:00
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