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Hi there! First, pictures! Sorry they're terrible, they're still adjusting and a little stressed I think.  That's Christopher! He's older, about 3 years and a little more shy. But better with people.  That's Vincent! He's a younger, 6 months to a year. We adopted these guys off Craigslist. Christopher is by far tamer than Vincent but they're very well bonded. We have a lot of work to do to get Vincent to bond with us. And there are other problems. The cage is too small, I think the bedding is cedar (which is messing with my allergies) and they never seem to have had any hay ever given the way they responded to us putting timothy in the cage. I have some new bedding, food and cage on order. We're buying an air conditioner, we discovered last night that even though the temp in our house stays between 65-70, it's too hot for play time. Vincent started overheating last night. I need some temporary tips to cool off the little guys so they can play. I read that putting ice cubes in the cage is good so they can lick them. Is that ok? Will it crack their teeth? Is putting the cubes in terracotta ok? We also put them in the carrier and took them outside for a few minutes, which got them cool pretty quickly. (Outside temp was 53) I read everything on this page http://www.chincare.com/ which I both hate and love (is it 1998 with your right click thing? Jesus.) What would you recommend for cleaning their water bottle or the floor in the bathroom? I know they have sensitive little bellies and respiratory systems. I think I might be a little neurotic but I want to make sure they have a good home  . I don't think they've had everything they need in the past. They were left in a barn with a heater. I do know they seem love it when I move anything in their cage. They freak out for about 15 minutes checking every little thing .And if there are any Portland area Oregoons here with chinchillas a good vet would be great! The one near us has dealt with small animals before. I don't know how they do with exotics though. Any advice? SmellsOfFriendship fucked around with this message at 22:34 on Oct 31, 2011 |
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Oct 31, 2011 22:24
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Awesome Kristin posted:Temps and cages! This is what we have her in now (and dang are Ferret Nation's expensive. I thought about a Quality Cage but I think we're going to save that for when she's bigger.)  The little house on the bottom is above a marble slab in case she gets too hot. She loves her tube though. The shelves are completely metal (thank god!) I have another shelf on order + a whole bunch of fleece and toys. Baby chinchillas can't have enough toys  Here's a gratuitous picture! We bought an air conditioner. As soon as the outside temp gets back above 60 that baby is getting fired on. She seems pretty comfortable now with the house in between 63-70. 
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Dec 8, 2011 17:56
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furushotakeru posted:Cute chinnie! Thanks for sharing. Are you on chins-n-hedgies? And oh man, once Vincenza gets settled in a little more we're going to try and find her a new friend. I wish I lived in California!
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Dec 9, 2011 03:43
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Awesome Kristin posted:Yeah I understand your pain. One of my chinchillas bites all the time and hates attention. I don't think he'll ever not try to bite my fingers off.  They can be vicious! Our little girl is skittish but is coming around. She's very precocious. She's also disturbingly smart. Put her in front of something once, she checks it out. The next time she's remembered everything about it and starts zooming around with absolutely no problems.
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Dec 12, 2011 18:59
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furushotakeru posted:I'm sorry to hear this. Can go either way - we had a little girl who was LITERALLY FOUND IN A loving DUMPSTER AT A BART STATION WITH TWO BADLY BROKEN BACK LEGS that never healed properly. She couldn't jump, just hop a little bit, so we had to have ramps in her cage so she could go from level to level. However, she was a complete sweetheart against all odds. Oh wow. I'm so glad you got her Poor little thing.
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Dec 15, 2011 07:49
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Awesome Kristin posted:I just want to clarify that my chin that bites came from a bad home. He was 4 when we got him and a little boy was allowed to play with him (from what I heard it was rough handling), and his conditions weren't great either. I hope he comes around. I'm working on how to get our little Vincenza to warm up, it's tougher than I thought!
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Dec 15, 2011 07:51
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Baika posted:Are chins really worse than ferrets when it comes to getting into things? My friend swears her chinchilla is worse than a ferret when it comes to that. Don't turn your back on them.  She'll cut you.
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Feb 3, 2012 19:53
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Nuclear Pogostick posted:Ah, alright. I figured as much. Thanks for the info, guys. I had a feeling this'd be the case, but wanted to make sure, because I would never feel comfortable endangering a pet. One other thing. Chinchillas are extremely easy to stress out and need companionship of some kind.
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Mar 11, 2012 20:26
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We're adopting another chinchilla! It was kind of lucky I've been looking at this:  And disregarded it because Salem is a good hour away. Even though it's a hell of a deal. Chinchilla Mansion + Flying Saucer for 100bux. But then I kept seeing her:   And we kind of wanted to get a friend for Vincenza eventually. And she looks like she could be named Cinnamon. We're picking up both on Saturday!
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Mar 23, 2012 06:11
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Awesome Kristin posted:Oh she's tan! Look at those freckled ears. I hope she works out for you. Do you know everything you need to know about introductions? Oh we're not going to use the cage immediately. The ad said the last chin in it passed. So new chin (Cinnamon!) is going into the spare room, the cage is going into our bedroom while we clean it (bleach, sunlight) and we'll get her stuff as we go through the quarantine. I'm going to dump all the wood and toys too. Vincenza doesn't use her hammock so we can definitely put that in there. We have a single level Superpet that I hate to put her in but will do for 30 days. And we have Vincenza's old house/food dish to put in there. I'm going to run out and get a new water bottle for Cinnamon today. We're going to take the introductions slow. When Vincenza was housed with her daddy (who passed, his little body couldn't take the neuter ) she was already challenging him at 6 months. So quarantine and then cages next to each other for a bit and we'll go from there. See how much kacking/barking there is.She's gorgeous! We're lucky, Vincenza is a pink and white with a little splotch on her head and now we're getting a tan!
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Mar 23, 2012 21:23
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Aces High posted:I'm not sure if this is the right thread but if not someone could direct me to the correct one maybe? I can't vouch for their hedgie knowledge but I spend a huge amount of time here asking questions and reading about chinchillas: http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com
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Mar 24, 2012 17:36
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Aquatic Giraffe posted:I've been emailing back and forth with the rescue who has this little guy for about a week, and I'm hopefully going to go meet him next weekend: Don't! According to everything I've read about chin intros, you risk maintaining two set ups regardless. Taking your little stressed guy to meet another little stressed guy might not work well Plus, chins that have been housed together will start fighting. So you need to be prepared. The month quarantine is mandatory. If the new guy is sick, you don't want him infecting Dexter. http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/search.php?searchid=1080173 Read some of those posts, they'll walk you through how to do intros. There was also a thread recently about quarantine cages. If you get the crappy one level Superpet cage, I guess they're good enough for a month.
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Mar 24, 2012 17:43
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Aquatic Giraffe posted:I still have Dexter's old SuperPet chinchilla cage, I just need to figure out where to put it. This guy is being fostered by himself in someone's house and has already been quarantined so I suppose the risk of him being sick is lower. I don't think I'm going to take Dex with me, especially since I don't have two pet carriers at the moment. We put Cinnamon in a spare bedroom. Wash your hands in between and don't let them share dust bowls! According to the board o chinchilla ladies, it's best of they have some quiet for the first couple days. Vincenza's pretty independent but we got her as a baby, so it's all she knows. A friend might help with your little guy. But yeah, I've read TV/Radio helps. I'm not sure if I'd do it during the day. Our gal is pretty sleepy during day time and active at night. But maybe talk radio like Radio 4 or NPR at night?
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Mar 26, 2012 23:17
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PsychoMuffin posted:I'll definitely do this before deciding on a regular supplier. I might just suck it up and buy a box from KMs when bluegrass is back in stock. One thing, the quality of Oxbow I've been getting on Amazon is awful. American Pet Diner is pretty awesome though. My chinchillas love the Timothy Gold
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Apr 5, 2012 23:20
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kazmeyer posted:Oxbow's in Nebraska, and are unfortunately subject to the frequent drought conditions there. I still go to them for pellets from time to time, but when it comes to hay, I've never been disappointed with KM. That explains a lot! I think American Pet Diner is somewhere in the north west but their site doesn't say. The chinchillas go nuts for it though.
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Apr 6, 2012 17:33
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Aghhh Super Pet. I bought one of the Fiddle Sticks hide outs for our new chinchilla. And wouldn't you know, Super Pet screwed it up again. Avoid anything they make. I asked what type of wood they use and this is what I got back: "Thank you for your recent e-mail. The Tropical Fiddlesticks are made from miscellaneous branches such as oak and fir. We hope this information is helpful. Thank you for your support of Super Pet products. " Both of those wood types are toxic to chinchillas. Wouldn't you know.
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Apr 9, 2012 17:04
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thexerox123 posted:You should email them back and say "Oh good, thank you for the proof that I would need to sue Super Pet when my chinchilla gets poisoned by your negligent marketing of wood that is toxic to chins." I e-mailed them back saying "both of those are toxic to chinchillas!" and have been all over amazon
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Apr 9, 2012 19:40
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kazmeyer posted:I find that largely, outside of plastic igloos, water bottles, and food dishes, anything you can buy at a pet store that is marketed toward a specific small animal is at best completely worthless for that animal and at worst actively dangerous. Death balls piss me off. And people who actively use them after being told they're dangerous!
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Apr 9, 2012 19:42
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thexerox123 posted:Death balls? I hope you're not referring to hamster balls, I just bought a new one, and my hamster loves running in them. I think they're ok for hamsters. But they're deadly for chinchillas.
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Apr 9, 2012 19:51
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RazorBunny posted:They're pretty bad for guinea pigs too, iirc, and someone posted a flyer here a couple of years ago for a Petsmart event that showed a guinea pig in a ball. Yep! Made by Super Pet too....
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Apr 9, 2012 20:06
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Awesome Kristin posted:Here's a site I have used before. Oh I know, I spend way too much money on CnH vendors! *Camphor is one of my absolute favorites.
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Apr 9, 2012 23:58
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Aquatic Giraffe posted:
A couple things about intros. - It's always recommended to keep the new chin in quarantine in case he has something contagious! It also helps them to adjust to new surroundings without being stressed. Many breeders recommend 30 days. My vet says 45. Superpet cages are fine for quarantine. - Here's a thread on introductions: http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13659 It's a long and slow process. He's a cutie pie I'd take him away from the old chin though until he settles. If you only have one room, even across the room should be ok.
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Apr 25, 2012 21:44
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I got approval from a mod to post this. I'm hoping someone can help this little guy. Either adopt him, or know of someone that can take him in. I'm all the way over in Portland, OR, otherwise I would rescue him even though I'm at max chinchilla. He's in New York state. He's going to need a lot of care, so someone who knows what they're doing would be great. His situation is: - He was chased around by a dog - He doesn't have a cage and is currently living in a locked room Going by the photos he's in bad shape. http://buffalo.craigslist.org/pet/2933547767.html quote:I have a Grey male Chinchilla looking for him to go to a good home. I don't have time for him anymore and have to keep him in the spare room since him and the dog go at it with each other. But this looks much, much worse.  
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Apr 26, 2012 19:28
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Aquatic Giraffe posted:Are those ribs in that second picture?! With the amount of fluff chins have that shouldn't be possible He looks really thin
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Apr 27, 2012 16:20
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Bazanga posted:Earlier this year my chinchilla had had a minor eye infection, so we took him into the vet to get some antibiotic gel. They gave it to us, and the infection cleared right up after about a week of treatment. Then it came back a month later. We took him in, thinking we just needed to use a different antibiotic, and the vet wanted to do xrays. We did them, and he says that he has tooth problems which makes his eye water and causes him to scratch it. Is it malo? If the chin is eating, drinking and pooping there's still life in him. But it would probably be expensive. And be absolutely sure your vet is familiar with exotics. Here are a couple FAQs on malo: http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=27 http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=847 Get a head x-ray!
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Apr 28, 2012 03:16
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Bazanga posted:My vet specializes in exotics and dentistry, so I'm hoping he knows what he's talking about. We had a head xray done, and the front three molars' roots on the right side of his head are starting to press up against his eye socket, which is what is causing the eye irritation. In the links you gave, it looks like that is one of the major indications that euthanasia should be done. Awww, yeah, poor baby. That does sound like malo Good luck.
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Apr 28, 2012 17:02
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 http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm302546.htm?source=govdelivery Kaytee recall for salmonella
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May 4, 2012 00:32
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Aquatic Giraffe posted:Back to the moving chinchillas thing I brought up a few weeks ago: The Midwestern playpens fold and don't take up much space
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May 4, 2012 16:04
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anima posted:My insides shriveled up from the cuteness here. It's like mini Edible Arrangements! I need to try something like that with my bearded dragon but sometimes he poops in his salad I get most of my wood from Ronda on CnH. I wouldn't trust anything Superpet makes.
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May 14, 2012 17:04
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McCloud24 posted:I bought my hamster a new hidey house, since I felt the old one was taking up too much floor space in the cage, but she doesn't want to use it. I bought it two days ago and both yesterday and this morning she's rebuilt her nest in a corner of the cage near her wheel. She seems to be sleeping fine, so I guess I'm not worried about that, but is there anything I can do to convince her that the new house is safe? I put some of her nesting material in there along with her favorite chew stick and a treat. I started putting the treats in there yesterday and she seems to go in, take them, and go right back out. The chinchillas take a while to adapt to their houses too. Give her time
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May 16, 2012 17:25
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Aquatic Giraffe posted:Does anyone else's chinchillas bark at absolutely nothing? Oh god yeah! Cinnamon was barking a lot the other day. Vincenza was barking at me because she was mad though! 
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May 23, 2012 00:20
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McCloud24 posted:I was handling my hamster just now (as I said in the post above, I take her out of her cage via her ball and then after she's run around for a little while we work on our handling) and she started nibbling on my hand. I say nibbling because, while she did bite me, it didn't seem to be out of fear, as she didn't make any noise, and didn't try to run. She was just sitting on my palm and started nibbling on the area of fat between my thumb and index finger. Vincenza the chinchilla does this! When chins do it the theory is they're grooming you. She's learned how to pull that skin without hurting me. She also finds all the dry patches on my hands
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May 23, 2012 00:23
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Let's play find the chinchilla in her mansion. Ideally this will house both Vincenza and Cinnamon. For now Cinnamon is the lady of her own manor. Vincenza is making it difficult, she's pretty aggressive for being the baby. Cinnamon is watching TV. She is fascinated.
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May 23, 2012 17:04
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She can't reach it Yeah, Vincenza tore apart some curtains 
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May 23, 2012 19:25
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Aquatic Giraffe posted:Man, Dex's cage looks absolutely barren compared to Vincenza's. All he's got is a fleece hammock, the standard shelves, and a house in there. It is! I guess there's some controversy about Carefresh. Chins have eaten it and got impactions in the past. For peeing we have dishes with aspen pine bedding, they figure it out since they only really like to go in one corner anyway . Some like to pee on ledges though. Because they are assholes.Ours stays flat because there's stuff in the bottom of the cage holding it down (chiller marble, house, pee dish) but you can get velcro and other things to attach it to the cage. I get a lot of my stuff from Camphor Chins, she made that one and I think she'll provide velcro too.
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May 24, 2012 00:55
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Aquatic Giraffe posted:Awesome, I think I'll try that. It'll hopefully solve Dexter throwing Carefresh everywhere, but I don't think there's a way to stop him throwing hay at people. If you sit anywhere near his cage you will get hay thrown at you. I've watched him do it, he'll pick up a piece, bite it in half, hop over to the edge of his cage and throw half at whoever happens to be closest and then eat the other half while staring at whoever he threw the hay at. I'd like to think he's trying to share his hay, but I'm pretty sure he's just an rear end in a top hat. Awww! That's kind of hilarious. Vincenza just stares. And stares. And stares.
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May 24, 2012 01:43
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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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) but he seems ok now.
Hopefully they'll stay healthy and not need to see a vet.
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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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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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Aquatic Giraffe posted: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 Same. Cinnamon and Vincenza are next to each other. We've started putting them in the quarantine cage during cleaning so they can smell each other. More Vincenza than Cinnamon though. She's an aggressive little thing!
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Jun 14, 2012 18:50
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