Updates, new rescues and a lack of sleep

Updates

• Mushu and Pumpkin have both officially been adopted!

• I am going out to NMDR more and will have new "official" project dogs soon.

• The fish mentioned in my previous post have found a new home, with someone who has a very large tank and actually has a clue as to what they are doing with big fish

Zella

• In my "Rescued Ratties" post I hadn't yet named my (then) newest rat, her name is now Zella.

• You may have noticed that I wrote "my (then) newest rat" that is because I now have a new, newest rat. She was rescued today, more information later in this post.

 

New Rescues

As oh so many of these stories start...This morning I was browsing Craigslist and I saw an ad for someone giving away a rat and a mouse, both free, both pregnant, available as feeders. I immediately texted the number and expressed interest. The gal who responded said they were promised to someone else...but I could have the rat since the other person had not yet confirmed a time.

I showed up and it was, unfortunately, a pretty typical situation. In her own words, quoted from the craigslist ad, "The mouse is a feeder mouse, however, my snake refused to eat her, so now, she is just taking up space." The rat was apparently bought by the boyfriend as a pet and the gal was not allowing it to stay. The rat was in a very small critter keeper on pine and the mouse was nowhere in sight.

I mentioned taking the mouse too and was told "You won't want it, it's in rough shape from the store." Anyone who knows me, knows that secured the mouses fate in coming home with me. As it turns out she was keeping the mouse in a paper bag in the closet so she wouldn't have to look at it. She also admitted to trying to kill the mouse by putting it in with the rat, but the rat only groomed it.

 As soon as I had the bag in my hand, I worked my way towards the exit. A few blocks away I pulled over and moved the rat to a carrier I had brought and the mouse into the critter keeper. It was then I noticed that the mouse had wounds on it's tail that went down to the bone.

I got home as fast as I could and got them into their new homes.

 The rat, Bell, will stay with me until I am certain that she is not pregnant, I am hoping she is not pregnant. Pregnancy is hard on any animal, epically one that is a baby. I suspect that she is only about three months old judging by her weight. (100 grams, for reference my small adult females weigh 300 grams and my  big adult males weigh close to a pound.)

The mouse, Hank, will stay until his tail heals and as he lacks the necessary parts I am certain he is not pregnant as the surrendering owner led me to believe. Hank is being treated with antibiotics and with something for the pain I am sure he is in.

A Lack of Sleep

Why a lack of sleep? I can't sleep, I don't know why but instead of sleeping I am up at 2am writing this blog. Normally this wouldn't matter, except that I have to be up in 4 hours. In 4 hours I will be driving north for about an hour to pick up a double merle australian shepherd puppy, if you don't know what that means stay tuned and I'll explain tomorrow. I will be transporting this pup to it's foster/potential forever home in the city where I live. Full story, with cute fluffy puppy photos, tomorrow.