Phew.

It's taken a while, but Lily seems -touch wood- to be all better, more or less. Thought I'd leave you with a couple cute photos and update properly tomorrow ^_^

Over and Out,
Kami x

Worried.

Lily's gone into a sorta.. Scared mode. Started yesterday afternoon and although she's now a-ok in her cage, she's really panicky in free-range.. Just sorta.. Hides under things, only moving to hide in a more comfortable place :/
So yeah, will update you when news gets better. But for now, just trying to re-socialise her to chill her out. She's fine with me, just terrified of.. Everything else ><

Over and Out
Kami x

New Bed.

Looks like I'm going to be posting at more of a weekly basis compared to a daily one. Taking photos of the girls always reminds me to update here XD

I went into town yesterday and got some more fleece, then spent half the evening making them a new cage set ^_^ This one's different to the others. Instead of a box hammock bed they have a triangular tube (which they did sleep in last night) and instead of the canopy hammock they have a tube.. thing XD hehe. It's held open with garden wire :)

It's a very similar fleece design to my green one, although for the first time, the bottom sheet fits the cage right, aha :D

Over and Out,
Kami x

Make you happy.

Read on a magazine advert for Eukanuba dog food "With a lifetime 'make you happy guarentee"
It's not just my dog that does that, it's these two monsters, too :)

Shock Horror!

Lily has perfected her 'Shock, Horror!" look;

Got a few other nice photos today, this is one of my favourites; the ratty cuddle :D

Everything's going well at the moment. Rats, Guineas, Hamster, Degus and Dog are all happy -touch wood- and Kia has a playdate tomorrow with another bitch.. Should be interesting. She can be extremely horrible at times XD
But hey. I've got nothing else exciting to say, other than I finally got a filter for my big fish tank (woo!) but it's loud as f*ck -___-'
So I'll leave you with an epic photo of Rue's weird sleeping place

Over and Out,
Kami x

Big Wet Dog.

Sorry it's been so long since I wrote, I've been a busy bee.
Lily is still doing great as ever, I'm tempted to say she almost completely trusts me, but dont want to jinx it XD Rue had a couple days where she did not want to be touched but she was such a good girl and didnt bite once when I had to chase her out for free-range time.
She's been better after she spent about 30 minutes climbing in and out of my dressing gown whilst I was on the laptop :)

I've filled their cage with exciting stuff;
- Two 'SupaStar' hanging treat thingies by Excel (which they're picking away at happily)
- A hanging rat stick treat which they don't seem too bothered by but are eating
- A small wooden ledge made for chinchilla/degu cages (Rue loves to chew it)
- A gnaw stone, which neither really know what to think of
- A load of tissue. I stuff it in their cardboard tube and they disperse it around the cage XD

I'll try and get some nice photos of the girls tomorrow, as all I currently have are ones of my dog getting muddy in the river

Also, the pigs are getting big baby bellies. Any day now. Im betting about 8 or 9 days for Smudge.. Maybe longer but hey.

Over and Out,
Kami x

Best Buds.

Lily's really bonded with me the past couple days. She hears when I wake up in the morning and runs to the bars to wait for me, she's 99% okay with being picked up and when I go to leave the room, she tries to come too; climbing up my clothes! XD
Rue's still on and off, which is suprising as I thought she'd be the easier one to tame; being so calm and quiet. But either way, we're all getting along well. Cant believe how big they're getting. Also, they're sleeping less. They're both up when I am and usually only sleep a few hours during the day instead of doing a 9-5 sleeping shift like they did when I first got them lol :)

I've done the other side of the fishtank now. So it's cloudy as f*ck again but it cleared up overnight so it's just a waiting game now.. Much like with the Guineas. Two days or two weeks til they give birth? God knows.

Over and Out,
Kami x

Stupid Cloudy Water.

Rant:
I started changing my big fish tank from childish red and white gravel to a more mature sand substrate, which i've been meaning to do for ages. I caught this tank's male Betta (Dave), my weak female Betta, (Ruby) and my Silver-Tip Tetra and popped them in a temp bucket, and began taking out the gravel and most of the skanky bits in it. (Figured the other females and the catfish would be fine)
In the meantime, I managed to give my aquatic plants a prune and a clean, break and fix my air pump and yet, the water still hasn't settled >_>
It's been over an hour and a half and the damn water is still sandy and cloudy, even in the side I haven't done. Not pleased.

Over and Out,
Kami x

More Beds = More Fun.

I made the girls a new hammock canopy thing. I think they use it more than their bed XD They absolutely love it! Partly because it's comfy, and partly because of the fact they're high up and can see what's going on, haha XD

Going to go on a buying spree when I next get paid. I plan to get a load of those hanging gnaws and treats as they really enjoyed the last ones ^_^
They've been snacking on yummy yoghurt drops today, hehe

Over and Out,
Kami x

ps. most amazing photo from my dog's 'sleepover' :L

Spring Cleaning.

I don't like this new way of posting on blogger -_- very annoying.

The girls had a nice thorough cage cleaning today :) It looks all spick and span now ^_^
I would say that Lily almost completely trusts me now. She's very good with being picked up and always comes to me :) Rue's still in progress, but she'll come along sooner or later.
They had some yummy melon this morning; went down a treat (and stole some of my boyfriend's kebab last night when he wasnt looking, too XD hehe)

Also, the piggies have been upgraded to a Ferplast 100 cage, way bigger than their 80. So they now have more boxes to hide in and aren't arguing, which is always good when you have a hormonal Smudge chasing everyone out of 'her' box!

And finally, I got an ornament for my tank. The bristlenose catfish absolutely love their new home X'D Hehe.

Over and Out,
Kami x

The Piglets are Coming.

Felt the baby piggies kick for the first time today! -squeee- 8D

But yeah. I've just realised how big Rue and Lily are getting! Don't have any photos yet but should do soon. Have a day off on friday so will update properly then ^_^ They're enjoying yummy hanging rat treats today.. And Lily stole a DS game from the table X'D very amusing. She didnt want to give it back!!

Over and Out,
Kami x

Messy , messy, messy.

I'm going to keep this short as I need to get to work in an hour.

This is how the cage is supposed to look;

Yet this is how it looks when the rats get bored XD


Naughty, naughty rats. :L

Over and Out,
Kami x

Hamster Sandwiches.

I completed a survery on the wonderful omlet.co.uk about their 'Qute' cage and got a £5 voucher. So I got some 'Seed and Honey Sandwiches for Hamsters, Gerbils and etc', plus a gnaw stone for Delilah (which she ABSOLUTELY loves.) The rats have one hanging in their cage ^_^


Looks so good that I want to try it!

On a different note, had a bit of difficulty with the girls yesterday. I'm hoping it's just that they're feeling a bit protective with all the strange guinea pig sounds and smells, but Rue gave me a warning nip and Lily was constantly trying to eat my hand! XD They seemed to relax after some free-range time. They used me as a climbing frame and dug a hole in my plant pot ><'

Going to hang my 6-leaf clover (yes, it's real. I picked it myself) over the piggies for luck -touch wood-
^ That was the most superstitious sentance I've ever written, but hey. ^

Over and Out,
Kami x

Foster Pigs!

Lily and Rue are getting so friendly with me. Socialised them with a few friends of mine yesterday. They dont mind other people but do come running back to me quite quickly XD


N'aww, drinking together!

But anyway, sorry I haven't posted in a couple days, but I'm a proud foster mum now! Haha. At the pet shop I work at, we'd sold all of our guinea pigs on the shop floor so recieved some from another shop. 3 of which, were big, nearly full-grown girlies. Oh, and they were also pregnant -_- stupid other shop. But either way, I now have 3 lovely piggies who my mum named the following;

This is Bootsy, a grey agouti and white semi-long hair.
We're not 100% sure if she's knocked up but it's highly likely

This is Smudge, our very pregnant girly. The photo doesn't show it, but man she's big!

And finally, Tara. She's an agouti with a head crest and is quite shy but very talkative!
She's definately pregnant but not as far gone as Smudge

So yeah! Those are my lovely little foster pigs... Can't wait for the babies to arrive!

Over and Out
Kami x

Feeling at Home.

Now, this photo may seem like a general 'Aww look at my rats snoozing' picture, but it's more than that. Never have I seen either of my girls use the hammock, and more than that, Rue's never stayed in perfect view when I come up to the cage :)
They both ate from my hand earlier (WOOHOO!) and although picking them up is still a slight issue, they come to me when I sit down, they're beginning to reconise their names and they're exploring like real rats; trying to climb up my blinds, checking out my chamomile tea, etc X'D

(Spot the hidden Rue rat!)

Very pleased today. Hoping all goes well with my dog's little op on her ear tomorrow, too! ><'

Magnificent Tail.

The way Rue holds her tail when she's exploring reminds me of what it says on my rat food; "Magnificent tail helps balance and regulate temperature". Rue certantly thinks her tail is magnificent!




I thinks she holds it this high because of her bad eyesight.. Probably helps her balance when she cant see too well :)

On another note, the ratties and I are getting along swimmingly. Lily's progress is fluctuating, she threatens me with nips a lot, but Rue's doing great and getting more confident; she's as curious to explore as Lily is now!


The Rats and I :)

Over and Out,
Kami x

Cage Sets

Just hand-washed the girls bedding.. Bad idea without gloves ><' my poor sensitive skin is bright red and stinging.. Just from a little detergent XD Fail. But yeah, it reminded me to put cage photos up on here.
My fleece stuff is all handmade (as you can see), but the girls rarely chew so the time I put in for a fairly meagre result doesnt bother me... I quite enjoy it! :P


Spotty set


Blue set

The blue set is way more tacky but they prefer the bigger hammock and due to the fact I cut the bottom sheet slightly too big, they throughly enjoy dragging this one about, although they much prefer the spotty box hammock.
I'll make more hammocks and etc for them when they become easier to catch XD lol.

Over and Out,
Kami x

Progress!!

Speedy little update..
LILY JUST TOOK FOOD FROM ME! WAHOO! :D
So, so happy now ^_^

Over and Out
Kami x

Exploring.

Lily and Rue are exploring the bed.
Apparently my bedside table is irresistable since I told them not to go on it. They've already knocked over a cup! Naughty girls. They do make me laugh though.
They're also definately stressing less about being picked up and are very happy to sit on my lap and shoulders. :)
All is going well!





Over and Out
Kami x

Taking Treats?

I bought some small animal yoghurt drops from the shop yesterday and the rats seem to love them. Just what I hoped! So have been giving them a couple a day hoping they'll crave for more.. And earlier Lily nearly took one from me! Instead of ignoring the food I put down, she picked it up immediately and started to nom on it! Woohoo! So looks like im on my way from having badly socialised rats to averagely socialised ones :) And also I'm teaching them 'No'. Rue's picked it up already, Lily tries to ignore it..
On another note, my stupid dog got herself bitten the other day. So we've had to pay out vet bills for antibiotics and pain reliever, then next week she's getting stitched up. Oh joy of joys. That'll be a nice hole burned in my pocket.. ><'

Over and Out,
Kami x

Playtime

Alex met the ratties today. They're really seeming to be getting used to me ^_^ Very pleased.

Quiet Morning

Woke up (late) this morning to a very quiet room. No hamster chewing the bars. No rats rummaging in their litter box or munching on cubes.
So I got up, and I grabbed my camera. Here are the results :)


Delilah woke up when I opened the cage and began making her bed for a long day's sleep


Obviously exhausted by an evening of being handled and a night of making a mess of the cage, Rue & Lily were sleeping.

Over & Out,
Kami x

And so it begins.

Well hello, and welcome. I begin my blog today, on day two of owning my two new dumbo rats, Lily and Rue, of whom this blog will follow.
In the past I have owned two fancy rat bucks; Hero and Cesky, and a dumbo buck, Spell.
Today I am mother to a Dalmatian bitch named Kia, a female Syrian Hamster called Delilah (aka. Julie) and four female Degus; Fez, Hide, Kelso and Eric.

Rue, also known as Penny, is a white rat with red eyes and a vague cream/champagne stripe down her back. She is extremely badly sighted so spends some time swaying, basically a semi-blind rat's way of determinding depth by watching the speed things move (fast = close/slow = far). Apparently it's not uncommon in red-eyed rats. She's quite a subdued girly. Loves to explore but doesn't go out of her way to do so.

Lily is a black and white hooded rat. She's very curious, inquisitive and bold. She reminds me much of my old rat, Cesky with her 'grumpiness', almost. She's very cute but don't let it fool you! She seems to think she owns the place already :)

I got the two young ladies (about 2 months old, I'm going to name Feb 2nd; 2 months before the date I got them, as their birthday fyi) from the Pet Shop I work at. It's a franchise shop so they're extremely shy and unsocialised, but God, they're gorgeous. Here's a tasty photo for you all ;)





So that's Rue on the litter box and Lily below.
Currently I'm training them to enjoy treats (they won't eat from hand) and pick them up. So far I've managed to scoop each one up once or twice, very slowly and carefully. So -touch wood- we're getting somewhere in the handling! XD aha. I've got the day off tomorrow, so will see how far I get :)

Over and Out,
Kami x