Layla, Carlton and Razz

I need to make an update on Adoptions :)
Layla the rabbit found a wonderful new home. She now lives with A Mom, Dad and their son and another bunny by the name of Oreo. They sent me a picture of Oreo and he is very handsome, he is black and white with very large ears! Layla had been abandoned at a local park. She was running free and lost, scared and vulnerable. An animal loving couple took hours out of their day to catch Layla ( and they succeeded) and bring her to us, so we could spay her and find her a great home. She has come a long way from being left behind to fend for herself, to the pampered family bunny she is now.
Carlton is a guinea pig that had been abandoned behind a business building with over 50 other guinea pigs back in June. He has been in foster care with board member, Christine. I love Carlton's calico colors, and his New Mom , Jennifer, fell in love with him on the spot. She has updated us on how Carlton is doing. She says, He is being shy, he runs in his igloo to hide when he is startled, but she still loves him to death no matter what.
We are very excited about Razz the turtle's adoption. Razz was originally taken to the vet to be euthanized because his owner couldn't care for him anymore. He was with Rosebud the painted turtle as well ( recently adopted) The vet's office convinced the owner to surrender the turtles in instead of choosing to euthanize them because they were both perfectly healthy and had a lot of life to live yet. The vet then called us up so we could pick up Rosebud and Razz and foster them until they found homes. Razz is a very BIG boy and our vet estimated him to be around 30 years old. Due to his age and size , we knew we would have difficulty finding him a home. Amanda and her boyfriend recently lost their beloved turtle to cancer and were looking to add a new shelled friend into their life. They had seen Razz on Petfinder for a long time, they noticed other turtles get adopted but not Razz. they felt for him and knew they could offer him the loving home he needed. They have a 90 gallon long tank, perfect for the big "Clunker" he is, and have all the accessories and food he needs. They have also lovingly re-named him Bubba, that name suits him. Thank you Amanda for adopting a senior pet! :) I know you'll enjoy each day, months and years he'll be with you.

Waffle and Potter, Zoey and Ping

There have been adoptions over the past couple weeks that I didn't write about yet.
The two brother rabbits, Waffle and Potter found a home together! They are neutered boys that are very lucky to have a great New Mom and family to love and care for them. Zoey the guinea pig also went home as well. She is going to be very spoiled, her new family is very nice and caring. Ping the hamster found a home last weekend, he has a young caretaker and Mom who loves hamsters very much.
This Monday , Enchanted and Blanca the female rabbits were spayed , Q-tip and Washington the boys were neutered. They went through it fantastic and were hopping and eating as soon as they arrived back home from the vet's office.
Here are pictures of Ping, Waffle, Potter and Zoey.

great cage set-up

I would love to have this cage http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3402796 the Critter Nation for the rescued pets. It can house rats, sugar gliders, degus, chinchillas and even ferrets. The problem with many of the larger cages I have is the bar spacing. The bar spacing is too far apart, most of the little ones can slip through and escape like the rats. This is such a roomy cage that is easy to clean :) Maybe for my Christmas wish list. Ray ( the hubby) says we already have enough extra cages. But he doesn't understand the need for larger cages for their happiness, and that most large cages have bar spacing that isn't adequate for the smaller guys. It is pricey too. Maybe someday... I love to treat the rescues with the very best :)

Bandit

This is very difficult..tomorrow I am taking Bandit the ferret to the vet to be put to sleep. He has been battling cancer for so long and now, he just cannot fight it anymore. His legs are not doing what he wants them to do, he has lost control of his bladder and his bowels and he has been loosing weight. His quality of life has gone downhill and I know the only thing we can do for him right now is ease him out of suffering and let go of him. He can go somewhere where he no longer has to fight his own body. He arrived to us about 3 years ago at 5 years old, he came to us in a tiny cage and with no fur on his body or tail. He had adrenal gland disease and we fund raised to have the surgery done to take out the bad adrenal gland and correct him. He went through the surgery great and healed and also grew his fur back in about 2 months time. We then placed him up for adoption.. only to realize soon after that he still had something wrong with him. We took him back to the vet and found out he had insulinoma, a tumor on his Pancreas. This wasn't quite so easily corrected. We decided to keep him with us as a full fledged family member since we knew he would always have medical issues. He was on prednisone for over a year and we dealt with sugar level drops from his insulinoma. Now at 8 years old , he is skinny, he has battled cancer for a very long time, he fought the good fight. It was so hard to even make the appointment for tomorrow, and it will be even more difficult to let him go and say good bye to him when the time comes. It is the kindest thing and the only thing we can do for Bandit right now, he is distressed over his own body not doing what he wants it to do. He is also Daddy's boy, Ray loves him to death as much as I do. Here are some pictures of our little man. This is such an agonizing decision, but I can tell it is time...

Mr.T the Map Turtle

Mr.T is a map turtle that was brought to us because he had reoccurring foot problems that wouldn't resolve or go away. When he arrived his back foot was swollen and looked quite painful. Despite this, he still had a hearty appetite and was very active. We took him to see Dr.T and found out that he had a very diseased toe and this toe was causing the foot infection to keep coming back even though he had been treated with antibiotics. Dr.T recommended surgery to have the toe removed as soon as possible. He went through this surgery just this Monday, and is doing fabulous!! :) His foot is already not as swollen or puffy looking, it barely is at all. I can see his incision area and stitches, that still looks good, no problems at all. He is still as active as can be. And I hope once his incision area heals up he will also be pain free and very happy. I am hoping Mr.T never has foot problems again. Thank you Dr.Tomaschke for your knowledge , expertise and great hands with surgery, we do not know what we would do without you! You have been and may always be the best veterinarian that has helped us with our pets and rescues.

Washington

We have a new arrival, his name is Washington. He is a cute little rabbit , with little ears. He is a silver grey color with a bit of brown, quite unique. He is a bit scared right now. But he has ventured to the top level of his cage, he has peed in his litter box, but seems to leave little poops anywhere he wants. Oh well, he'll get the hang of it. I'll give him more time to adjust and feel more comfortable before I start taking pictures of him or anything else. Then I'll also get him in to see the vet and also have him neutered, since he isn't right now. Can't wait to show all of you his pictures when I get them, he is loads of cuteness.

Slow Down

Many days I find myself rushing through things. I am so busy with cleaning the cages and preparing foods, cleaning and filling water bottles, etc. That I overlook and neglect what I enjoy about the pets the most, watching them! So I say to myself-
Slow down,
Take the time to watch them enjoy the food you just gave them.
Slow down,
look at them play with their toys
Slow down,
watch them interact with each other
Slow down,
sit down and observe their cuteness as they wash and clean themselves
Most of all , I need to slow down
to talk to them, pet them, socialize them.

I get too wrapped up in cleaning and everything , which is very important, that I don't leave enough extra time for the most enjoyable aspects of having these wonderful little ones here with me.

Good bye Splash

I am afraid this post is a sad one, our little, Splash, hamster has recently passed away. Splash was a Campbell's or Russian dwarf hamster, he arrived here as a litter of unwanted babies, he came with his brothers and sisters. These past couple of months he exhibited the classic signs of having diabetes. Diabetes is common in these dwarf hamsters , the symptoms are excessive urinating and drinking. A strip that reads the sugar content of the urine can give you an idea if your hamster has diabetes or not, if the sugar level is very high, then yes, it is very likely diabetes is the reason for those symptoms. Although those symptoms can also be kidney disease or failure among other things. Having the vet make the diagnosis and provide treatment is the best route to go. Unfortunately , Splash was positive for diabetes. We always take care not to give too many sugars to the dwarfs, no sugary snacks such as yogurt drops or other store bought treats. No fruits. Just low sugar hamster diet, veggies, biscuits and tofu. Even with this low sugar diet , Splash still had diabetes, many times it is genetic and passes onto babies and other generations. I tried my best to cut out sugars from his diet even further since there isn't a treatment for a hamster with diabetes. He was strong for months , until one day I saw he was sluggish. I made an appointment for him at the vets for the next day. But that night I found him in his cage barely moving. I scooped him up in my hand and held him, talked to him, kissed him lightly and pet him very gently. I did my best to comfort him and let him know I was there.. and I was , until the end. He passed while he lay in my hand. He looked peaceful after he left, he looked like he was just sleeping. I'm tearing up as I type this, it was an emotional moment and I do miss him. I am thankful I was there for him and for me as he left. Good bye my sweet heart.

Oliver!

More happiness! Oliver the rabbit has finally found his forever home. He has a fabulous, loving new family. He was surrendered to us back in February with his Mom bunny, he was only a tiny baby then. When he reached the right age we did have him neutered. He had been with us until he was 9 months old, just waiting to be adopted... his patient waiting wasn't in vain. He has the best home now and couldn't be happier. Way to go Oliver!

Life Long Tails Forum- Discussion Board

I'd like to bring attention back to our rescue forum, it is all about pets It is easy to join if you haven't yet. All pet related posts are welcome. It has been rather "dead" on the board lately, and I'd love to see it back and going again. I feel we could all benefit from a community board to discuss and learn about our pets. Please check it out- http://smallpetforum.forumotion.com/index.htm

Hugo, Rohoj and Dutchie

The three boys, Hugo, Dutchie and Rohoj have been adopted Yay! They are boy guinea pigs and have been together and in foster care for a while. They were born in foster care as well. Their Mom's arrived at Life Long Tails already pregnant, they were abandoned behind a business building with over 50 other guinea pigs and they were mixed together with males! It's no wonder they were pregnant! Of course we were well aware that most every female we took in that day from that "case" would be pregnant. In fact many of the girls were already very heavy and due any day. Rohoj , Dutchie and Hugo were born healthy and grew up with their foster Mom. Just awaiting the day when their permanent Mom would take them home. That day came, when their Mom, Karen came to meet them and fell in love :) We are so happy that all three found a home together.

Rosebud

Rosebud the female painted turtle has also been adopted. Her new family did a lot of research on caring for these particular turtles. Even though they had a smaller turtle in mind, they are more than happy that they chose Rosebud. Here is what their new Mom had to say about Rosebud's first days in her new home-

" I never expected a turtle to have a personality. She is hysterical. She really seems to like her new home. She swims all the time. We let her out yesterday to "run" around the kitchen. "

That picture doesn't do her any justice, she is very pretty.

Benjamin and Gumdrop

I am thrilled to announce that the two rabbits Benjamin and Gumdrop are now home, together! :) They both arrived to us at different times. Benjamin came to us in February of 2008, his owner became disabled and was unable to care for him anymore. He arrived a very scared and skittish bunny, he seemed scared of his own shadow. Even after time and quiet he still remained nervous. Gumdrop arrived in March, she came to us as a little baby. She was brought with her siblings and Mom. After Gumdrop and Benjamin were spayed and neutered they then went into foster care. A vet tech at the animal hospital we go to wanted to help out by fostering bunnies for us. She decided to introduce Benjamin and Gumdrop to each other, and they were a bonded pair in no time. In fact, Since Benjamin made a friend he became more confident and outgoing. Their foster Mom was leaving to go to Cornell to further her education as a vet tech so she brought back the duo. They were two different bunnies, Their foster Mom must have lavished time and attention on them because they were so mellow and loved to be petted, such a change. Makes me have to say again, I Love Foster parents !:) The day came when their new Mom called us saying she was thrilled to find out we had such an adorable bonded pair. She was looking for two rabbits just like them that lived together. She fawned over Benjamin's velvety rex fur, I don't blame her, it's very soft. I am so happy they have a great Mom now and each other. What a happy ending, I love it.

Lotti, Cotton Candy and Butterscotch, 2 baby turtles

Last week a few guinea pigs found their loving homes. Butterscotch is a beautiful cream and white colored female piggie. She was staying at Foster Mom, Andrea's, home until her adoption day arrived. I wish I had a picture of her to post since she is a drop dead gorgeous girl. Maybe her new Mom will provide us with a picture of her. Later that same day, the two guinea pigs, Cotton Candy and Lotti also went home :) Lotti is a black and white girl and Cotton Candy ( I should say Cotton Candy 2 since we also had another Cotton Candy who was a guinea pig, he was adopted only a couple months ago) is a calico colored girl. They have a great Mom and dad now. Dad is the first man I have met that likes to talk baby talk to the guinea pigs. I think it is great, more guys should show their soft side to the little furry ones. I do have pictures of Cotton Candy 2 and Lotti.
2 baby turtles arrived, I have named them Micro and Mini. They came with the names Keegan and Sarah, but I have renamed them since we aren't sure Sarah is truly a girl. I think it is fitting for these tiny ones, I am so used to the large turtles. Micro is having problems though, and he arrived with this problem. It seems he tilts his neck and head back ( as if he can't help it) then he leans back so far he falls backward, at this point he starts to spin and twirl uncontrollably. It's very distressing to see, I have him accomodated where he is spinning less but he still lays with his head tilted back. When he goes to grab food his head moves back and forth, making him miss his target again and again. His appetite is there but with his swaying and bobbing head , it makes catching and eating food difficult for him. Last night he did accomplish catching some gammarus shrimp on his own and did swallow some. A few times he caught the food, but then lost the food out of his mouth before he could chew and swallow. Normally spinning in the red eared or any aquatic turtle is associated with a URI or pneumonia, but as I watch Micro's symptoms, they appear to be almost neurological in nature. Of course, I am not a vet. He does have a vet appointment on Saturday, then I'll have a better idea as to what is wrong, and I hope we can help him out. I video taped his abnormal actions on the digital camera, I will show Dr.T the videos so we don't have to succumb Micro to anymore spinning just so Dr.T can see the symptoms himself. Mini the baby red eared slider is perfectly well, he swims like a champ and eats like a horse.

Vincent VanGogh, Marty and Randy

Vincent VanGogh is a male syrian hamster, he was brought to us because his owner did not want him anymore. Little Vincent was looking for a new home. We gave him that name because a good portion of ear was missing, I am guessing from a fight with another hamster ( he arrived with the ear in that condition) Vincent moved into a foster home while he was waiting for adoption, his foster Mom was Jessica. Jessica has now become Vincent's Mom!:) Jessica fell for Vincent's good looks and charm, she fell in love with him. She just officially adopted Vincent yesterday.
On Thursday, I had a vet appointment with Dr.T. It was for Marty and Randy our two cats. A couple months ago we took Marty in because he had awful breathe for a one year old cat. Well, poor Marty has gingivitis. Dr.T gave him a cortisone shot, many times it can be due to allergies or other reactions. He did get much better with the breathe and redness of the gums for about two weeks, then it came back. I took Marty in for a re-check on his Gingivitis. He just got another cortisone shot and I am to mark down exactly how long it lasts before his symptoms come back. If this isn't really helping he may need a different treatment that can have side effects, or have some teeth pulled ( I hope not) Randy the cat went in for his ears. I noticed he was itching in his ears with his back feet , really digging in and when he pulled his back foot out, it had gunk in his toenails, ew. Dr.T took swabs of his ear gunk and checked it out. He discovered that Randy has a yeast infection in both ears. He now has ear drops to treat it, and we are on day three of the treatment, it will go on for a week. He isn't too bad, Ray and I wrap him up in a blanket and I drop it in. He does shake his head vigorously when we are done, causing some of it to fly out. I am positive most of it is staying in though.
Layla the rabbit is going in for her spay surgery on Monday. I'll update on how she does.
Pictures of Vincent VanGogh and Randy are above.

Squirt!

I am happy to announce that Squirt the turtle is home now! :) Squirt is a little female painted turtle. She was surrendered to us because she wasn't wanted anymore. Now she has a new home and a new Daddy, Tom. Tom also has a small male painted turtle. He'll be keeping the two of them outside in a pond during the warm summer months and he has an enclosure indoors for them for the awful Buffalo Winters. We are so happy that Squirt has found a home. Now we would love for Rosebud or giant sized Razz, the turtles, to find homes as well. They have been waiting to be adopted longer than Squirt has.

Here's a picture of little Squirt. She was camera shy and was reluctant to peek her head out of her shell.

Clay

I am not sure how many people would appreciate this pet story. Though I am sure many of you animal and pet lovers can relate and even find it slightly amusing. Today I decided to soak Clay the lizard in some luke warm water. Clay is a Mali Uromastyx lizard and he is our own family member, we have had home for about 6 years, before we even started rescuing. Right now he is shedding his skin, and he has always had difficulty with getting the skin off his back legs and toes. Soaking him in water helps loosen up the skin and get it to peel off. I placed just the right amount of water in a plastic container where he was able to lift his head up out of the water without a problem. He was very relaxed and content in the warm bath, so I decided to clean, Pasta, the hamster's cage. When I go back to check on Clay, I immediately notice that he is now sitting in GREEN water! You see, he was so relaxed and content in the warm water that it got his bowels going and he took a nice dump in the water. His diet is mainly fresh greens , that explains the color. He turned his nice soak into a toilet! I took him out and rinsed him off, placed him back in his enclosure where I gave him some more collared greens and Kale. Then I dumped his lovely concoction of water and poop in the basement sink. I guess the sudden green water is what shocked me the most.

Here are some overhead pictures of Clay. You can see his shedding progress in the pictures.

Take care everyone :) feel free to e-mail me some of your pet stories at rachel@lifelongtails.org or comment them in the Blog.

Back to Normal

Last week Ray and I went on a Disney cruise !:) Actually, we spent 4 days at the parks and then 3 days on the cruise. We celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary. We went to Hollywood Studios, Epcot, Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom. On our cruise we visited the Bahamas. The last two days of the cruise I started to get a nasty cold and I am still kicking it out of my system now. Even though I wasn't feeling 100 percent I still had a great time. Of course, I missed all the pets and our 6 kitties ( I think they missed us too)My Mom and Dad and Christine had the task of feeding and caring for everyone while we were gone. Florida and the Bahamas were fantastic, but as the saying goes " There no place like home."
I am getting back on track with the rescuing. After our dilemma with being threatened and wondering if we should continue and then going on vacation, it seemed everything was on hold for a while. Now, we will go back to where we were before it all, and we hope to help the animals as much as we have been. In fact , I hope we run even smoother and never have any negative comments again.
For everyone that has been by our side I want to thank you all. I know many love to visit this blog and see all the new updates and pictures, I am so very sorry it has been the same for so long. I guarantee it will be back to the way it was before these escapades. I hope there will be post of adoptions real soon too :) That's the best news of all.

A Bad Time

I am sorry for my absence on this Blog. I have many adoptions to post about, but first I need to deliver other news.
A little over a week ago Life Long Tails was slammed, bashed and attacked. People sent many hurtful words and lies our way, and I don't know why. I am a sensitive person so I took everything to heart. It hurt me deeply and sent me into a depression. My biggest sadness was that I thought ending the rescue was the only solution to never be bashed and hurt again. My heart was shattered at the thought of not rescuing or helping the little pets ever again. Thankfully my job allowed me to take some personal time to gather my thoughts, think it through and dig myself out of the hole I fell into. I have realized that ending Life Long Tails is not the answer or a solution at all. In fact it would harm many small pets in the future that we could help. How can I not help those beautiful guinea pig faces? Those bunny ears? The little hamster paws? The ferret's playfulness? How can I possibly turn away from them in their time of need? I can't , and I won't. We do have a lot of supporters and people who encourage us. We should not stop because a few chosen people who feel the need to lash out and create lies. I will do my very best to ignore it in the future and not let it beat me down. Life Long Tails will now continue, and we are happy with what we are doing.

5 Guinea Pigs Are Now Home

Over the weekend 5 guinea pigs found homes. Alex and Ander the piggies found a home with Blake and his crew of Pumpkin the hamster and Raphael the rabbit. We are thrilled that they found a home together since they are quite bonded to each other. Then Cashew, Almond and Hickory all found a home together also, what more could we ask for? When two or three or more pets have a bond with each other, the last thing we want to do is split them up in order to help the adoption process ( since many people are searching to adopt only one pet) We stress the need for them to be adopted together and then celebrate and praise the people who do adopt multiple pets in order to keep them together. It's too traumatizing to split up everlasting friends. That's why we adopted our two cats Marty and Melissa together, they are brother and sister. I was interested in Marty but once Sue from Wyoming County SPCA told me and showed me how attached his sister, Melissa , is to him, there was no way I could split them up. It was either adopt them both, or not adopt them at all. Hey, I love them both, I had to adopt them. They made themselves at home right away and became friends with the other cats very quickly. We now have 6 cats, our maximum amount and Melissa and Marty are perfect Murphy cats, they are family.
I have a 10:30 appointment for KC to see Dr.Tomaschke, he will be trimming and shaping up her beak.
Pictured above is Alex, Ander, Hickory, Almond, Cashew and Marty and Melissa the cats.

June Bug and Belle, Wisteria

Last week was a very nice week ( except for being sick over the weekend, could have done without that) Wisteria the little girl guinea pig was adopted. She was born here from one of the female guinea pigs that was abandoned behind a business building. Wisteria has a great new family , they already have a girl guinea pig that they love dearly. Out of all the young piggies we have here they fell in love with her very quickly. Then, June Bug and Belle found their forever home. They are a male and female sugar glider pair. We did get June Bug neutered right away. Their new Mom and Dad are new to caring for gliders, but they did a lot of research and are well prepared. They also have plans of upgrading them to a much larger cage and buying them new pouch sets and toys. They will be happy suggies :)
I bought a bunch of new toys for the female rats Carnation, Petunia, Rose, Carnation, Lilac and Rosetta. Some new hammocks for them since they destroyed and soiled their other hammock beyond recognition and washing. And some new hanging bird toys, jingle balls and chew stuff. River the rabbit also got a new chew tube and balls to play with. I love getting and giving them new toys to enrich their days while they are here.
While playing with our own Patagonian conure , KC, it seems her beak is slightly overgrown and deformed. I can't believe I didn't notice it happening before now. It is bothering her because she can't close her lower mandible all the way. I will call the vet's office first thing tomorrow and see how soon I can get her in. She will need Dr.T to shape up her beak back to the way it was.
Pictured above is Wisteria and June Bug and Belle

Sugar Gliders at the Erie County Fair?

I have heard from quite a few sources that there is a breeder selling sugar gilders at the Erie County Fair. I am not sure if they are actually selling the gliders right on the grounds , but I am sure they selling them at some point to anyone who will pay the money. The truth of the matter is , is that people don't go to the fair to buy sugar gliders, so these are all impulse buys. Not thought through, planned or researched. What really infuriates me, is the information that these people are giving to the unsuspecting public. They are telling people that 1.) sugar gliders can be and like to be carried around all day long 2.) they don't smell 3.) they do better by themselves and bond to people better as a lone sugar glider 4.) do better in a smaller cage 5.) Don't need a vet 6.) only need some fruits and pellets for food 7.) are the greatest pets and do well with kids. All of this information is the furthest from the truth and very WRONG! I fear for all the sugar gliders that are now not being taken care of properly because people were misinformed. I also fear that these gliders will , in the future, not be wanted anymore because people thought they were something that they are not. I am not sure if this is true at all, but I was also told by a source that they are selling Marmosets at the fair as well. Marmosets are the smallest of the primate family and do not make good pets at all.
If you have any information regarding the sugar gliders or marmosets at the fair please e-mail me with what you encountered rachel@lifelongtails.org please let me know what you saw and what you were told. Or even if you saw the sugar gliders or marmosets while you were there. If you happened to have bought a sugar glider, please contact me, I would love to help you out by giving you proper care information. Thank you.

Cotton Candy and Morsel Adopted, Retired Hamsters

Last week there were two wonderful adoptions. Cotton Candy the baby guinea pig was adopted into the home of Nicole who also adopted Doogie and Bubba the guinea pigs and Snowflake the hamster in the past. Cotton Candy is now joining his new brother guinea pigs. Although Doogie is constantly showing off to Cotton Candy that he is top piggy ( last we heard) , in time, he may accept Cotton Candy into his cage (territory). Morsel the rabbit was also adopted. He was brought here with his Mom , Chelsea , and all his siblings. He was just a tiny baby when he arrived. He grew up here and was eventually neutered, now he is home and happy :)
I decided to take some hamsters off of Petfinder, I have retired them from adoption. Mainly because they have reached an age where they are now senior hamsters. They weren't adopted before they hit the year to year and a half mark, and dwarf hamsters usually only live a year and a half to two years, it's a sad truth. I figure it is not the best time for them to be adopted , as wonderful as adoption is, there is still stress involved when they are moved into a new home and have to acclimate to a new place. A young hamster would adapt to this no problem, but an older, elderly hamster may have issues with the move. So, they are now going to spend the rest of their time with us , cozy in their homes ( cages) being cared for the same way as they have been. Some of the hamsters are in foster homes, and I will be contacting their foster Mom's to let them know about this decision. I am sure they will be okay with letting them stay for the duration. The hamsters I retired are Tiny , Teeny, Tim, Michael, Jim, Otto, Stanley, Thread, Lace and Ribbon. They are all Russian dwarf hamsters and are a little over a year old now. It's a shame that they didn't find a home while they were in their prime of life, but they have been family to us and we do enjoy caring for them.
Pictured above is Cotton Candy, Morsel and Tim the hamster

Too Costly?

I've been thinking on a matter a lot. What I hear a lot is; "My hamster has a problem but I'm not taking him to the vet , it costs too much" or even " I'm not spending 50 dollars on a 10 dollar hamster." Each time I hear these words I literally wince in pain , and think of that poor suffering hamster that may never get treatment or get better. And there are many people who have this mentality about all sorts of pets, reptiles, rabbits, parakeets,etc. I just can't bear it, and that is the main reason why I started a rescue for the little pets, because many times they don't get the treatment and care that they do deserve. Life Long Tails is a safe haven for all little ones, where they get the best foods, treats, toys etc and if they arrive here with a medical problem or develop one we will get them to the vet for prompt treatment, we don't even think of the costs, we want them treated and get to feeling better. Donations and adoption fees help us a lot with achieving this goal.
What I have also thought about is the fact that people are always willing to drop a lot of money to fix a car or add onto a car. Many people don't even think twice to do so, and this can be a lot more expensive than a vet visit! Hundreds to thousands of dollars into a car, a machine. but when it comes to their pet who is living and feeling a vet costs too much. *insert angry face* I understand a car is needed in everyday life to get to point A to point B, but I don't see how a car gets better treatment, faster treatment and treatment in the first place where a pet doesn't. To me, that is completely wrong. That is my opinion, that is how I feel about each individual pet. They are regarded higher to me than any car, machine or leisure item and they will always receive treatment and I will always spend the money for their benefit over "items" or "novelties" That is what this rescue is about and everyone who is involved in this rescue whether your a board member, someone who has adopted, fostering or someone who supports us. Thank you for sharing and following in my passion and beliefs and train of thought :)

Losses over the week

I don't know why, but this week turned out to be tragic. 3 of the adult guinea pigs that came from the 50 plus abandonment "case" passed away. First we found out that, Zelda, an adult male that was in foster care was found , gone, in his cage. He didn't show his foster family any signs of bring ill, in fact he had been eating and playing cheerfully right before. Then I received a call from our board member , Christine, who is fostering the majority of these guinea pigs, that her boy, Sherwood had stopped eating. She was on her way to taking him to the emergency vet. It was found that his gut mobility had stopped and needed some help with getting his gut going again. She was instructed to force feed him Critical Care. In the meantime, I had piled hay, veggies and pellets in with all the piggies I have. And I love to watch as they bull dose their way in and start chomping away. Except I noticed Phoebe wasn't eating and was hiding in the back corner. I grew very worried, so I took her out of the cage to separate her from all the pigging out females and let her easily get at her own food. I provided her with hay, pellets, apple, carrots and Kale , and she didn't touch any of it. So , I then tried force feeding her critical care. But she wouldn't take it , wasn't even attempting to chew or swallow. So I stopped , I didn't want her to wind up taking the food the wrong way if I forced it too much. I kept her warm and then woke myself up at exactly 8 AM when our vet opened, only to find that Phoebe has passed during the night. The foster Mom's and myself are devastated and heart broken. We want so much to help every one, but when this happens, it crushes us.
Here are pigtures of Phoebe and Zelda.

Parker and April

I can't believe we are already into August, time has been going by too quickly.
within the past week Parker the rabbit and April the guinea pig were adopted. Parker is an albino boy that was surrendered with is Mom , Chelsea ( also recently adopted) When we took the baby bunnies in to see Dr.Fijas to have them all sexed, Dr.Fijas was a little baffled as to what parker was, they aren't as evident when they are that young. He appeared to be a girl and Dr.Fijas was 90 percent certain he was, I kept on re checking him and he still appeared girl-like. Until recently, when a couple of things dropped on him that only boys have and that proved to me that he is in fact, a boy. I was calling him Pandora, since We were so certain of a girl, but I changed him name to Parker once we knew. Thankfully he was housed with spayed female rabbits. All the other babies Dr.Fijas was 100 percent certain on, and have been correct because they are now all fixed. Hey, we all make mistakes, we are only human. Parker's Mom didn't mind learning that the rabbit they were applying for was a boy instead of a girl. They loved his looks and personality and still wanted him as part of the family. April is a 4 year old guinea pig, her new Mom, Cathy, Just recently lost a 5 to 6 year old guinea pig that left a female Guinea pig of theirs, all alone. This guinea pig is also 4 years old, so we are hoping April is a good match and will become great friends with Cathy's Piggy.
On Tuesday we took Kevin and Panda the ferrets, and Layla the rabbit to see Dr.T. Kevin and Panda went in for Rabies shots and a check up. I let Dr.T know that they seemed a bit too itchy than what I would like to see. And he found that they do indeed have ear mites. They are now getting ivermectin drops in their ears once a week for six weeks. until those six weeks are up, they will not be adoptable. Layla is the rabbit that was found loose and abandoned in a park. She checked out good and healthy :) She does have some scarring in two places up near her neck and shoulder blades. Dr.T said they are in perfect placement to have been tooth marks like a mouth had been on her. Looks like she was able to get away from a predator or dog, she survived an attack! The wounds are already very well healed, and she'll probably always have the scars. The poor girl, what a terrifying thing to go through. She's is a survivor.
Pictured above is Parker and April.

Where is the camera?

I was about to take some digital pictures of pets that are now available for adoption, but I cannot find the camera anywhere. I have a few hamsters, guinea pigs and Vinny the Holland lop rabbit to take pictures of.. but how will I do that without the camera? I'll keep on looking, have to retrace my steps, remember where I last used it.

On Monday, 6 male rabbits went to see Dr.T to be neutered. Oliver, Potter, Waffle, Domino, Morsel, and Memphis are all now fixed. They recovered very quickly and were eating and drinking by that same night.

Chelsea the female rabbit has been adopted :) She arrived here with her litter of babies, which was an accidental litter. She was searching for her forever home for a while, but then I got a call from a former co-worker, Sandy. Sandy had lost her female bunny due to old age and was looking for an new spayed female. She had her eyes and heart set on Chelsea and wound up adopting her. A happy ending for Chelsea.

The last 3 degus from the group of 12 that arrived months ago have just been adopted by their new Mom, Jillian. We are enthused that all of them are now happy in homes, and all of them were adopted in groups of 2's, 3's and 4's so no one was adopted by themselves.

We do have a few new arrivals- 5 new rats. The boys are Link a dark brown hooded, Gibson a blue hooded and Warwick a blue hooded. The girls are Kara and Zan they are albinos. Also, a black lop female rabbit was brought to us. This poor girl was abandoned at a park and had been there for weeks. A couple of good Samaritans spent a good deal of their time trying to catch her and then succeeding. They then brought her to us so we could have her vet checked, spayed then find her a wonderful home.

The picture above is Chelsea, a happy bunny living the good life now.

Yay! Adoptions!

We have had many adoptions this week, I am so thrilled.
Noodle the hamster now has a wonderful home with Marcia on Friday. Marcia just recently lost her beloved hamster, Felicity. Felicity passed away due to old age. Marcia was ready to bring a new little hammie into her heart and home, and she choose Noodle. Mr.Noodles is such a sweet boy and quite a character. They will be so happy with each other, love at first sight.
Later on that same day, Cadet the rabbit was also adopted. A nice young girl by the name of Paige ( a name we love, we named our black cat, Paige) was looking for a bunny in her life and wanted to adopt. Cadet was who she was drawn to on the Petfinder page, who wouldn't be he has the most adorable face. Cadet will love all the attention he will be getting with Paige and family.
On Friday, Ace and Gizmo the long haired Peruvian guinea pigs went home. Their new Mom is Diane. Diane was searching for the Peruvian breed of piggy and found these boys. If a male can be called gorgeous, that is what they are! long flowing fur that is more like hair.
Today Sebastian the guinea pig was adopted. Sebastian is one of the boys from the 50 plus guinea pig abandonment fro about a week ago. He is now with Chad, who was so excited and happy to be adopting Sebastian. And Sebastian feels the same way.
I love writing about so much good news, this has been a wonderful weekend, I hope it keeps up. It will keep a smile on my face at all times.

Home for Willis, new arrivals , Chip and Mascot

Today Annette picked up Willis the rabbit and now he is home :) Such a wonderful outcome for Willis. Sure he does have a tiny bit of attitude and is full of personality, but I sure will miss sitting on the couch with him and rubbing his head and ears, while he laid there looking content and happy.
Two more baby guinea pigs found homes also, Chip and Mascot. They are both boys and brothers. The babies are finding homes rather quickly, I am hoping the same for all of the adults. Those piggies have been through so much, they deserve a new start at a happy life the most.
A couple months back, two rabbits at Life Long Tails found a happy home, Pizzazz and Cashew. In their new home they bonded to a neutered boy bunny named Vinny, he is a tiny Holland Lop. Under sad and unfortunate circumstances the family fell into hard financial times and seek ed our help with finding a new home for the little ones. The family was heart broken to bring us the trio and also their ferrets , kevin and Panda, they truly loved them deeply. But a family with 6 children needed to make this painful decision to stay afloat... my heart goes out to them. We will spoil them they same way they were and all three bunnies will adopted together and both ferrets will be adopted together too. Once a bond is formed amongst rabbits, ferrets, rats, etc it is cruel to split them up for any reason. The only time a bond is separated is if one passes or the bond is broken somehow and fighting starts amongst them.
Tomorrow is the fourth of July , please keep your pets safe and think of them. Many pets are spooked and stressed during all the noise and activity of this day. If you know one of your pets get spooked during fireworks, place them in a room where they cannot injure themselves ( accessible glass windows, objects that can fall over, etc) and play some soothing music or a TV, some kind of neutral sound to help drown out the sound of the fireworks. Dim or turn off the lights in this room. For birds or other small pets , cover them up partially with a dark colored blanket, play music for them too. Don't become stressed over your pet's nervousness , they do pick up on our mood and it will only heighten their agitation. Stay calm and talk in a slow , soothing voice to them, they will appreciate it. Hope to hear that everyone had a safe Holiday and no one was hurt :)
Here is a picture of Willis, Chip and Mascot