Curly, Logan and Gambit

Excellent News!! The 3 rattie boys, Gambit, Curly and Logan were adopted yesterday!
We have 2 new arrivals. They are a pair of rabbits, already spayed and neutered. Their names are Jack and Jill. They are large sized black bunnies with lop ears. They are both extremely sweet. They love being petted. They are so calm and laid back.
I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. Happy New Year!

3 rats went home!!

Today three adoptable male rats went home!! Yeah!!! Blaze, Fennel and Moe have finally found a perfect home. Their new Mom and Dad are loving and patient people. I know they will give time and take it slow with Blaze, who is prone to nervousness. And Mr.Moe was just sticking his nose and whole body into the meeting process that they decided they had to take him. Nice tactic in getting adopted Moe! :) Their new parents already have 4 rats at home and one is a hairless. And they are all boys! Lot of testosterone in that family. But male rats are cuddly mushballs.
We also have Lissa the rabbit, Niko the ferret and Hercules the turtle as adoption pending.
We took in 9 dwarf hamsters today. They were the result of the normal problem of thinking they had 2 of the same sex, and it wasn't so. Babies resulted from that. They also didn't know how to tell the sex of the babies, and they are sexually mature. All females will be on pregnancy watch before they are adoptable. There are 5 females and 4 males. We have named the males Doug, Bobby, Wayne and Gary. Got to love the people names :) We also named the Mom hamster, Esmerelda. I haven't named the other 3 girls yet.
Pictured above is Moe, Blaze and Fennel

Sugar Gliders and Perfect Pocket Pets

Perfect Pocket Pets is a sugar glider mill that sells sugar gliders at malls, fairs, etc. They sell them to unsuspecting people (normally as impulse purchases) and make their sale by tellings lies and giving out false information. A fellow rescuer wrote a letter about Perfect Pocket Pets. I copied what he wrote ( with is permission) , he worded the truth better than I ever could have. Here is his letter-

Sugar Gliders are exotics and should not be sold as trinkets at malls or flea markets. The sellers of these animals have the unfortunate tendency to 'stretch the truth' about how easy sugar gliders are to care for and feed. They hawk these animals in impulse-buy venues to unsuspecting people who get the animals home and have no clue how hard they are to care for properly. Many, many die of malnourishment, being eaten by dogs, or being neglected by pre-teen children who have no business caring for them in the first place. One look at the colorful, and cartoonish banner used by pocket pets clues you in to the target audience - and that is little kiddies who are clueless about animal care let alone an exotic animal.

Both myself and fellow rescuers nationwide are all too familiar with the horrid outcome of this impulse-buy hucksterism of exotic animals. Personally, I co-direct a 501(c)3 non-profit charity with a focus on sugar glider rescue and rehabilitation. We are stuffed to the gills with over 80 rescued sugar gliders who are up for adoption after being purchased on "impulse" from the likes of Pocket Pets and other mill breeders. And across the country there are thousands of other exotics unceremoniously "dumped" by families who bought them at malls only months before. This after the "cool factor" wears off or after someone gets bitten, or the animals show signs of medical problems.

These are a "fad" pet that are misunderstood and are often malnourished with sub-standard pellets. They are quickly abandoned by many of the people who buy them and then rescue organizations are left to clean up the mess after companies like Pocket Pets "pocket" their profits and scoot out of town.

Many mill breeders push these animals out with the dreaded disease Giardia and call that "normal." Many of them sell the animals way before their natural weaning period which according to the Merck Veterinary Manual is 15 weeks. Most of the commercial outfits sell them in as few as 6 weeks which is cruel because the animals simply are not strong enough and cannot even regulate their own body temperature. And they sell them solo which is also cruel because many lone gliders self-mutiliate because they are stressed out at being alone since they are colony animals.

All in all, it is a poor practice to allow the sale of an exotic, innocent animal in a tiny mall kiosk like some holiday trinket. Just cruel. Kindly consider just saying "no" to these people. That would make for a more humane holiday for so many animals.

Many thanks for your kind consideration.

Yours truly, Edwin Margulies, co-director, Lucky Glider Rescue & Sanctuary

The benefit and new chinchillas

Today was the first day of the Benefit. We enjoyed our stay with Marcia Scott and her husband. We are hoping for a nice turn out tomorrow. (Saturday, December 5th) There are many nice gifts (proceeds go to select organizations). We have Eva the dwarf hamster, Wario the bunny and Oreo the guinea pig on display. They are adoptable. Times for tomorrow are - 3:30PM to 7:30 PM and Sunday from 11PM to 3:30PM. Located at 3250 Countryside Lane, Hamburg, NY 14075. Please stop by and tell your friends and family.
Niko the ferret is now in search of a foster home. His current foster home cannot keep him any longer. Niko doesn't know limits to how rough he can play with other animals. He is instigating play with the family's Great Dane and may be irritating the dog too much. Niko would do well in home with no dogs or cats. Or in a home that has a ferret proofed room that he can run and explore in without any other pets coming in. Niko does not terrorize any other pets while he is in his cage. But he does need the exercise and time out of the cage each day. Please consider fostering the little guy. What he needs the most is to be adopted. He has been waiting for his forever home for many months now. Please call us at (716)634-2462 or 472-2415 or e-mail at rachel@lifelongtails.org if you are interested in fostering or adopting Niko.
We have 2 new arrivals. They are male chinchillas, their owner's allergies became too much and now they are looking for a new home. Damien is 7 year standard grey. He is a shy little guy , he is more reserved and keeps to himself. Gizmo is a 4 year old silver/white guy , he is adventurous , outgoing and shows no fear :) They are bonded to each other and must be adopted together. They are gorgeous and I can't wait to get pictures of them.
Pictured above is Niko. We would love to find him a home for the holidays. If you cannot adopt him or foster, please spread the word about him.

Adoptions and New bunnies and Rats

First , I would like to extend a HUGE thank you to everyone who donated to help Nizzle the ferret and for getting more bunnies spayed and neutered. Thank you to everyone who has adopted a little one into their life and home. Thank you to everyone who follows us on our blog, Facebook page, though e-mails and phone calls, visits, or fostering and/or volunteering. We have met so many wonderful people who love the little furries as much as we do. I am grateful for meeting people who have adopted, donated, supported, foster ( all of the above) who have also become friends. I never knew that starting this endeavor would introduce me to great friends and people that make me smile. I am thrilled about it. Even the e-mails or spoken words of support that we receive motivates us and makes us ( and me) smile. Thank You! It means a lot! :)
Great news! Littlefoot the rabbit has been adopted. Littlefoot came from a rescue in PA, our sister small animal rescue, Judge's Park. Judge's Park was overwhelmed with rabbits at the time. We took in 4 rabbits from there to help out and find them loving homes. We brought Littlefoot, Lissa, Abigail and Sara to Life Long Tails Small Pets-Big Hearts small pet rescue. It was about a 4 hours trip there, but it was a good time. The bunnies did well on the road trip back. Now , Littlefoot has a forever home. That same day, Spike and Pepper were adopted. They have a fantastic home where more than person is in love with them. They will be super spoiled!
Yesterday we received 2 bunnies. They were in a home where allergies and asthma was getting to difficult to manage. The bunnies names are Bun and Boomer, they are dutch mixes. They are both boys, already neutered and are bonded together. Couldn't ask for better bunnies. They will be adoptable soon. They are adapting to life in a the large bunny pen. So far they love timothy hay and running through the tubes. Then, later that day, we received 4 rats. They are all males named, Jules, Vincent, Gambit, and Logan. Jules and Vincent are older, nearly 2 years old. Jules has had chronic respiratory issues his whole life and is battling an onset right now. I've started him on a Baytril and Nebulizing regimen. I am thinking that we may keep Jules and Vincent within the rescue where a nebulizer and antibiotics are close at hand at all times. Jules and Vincent must stay together, they depend on one another. Logan and Gambit will be adoptable, they are younger. Logan is a white and blue dumbo eared boy, and Gambit is a red eyed siamese marked boy. Those two will also need to be adopted together. They are wonderful rats, very personable and friendly! :)
That's all for now. Just want to say again, thank you for following and supporting us and the little ones!
Pictured above is Littlefoot, Spike and Pepper

First Event

Life Long Tails Small Pets-Big Hearts small pet rescue will be attending their very first event!! We are hoping for some fund raising and maybe some adoptions too. Here is the invitation-
Scottie’s Hobbies
And
Mary Kay Cosmetics…

invites you to our annual Open House to benefit: “Pet Cancer Awareness”, “A Piece of Heaven Kitten Rescue”, “Joyful Rescues” and “Life Long Tails Small Pets-Big Hearts”.

Stop by, enjoy good food, coffee as you shop for unique gifts and support the above charities. A portion of each sale will go towards these charities. With the exception of a few special items, the customer decides which charity their purchase will support.

When: Friday, December 4th
4:00 PM until 8:00 PM
Saturday, December 5th
3:30 PM until 7:30 PM
Sunday, December 6th
11:00 AM until 3:30 PM

Where: 3250 Countryside Lane
Hamburg, NY 14075

Please RSVP by December 2, 2009 at 648-1030 as to which day you are planning to come so that we will be able to provide food and refreshments.

Hamsters, Latte, Arnold and Larry

We had a few adoptions last week. First, Blueberry and Raspberry went home together. Latte the guinea pig went home. Then Miki the sugar glider went home. Miki now lives with a female sugar glider. Miki is neutered, so no unexpected babies will come about. I am very happy that Miki is not alone anymore. Then Arnold and Larry the rats went home. It was a fabulous week :)
The beginning of this week started with a hamster surrender. 5 dwarf hamsters were brought to Life Long Tails Small Pets-Big Hearts in a cardboard box that used to have rat and mouse glue traps in it. Thankfully, the box was empty of any glue traps. But the five hamsters were beating each other up! I quickly separated everyone, discovered 4 females and one male. We now have to watch the females for a month to make sure no one is pregnant. If they are , we will take care of Mom and babies. Mom and Babies will be adoptable once they are ready. If they are not pregnant , they will be placed up for adoption. The boy that we named, Hefner, was bitten on the side of his face. One of the girls, now Susie Q has bite wounds on her belly. And poor little Katarina was bitten on her eye! I have an appointment for Katarina to see Dr.T, I fear her eye is gone. The others are already healing well. They are winter white dwarf hamsters. They are so sweet. I feel awful that they went through that horrific situation. They are now by themselves , the way they like it, safe and warm.
Tomorrow, Wario and Lissa the rabbits are getting spayed and neutered.
Pictured above are Latte the guinea pig, Arnold the rat and Raspberry the hamster. They all have been adopted.

Alexis and Tula

Wonderful news!! Alexis and Tula the girl guinea pigs were adopted together! We love adoptions :)

Foster Help, Coco and baby hamsters

We are in need of foster homes and families for a ferret and rabbits. We received calls today, 1 is for surrendering a ferret and the other is for surrendering a rabbit. We are at capacity for rabbits right now, we do not have the room. If someone would like to help by fostering a rabbit we have here, then we can take in this bunny that needs help instead of turning away. We have Niko the ferret right now , he plays much too rough with other ferrets. It wouldn't be fair or right to place a new ferret in with him. We would also want to make sure the new ferret is healthy before introducing him to anyone else. We do not have the room to set up a spacious ferret cage for a newcomer. It would be wonderful if someone can foster Niko ( he has been at the vet for a physical, he is healthy) so we can take in this ferret, instead of turning her away, that would be fabulous! We will provide cages, accessories and pay any vet costs to foster parents. All that will be needed to provide by foster parents is love, TLC, and food and bedding. We will provide some food and bedding to start out with. Thank you to anyone who responds or wants to help.
I say this with a heavy heart.. Coco passed away. The poor little man started seizing and didn't make it long after his seizures began. We do not know what ailed him so severely, that he had such awful neurological symptoms. We had another vet appointment for him on Monday, but he passed away late Saturday night. We decided to not have a necropsy done since we wouldn't be able to get him to the vet's office until almost 2 days later. Latte , Coco's friend, is doing well. He is staying in good spirits, he is eating and drinking very well. Latte was brought to us with an abscess on his throat, with treatment he has made a full recovery. Coco came to us in perfect health, but then he suddenly became very ill and went downhill fast. I feel awful. I wish there was more we could have done for him.
The 6 baby hamsters from the group of 10 adults (males and females were housed together) are nearly ready to be separated by sex, they won't need their Momma soon. We won't let that happen. Plus, they will be able to impregnate their Mom and sisters very soon as well. They will be ready for adoption in just a few days. One of the adult females delivered 4 babies Thursday night. They are still little squirmy pink babies.
We have 4 new young bunnies that are adoptable. 3 females, their names are Sara, Abigail, and Lissa. And 1 male, his name is Littlefoot. They came from our sister small pet rescue in Pennsylvania called Judge's Park. She was overwhelmed with over 20 rabbits, so we helped out by taking in 4 of them. They are cute, small, and young , they are ready to go to a loving home or a foster home.
Please contact us at rachel@lifelongtails.org or our home number 716-634-2462 if you would like to help us by fostering Niko the ferret or a rabbit. It would mean so much to us :) Thank you.

Updates

I have many updates to give.
We have had many adoptions. All 5 female mice have been adopted, Salsa, Sweet Pea, Lima Bean, Sprout and Sprite. Beautiful bunny Bianca also has been adopted, she is very gorgeous! She was adopted by Amanda, she adopted Anthony the bunny. Oreo and Pepper the guinea pigs were adopted together. Phil the Rat was adopted by a wonderful couple who has adopted pumpkin the hamster from Life Long Tails Small Pets-Big Hearts, and Alex and Ander the guinea pigs, they love to adopt:) Then, persephone and Pandora the rats were adopted together to give Molly the rat company. Molly's best friend, Samantha passed away recently due to complications of old age. She is sorely missed by her human Mom, Kitty, and Molly the rat.
Latte the guinea pig is doing wonderfully!!:) His abscess is completely gone and healed. He is eating great and his weight is perfect! But now , his cagemate and friend, Coco, is very sick. He started showing severe neurological symptoms. He doesn't walk well and only circles in one direction. He went to the vet, where a true diagnosis was difficult to achieve. It could be inner ear infection, tumor, trauma, etc. So we have been treating him with an anti-inflammatory- anti pain medicine and an antibiotic. So far, there has been no change. He is eating and drinking minimal amounts. I have been syringe feeding him pedialyte and crictical care food, but the food he either spits out or lets sit in his mouth, he isn't swallowing it :( I am very worried about him. I will be making him another vet appointment.
We took in 5 females rats and 5 males rats. Someone saved them from a home where they were not housed or fed properly, the person was feeding them alley cat, cat food, and that was it! She also was keeping boys and girls together so the numbers were getting out of hand. The person that saved them, started feeding them a better diet and spoiled them. But it was soon evident that the females she saved were already pregnant , she soon had many babies on her hands and she needed to find them homes. We took in 10 of those babies ( the 5 boys and 5 girls) to help her with finding them homes. Two of the girls already have been adopted, Pandora and Persephone.
We also took in some Campbell's dwarf hamsters. Someone couldn't tell males from females and soon the numbers of babies escalated. She tried to find homes on Craiglist and Freecycle , but she was unable to find homes as fast as they were multiplying. We agreed to take in what she had left. She brought us 10 adults and 6 babies. Out of the adults there are 2 males and 8 females, I separated them immediately. I can tell that one is already pregnant from having lived with a male. She is now in her own enclosure to have her babies in peace. The 6 babies will be ready for adoption in 2 weeks.
A bunny arrived last night. A female lop eared bun. her owner lost her job and couldn't afford her any longer. She was calling her Chicken Nugget, but we have changed her name to Noble. She is 3 years old and isn't spayed yet.
Pictures from top to bottom are: Top- Noble the bunny middle- Sprout the mouse Bottom- Phil the rat

Vet update and Griffin

Dr.Tomaschke trimmed down Nugget's teeth. Poor little nugget could barely move around his tongue or open his mouth. After his teeth were brought back to normal size, he immediately licked his mouth and lips over and over again, then started to vigorously groom himself. I bet he couldn't do that for a while. He must feel a whole lot better. he can now hoard his food and eat it the way a hamster should:) Dr.T did let me know that in the instance of his teeth continually growing abnormally that way, he may need them pulled. It will always be a battle with his teeth and trying to keep them the right length, it would be stressful and potentially harmful to him to keep those teeth. He would then need a soft diet. We are hoping his teeth grow in straight and aligned. that way they will naturally grind together and keep themselves trimmed.
Latte's urine sample came back negative for blood. No hemoglobin no red blood cells..etc No signs of a urinary tract infection , and no kidney stones. It is very possible he only had some red/brown pigment in his urine. Rabbits sometimes have that, I have never seen it in guinea pigs. Other guinea pig savvy vets confirmed with Dr.T that this red discoloration in the urine can be present in the guinea pig's urine and not be blood, and the guinea pig checks out perfectly healthy. It is rare, but has happened in some cases. I am pleased with this news that Latte is okay. He is still active , alert and eating well. We will keep an eye on him for a little while longer to make sure he continues to gain weight and do well, before we place him up for adoption.
Griffin the guinea pig boy has been adopted :):)!! He was bought for a child, and it wasn't long before the child no longer wanted him or cared for him. That is how and why he wound up at Life Long Tails Small Pets-Big Hearts and searching for a new loving home. His new family adores him. He is so good about all the handling and attention, I truly believe he enjoys it. I will post Griffin's picture up above. And if you scroll down and look at Buster's picture who was adopted last month, he looks just like Buster. They are nearly doubles of each other!

Nugget and Latte

Latte the guinea pig arrived at Life Long Tails Small Pets-Big Hearts with an abscess on his throat. He received a round of antibiotics that the vet prescribed and his abscessed healed nicely. During his infection and taking antibiotics, he had lost his appetite and weight. Recently he has been gaining weight and is eating the way a guinea pig should. He is much more alert and active, he is even popcorning in his cage with happiness. With good news , I have bad news. The past three days , he has had blood in his urine. He is going back to the vet for the third time, in just a couple hours. I hope it isn't anything serious. He looks so much better and is acting healthy.. it's hard to believe he may still have a health problem. I'll update on what the vet says.
Nugget the hamster was surrendered with horribly long teeth. Both his upper and lower incisors are grotesquly overgrown. To the point where they are pressing into his gums and mouth. He is getting a much needed teeth trimming at the vet today. He'll feel so much better afterwards.

Stats

Life Long Tails Small Pets-Big Hearts small pet rescue has been in operation for almost five years now. We have officially rescued and adopted out over 300 pets. Way to go everyone!! And thank you for all your well wishes and help!

Adoption is Priceless

Even though we do not rescue or adopt out cats. This LOL cat still relates even to the small pets in rescues and shelters. Plus, our own family cats were adopted from local rescues and shelter, we fully support adopting the cats.
This touched my heart. I hope it touches your too :)


see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Need to Catch Up

I know I haven't written in a while. So many adoptions have occurred since my last post. And many new arrivals also. Many guinea pigs have found their forever homes, including Candy Corn. She was abandoned last year with over 50 other guinea pigs. She was waiting for a long time! Andrea was fostering her, keeping her healthy and happy. I am so happy that Candy Corn has finally arrived home. The three parakeets Runway, Launchpad and Turbulence were adopted. Our favorite guinea pig, Buster, was recently adopted. This guy made his way into my heart and Ray's. It was tough saying Good bye to him, but it is the best for him. His new Mom has been updating us on how well he is doing, he is truly happy.. so are we :)
I need to take some pictures of guinea pigs that are ready to be placed on Petfinder and find homes. We have two girls, Tula and Alexis and three boys, Pepper, Rusty and Oreo. We recently took in two male guinea pigs, Latte and Coco. Latte has an abscess on his throat. Dr.Fijas prescribed Antibiotics and warm compresses. If the abscess doesn't heal or go away, or heals and comes back, he will need the abscess surgically removed.
We also have many new mice that are adoptable and rats. We took in 7 male rats from Judge's Park, a small pet rescue in PA. They helped us numerous times in the past. I love working along side a rescue and people that believe in and share our cause :) While Jenn from Judge's Park was at our home, she adopted Aella. She recently lost her hamster in her life, and was looking to adopt. She fell in love with Aella instantly.
I think this was a good summary of what has been happening. Besides the hours of feeding and cleaning each day and the loving and attention giving each day, our days are just busy and packed with little furry bundles of love.
Pictured above is Candy Corn, the 3 parakeets and Buster.

Mac and Cheese adopted, Aella, 14 mice

Great news! Mac and Cheese the dwarf hamsters have been adopted together!! These two brothers are such sweet hearts. They always let me hold them and handle them at any time. They also got along with each other fabulously for the couple of months they were with us. Most times I found them cuddling and spooning each other as they slept. They now have a new forever home with two wonderful children. They will enjoy all the extra attention they will receive.
Aella the syrian hamster arrived at Life Long Tails Small Pets-Big Hearts with aggression issues. In fact, that was the reason she was being surrendered. And she did indeed have an anger problem. I was bitten by her, and if I was near or brought my hand close she would start to grind and chatter her teeth in anger. A few months have gone by. And surprisingly Aella has had a complete personality change. I didn't do anything special to change her, she just switched out of the blue. I can pick her up, and she stays relaxed as i do this. She stays bright eyed and curious, but shows no signs of being cautious or angry, or even scared. She is acting as if I have been picking her up all this time. I have been petting her and kissing her, and she lets me! She even seems like she is enjoying it. I am thrilled, absolutely ecstatic about her new found trust in hands. I very certain she will be just as sweet with anyone, not just me. This will be her turning point. I am confident she will find a wonderful home now, now that she likes people. No more moody hamster, she is all about the love.
We received 14 mice from Ohio today. There are 7 boys and 5 girls. Most of them are black , but there are also various brown and tan ones. One of the boys is named he is very active and acrobatic. The other 2 boys are named Stampy and Mars. I need to come up with names for the rest.
Pictured above are Mac and Cheese.

Randy, Our kitty

Ray and I love taking pictures of our cats. Many times , I have a feeling they pose for us. A few weeks back we had a new furnace installed, and we were without central air for a day. Ourselves and our furry family are spoiled with the air conditioning. The cats were laying around the house in all different positions, looking like they were trying to keep cool. I caught Randy in this position on the couch. he has never lain this way before , or since that day :)

Foster homes needed

We are searching for wonderful people who would like to open up their homes and hearts, to foster a rescued small pet. Fostering would be temporary, for as long as someone would like to foster or up until that pet is adopted into their permanent home. The foster parent would provide, food, bedding, socialization and love. Life Long Tails Small Pets-Big Hearts provides cage and/or accessories, and will pay for any vet costs that might ensue. We have many gerbils, guinea pigs, rabbits, hamsters, we also have 3 parakeets and a turtle that would love to be cared for by a foster parent or family. Fostering helps us with freeing up space in our own home, it gives us more room to be able to help even more pets in need. Right now we are filled and I keep having to turn away these little ones only because we lack the space. Foster families are what keeps us going and we are grateful to each one. We would love to bring more fosters into our organization. Please contact us with any questions or if you wish to become a foster. Thank you everyone!:)

Mr.T, Tyson and Quincy are adopted! :)

Mr.T the map turtle has been adopted. Mr.T is actually a female turtle, but she came to us with that name. She was with us since early November 2008. She had a diseased toe and an infected foot when she was brought to us. She went through surgery and had that bad toe removed, and she bounced back 100 percent from all that. Now she is happy in her new home and her name is now Tia. I am so happy for her.

Tyson and Quincy the baby guinea pigs also went home together. They were brought to us with 9 other guinea pigs. The guinea pigs were breeding and became too many for their former owner. These two brothers will have plenty of attention and love every day.

Lovely Halo and Please Adopt

The little girl dwarf hamster , Halo, passed away last week :( She developed a prolapsed rectum. Every hamster I have cared for that suddenly had a prolapsed rectum, it turned out serious and terminal. Even with veterinarian intervention, where they attempt to place the colon back inside and stitch it back in, then treat with antibiotics.. the hamster can never go to the bathroom properly after that and many times the hamster may have chewed their insides, they do not understand they are causing unrepairable damage, they are just trying to clean things up, they know that shouldn't be there! When I saw Halo's prolapse, my heart sank, I knew what it meant. I knew it was time to say goodbye to her. It was best to not let her suffer for another day or days, but to let her go with euthanasia. Even though she was a touch-me-not hamster, she was so very beautiful in my eyes.
We haven't had any adoptions in quite a while, but requests to surrender pet(s) keep pouring in. There are so many little ones that are waiting for their new family and loving homes. Please spread the word of adoption, for them and for me :) There are many male guinea pigs and Candy Corn the female guinea pig. Many female rabbits and Victor the male rabbit. There is a male and female syrian hamster , Aella and Justin. Two dwarf hamsters, Mac and Cheese. Lots of male and female gerbils. A female map turtle , Mr.T and a male red eared slider turtle, Hercules. 3 parakeets, Launchpad, Runway and Turbulence. And the newest arrivals are Hefty the large male guinea pig, Neeko the male ferret and Spazz the male rat. If you are looking for a new companion or know someone who is, please direct them to adoption. We are wondering if no one is adopting because they aren't aware of that option or that we are even here with many adoptables.
Thank you everyone :)

Maverick, Sir Hops A Lot and Chester

The three bunny boys Maverick, Sir Hops A Lot and Chester went home together. They get along very well, Hops and Chester were seen grooming each other often. I only hope they keep the peace with each other and keep their brotherly bond. The boys were born right here at Life Long Tails Small Pets-Big Hearts, their Mom arrived already pregnant because she was never separated from males. The boys were old enough to be away from their Mom and to go home. Their new owner certainly has a bunny bond and enjoys rabbits. He choose three with very different looks and personalities, but each one is lust as lovable.

Here are pictures of them. Sir Hops a Lot is the top picture, Maverick is the middle, and Chester is the bottom pic.

Kayla

Kayla is very special and dear to me. She arrived at Life Long Tails Small Pets-Big Hearts already pregnant. One night she started labor, she squeaked, whined and convulsed in pain. The vets were already closed and after a couple hours of listening to her and feeling awful for her, I was debating whether or not to take the route of the emergency vet. Guinea pigs should give birth within a half hour to an hour. Somehow, I mistakenly fell asleep. I woke up at 8AM and found Kayla still in contractions and a still born baby in the cage. I called our primary vet and they told me to bring her right in. I grabbed the carrier and just as I was about to pick her up, she pushed out a baby. This one was alive. Then two stillborns came out right after. After another couple hours it was obvious something was wrong with the one baby. He should have already been up and walking, but he wasn't. I then brought Kayla's baby to the vet. He was diagnosed with a spinal injury, and despite hand feedings and Kayla's mothering, he passed away 2 days later :( Kayla lost all her babies, and we also could have lost her. It is one of the many reasons why I am completely against breeding. You could be risking lives. It is easy to not breed, do not place boys and girls together, ever. Kayla never should have been pregnant and put through all that pain. Over the following weeks, Kayla recovered her happiness and strength. She returned to her hungry and spirited self. Ray and I enjoyed spending time with her on the couch. She would melt right next to us and lay there, taking in the attention we lavished on her. Her Big day arrived, she was adopted by a wonderful family who has adopted guinea pigs from us before. they still have their piggy family and they were looking to add another girl. I couldn't have asked for a better home and family than them. I am very happy for Kayla :)

Boggle

Boggle the Campbell's dwarf hamster passed away yesterday. He was over a year and a half old. He went through tumor removal surgery a few months back. A Tumor had appeared underneath, by his armpit. It grew large , fast. With the advice from our vet we decided to remove the tumor before it became too large and his quality of life would be poor. It was a risky decision given his age and how large the area was. But Boggle went through it like a Champ, he recovered and healed completely. He went on to run in laps and in his wheel. He didn't show any signs of feeling ill or suffering before passing. In fact , he was running around like he normally did. In the morning I found him lying on his blanket, as if he just dropped. I hope very much he didn't feel anything. I feel bad, I didn't know that was his last night with us, I would have stayed up with him. I don't think Boggle even knew, maybe it is better off that way, for his sake,

Jalapeno, Chile and Fry

I know I am behind on posting our recent adoptions.
The daughter and sister duo Jalapeno and Chile are now home. Their new Mom also adopted Marsh the hamster, now lovingly named Pringles, and Vinny the hamster from us in the past. Jalapeno and Chile are Robo dwarf hamsters, they are best known for their fast moving abilities.
Fry the baby turtle went home with a reptile enthusiast. She cares for many snakes and lizards , and I do believe Fry will be her first turtle. She also adopted Star the guinea pig from us just a little while back. She adores Star, and I am sure the feeling is mutual.

Gemini and Whisper

We decided to end Gemini and Whisper's suffering. Gemini had developed more infection and abscesses while she was still healing from the prior surgery to remove abscesses. Whisper's leg problems were due to a neurological problem stemming from her back. The sisters had battled so many illnesses over and over. Then to get sick again and again. They were on and off of so many different antibiotics, anti inflammatory and underwent surgeries in order to get them feeling better. They would feel better, but not for long. Then something else went wrong, or appeared or a previous problem came back. They didn't look happy anymore. They were both always underweight and Gemini had lost a lot of weight. Whisper was always on the thin side. They did have a brief moment of happiness , especially when they were adopted. And during that time Gemini binkied and played and Whisper was comfortable. Then their immunity deficiency struck over and over again. It was a difficult decision and Dr.T felt it was the right one to make. We could have tried treating them for their current problems and maybe they would recover, but for how long? And how badly would they get sick the next time? How long before we did have to make the decision to end their suffering? Dr.T did say that he knew they wouldn't live a long rabbit life, but just how long they would , he didn't know. I looked into Gemini and Whisper's eyes and I knew what to do. I saw their sadness and suffering, they didn't feel well at all.. they were sick of being sick :( They stayed by each other's side from the beginning, and they are now with each other across the rainbow bridge. Love you Gemini and Whisper, be at peace.

Gemini the rabbit, adoptions, All those gerbils!

Gemini the rabbit went through her abscess removal surgery very well. She actually had three abscesses! She is healing, but she is starting to get thinner and last night I noticed her ears were swollen again. This is the first sign of the vascular infection reappearing. Also, her sister Whisper, is having troubles with her front legs. The front legs are bowing under. According to Whisper and Gemini's former owner they are the result of two generations of inbreeding. First was A Dad and daughter had a litter of babies, making Gemini and Whisper's Mom, then Mom had babies with a brother making Gemini and Whisper, and a boy from that litter did pass away :( Due to poor genetics, Gemini and Whisper will always have health problems and are prone to frequent infections. Ray and I are discussing their quality of life, I will also discuss it with Dr.T who has been seeing them since they were 9 weeks old. I just called for an appointment, and they be seeing the vet tomorrow at 3PM.
The guinea pigs Dexter, Fuzz and Rosie have been adopted :)!!!!
We also have 10 new arrivals. They are all gerbils. There are 4 females and 6 males. Their former owner was moving away and couldn't take them with. Their are dark brown, tan, all black and black and white ones. They are typical gerbils that love to bury their food underneath the shavings and CHEW stuff up for a living! They love cardboard tubes and wood chew sticks.
I'll add pictures of Rosie (on top) Dexter (in middle) and Fuzz (on bottom)

Fernando and results at the vet

Our largest guinea pig love crush, Fernando, has been adopted. Ray and I fell head over heels in love with him, and so did his foster Mom, Andrea. It wasn't easy saying good bye. But we will have updates about him and we know he is going to the best home. Jana adopted him :)!! Woo HOO! She adopted Cooper last week. Look at those pictures of Fernando, he is a womanizer!
I took Gemini the rabbit, Turbulence, Runway and Launchpad the 3 parakeets, and Koda the guinea pig to the vet today. Everyone was going in for routine check ups except for Gemini. Gemini has two small lumps on her back. They are abscesses and she will need to have them surgically removed. Poor girl. Her and her sister, Whisper, battled off a horrendous vascular infection about 4 months ago. Dr.T told me that these sisters are genetically prone to infections. They are such sweet, friendly and personable bunnies. I would love for them to find a great home despite their medical "conditions" They can make someone happy in many ways, if they are given the chance. The 3 parakeets and koda had a great exam, they are completely healthy. Dr.T loves Koda's curly whiskers.. I do too, he is very adorable. They will be placed up for adoption very soon.

Rabbit care videos on You Tube

You tube has some very helpful videos about rabbit care. The information on these videos is fantastic and I do recommend it :) Here is a link to the video about adding veggies to a rabbit's diet- http://www.youtube.com/user/FastUpOnRabbitCare Underneath this video you can view others, made my the same people, that touch on other care topics. Enjoy :)

My Motivation and Inspiration

Since I haven't been feeling well, I've been feeling guilty about not caring for the pets as much as I normally do. Ray even helped me clean rabbit and guinea pig cages a couple days ago. With feeling mopey and no energy , I have been laying around and ignoring them... not intentionally, just can't manage it right now. I am a bit better today, so I have been lavishing treats and attention on them while I am getting back to routine cage cleaning. Still, I can't help but feel down in the dumps about the days I wasn't completely there for them. Then I received an e-mail from Jana, Cooper's new Mom, and what she wrote to me, Ray and our organization brightened my whole day. I asked her permission to post her inspiration and she was happy to share. It nearly made me cry happy tears all over -
"Hi, this is Jana - a few days ago I adopted Cooper. I just wanted to write and let you know Cooper is adjusting so well to his new home! He's very relaxed and he seems to absolutely love his new huge cage. We've already bonded quite a bit, and he's even met some of his new animal companions. I can really tell you cared very well for him when he was with you, and I wanted to thank you for allowing me to adopt him and for doing all the fantastic work you and your husband do. I've fostered quite a few animals over the years and volunteered a lot helping animals find homes, and eventually I would really like to do what you and Ray do. I know it sounds corny, but you're an inspiration to those of us who look to help abandoned animals live out the rest of their days in new homes with lots of love. Thanks again and great work!"
Thank you Jana! I cannot stress how much it means to me when we receive such glowing words from people, and also show enthusiastic support. It means the World to me and all the rescue animals. THANK YOU :)

Hamster

Hamster

This lively pet hamster will keep you company throughout the day. Watch him run on his wheel, drink water, and eat the food you feed him by clicking your mouse. Click the center of the wheel to make him get back on it.

Boggle the hamster, Samantha and Molly, and Cooper

Crouton the dwarf hamster didn't make it to surgery, she passed before the day arrived. Boggle went in to the the large tumor removed from up underneath, near his armpit. The surgery went great and was a total success! He woke up from it and was eager to be back in his cage and start eating. A week later he doing extremely well and is healing up quickly. I always worry about such a little guy going in for major surgery like that, but WOW, he made it through and bounced back like a champ!
Samantha and Molly the rat have been adopted :) Their new Mom, Kitty is in absolute love with them! I couldn't be happier! And Cooper the rabbit was adopted too. His new family loved him at first sight.
I'm sorry I didn't write in more depth. I haven't been feeling well for a few days, I am fighting off a cold and flu. I hope I did give a good update besides this, I'll be back with more details once I am feeling better.

Vet Visit on Tuesday and Words I Must Say

This past Tuesday I took seven pets to the vet. It was exhausting, but very productive. Crouton and Boggle the hamsters went; Clay our uromastyx lizard; Rosie, Mr.Pig and Dexter the guinea pigs; and little baby turtle, Fry. Rosie, Mr.Pig, Dexter and Fry all had a great exam and clean bill of health. Now they are adoptable !:) Crouton has a growth coming from her lower lip and Boggle has a growth underneath his armpit area. Both hamsters are going in next Tuesday for surgery, they will have their growths removed. I will update all of you on how they do, and their progress. Everyone wish them well and hope for speedy recoveries. Clay always has troubles with shedding, Dr.T told me to rub neosporin on his feet and toes since these are the areas where he has trouble getting the skin off. The lubing action of the neosporin will loosen up the skin for Clay.
And just to clarify- Clay and all our own pets are under a different account at our vet. We only use our own money to pay for our own pets when they go to the vet. Donations and adoption fees are used for the rescues only. We always keep them separated. The only pets that are our own are ones that were our family since before we started rescuing. This would be our lizards (2 water dragons, uromastyx, bearded dragon and crested gecko) Our birds ( 4 parakeets, 4 conures and African grey) and our 7 cats. Otherwise everyone else is a rescue. If for some reason, a rescue has many medical problems or is very aggressive and we decide is not adoptable, then we adopt that pet as family. Then, once that decision is made, we use our own money at all times for the unadoptable pet. Believe me, many times we use our own money for supplies and toys not only for our pets but the rescues too. There is no profit at all with what we do. I don't understand why people decide to "flame" us for having our own pets , I didn't know it was forbidden to have any if you are rescuing.. we have been rescuing for 4 years now, many of our pets are 6 years and older, they are family and always will be. And we carry their financial responsibility too. I know I can say this over and over until I am blue in the face, and there will still be someone or a few, who will still say nasty words about us and post those lies. But, I said it again. We have nothing to hide and we are true to what we want to do, help the animals.

Pasta

After writing such a sad post, I do have good news to report. Pasta the dwarf hamster was adopted yesterday! Alright! His new Mom, Lindsay loved him right away and says he is the absolute perfect hamster for her. He is wonderful, I'll miss the little man, he is very friendly and lovable.

Tragedy

Last Saturday night we had some tragedies. I went to see the four babies in the nest that were born the week before, Expresso's
babies I didn't make it a habit to disturb the nest , but would check on them here and there. I realized right away something was wrong. The babies looked withered and moved sluggishly. I decided to pick one up and it was ice cold and dehydrated :( I knew Mom wasn't caring for them at that point. Mother rabbit's only feed their young two or three times a day , and usually in the evening, so it isn't uncommon to not see a Mom rabbit nursing her babies.
After taking the babies out, I found one already dead. I took them to the Intesive Care Unit we have and immediately warmed them up, slowly, as the unit warmed up itself. Then I gave them each a couple cc's of pedialyte to hydrate them before even attempting to feed them. An hour later I mixed up the kitten food and tried feeding.. they were, of course, unused to it, but took in a little. I waited a couple more

hours to try again, to find another had passed away, and one was barely alive. I got a drop of kitten milk into the bad one and fed a little of what the other would take. It wasn't long before the other passed and the remaining one was downhill as well. That one passed by morning. It was an awful night. I wish I had known the Mom stopped caring for them sooner, before they were already too debilitated to be rehabilitated and hand raised. But I knew it was bad when I saw them, their skin soo loose, ribs showing.. and ice cold to the touch.. it was too late :(Now we have 12 babies, 4 adults and Gemini and Whisper ( the number of rabbits)

Star!

Wonderful news! Star the guinea pig found her new forever home :) Adrianne adopted gorgeous Star. Star is my absolute favorite, she is so beautiful and so cuddly. She was abandoned back in June with 58 others. She was pregnant already along with many of the other females. She did deliver and raise 2 healthy babies (already adopted) But Star herself had been waiting for months for her turn. Her happy day arrived!!