Friday, October 26, 2012

Lockport Petsmart

Small Pets-Big Hearts will be at the Petsmart in Lockport with adoptable little ones tomorrow ( Saturday). We will be there from 11Am to 4PM. The address to the Lockport store is - 5722 S Transit Rd Lockport, New York 14094 We will be bringing Loops and Chicklet the female rats, Frieda the Syrian hamster, Willy the guinea pig, Buttercup the guinea pig, Lionel and Barnes the male rats, Blueberry the Syrian hamster and ALexa and Poppyseed the female mice.

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

She Ate a Little !

Watson ate a little bit during the night. She ate some pellets, cut up greens and cut up carrot. She still seems tired, but we are very happy that she has eaten something.

Monday, October 15, 2012

Dental Surgery

Watson's surgery was a success. Her bottom and top incisors have been removed. She arrived back at her foster home a bit groggy, but she quickly sprawled out and rested. She received some Metacam to help her with pain. We are concerned that she hasn't eaten yet. If she hasn't eaten anything by tomorrow we will contact the vet for help. Hopefully we won't have to go through the regimine of getting critical care food into her. We would like to see her start eating without any possible stress. She has been though enough already.

Saturday, October 13, 2012

Please help Watson the bunny, he is having dental surgery on Monday.

Fundraising for Watson

Please , help us to help Waston. You can rad his story and donate by clicking this link - http://smallpetsbighearts.chipin.com/rabbit-dental-surgery Thank you :)

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Cadbury

Cadbury the bunny has
just been adopted , YAY!!

Friday, September 14, 2012

Adoption Weekend!

Small Pets-Big Hearts will be set up with adoptables at the AMherst Petsmart on Niagara Falls Blvd. from 5pm to 9pm. We are bringing along Daisy the ferret; Timon and Pumba the degus; Panama and Sofia the rats; Elvis the guinea pig; Winston and Zae the hamsters ( they are fluffy Syrian hamsters and live separately from each other) ; Clover, Venus, Patty and Galaxy the mice and Lydia and Wanda the gerbils . We hope to find them homes today! It is a big adoption weekend at the Petsmart store!

Saturday, September 8, 2012

Berta

Berta the hamster is doing well considering her diagnosis with Cushing's disease. Her fur and skin is still thinning, particularly around her back legs and belly area. Her appetite is still very good, and she still runs in her wheel at night. We continue to hope for someone to adopt her despite her possible short time left with us. Our wish for every little one is for them to be adopted and have a true home, and be surrounded with love. We want Berta to experience this before her "time" is near.

Elvis #2 update

Elvis #2 the guinea pig continues to do very well and is healing. We are keeping hope that no other tumors will pop up and that the two tumors he had were not malignant.

Endive and Chiquita

We adopted out Endive and Chiquita today to family with two adorable kids. We know that Endive and Cresent will be spoil with love! Pictured is Endive.

Friday, September 7, 2012

Loss of Bryson

Our strong little hamster Bryson took a turn for the worst and with an evaluation at Dr. T it was determined that we needed to help Bryson go over the rainbow bridge. Bryson had a wonderful sponsor to help with the medical bill and we appreciate her help. We need to remember that Bryson is no longer ill and is in a better place. We love you Bryson!

Adoptions and Nick

GP, Norah and Brownie the guinea pigs were adopted . Such happy piggies. Late Wednesday night SP-BH received at phone call that there was a pet bunny on the loose in Niagara Falls. According to the neighbors the bunny has been living on street for a week. Ray and Beth went and found the bunny under a car and brought him back to receive care. His name is Nick and he needs to gain some weight before he can be adopted. Nick is super cute!
Sorry about the lack of entries for a while, we were having trouble logging on for a while. I will catch everyone up by posting all the entries we have missed all in one day . Starting with- Watson! Watson the bunny just arrived at SP-BH today. His previous owner surrender him when she found out he had a medical condition that she couldn't financial treat. We are so grateful she found us to take Watson in so he can get treatment. Once he is checked out by Dr.T and treated Watson will be up for adoption!

Saturday, August 11, 2012

Rango

Status update on Rango the Leopard Gecko - he is now adoptable!

Newest Arrivals

We have 4 new arrivals; Two 12 week dold female rats, one is named Mischief , the other girl needs a name.. anyone know a good name for her? She is mostly a dark black color with some white. They are very sweet girls , we are looking to adopt them together because were told they are sisters ( they do look alike) and they have been together since birth. And, two ferrets just arrived. An 8 year old albino boy named Needlenose and a three year old sable colored boy named Dudley. Once they have had time to de-stress in their foster home and had a good check up at the vet, they will be adoptable

Newest Adoptions

We had 5 adoptions yesterday! :) Three female ( un-named) baby rats were adopted. They came from a previous owner, the babies were an accidental and unwanted litter. We still have 4 girls and 4 boys left for adoption. Also, Stevie and Trudy the guinea pigs were adopted together. They have found wonderful people , very nice families that will love them.

Sad Update

Victor has passed away.

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Victor Update

Victor the rat has not improved on his medicine at all :( In fact , there is a possiblilty he may be worse than before. He is still eating and drinking, but not as much. I'm afraid the time may come where we will have to decide to let him go at the vet's office.. to spare him any long term suffering. Unfortunetly there is no other treatment for him. Right now, we are just loving him and keeping him comfortable. He can still drink from the bottle, he nibbles on food and he has a little control over his body ( although that is diminishing as the head tilt worsens) , when these aspects of his life are gone , we will then take him to the vet to say good bye.

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Drae, Victor and Elvis Needs your Help by Sponsoring

Elvis the guinea pig, Drae the hamster and Victor the rat are hoping for someone to sponsor them. Sponsoring helps with their vet care costs, and paying for their food, bedding, toys, etc. Please consider sponsoring one of these special rescued little ones. You can start sponsoring by going to- http://www.smallpets-bighearts.org/sponsor.html

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Vet Visit Soon

I am taking three little ones to the vet today. Zodiac the gerbil has a growth underneath his ear. Elvis the guinea pig for the fur loss. And last night I found Victor the rat with a suden head tilt and he is quite dissoriented. Poor little guy.

Monday, July 23, 2012

Drae Update

Drae the hamster is doing very well. He will need his teeth trimmed every two to three weeks. He isn't as thin as he was when he arrived , because he is eating well. He is eaven able to eat nuts( our of shell) , seeds ( out of shell), cereals , grains , pasta, moistened dog food and still loves the tofu. He loves to hoard the food up in the area where he sleeps. He snacks in bed. The first week he was with us , he didn't run in his wheel at all. But , now he runs in it for hours every night. :) Drae you are a trooper! We love you!

Othello and Lola

Othello the rabbit was neutered today. And, Lola the rabbit was spayed.

Friday, July 20, 2012

Amherst Petsmart Event

Small Pets- Big Hearts will be at the Amherst Petsmart on Niagra Falls Blvd. tomorrow ( Saturday, July 21st) from 11Am to 4PM. We will have Rue the rat; Bella and Chippy the guinea pigs; Blue berry the hamster and Teddy the hamster; Venus, Patty, Clover, and Galaxy the mice; and Kyra, Cecillia and Kodiak the gerbils with us. They are all adoptable and ready to go home :)

Three New Arrivals

We have three new arrivals. They are young guinea pigs, only 11 weeks old. Tibbles the boy, Chip the boy, and Merphy the girl. Pictures will be coming soon

Sponsor Elvis

A cute picture of Elvis. He would love to have someone sponsor him to help with vet care costs and other supplies he will need during his stay with us. you can begin sponsoring on this web page- http://www.smallpets-bighearts.org/sponsor.html

Elvis the Guinea Pig

This is a side picture of Elvis the guinea pig. As you can see has a lot of fur loss. Volunteer, Beth, saved him from a situation where he would have not gotten vet care for his obvious ailment. He is now very comfortable here, he is eating a lot and popcorns all over his cage in joy. He has a vet appointment on Wednesday to figure out what he has and treat it.

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Lucy the Gerbil

Today I am posting about some sad news. Lucy the gerbil passed away yesterday. She arrived at senior age, she was at least 3 years old, possibly older than that. She was a retired classroom pet. She only showed sysmptoms of older age, she did not suffer with any disease or problems that outwardly showed to any of us. In fact, most nights she still ran in her wheel and dug through her bedding. I found her laying in her "bed" made of bedding, passed away. We were all hoping she still had time to be with us and to go through the joys of adoption and truly being loved. Rest in Peace Lucy.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Drae at the Vet

This is a picture of Drae in his carrier at the vet. His teeth look perfect right now after I had trimmed them, and he doesn't have any problems in his mouth. His face and mouth are malformed, so he will need frequent and routine teeth trimmings. Drae still doesn't have a sponsor to help him with his vet care and other supplies. Would you like to help Drae by sponsoring him? You can start sponsoring by going to this web page - http://www.smallpets-bighearts.org/sponsor.html

Bryson at the Vet

Here is a picture of Bryson in his carrier at the vet . The lump on his leg was an abscess, the vet drained out the puss from it. He also has an infection and possible abscess in his mouth. There is a good chance that the infection is also up in his ear and that could be causing the head tilt. He is on antibiotics now , twice a day for 14 days. The head tilt might go away after the infection is gone. Or it might be a permanent tilt. He will feel much better though when the infection is all gone. Once he is all healthy , we hope to place him up for adoption .

Sunday, July 15, 2012

New Sponsor Page

Small Pets-Big Hearts now has a page on the web site dedicated to sponsoring a rescued little one. This page will make it easier for anyone who wishes to sponsor. You can view the page here - http://www.smallpets-bighearts.org/sponsor.html Thank you Ray and Beth for creating the web page :) Drae the hamster is wishing and hoping for someone to sponsor him

Friday, July 13, 2012

Sponsor Drae

I guess the picture posted in the upright position :) Drae is stil hoping for someone to sponsor him. Sponsoring is a monthly donation of $10, $20, or $40 , your choice. Sponsoring helps with costs for food, toys, bedding and vet care. You still have your name placed on the sponsored pet's cage and receive updates and pictures of your sponsored pet. Spnosoring can end when you choose or when that pet is adopted. You can make spnosor donation at www.smallpets-bighearts.org there is a paypal donation button. Or we accept cash or check. PLease send us a message as to who you want to sponsor and your contact information to send updates and pictures :) Thank you

Drae last night

This is Drae eating tofu last night, already feeling better with normal length teeth. Wish I knew how to rotate the picture..sorry. Drae is still hoping for someone to sponsor him.

Drae

We received four new arrivals yesterday. Drae and Zae the hamsters, Rango the leopard gecko and Snickers the guinea pig. Drae is a special hamster and has a story to tell. He arrived with horribly overgrown teeth. HIs bottom teeth were growing out of his mouth and his top teeth were grown into the roof of his mouth!! He is very thin, I am sure he has not been able to eat for some time. I immediately trimmed his teeth to their suitable length, the top teeth did come out of the wound on the roof of his mouth. I also gave him a tiny bit of metacam to ease the pain. I called the vet right away and got the soonest opening , Monday at 2:30 for him. Later that night he started actively eating tofu and other foods. This morning he has a pile of poops, I realized there wasn't any poops in his cage when he arrived even after the previous owner said that cage had not been cleaned. A sign that he definitely was unable to eat. Drae would love someone to sponsor him. Would you like to sponosr Drae?

Bryson Sponsor

"Sonnen Duffy" is now sponsoring Bryson, thank you!!

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Bryson Needs a Sponsor

This is Bryson , he is a Campbell's dwarf hamster . He just arrived at the rescue last night. He has a slight head tilt and a lump on his back leg. He has a vet appointment tomorrow. He needs a sponsor or sponsors to help him out . Would you like to sponsor Bryson ?

Monday, July 9, 2012

Petco

We are currently working on our application to become Petco adoption partners. We hope to have it finshed and sent within a day or two.

Yay, for Adoptions!

Badger the ferret and Andre the sugar glider were adopted at the Petsmart event on Saturday. Then Ozzy the guinea pig was adopted on Sunday :)

Friday, July 6, 2012

Cheektowaga Petsmart Event

Small Pets- Big Hearts will be set up at the Cheektowaga Petsmart, On Walden Avenue. ( Address: 1734 Walden Ave Cheektowaga, NY 14225 ) Tomorrow ( Saturday, July 7th) from 11AM to 4Pm . We will have Badger the ferret; Peeta the hamster; Teddy the hamster; Wiley, Jeeves, Duncan and Kaiser the hamsters; Clover, Patty, Saturn, Venus and Galaxy the mice: Stevie, Trudy, Brownie and Norah the guinea pigs; and Rue the rat with us and available for adoption! :)

Monday, July 2, 2012

Kicking off the Sponsoring

We are officially kicking off the sponsor a rescued/adoptable pet program for Small Pets- Big Hearts! :) Volunteer Beth made us a wonderful sign and template all about it - " Don’t have time for another pet in your life but want to make a big impact on a small animal’s life? Sponsoring Why sponsor? Adoption fees do not cover all the expenses of the animals. Small Pets Big Hearts relies on donations to cover spay and neutering, vet bills and to help animals with special needs. Sponsoring is a monthly cost of $10, $20 or $40 a month! Your donation will provide food, shelter, bedding, toys and help out with vet bills of a pet of your choice. Benefits of sponsoring:  Get monthly updates of your sponsored pet  A name tag with your name will go on the pet’s cage  You will receive notification when your pet is adopted  The satisfaction knowing your helping an animal find a new home Can’t decide on what pet to sponsor? Don’t worry, sponsor multiple animals! See an animals that is already being sponsored don’t worry an animal can have multiple sponsors. Sponsoring makes a great gift for the animal lover in your life. For more information call Rachel at (716)634-2462 or (716)435-9829. Also go on the website at www.smallpets-bighearts.org to check out adoptable animals. " you can send in your sponsor donation through the paypal button on the homepage of our web site. We also accept cash or check donations if you do not have or wish to not use paypal. Send us a message as to who you want to sponsor and your name and contact information. Very soon, we will have a page on our web site dedicated to sponsoring a pet to make it easier. We are all excited to start this!!! :)

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Elmwood Adoption Event

Small Pets- Big Hearts will be at the Petsmart on Elmwood in Buffalo , tomorrow ( June 24th) from 11AM to 4PM. We will have many adoptables ready to meet people and hopefully find their forever homes. We will have Peeta the robo dwarf hamster, Simba the bunny, Badger the ferret; Norah, Brownie and Trudy the guinea pigs; Patty , Saturn, Venus and Galaxy the mice; and Duncan, Wiley, Kaiser and Jeeves the Campbell's dwarf hamsters.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Jackpot

Jackpot the rat has been adopted :)

Ziggy and Chippy

Little Ziggy the guinea pig passed away on Monday :( I was syringe feeding her ciritcal care, water and viamin C. She was munching on some food but had not pooped yet over the weekend. I was quite worried about this and set my alarm to wake up early on Monday morning to make a vet appointment for her. When I checked on her Monday morning, I celebrated because there were many poops in her cage. I also decided to not make the appointment and take her to the appointment I already had for her later in the week. I went back to bed. In the afternoon , I picked her up to feed her and noticed right away something was wrong. She was limp and started to drag her back legs!! Her breathing was rapid and her heart rate was rapid. I called the vet immediately and got an appointment for an hour later. But she passed away within five mionutes after that call. I am really beating myself up for not making the appointment that morning. I was just so relieved and happy to see she had pooped, I thought she would feel better and do better after that. Her sister , Chippy I noticed was dragging one of her back legs. Considering what happened to Ziggy I got Chippy in to see Dr.Reed yesterday morning. Chippy's exam turned out really well, the back leg problem is lack of vitamin C in the diet she was on previously. She has some scurvy. She is getting her red and green peppers, a much better pelleted diet than before and liquid vitamin C.

Friday, June 15, 2012

Newest Arrivals

Yesterday 2 gerbils arrived named matt And lucy. They are retired classroom pets that now need a home. We had to separate the two since we do not keep opposite sexes together unless someone is spayed or neutered. We also took in 4 guinea pigs . One of them named ziggy has gone off his food prior to his arrival. He is being syringe fed critical care and getting fluids, he also has an upcoming vet visit. We hope his appetite comes back soon. We also took in a hamster that recently had a litter of babies that are now weaned. She was too nippy for the child in the family so she was surrendered, her name is blueberry. All but one of her babies will be arriving next week. It is always busy at small pets - big hearts !

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

update and Mice

Sorry for being MIA for a while. I am battling an upper respiratory infection right now, but seeem to be winning. I'm feeling a little better. Still sad about Valor and we also lost Joseph the guinea pig last week. He went to the vet for a minor surgery and passed away shortly after :( It was a shock to all of us, we miss both little piggies so much. On saturday we took in a Momma mouse and her nine babies and one male mouse The male nouse has his own cage seperate from Momma. We named Momma, Siri, and I hope to have pictures of her and her babies soon. Their backstory is - a lady saved them from some children that were treating them badly, but the lady was unable to keep them herself. After two weeks of tyring to find a home or someone to take themm the lady finally found us. And within the two weeks the one mouse had babies which took their saver by surprise! The male mouse's name is Buck Mouse, he will be adoptable very soon. Momma and babies still need a few weeks, the babies don't even have their eyes open yet.

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Adoptions and Thinking of Valor

Many adoptions today! Cream and Marvin the guinea pigs; Tripp, Douglass, Merle, Hercules and Ellwood the rats ; and Perry and Pierce the hamsters were adopted today! :) I have been missing Valor today, but his spirit is with us. I wish we would have gotten him well enough to have been adopted into a happy home

Valor

It is with a very sad heart that I am writing today to let you all know that we decided to have Valor the guinea pig euthanized. His battle through pneumonia had many ups and downs, he stopped eating. He was being syringe fed critical care. Early yesterday morning, he couldn't even get up onto his four feet to walk. He was only suffering at that point. Our hearts are broken..but we do not regret any of our time or efforts with him. He was a special soul and a gentle spirit that all of us will remember. Those memories of Valor are worth everything

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Keep Valor in Your Thoughts

Please send a lot of good and healing thoughts for Valor the guinea pig. He is struggling with pneumonia right now. He is on nebulizing treatments, antibiotics and steam therpay sessions to help him get through this.

Friday, April 20, 2012

Samuel and Jasper the baby rats were adopted together today. And, Quartz the baby rat was also adopted. What a wonderful day!! We did take in two rats today, Lana and Pearl. Pearl was named Willow, but we changed her name because we already have a rescue rattie named Willow. That would have been a bit confusing for everyone. Pearl is a red eyed white , and Lana is black and white. Lana is extremely thin! Pearl is thin also, but not as extreme as Lana. I would even go as far as saying she is emaciated. SHe is eating from the mix I make for the rats, they are both loving it. There will be a vet appointment in the near future for Lana to be sure there isn't any health problems that is causing her frailness. We do hope there isn't.. If there is, please let it be treatable. I am going to shop for Ensure and Nutri-cal for her tomorrow, they are good boosters for thin or ill rats.

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Scruffles the Mouse

Scruffles the 6 month old mouse arrived today. She is a white , red eyed female mouse. She was surrendered because she was in a home where the family cats would not leave her alone. Rest assured, our kitty family is paying Scruffles no attention whatsoever. She is loving running in her wheel right now. She will be adoptable soon, after she has had some time to settle down after the change , and we also know she doesn't have any medical concerns

7 Piggies

7, 7 week old baby guinea pigs arrived today. Thank you Volunteer Beth for picking them up from their previous home. Beth is wonderful!! There are 4 girls and 3 boys. Since the boys were with the girls for a short time, the girls will now be on a 2 to two and half month pregnancy watch. It only takes a short moment for pregnancy to happen with these little guys. The girls will not be adoptable until after that period of time , and we know they are not pregnant. The boys need at least a week or two to de-stress and for us to know they do not have any medical concerns. We will announce when they boys are adoptable, and they will also be added to the Petfinder page and our web site at that time.

Orchard Park Petsmart Event

Small Pets-Big Hearts will be at the Orchard Park ( Amelia Drive) Petsmart tomorrow ( Sunday April 15th ) from 11AM to 4PM.
We are plannig on bringing Badger the ferret, peeta the robo hamster, Claire and Addie the gerbils, Hunk and Wade the rats and Paco the guinea pig. They are adoptable :) Nathaniel the hamster will be getting adopted and is going home during the event.

Friday, April 13, 2012

Tofu

The rescue gerbils, hamsters, rats and mice are all enjoying the delicousness of tofu tonight. The rats were even squabbling with each other it and stealing morsels out of each other's paws. I tried telling them there was plenty to go around, but they weren't listening. After their bellies were full they went back to sleeping cuddled next to each other in hammocks, they were back to being best friends. The little ones like toi cause unecessary drama , but it sure keeps me on my toes .. and never without stories to tell.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Valor Update

I hope I don't jinx anything by posting this, but... Valor the guinea pig has been without any abscesses for over two weeks now!! :)

Friday, April 6, 2012

Hammock Fund

Small Pets - Big Hearts needs your help. We would like to order new hammocks for the rescue ferrets and rats, their old ones have become ragged and torn. Some are unusable. Please help by donating to the hammock fund :) Go to our web site at, www.smallpets-bighearts.org and click the donate button on the home page. Thank you so much. The rats and ferrets love to lounge and sleep on a cozy hammock. The rats also sometimes chew them up, that is the main reason for needing new ones. Thanks again!

Friday, March 30, 2012

Sierra


I am on the verge of crying my eyes out right now. I just discovered Sierra the rat has passed away. Yesterday after I cleaned her cage, we snuggled and she was loving the attention. Other than a small tumor starting to grow ( she had a tumor removed in the beginning of January) she seemed perfectly well and healthy. I was not at all expecting her to be gone today. My only good thoughts right now is that I am certain she did not suffer and that we had a wonderful last time together. Yesterday Capricorn, today Sierra.. both Sweetie pies. Both in my heart forever.

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Capricorn

I am not sure if you guys remember Capricorn the mouse. She arrived at the rescue with a tumor in her armpit area. She had the tumor surgicaly removed by the vet. Unfortunetly, only weeks afterward a new tumor popped up as well as two more. And these new ones grew rapidly. They became so large, so fast! I was just about to make the decision to have her put to sleep, as the tumors were getting to be larger than her. Tonight, she passed away on her own.. cozy in her cage. Rest in peace little girl.

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Gerbil Family

We just took in a family of gerbils. There are 4 girls and 3 boys that are now seperated from one another. And there are 12 babies! I will need help with name ideas for them. And, we would love some adoptions, the lastest new arrivals were big numbers! Please help spread the word of the adoptable little ones.

Adoptions


The female Robo hamsters Katniss, Trinket, Prima and Cinna were adopted at the Petsmart event. As well as, Bynx, Percy and Zeus the rats. It was a great day! We thank our volunteers and people who adopt.
Pictured above is Zeus the rat. He is such a cutie , and he is now happy in his new home.

Friday, March 23, 2012

Adoption event at Petsmart

Small Pets- Big Hearts will be at the Amherst Petsmart ( Niagra Falls Blvd) tomorrow ( Saturday, March 24th) from 11AM to 4PM. We are bringing Nibs, Hunk and Hercules the rats; Ermine the ferret; Katniss, Trinket, Prima and Cinna the robo hamsters; Aries and Libra the mice; Zodiac the gerbil and Nathaniel the hamster. We hope to find them homes. Zues, Percy and Bynx the rats are getting adopted during the event. Their new Momma, Sherry, is picking them up and taking them home.

New Ratties

Thank you volunteer Beth for rescuing the young ratties today. There are 2 boys and 17 girls. They will receive much needed TLC and food before they are adoptable. You can feel every rib and bone in their body, they are so skinny. Their appetites are fine though, they are eating like crazy. I am quite certain they were not fed enough. They are nervous , but that isn't stopping them from climbing all over the CritterNation cage and poking in and out of the cube hammocks and pocket hammocks.

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Picture of Valor


Here is a long awaited picture of Valor the guinea pig! Sorry about the poor quality, I took the picture through the bars of the cage

Newpapers and Blankets

The rescued little ones here at Small Pets- Big Hearts would like to ask if you can help them. They request newspapers for their litter boxes. If you have any newspapers that you are finished reading , please consider donating them. Also, they would like any comforters , flannel blankets, etc. that you aren't using and would think about donating. Thank you!

Ratties!

Wilbur, Gabe and Doc the rats were adopted yesterday!! :)

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

News on Valor

Valor the guinea pig went to the vet yesterday and he has two more abscesses in his neck (throat) area. The vet said we can either give up or try again with removing them. We cannot give up on the little guy, he is happy and he popcorns around his cage daily. He eats well and has gained so much weight since he arrived here two months ago. He is having the two abscesses removed on Thursday. Please keep him in in your thoughts , that this will be the last time. This is the fourth time he has had surgery to have abscesses removed. He has also been on two different antibiotics the entire two months he has been here to combat the infection. All we want for him is to be well and healthy.

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Britta's babies

I forgot to post about Britta the female rat having babies. You may remember that we took in 20 rats and there were 3 females mixed in with the 17 males. We did seperate the 3 girls from the boys immediately. But, it seems that Britta was already pregnant. She had her babies on Saturday , March 3rd. It is tough to tell how many there are, they are in a baby pile in the nest Britta made. She has been a diligent Momma. The babies seem active, pink and healthy. I will update as they grow up and when I can tell how many there are. When they are old enough , they will be adoptable.

Ally and Lola

I went to the vet today with Ally the rat and Lola the rabbit. Ally was put to sleep because of a large tumor that made her quality of life very poor. She did have one tumor removed many months ago, but a new tumor appeared not long afterwards. Rest in peace sweet Ally. Lola has an eye infection, she is getting antibacterial eye drops, and should be feeling much better, very soon.

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Ratties

We took in 20 rats yesterday. Big thank you to volunteer Beth for driving to Greece, Ny and back to rescue them! There are 17 males and 3 females, and unfortunetly the females were with the males. We have them seperated now from the boys now, but they will be on pregnancy watch for a while. There are dumbo and regular eared ones, and many different colors and patterns. Some are adults and some are younger. They are all 100% adorable! They are quite thin. They ate all of the food I gave them last night, so I don't think lack of appetite is the problem, may have been lack of food. Once they fill out a little and we know there aren't any health issues, the males will be up for adoption. Once the females complete pregnancy watch and are not pregnant, they will be adoptable. If any of the females have babies, they won't be adoptable until their babies are weaned. Then the babies will likewise be adoptable when they are old enough.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Sponsoring

I have many updates to make. But first , I want to toss an idea out there, and also see what type of response there would be with this idea. How would any of you feel about sponsoring a little one at Small Pets- Big hearts? This would mean someone chooses one of the rescued little ones and supports them by providing supplies and/or funds to that pet. Someone could sponsor Valor, or Dixie with the amputated leg, or Capricorn the mouse with the tumor removed, a ferret , or one of the skinny pigs..you choose. Would anyone want to do that?

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Logan


Logan the rat was adopted today, WOO-HOO!

Surgeries Today

Valor had two abscesses again :( Poor guy. Dr.T removed them. He is still on antibiotics. We hope, this time, the infection stays away. Capricorn the mouse had the tumor removed. She looks better without the large lump hanging from her. She does have some healing up to do now. Dixie the hamster is doing wonderfully with only three legs! Her amputation went good and she is getting around like nothing happened to her today.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Post Vet Visit

Okay, here is the update on the vet visit. Stoat and Mink the ferrets had clean bills of health and are vaccinated, they are now adoptable. Dixie the hamster is going in for surgery tomorrow to have her back leg amputated. There is no saving the leg. It is best to amuptate and save her, she will be just fine on three legs. Valor does have an abscess in his neck again :( He is also going in for surgery tomorrow to have that removed. Our third little one going in for surgery tomorrow is Capricorn the mouse, her lump is a tumor and she is having it removed. We did need to say goodbye to Leo the mouse. His tumor was so large , it was inoperable. His quality was already poor due to the tumor. The kindest thing we could do for him was have him put to sleep. R.I.P little Leo.

Pre Vet Visit

I am going to be leaving for the vet in about an hour. I am taking Dixie the hamster that was surrendered because her leg got caught in the cage bars. Her first vet exam went well, the vet said the skin would heal and she would be okay. Now, all that skin is gone! I do not know if it fell off or she chewed it off. I feel she may have her leg amputated today. I am also taking Mink the ferret for a rabies vaccine and check-up. And Stoat the ferret for a check up. Two mice, Capricorn and Leo are going , they had large lumps on their bodies when they arrived ( shortly ago) and still do. And Valor the guinea pig is going in for his two week check -up and to see if he does have another abscess. I will have my hands full. I do hope everyone checks out well, and all issues are treatable.

Monday, February 13, 2012

Jersey


Yesterday, Jersey the rat was adopted at the Petsmart adoption event! I am very happy for Jersey. He came from a hoarding case and he is also a senior rat. He is also a large rat with red eyes.. these are all things that people tend to shy away from when they are looking to adopt. HIs new Mom looked past all that , she loves his big squishy body, his red eyes, his back story and the fact that he is an old man. Jersey loves attention , and I am happy that he will now be loved for the rest of his days.

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Adoption Weekend Part 2

Small Pets- Big Hearts will be at the Elmwood ( Buffalo) Petsmart from 11 to 4 tomorrow (Sunday) for the adoption weekend! We will have Geronimo and Lady the hamsters, Zodiac the gerbil, Misty and Jester the rabbits and Jersey the rat with us. They wish to find a new home and family.

Skinny Pigs

Little Bear and Delilah the ferrets just went home at the adoption event at Petsmart, YAY!! We also have three new arrivals, they are skinny pigs. They are naked except for a bit of fur on their heads.
The skinny pig's names are Kai, Cardin and koda. They seem to have settled in nicely, they really love eating the hay. And they are making lots of poops like little pez dispensers. Typical piggie behavior and sign of good health :) We will let them continue to de-stress and settle before we place them as adoptable. We don't want to put them through too much, too fast.

Friday, February 10, 2012

Adoption Weekend!

Small Pets- Big Hearts will be at the Petsmart on Niagra Falls Blvd. tomorrow ( Saturday) from 11 to 4 for the big adoption Weekend! We will have Twist and Portabella the rabbits, Geronimo and Lady the hamsters and Zodiac the gerbil with us, and available for adoption.

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

The Good and the Not Good

A busy night tonight, but what a great night. Rudy the ferret, Carney and Jasper the guinea pigs, Cedar and Jasper the rats and Hi-Jinx the hamster have been adopted!! :) WOW!
There is some sad news admist the wonderful adoptions. Our friend , Mojo, shortened to Mo, passed away. Mo was a hairless rat with a neurological disorder. He was adopted by Kitty and Greg, my thoughts and heart are with them. Mo will be missed.

Monday, February 6, 2012

A Step Back?

Last night while I was giving Valor his medicine and snuggling with him. I felt in his neck what could be a new abscess :( He is still eating, gaining weight and is active. He will be seeing the vet again real soon we can find out for sure, and what we can do if it is another abscess.

Friday, February 3, 2012

Petsmart Event

Tomorrow, Saturday February 4th, Small Pets - Big Hearts will be at the Amherst Petsmart located on Niagra Falls Blvd from 11AM to 4PM. We will have Gravy the hamster , Wesley the guinea pig, Jersey the rat, Misty the rabbit and Little Bear and Delilah the ferrets with us. We hope to find them loving homes tomorrow.

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Valor's Vet Visit

Valor the guinea pig saw Dr.T today to have his stitches removed. Dr.T is very happy with Valor's progress and wants to see him again in two weeks for a re-check. Valor has also gone from 1.32 pounds to 1.46 ! He is growing an filling out.

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Jake


Jake the guinea pig was adopted today!! :)

Friday, January 27, 2012

Feed the Ferrets

We have a "surplus" amount of ferrets right now. We simply have more at the rescue right now than we normally do. No worries though, they have it good and are soon on their way to forever homes. We would love help in the form of Ferret Food. We feed the foster ferrets the 8 in 1 Ultimate Crunchy. We don't like to change their food on them and upset their tummies. If you would like to donate a bag or two of this food to the fuzzy ferrets, that would help us A lot! Or monetary donations to help us buy their food would also help the same way. Thank you everyone :) Your the best group anyone could ask for.

Adoption Event at PSP

Small Pets - Big Hearts will be at the Pet Supplies Plus in Buffalo, from 11AM to 4PM, on Sunday (January 29th). We will have Gravy the hamster, Wesley the guinea pig, Cedar and Jasper the rats and Misty the rabbit with us. We are hoping to find them homes.

Kiwi


Kiwi the guinea pig was adopted today!! :)

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

The Four Ferrets

The four ferrets have arrived! Beth did a great job of picking them up, driving them and caring for them. They are all 4 years old. There are two males and two females. All of them are sable in color , so, it is going to take me a bit to be able to tell the difference between them. After I get to know them, I will certainly see differences in them. They did not come with names. I need help with that. Please e-mail us with name ideas at - rachel@smallpets-bighearts.org

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Thank You!!

Big Thank yous to Beth for volunteering to pick up the 4 ferrets and bring them to Small Pets - Big Hearts tomorrow! :)

Please Help with Transport

We are looking for someone who is willing to volunteer their time ( as some gas mileage) to pick up four ferrets from the Chautauqua county SPCA , located in Jameston NY. And bring them to us in Cheektowaga. Their hours are - Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday – noon until 5. Thursday and Friday – 1-6 Please let me know if you can help.
Call us at 716-634-2462 or e-mail at - rachel@smallpets-bighearts.org

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Adoptions this Weekend

Sonia and Kelly the guinea pigs were adopted yesterday . Juliet and Treasure the rats were adopted today! :)
We have found a small lump on the underside of Veronica the rat today. It is most likely a tumor that will need to be removed. poor girl, she is only a year old. We hope that once she has it removed that she will be tumor free for a long time.
Valor is doing wonderfully. After that extensive surgery to have the abscesses removed, he has really bounced back nicely. He remains active and eats like a pig, a guinea one, that is. He still has over 2 weeks of antibiotics to go and will need to have his stitches out in a week and two days time.

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Mighty Mouse


I have some sad news. Might Mouse passed away while at his foster home. He was with his foster Mom for nearly a year and was surrounded by love and comfort.

Boo

If everything goes as planned, Boo the guinea pig is going to his forever home on Saturday. Boo is a special needs guinea pig. He has Hydrocephalus which is water on the brain. He is also blind. The hydrocephalus caused his blindness. Despite his disabilites, Boo has a good quality of life and can manage most things. Such as ; eating from a bowl, drinking frmo a water bottle, etc. He has found a wonderful person who loves him as he is and will give him the best of care.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Update on Valor

Valor is back home! There were two abscesses. Dr.T was able to completely remove one of them. The other one was too difficult to take out, so he drained and flushed out that one. Valor now has an antibiotic that he hasn't been on before to try and keep out all infection and not allow an abscess to reappear. The little guy has been eating and drinking very well tonight. Dr.T said he should be feeling pretty good with all that infection out of him.

Valor's Surgery

Valor the guinea pig is at the vet today to have his abscess removed. Last night it felt like the one abscess turned into two. And the origincal abscess was a lot larger than it was when Valor arrived at the rescue. I do hope he is okay and the surgery was a success. I will update when the little guy is home later today.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Rabbit Altering

Yesterday, Winston and Jester the male rabbits were neutered. They are doing well, eating and going about their business as if nothing occured. We now have 6 out of the 10 rabbits that we fundraised for spayed and neutered. The rest will be done in the near future. We now have two more rabbits added to the amount. We took in Lola who needs to be spayed and a large male rabbit we named Cadbury, he will need to be neutered. Donations are always welcome to help out. We are on a mission to alter every bunny at SP-BH.

Friday, January 13, 2012

Update on Fig Newton and Chocolate Chip

Fig Newton and Chocolate Chip were laying side by side on their fleece pillow this morning. They are eating their green pepper and cilantro right now with gusto. I didn't doubt these boys ate well, they are large and round, a good sign of a hearty appetite!

Valor

A little, young guinea pig just arrived. He has an abscess on his neck area that didn't respond to treatment with Baytril. It will need to be surgically removed, he han appointment on Wednesday to take care of it. Although , He is much sicker than what was thought. He breathing is labored, he shows signs of pneumonia. Thankfully I have antibiotics on hand. I just gave him some and I will give him steam therpay to open his airways and help him breathe better. This little guy needs a strong name to pull him through. I am thinking "Valor" , what do you think?

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Two New Guinea Pigs

Two new arrivals today. They are two adult , male guinea guinea pigs. One is a silkie/sheltie all white with a brown faced , he is now named Fig Newton. The other is a short haired calico, but mostly black, he is now named Chocolate Chip. They were both abandoned at a local pet store :(
Sierra has been doing great. Her incision area looks good and she has been leaving it alone to heal. We just hope that no other tumors pop up on her.

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Adoptions and Sugar Gliders

We had 184 adoptions in the year of 2011! That is fantastic! We thank everyone who supports our cause and adopts. That is many happy and loved little ones with forever homes. All of us at Small Pets- Big Hearts are thrilled and overjoyed. I know I am .

Two of our resident male sugar gliders have just been neutered. Ollie and Echo are their names. Echo is bonded to his sister, Peek-a-boo and needs to be adopted with her. They will both be adoptable in two weeks after Echo has had time to recover from his surgery today. Although he is bouncing around like nothing even happened! Ollie is bonded to female sugar glider, Gypsy , and he must be adopted with her. Gypsy has two babies that just came out of pouch on December 1st. She arrived to us with babies already in her pouch. Once her babies are weaned and she has time to recuperate from feeding two extra mouths , both Ollie and Gypsy will be adoptable. With Ollie neutered, Gyspy won't have to go through this ordeal ever again.

Sierra the rat's surgery

Sierra the female rat went in for surgery today to have a tumor removed. The procedure was more involved than we thought, the tumor was wrapped around a vein. Her incision area is quite large :( She must be so sore. We have a smaller cage for her to recover in with lots of fleece fabric for cuddling and sleeping. When she is all healed she will go back to the tall cage with her two sisters, Savannah and Kenya.