Heartwarming Adoptions

Over the course of a few days, we have had a couple adoptions. Ones that will always be etched in my mind and make me smile.
Back in June of 2009. Three guinea pigs were surrendered. They were three girls that we named Dixie, Darla and Daisy. They were surrendered because of family allergies. What stood out about these girls was their age. They were older, which made it more difficult for them to change homes and have to get used to something new. And also to be adopted. Daisy was 4 years old, Dixie was 4 years old and Darla was 5. What also made it more difficult to find them a forever home was the fact that we insisted on keeping the trio together. Guinea pigs bond with each other, loosing a cage mate is not easy for them. We would never split up cage mates on purpose. Then, the wonderful moment came when the Smith family contacted us about adopting all three girls. They built a C&C cage for them , and love everything about the girls. Even their names :) It was such a happy moment for me and it still is, it brings tears to my eyes.. don't worry , they are happy tears.
Today, Hercules the turtle was adopted! He was looking for a home for over a year. Last November he was abandoned in a shopping cart outside a business building. IN the middle of the cold winter! After months of treating him for shell rot, he has been adoptable since then. But did not find a home. until today, when a couple was in town looking for a family turtle. They stopped by to see who we had, and Hercules was our only turtle. They fell in love with him. It had been years since they had a turtle, so they received a a great deal of information on his care, from lighting, to temperature to UV and diet. But they are well prepared for him now and will do everything for him. Way to go Hercules!
I cannot say I didn't become emotionally attached to Dixie, Darla, Daisy and Hercules. When these little guys arrive in our life and stay with us for quite a while.. yes, I fall in love. I have to repeat in my head that there will be so many more little ones that will need help in the future. It is a sad fact. And if I keep all the ones I fall in love with, we won't have any extra room in our house or foster homes for those future rescues that need help. Our goal is to find them loving homes, and I have to stick to that. I also know that the girl piggies and Hercules are very much loved now and well taken care of, I couldn't ask for anything better for them. That gives me all the peace of mind I need.

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.