Tiki and Crick-it , Surgery tomorrow

We just took in two gorgeous guinea pigs. Tiki is a female , she is tan and white. She has long fur, I would say she is a satin peruvian. Crick-it is a male, he is grey in color with a brown nose, he is also a long haired just like Tiki. Their Mom couldn't keep them anymore. She is moving to a senior facility ( housing) and they are not allowed. She sadly had to give them up, it broke her heart to make such a decision and do it. They are wonderful guinea pigs and were deeply loved. We will have them up for adoption soon. We want to find a family or person that will treat them the same way. We want them to be loved the way they are used to.
Tomorrow is Nizzle the ferret's tumor removal surgery. She will probably have the adrenal tumor removed and maybe another tumor on her pancreas. Please keep her in your thoughts.

Justin Timberhamster

I have sad news that Justin Timberhamster passed away yesterday. His foster Mom let me know that she found him passed when she got home from work. Before she left for work he was walking around and drinking water from his bottle. He didn't show any signs of being ill or in distress. He will be sorely missed.
Justin arrived in a pink colored crittertrail one cage. I wanted to give him more room to explore and play, so I decided to place him in the bin cage Ray and I had built just for hamsters. We had zip tied screening to the top of the bin. I figured it was secure and Justin couldn't even reach or climb to that portion of the bin. I was very wrong! He had escaped! I was searching frantically for him. Then I saw the cats staring at something , and it was Justin. After I caught him, I was shocked to find his front leg all swollen and he wasn't using it. I thought one of our cats had hurt him! I took him to see the vet and found out that he had broken his leg. If our cat had him in their mouth or chewed on him, scratched him, or bit him, he would have a wound and a serious infection. He didn't have any of it. He more then likely broke his leg while he was climbing out of the cage, or when he got out. He was restricted to limited movement.. yeah, try telling Justin that! He wouldn't stop, he anted to escape again. His leg did heal, but it had a permanent crookedness to it. He was also placed in a much more secure cage. Then along came Adrianne, Justin's foster Mom. She brought him home to love him while he waited to be adopted.She loved giving him special treats. She said he enjoyed eating gnocchi, raisins, banana chips, and pumpkin seeds! That is Justin's grand story, for a grand hamster.

Basil, Caraway and Denim

Basil and Caraway the rats were adopted!! Basil and Caraway arrived to us months ago with 8 other rats. They came from a wonderful woman who saved a bunch of ratties from a neglectful owner. The owner wasn't separating males from females and allowing them to breed . They were kept in cramped and filthy cages and being fed cheap cat food! The good person who took in all the rats gave them large cages, separated the boys from the girls and started them on a good diet immediately. After a couple of weeks a few of the females she took in had babies. The females were already pregnant before she got the males out. At that point the wonderful person became overwhelmed with numbers. Life Long Tails Small Pets-Big Hearts small pet rescue took in 10 of the babies that were born once they were weaned and ready. We then placed them all up for adoption. The 5 females found homes right away. The boys took longer. Basil and Caraway were the last ones left and now they have found a loving home as well :) Their new family adores rats. They made sure they were well prepared for their new boys before bringing them home. They will always have loads of attention and love.
Denim the male dwarf hamster was adopted that same day. Denim is a black Campbell's dwarf hamster. He arrived at Life Long Tails Small Pets-Big Hearts small pet rescue with Capri. It was obvious to me that they didn't get along with each other. I made them separate housing right away to avoid and fights or injury. They seemed much happier away from each other anyway. Denim's new Mom has always had family hamsters in her life. She was looking to add a new dwarf and fell in love with Denim's picture and biography. Denim is such a sweet boy, I know she will love him. And he will love her back :)
the bottom (3rd) picture above is Basil and Caraway as babies. Middle (2nd) picture is how they look as adults , they changed so much! the top(1st) picture is Denim.

Our cats

I couldn't help but smile and be happy this morning. When I woke up, all of our 7 family cats were sleeping on the bed with me.
In case you don't know, we have cats that we adopted from various SPCA's in the area. Such as the Erie County SPCA, Wyoming County SPCA and the Olean SPCA. Adopting is the only way we will acquire our family members. They are all wonderful cats. And they are grateful and know they are home now. They know they will never be homeless, abandoned or unwanted again.
We are thankful to the SPCA's for what they did for our cats; Randy, Motorman, Marty, Melissa, Harry, Riley and Paige. Motorman is our eldest that we adopted 13 years ago, and he was 1 year old at that point.
We strive to help the little pets the same way the SPCA's help the cats, dogs, etc.
We do not take in or adopt out dogs, cats or farm animals. Our mission and focus is on the little pets , such as ; Chinchillas, sugar gliders, rabbits, hamsters, guinea pigs, mice, rats, gerbils, ferrets, hedgehogs, some reptiles and birds.

Nizzle

A couple of months ago we fund raised for Nizzle the ferret for surgery she will need. Nizzle has been in foster care and her foster Mom has re named her Melissa. Her foster Mom will also become her adoptive Mom.
Nizzle went to the vet on Tuesday and Dr.Tomaschke can now feel the tumor on her adrenal gland. Her blood sugar was also low, so insulinoma is suspected. She is now on Prednisone to help with her insulin production and get her blood sugar back to where it is supposed to be. She will be going back to vet on Monday for surgery. She will have the adrenal tumor removed and if a tumor is found on the pancreas ( causing the insulinoma) that will be removed as well.
I have very high hopes that the surgery will go smoothly, she will recover and heal without any issues and she will not have any of these particular health issues anymore.
Thank you to everyone that donated for Nizzle's surgery. I will keep updates on how she is doing.

Jack and Jill

A couple weeks ago, a bonded pair of lop eared bunnies arrived at Life Long Tails Small Pets-Big Hearts small pet rescue. They are male and female, and they are spayed and neutered. Their names are Jack and Jill. I have a bad feeling that it will take a long time to find a good home for these beautiful buns. For three reasons- 1.) they are completely black, both are black and identical to each other. Back rabbits are often overlooked , just like black dogs and cats. 2.) They are large. They must be 8 to 9 pounds. I will be making them a vet appointment tommorrow, then I will know for sure how much they weigh. 3.) They are older. They are 6 to 7 years old. Although rabbits can live from 10 to even 13 years, with good care and being altered. I know most people are looking for young bunnies or even babies.
These big buns are very sweet. They love being petted and are even calm about being picked up. I love rubbing their ears, they close their eyes in contentment. Then they stretch out all relaxed and sleep.
I hope someone will open their heart to a couple of wonderful bunnies that, otherwise, could be waiting for a loving home for a very long time. I will post pictures of them as soon as get some.

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.