Zack, Cleopatra, Pumpkin and Sugar Gliders

I have great news about Zack the rat. His neuter went smoothly and he is already nearly healed. He didn't skip a beat after his neuter and immediately went for his food and climbed up to his hammock. He has been behaving well with Burrito and we hope to move Gormy back in with the two. Gormy's wound from Zack is also healed. All three will be monitored closely when they are reintroduced. If Zack acts back up, our next step will be introducing him with females ( after a month has passed from his neuter)
Yesterday we received a new arrival, one we didn't expect to be quite so large. Cleopatra the red eared slider arrived. I was told she was 5 to 6 months old, I was not envisioning a full grown female red ear that is definetly a lot older than that. We are urgently looking for a foster or adoptive home for her , with someone that has an indoor pond. Most glass aquariums are much too small for her. We have her in a glass aquarium right now. I know she needs more space. We would love someone with better accommodations to either adopt or foster her.
Pumpkin the rabbit was adopted today!! Pumpkin was dropped off at a pet store. Her previous owner had to rehome/take her somewhere, because the landlord found out about Pumpkin and pets were not allowed. Pumpkin went into foster care immediately and quickly found a loving home a couple of weeks after she was spayed. We are very happy for Pumpkin :)
The two sugar gliders saw the vet yesterday. We found out that one is a female and one is neutered male. That is why the neutered boy appeared to be a female , no male " pom poms" and the scent gland on the head disappears after a neuter. But Dr.T couldn't find a pouch, that signalled his true identity. The female does have a pouch. They are both in great health and are now ready to be adopted. The male has been renamed Luke , they are Luke and Leonna.

More Mixed News

It seems like there has been an awful lot of mixed news lately. In a way, it's better that we have the mix - the sad news would be much harder to deal with if there wasn't happy news to follow.

To start, Hendrix the one-eyed African Soft Furred rat passed away. Like Book the zebra finch, his death was sudden and most likely not related to his disability. His permanent wink will be missed.

The better news is that Gibbs, DiNozzo, and McGee the dwarf hamsters have healed. Their umbilical infections have cleared up thanks to Baytril and a little extra loving. Their foster dad was a great help with this, even though they gave him some trouble with the medication.

In other good news, SP-BH now has a bank account! This means that donations can be made to the rescue directly, which will be infinitely simpler for Rachel and Ray. Donations are not tax deductible. We are hoping to become tax expempt by the end of the year, at that point donations will be tax deductible. Speaking of the founders, let's give them a great big hurrah for all the work they've been doing to get Small Pets-Big Hearts, Inc. the incorporated status that it deserves. Everything they do is for the benefit of the animals who are so often overlooked when families consider a pet. Literally hundreds of small animals have been given loving homes because of their efforts. Please help them out. Adopting, fostering, and donating are all ways you can help and become a part of the Small Pets-Big Hearts phenomenon.

Zach the Rat and Adoptions.

I love to start out with our adoptions this week. Christopher the rabbit has found his forever home. He was waiting since November, 2009. It was worth the wait for him, he now has a loving home and family. Then, S'Mores the guinea pig went home. His new Mom drove here from Erie, PA, just for him. She couldn't resist his cuteness.
Zach the rat has been causing some distress and injuries to his cage mates, Burrito and Gormy. He has been displaying an overbearing, dominant and macho personality and behavior. He is only showing this behavior to his rat friends, with people he is a mushy pants, he loves to be held and loved on. The best way to resolve Zach's issue is a neuter. Neutering a rat normally brings down those hormone levels that cause the dominant behavior. If it doesn't work and he is still mean to Gormy and Burrito, we will then introduce him to some females, he may get along with them better. And since he would be neutered, we won't have pregnancies occurring, which is always a very good thing! We are doing everything we can to prevent having to place Zach by himself. Rat are very social and are the happiest with a rat companion living with them. Zach's neuter is scheduled tomorrow. But we may not see a change his in his behavior towards his rat buddies for a month, it takes that long for hormone levels to subside. I will update on his post-surgery and progress.
I will leave you with a picture of Christopher and S'Mores.

Sugar Gliders and Ferret

We have a few new arrivals at Small Pets-Big Hearts, Inc. We took in 2 sugar gliders that were abandoned by a room mate that moved out. The person still living at the place , didn't know how to care for them or what to do. We are thankful that he took the time to find us, ask for help and bring them to us. We quickly provided them with a water bottle, pouches, a wodent wheel, toys and fresh foods at night time. They appear to be females, they do not have the fuzzy "pom poms" and scent glands that males have. But one or both might be neutered boys. Once we get them to our vet, then we will know for sure. For now, they are have been named Leona and Julianne. Unless we found out someone has been altered.
Yesterday we took in a ferret named Charlie Brown. His owner couldn't care for him any longer. He is a black eyed , white , 4 year old male. He is a Marshall's ferret , this means he has been neutered and descented. He is now in foster care with Alyssa. Alyssa has been our favorite ferret foster parent.
Both Charlie Brown and the sugar glider will not be placed as adoptable until they have seen the vet for a wellness check up. We will update on their status.

Memorial for Linus

Yesterday I received grave news from Lucy and Linus the chinchillas' Mom. She let me know that Linus passed away, his passing was sudden and it left his family and Lucy very depressed.
Linus ( was neutered) had arrived at the rescue with three other chinchillas. Hermione and Harry, and Lucy. You could tell who was already paired up and were life long companions. Those pairs were inseparable. Hermione and Harry found a loving home quickly. But it took a while longer for Lucy and Linus. We were told that they were already at an older age of 7 to 8 years. Despite their older age, they enjoyed climbing and jumping to the extra levels in their cage. Linus loved pressing his nose at the bars of the cage and beg for treats. He was a smaller chinchilla packed full of soft fluff and love.
He touched the hearts of many people. We hope that Lucy will bounce back from her tremendous loss. The only thing that could have come between them was such a tragic event.
Our thoughts are with Linus's family and with Lucy. He will always be remembered.

Mixed News

Well, we have some bad news and some good news.

Unfortunately, we lost one of the zebra finches today. One had come in missing a foot, but otherwise healthy. Despite having seemed healthy, he passed today. There's no indication that his missing foot had anything to do with his passing; it was well-healed when he arrived. He may not have been at Small Pets-Big Hearts, Inc. for long, but he will be missed.

In better news, Gibbs, DiNozzo, and McGee the hamsters appear to be healing well from umbilical infections. While we're not sure how they wound up infected in the first place, a few days and some Baytril have already led to much improvement. Skin color is returning to normal and the infections are draining.

As always, if you would like to help out the rescue by fostering, adopting, or donating, please email rachel(at)smallpets-bighearts(dot)org.

Updates

Pumpkin and Christopher the bunnies were spayed and neutered, respectively, yesterday. They're currently resting comfortably and awaiting forever homes.

You may recall that Lilly the rat saw the doctors for an eye issue. Luckily, the eye is already looking much better. With any luck, she'll adjust well and be ready for a forever home very soon.

In other veterinary news, Gibbs, McGee, and DiNozzo the dwarf hamsters will be going to the vet tomorrow afternoon to check out some suspicious looking spots on their tiny bellies. If there is something wrong, they sure don't act like it! Those three are just fluffy bundles of energy, and they love being held. They're still in foster care, awaiting their forever home, too.