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.