Poundcake, Yellowcake and Cupcake.

During what people were calling the "invasion of scorpions" my Mother was having lots of trouble with them. She was calling me up almost everyday to tell me how she had killed another. I know to most people this does not open a bleeding heart, but it does for me! 

I decided to try to save them and my siblings aided the effort by capturing the scorpions and holding them till I could get them. Sadly we were only able to save 3. Who were then named Yellowcake, Cupcake and Poundcake.

These guys can thankfully be housed together. They're so tiny that we were able to make them hides out of paper towel rolls as seen above. Their full size ranges around 2" and they have a lifespan of 2-6 years. They're fun to watch crawling around at night and they're housed next to their "big brother" Spongecake.

Spongecake

I don't know why, but I've always wanted to have a scorpion. I wanted one even more when I decided on the name my future scorpion would have. So after some searching I finally found one! 

This lovely chap's name is Spongecake. Why? Because scorpions are the exact opposite of spongecake. ;) 

Scorpions are nocturnal. So if you really want to see them moving around you have to watch them at night. Spongecake is a black emperor scorpion so he's hard to see in his terrarium. But the handheld blacklight we bought helps us see him perfectly at anytime. It really is fun to see them all lit up! 

Venom

I was really excited to find and acquire my first ball python morph. Morphs are basically snakes that are not the normal color. This boy is a Spider python. When trying to think of a name for him it came to me like an epiphany. We try to name all our snakes grandiose names, so I was running through spider names to fit his morph when it came to me. "Venom" was a character (often villain) from the Spiderman series and toxic snakes are called venomous. It was perfect!

Venom has a similar personality to Cobra. He's very curious and doesn't shy away from any attention. He's never tried to strike at anyone, but he does make them nervous because he likes to get in their face. Which I find hilarious.

Another unique feature to this morph (though not all snakes in this morph) is called "Spider wobbles." It doesn't effect the health of the pythons at all. But it causes them to put on a hilarious show sometimes. Venom often slithers upside down or ties himself into a loose knot. (Hopefully I can get a cool video or photos to post later!)

Venom is 4 1/2 feet long and currently our biggest snake. :) 

Reno

If you haven't figured out by now, I am a complete animal nut. I spend nearly all of my "spare" time doing something that involves animals. One night while researching the breed I'd been wanting to own for most of my life I stumbled upon a dog for sale. To be honest, I'd stumbled upon many of them. But this one was different. The look in his eye showed depth and soul. I immediately contacted the breeder to find out more about him and set a date for a road trip to meet him.

I promised my husband if he wasn't the dog I expected him to be that I wouldn't take him. I had big plans for him, including training him as a future service dog for myself. He had to meet a lot of personality requirements and we weren't positive he would.

As we stood talking to the owners in the middle of a crowded Petsmart a little girl ran over. She grabbed Reno's cheeks putting her nose to his and squealing loudly. I watched to see what his reaction would be as the girl's father came running towards her. Reno looked at her then licked the tip of her nose making her giggle with glee. And I was in love...

Reno has been everything in a dog I could ever ask for. He's playful, obedient, loving, fun and ready for anything. He's great with all of my other critters to the point  that he alerts me when they're upset about something. He's been my first show dog and I've enjoyed watching him in the ring as well as handling him myself. He currently has his RN, RA, RE, and CD (obedience titles). And I hope to eventually add more to that.

Reno finished his International Championship with a group 2nd! The judge told me it was a very close call for 1st! He's AKC major pointed with a reserve to a 5pt major and several BOS. We'll be starting his UKC show career this year to see how he does there. 

Strawberry

Strawberry belonged to a friend of mine. But not too long after she got Strawberry she developed an allergy to guinea pigs. This seems to be something that happens quite frequently and is very unfortunate when you have become attached to your pet.

I offered to take Strawberry, since guinea pigs do better in pairs and Tetris was alone. Not to mention I already knew Strawberry to be a very sweet cavy.

Strawberry started getting a bit chubby not long after I got her. I thought at first it was due to an abundance of food and maybe too many treats. My husband began to tease that maybe she was pregnant. But my argument was that was clearly impossible because both Tetris and Strawberry were girls!

I will admit to at the time not being an expert on sexing (identifying gender) guinea pigs. I had however, previously owned a male and female guinea pig when I was younger. That male left no doubt as to what gender he was and you knew without even picking him up! If you've ever seen a male rat he was similar in appearance to that. I did not realize that not all males are this obvious.

But as Strawberry's belly began to grow I began to question Tetris a little more.

Christmas morning 2012, we awoke to a beautiful snowy day. I got out of bed and headed to the bathroom when I heard the guinea pigs making an odd purring noise I hadn't heard before. My husband laughed and jokingly said "maybe she had babies!" I laughed it off but as I was coming back out of the bathroom I heard my husband say "Hey babe! She really did have babies!"

To be continued here...

TetriBerry and Galactica

 

I can tell you that newborn guinea pigs are one of the most precious sights in the world. Sadly though, they only stay small for about 3 weeks and then they are already about half the size of their parents.

 At first I was determined to not keep the babies. But it was difficult to say goodbye to my first baby guinea pigs. We also were going to have to separate Tetris and Strawberry, who would then be lonely. But fate stepped in by making one baby a boy and one a girl! By keeping the babies we could pair them off without leaving them lonely.

Galactica is the boy. His original name was "Strawtis" but, in honor of his father who was named Tetris, we decided to call him Galactica. I'm also a bit of a nerd about my love for old school games. Galactica is super sweet and enjoys being held. He likes to visit with the cats as well.

Tetriberry, who's name just stuck, is our girl. She's very shy and doesn't enjoy being held like the rest of her family. She will however, come visit you for a treat!

Tetris

It seems more often than not that when I'm contemplating acquiring another critter that one suddenly appears. You're probably laughing, but it's true. I will admit to occasionally perusing craigslist animal photos, but I have yet to acquire an animal that way. 

For several months I had been considering getting a guinea pig. To the point of holding them frequently at work. But each time I managed to talk myself out of it and within no time the one I had my eye on would find a home. 

One day as I was finishing up and about to leave the grooming salon an employee from the store popped in and said "Anyone want a baby guinea pig?" Come to find out someone who had bought a guinea pig a month before found out it was pregnant. There were 5 babies in all and she'd brought them back to the store for us to find them homes. Apparently the guinea pig crew had been up there all day and only one was left. How was I not made aware of this? 

I agreed to see the baby, but didn't confirm that I was taking it. However, when I saw the cute little mohawk on it's butt I was in love.

I didn't really have time to inform my husband of this decision because he was on his way to pick me up from work. So when he arrived to pick me up I carried the guinea pig out to the truck in my smock pocket. He was completely concealed other than his slight wiggling. 

I sat down and buckled in. My husband looked down at the bulge in my pocket then questioningly back at me. His gaze fell back to my pocket just in time to see the next wiggle. His mouth fell open . "Surprise!" I said as I pulled the guinea pig from my pocket.

I decided to name my new guinea pig Tetris. I was told Tetris was a girl, but later found out he was a boy!

Cobra

Cobra came to us from a combination of want and fate. One of the animals I had long planned to get when moving out of home was a snake. But more than me, my husband wanted one.

Even though we both wanted a snake we hadn't decided to get one yet. That's when fate stepped in. I was still working at the corp petstore and they happened to get a python in that wasn't selling. Because he was at the store so long he was handled frequently by the employees and we all began to fall in love with him. He was very active for a ball python and very curious. 

Cobra, being held by my husband, when we first got him. He was 8" long.

My husband happened to come in one day while an employee was carrying him around. He held him and decided that Cobra is what he wanted for Christmas! 

The night we got Cobra we were attending church with my Mother. We wanted to bring him out to her house to meet the family. But since it was cold and we were heading straight to her church my husband decided to sneak him in. So during the entire service Cobra stayed snuggled in my husband's hoodie. After the service we took him out for a few friends to see. 

Cobra today at 30" in length

It's a bit hard to see in the photo but he has grown a lot since we first got him. Cobra introduced us to the wonderful world of ball pythons.  He's still very curious and likes to investigate things. But is a bit shy about having his head touched. He's been a fun snake that everyone has enjoyed seeing grow up. 

Princess Fluffy (Arachnophobe warning)

Being the animal lover that I am it was a must that the person I marry be one too. Or at the very least be tolerant of all animals. Thankfully I met a man, who even though he hadn't lived with many animals, was up for anything. So as an engagement present to each other we decided on a Tarantula. 

Me holding Princess Fluffy the day we got her

We chose to get a rosy-haired because of their very docile nature and they're great for beginning Tarantula owners.

My husband holding Princess Fluffy

A lot of people ask about how we came up with the name. I don't like the ideas people have about spiders being bad. In fact, I rarely kill house spiders. So I wanted to name her Fluffy. My husband (fiance at the time) wanted to name her Princess, because it's sweet and girly. So we decided to combine the names for the ultimate in humor, girly and cuteness. Princess Fluffy. 

Princess Fluffy is true to the Rosy nature. She is very sweet and calm. We once had 6 children with hands lined up sitting on the floor while Princess Fluffy walked across their hands to the end. It took the 6th boy almost her entire walk to get brave enough to jump in. But then he couldn't stop talking about how he'd held the "giant" tarantula.

Please be aware that tarantulas are actually very fragile creatures and being dropped from as little as 8" can kill them. Please only hold and allow your 8-legged friend to be held under very controlled conditions.

Puff (The Magic Dragon)

I'm about to tell you something very important. Do not work in a petstore if you don't want to end up with a zoo! I have a hard time resisting cute faces as it is, but when you get to see the personalities it's even more difficult to say no. 

Puff won me over with his charm, which is not a lie. When a new set of baby bearded dragons arrived in the store I went to have a look. As I was watching them one tiny beardie ran upto the window, stood on his back legs and put his front ones on the window. Then he just stood there starring at me. I could have said no, but each time I walked passed that day he did the same thing. Eventually I took him out and held him, within a few minutes he was on his was home with me. 

This was a cardboard box I put with him the first night I had him. You can see his legs were barely wider than the cardboard. Did I mention he's a bit of a snob?

Puff planking!

It's important when choosing a pet to know how to care for them. Even though this sounds like a split second decision, I had always wanted a bearded dragon and was already educated on their needs. Bearded dragons are adorable when they're very tiny but they can get up to 2 feet long and require a large cage. They require a heat source and UV light. They need fresh vegetables as well as live insects. Out of all the animals we have my husband and I agree that our bearded dragon is the most costly. Keeping all this in mind they also have a lifespan of 8-14 years. So make sure when choosing one of these guys that you're ready for a long commitment.

Boomer

I first met Boomer at a grooming salon I worked in. He came in for a haircut (sans mohawk) and his Mom loved it so much that she began to request me as his groomer. I groomed him for about a year when one day a man, who I had never seen, came in with him. I asked where Mom was and the man informed me that she had passed away. I was extremely upset about this, but before I could ask any questions he said that Boomer was here for a "final groom." Apparently, he was going to find him a new home right away.

I had fallen in love with Boomer, as I do many of my clients, and volunteered to take him. And that is how he became a member of our home. I've had Boomer for about 4 years now and we believe him to be about 10-11 years old. He's supposedly a shih tzu mix, but I'd venture that he's full blood. He is full of personality and let's you know exactly what he wants. He's also extremely smart. Boomer's favorite thing in the whole world is food, second to that is his Daddy. 

His least favorite thing? Taking a bath....

But don't let him fool you because he's spoilt rotten.

(Yes, my little sister is holding his head while he sleeps.)

Vota

Vota passed away in June 2014. We will miss you Vota :( 

I got Vota, who is named after a band I love, in 2009. The owner believed him to be about 6 years old at the time. Which would make him approximately 11 years old now. Chinchillas are long lived and can live for over 20 years. 

They are very fascinating animals and my favorite thing to do is just watch him. He has a lot of cute mannerisms. He holds his food in his hands while he eats, he's very curious and makes lots of crazy sounds at night. The first night he made the noises I jumped out of bed in a panic! I thought some crazed animal had snuck into the house.

Vota's temperament tends to be on the shy side. But he has moments where he'll come over to be petted or investigate something interesting. We tend to let him choose if he wants to interact or not.

Chinchilla fast facts:

• Chinchilla fur is so dense that external parasites (such as fleas) cannot live on them because they will suffocate.

• They cannot sweat

• They take dust bathes to stay clean!

Monyah

Once, during one our many missions to save puppy mill dogs, we rescued a pregnant poodle. On October 21st, 2002 she gave birth to 3 adorable puppies, 2 girls and 1 boy. It was apparent from birth that the puppies were not full blood, although the puppy mill owner claimed they were. Their hair was completely straight and since the other breed he had were malteses, we assumed that's what the father was. 

When it came time to find forever homes for the puppies I held back one of the girls for last. Her personality was very quirky and I couldn't help but love her. However, my Mom insisted that we find her a good home.

It was near Christmas and my Mom had a friend take us out to look at the festive lights. She thought it would be easier for me if people came to look at the puppy while I wasn't home. About an hour later I got the call that she had found a home. I was honestly devastated. I couldn't believe she was gone and I'll admit it, I even cried.

On Christmas day as we unwrapped gifts I hoped that my Mom had made up the story about finding the puppy a home. I imagined that any second they'd walk into the room and place her in my arms. But when all the gifts had been opened I gave up hope.

We soon donned our winter gear in preparation to leave for dinner. At that moment my Uncle came inside from a smoke break carrying several wrapped packages. "I guess I missed these before!" he said as he checked names on the packages. Passing a few out, he then turned to me and said "I think you should open yours first." By this time I was unsuspecting and when the package wiggled I nearly dropped it! 

Carefully opening the package I found inside my puppy! She popped out and began to lick my face. I was ecstatic! 

Monyah's name comes from the french word monnaie and is pronounced "Moan-yay." I liked the sound of the name, but not the meaning which is "money." So I made up a name that sounded similar.

Monyah has a lot of quirks for a 4 pound dog. She's the queen of the house and let's the other dogs know it. It doesn't matter to her that she is the smallest, she is still the boss! She's a complete Momma's girl. The only person she listens to or wants to be around is me.  

Monyah has several catlike qualities about her. She loves to rub all over the furniture and plays tricks on her brothers. She even makes a whining noise that sounds very similar to a "meow." 

Monyah and I Christmas 2010

My little girl is 11 years old now, but she's still as active as ever! She brings lots of personality into our home and lots of love. I don't know what I'd do without her.