6ichthusfish

Mouse Escape

Hello,

It's 'Husb' again.

More news from Kenya:  There appears to have been a very long winded journey, which included a ride on the back of a motorbike (taxi) and an extended bus journey through the country.  However the business training course is now all underway and going well by all accounts.  Mandy isn't quite sure how to get 'photos to me easily as internet is not necessarily available, but I'm looking forward to seeing them as I'm sure you are.

The rest of us are managing the household activities and I thought I'd just share the story of what happened last night. - Chef was on his laptop and started screaming for Smurf to come and rescue him!  Very odd, as he's usually yelling at Smurf to give him some peace.  Anyway Chef felt something crawling up his leg - which turned out to be Smurf's mouse Sparkle.  Since this incident the mouse has had a change of accomodation to an old gerbil cage from the attic.  I've included some pictures of the mouse in it's new house and the Chef in his room on the laptop.  Hope they look OK, I'm no photographer.

By the way thanks for the comments left, I'll pass them on.

Chef at his laptop did not expect a mouse to be crawling up his right leg.

Inside the new mouse cage; Sparkle is waking up.

Sparkle is in the flying saucer section at the top.  She seems to quite like the change of scenery.

Ruby's new habitat.

Last week-end I joined a Yahoo group for Horsfield tortoises (which is what Ruby is) and was devastated to find out that the set-up & viv we purchased when we bought Ruby was all wrong for her.  A tortoise breeder said that her shell was not developing properly because of her habitat  being all wrong.  I was so upset.   Horsfield's need a damp humid side at 95 degrees to bask in and a cooler drier end at 70 degrees.  It was pretty upsetting and with the support & advice we got online, we totally changed Ruby's environment.

Ruby has loved digging and burying herself totally in the sand/soil substrate.

Good-bye Fruity ...x

This is a photo I took in February of Tiger-girl and one of our guinea-pigs, 'Fruit'...

 
Although you wouldn't know it from the picture, she was very poorly.  The vet advised against an operation due to her age and the seriousness of her illness.  Well, yesterday we had to let her go.  It was very, very sad.  We got her (and her daughter, Faith) back in early 2004 from friends.  Fruit was a great pet - full of personality - but we had to let her go.  In recent years Tiger-girl has kept them in her room and is obviously very upset, as are we all. 

Good-bye Fruity.

You've been a great pet.

We all love you.

Spot the difference...!

I am seriously in love with this little crunchy girl (middle).

Gecko Photoshoot...

Garrick (Tiger-girl's leopard gecko) has never been too keen on posing for a photo.  Today however, he must have been in the right mood and stayed really still for me.  Here are a few pics...

The lighting is a bit strange because of the red bulb in his viv (but you get the idea).   

Serious tortoise love...

I love tortoises.  I have always wanted one as a pet. Well, in two days time husb and I will celebrate 18 years of marriage and to show his love for me he bought me a tortoise.  I am ecstatic.  Isn't she pretty?

It took a while to set up her viv as she has a heat lamp and a UV lamp too & thermostat.

She's very small, under 3" long and is very, very cute.

yep, it's love...

I still haven't named her yet because all the names I'd thought of were boys names then the petshop said she was a girl (as far as they can tell since she's only teeny).   

Funky Sand for Garrick our Gecko...!

Garrick is Tiger-girl's leopard gecko.  Gecko's are very clean pets and do all their poops in the same place (which is on scrap paper) and is changed daily, hence the sand in the cage only needs replacing after several months.  It's special calci-sand so that if he swallows any with his food, then it helps strengthen his bones and doesn't clog his gut.  This is as I undersatand it as a non-gecko expert.  So, last week Garrick got new sand and since I chose it I chose 'scary-pink' (the photos look more red due to the red bulb in his viv).   Heehee.  Actually Tiger-girl was very gracious and didn't complain at my choice although she prefers more natural colours.

{Also I want to mention that Garrick is not an afternoon kind of a guy and was not that pleased at my quick photo shoot of him on his new sand}

I call this photo "Garrick the Gecko looks unimpressed"...

This next photo I call "Garrick the Gecko hides hoping the annoying humans will go away"...

And finally this photo is called "Garrick the Gecko nips into his cave (with motion blur)"...

Yep, geckos are fab.

 

Mouse Play...

Smurf made a mouse toy for his mice to play in and explore...

It was a challenge to connect all the tubes/boxes without using any glue, sellotape or staples... just using flaps and folds and tabs.  Notice the green and silver mouse box which is keeping Zial in solitary confinement while she's still on anti-biotics...

The twins came to play with the mice in their finished toy.

Kira mouse really loves exploring and was first to pop her head out... 

Tiger-girl and Esri Dax...

Chef and Jadzia Dax...

Mice are such great pets  :)

One Poorly Mouse...

Yesterday we were concerned when Zial Mouse was very quiet and not really moving much.  She's the one out of the four sisters who has always been the smallest and weakest.  Smurf held her very gently and we had a good look at her...

 

 

We took her to the vet today and she's been put on antibiotics and given some drops too (which all four of the mice need to have).  Zial was very lively at the vets (typical) as we explained what a poorly mouse she'd been yesterday.  She'll be kept seperately for the week and Smurf has been very attentive.  Look how happy he looks below after we'd found out there was nothing seriously wrong with his mouse...

We are all relieved and hoping she 'picks-up' soon and is back to her old self again.

 

 

 

Leaping Lizards!

Our Leopard Gecko (Garrick) is putting on weight.  He was a bit thin when we first got him but his tail is getting fatter.  He chomps his way through 5 to 6 crickets a day and is less nervous than he was.  All this in mind I decided to get a few photos of him...

 

He is nocturnal so daytime is when he sleeps in his little cave but I did grab a few nice shots.

 

 

Tiger-girl loves him dearly & is gently introducing him to more & more contact as she really wants to hold him.