Thursday, July 28, 2011

Big Anniversary!



Today is a big anniversary! I have now had Munchkin, my bunny, for 1 year! It seems like it has gone by so fast, but at the same time it feels like I have had Munchkin for forever! I can't remember what it was like without him!

Critter Crafts: No-sew Snuggle Sack



Snuggle sacks are great for rats, ferrets, guinea pigs, and even cats. The critters love these! They can sleep inside them, or on top of them. These snuggle sacks are also quick and easy to make!

What you will need:


Fleece
Masking Tape
Scissors (good fabric scissors work the best)
Ruler
Pen

Step 1:

Spread your fleece out flat on a table (or the floor, which is what I did)

Step 2

Place tape down on the fleece in the shape of a rectangle so that it measures two feet long and sixteen inches wide 
(I use the tape so that the shape comes out right, and when I cut it is a straight line)



Step 3:

Cut out the rectangle:




At this point it should look like this:




Step 4:

 Take off the two longest pieces of tape and place them in the rectangle two inches away from the edge. These will be used to help you make the ties.




Step 5:

Make the ties:

On the two longest sides of the fleece, cut 24 one-inch wide strips.

 Cut up to the tape markers you made in step 5, so that each strip is two inches long.




Step 6:

Once you have made all your strips (24 on each long side of the rectangle) take off all the tape.

Your project should now look like this:



Step 7:

Fold your fleece in half, making sure that the ties all match up:


Step 8:

Now tie all the ties in double knots:





It should now look like this:



Voila! A snuggle sack!


NOTE: This particular snuggle sack is sized for rats and guinea pigs. It would be okay for small ferrets, but for bigger ferrets and for cats it will need to be bigger:

Ferrets: Follow all instructions, but make the starting rectangle 20 by 30 inches. 

Cats: Follow same instructions, but make the starting rectangle 2 feet by 4 feet.



NEXT TIME ...


The No-Sew Double-Decker Hammock

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Sneak Peak!

Sneak Peak!

Here is a sneak peak of the first critter craft!






It is a "no-sew" "snuggle sack" blanket. The how-to post is coming soon!




A little bit about "Critter Crafts"



I recently got some bought some fleece and I have been making things like the "snuggle sack" and hammocks and toys and such for the critters at the shelter. The rats didn't have much stuff, so I decided I would make them some things which got this whole "critter crafts" thing going. I though it would be cool to do posts on how to make the crafts, and I am going to try to periodically put a new critter craft on blog. You can expect to see a lot of fleece no-sew crafts coming up and I will try to get some other kinds of critter crafts in the mix too. 




So keep an eye out for the first critter crafts post which is coming very very soon

Monday, July 25, 2011

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Responding to Comments/ Updates

I can see why Sheba is living a long and healthy life and why Lacey is such a bouncy, happy dog! Questions: what is a "little bit of water" and do you feed once a day or twice?
-Animal Gram
    (posted under "Recipe for Lacey and Sheba's Dinner")

Lacey and Sheba get fed twice a day. In the morning for breakfast they get 1/2 cup of their Blue Buffalo dog food each. 


In the recipe I shouldn't have said a "little bit of water". I forgot to measure out beforehand, I usually just eyeball it, but I measured how much it was yesterday. I give Lacey about 1/4 cup of water in her food, and Sheba I give almost 1/2 cup of water because she is getting old and finds the food easier to eat when it is a little softer. They also seem to like it better that way and don't have to drink as much water after eating. I will have to fix that in the recipe.



When will the baby bunnies be able to see? And at what age will they be ready to adopt? Have you thought about names yet? ( for the all white ones how about winter-themed names like snowy, sparkle, frost, etc. Speaking of names, a friend used to name her dogs after the weather: Sun, Foggy, Rainy. With their personalities, though, I would have called them Stormy, Windy, Cyclone.)

Will there be pictures of the bunnies on the shelter site?
-Animal Gram 



Baby rabbit open their eyes after they are about ten days to two weeks old. They can be adopted out when they are about eight weeks old. I think that the winter-themed names would be so cute! I'll have to suggest them to the shelter. (we haven't named them yet because their gender hasn't been determined yet, that is easiest to do at about six weeks) I don't know if their will be pictures. I hope so, but sometimes the shelter is a bit behind on getting up pictures of the "pocket pets". I'll have to ask if I can take some pictures. 




So now for BABY BUNNY UPDATES!!!


The baby bunnies are all a few weeks old now. They have left their nesting box and are exploring the world. The staff asked if I could socialize with them whenever I go, so last time I was at the shelter I took all the babies and their mom out to the shelter's "meet and greet/ socializing room" (which is completely animal proofed and safe for all the critters to freely run around in) They loved it! Mom was happy to have a break from her seven bunnies and retreated inside the cat bed for a nap, leaving me to be the baby bunnies human jungle gym. The baby bunnies are so lovable. The hopped all over my lap, two fell asleep in my hand, one kept trying to eat my jeans, two of them kept licking me, one of the kept digging me, three of them groomed their faces in my lap, and they all loved being pet and cuddled, and none of them minded being picked up. The all had fun exploring and they kept doing crazy binkies everywhere. The runt of the litter and the other spotted baby are CRAZY. They are super curious and run and jump around like wild things, but they also love being cuddled. The white ones are a little lazier. I have also discovered that two of the white ones have red eyes, the other three have black, and that one of the white bunnies is rex rabbit. (rex fur is fur that stands straight up at a ninety degree angle so makes the rabbit look and feel plush, and they also have curly whiskers).

Squirt Updates!


So, I have now had Squirt for almost one month. He seems to be doing really well now. His "popeye" was merely a figment of my imagination. His fins aren't clamped anymore! He got some fin rot a week or two ago, but I medicated him for that, and that is pretty much all gone. He is a very active. He is constantly swimming around and periodically examining his gravel. He finally tires out about when I go to bed. I turn off his tank light and he goes into his cave or his favorite plant for some rest. He is very friendly and swims right to the front of the tank whenever anyone walks by. He loves feeding time and his new trick is to bite my finger when I give him his food. Which is tricky because sometimes he thinks my finger is the thing to get, and doesn't remember the pellet. He has even jumped out of the water to bite my finger. He also seems to recognize my finger. For instance, he won't bite my sisters finger, he will only bite mine. He is a very cool fish.


Note: Squirt's biting doesn't actually hurt or anything! Since it doesn't hurt at all, I did some research to see if betta fish actually have any teeth. (since he is so tiny, I obviously can't just look in his mouth). There seems to be some difference of opinions on the anatomy of a betta's mouth. About half of the places I looked said "no, bettas don't have teeth only little lumps", and the other half said "yes they have sharp grinding teeth and it hurts when they bite". Well when Squirt bites I don't feel anything, but maybe the sharp teeth are to far down in his mouth for me to feel them. So I don't know. I guess it is a mystery. Maybe some betta's teeth are just sharper than others. It amazes me that humans can fly to the moon but seem to be confused about whether some fish have teeth or not. I am going to have to research further because I am hooked now!

Update: After doing further research I have come to the conclusion that bettas do have teeth, but they are so tiny that they don't hurt something as big as my finger.

Note: The water in the picture looks cloudy, but that is just from his fin rot medication, the water is actually very clean.

Monday, July 18, 2011

Shelter Profile!

This week's shelter profile is one of my favorites!


His name is Marsh and he is a two-year-old English Springer Spaniel. He came to the shelter a while ago after a woman bought him off Craigslist.com. She had him for a week but ended up bringing him to the shelter saying that he chewed furniture and barked. I think she just wasn't responsible enough for a dog. Since Marsh has been at the shelter no one has seen him chew anything and he has never made a sound. He was an outside dog for most of his life, but he seems to have been house trained at some point because he is very good indoors. He was in pretty rough shape when he came. He was really dirty and had a skin problem and some bald patches. Fortunately he is now cleaner, his missing fur is growing back, and his skin problem is pretty much gone. He is a really great dog. He is happy and loves everyone and everything! He loves to cuddle, have belly rubs, and be a big lap dog. He is very nosy and wants to know everything you are doing and he likes to be very curious and investigate everything including trashcans! He LOVES toys. Especially tennis balls. I have to constantly replenish the shared dog toys because Marsh takes them all back to his cage. He is very smart and nows how to sit, lie down, shake, and I have been teaching him how to run through an agility tunnel. 


To see Marsh's petfinder page and some very cute pictures of him click here: http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/20224700

Recipe! (and video!)

This is a recipe for Munchkin's "summer" salad.


Remember make sure any foraged plants are free of bugs and other nasty things, and make sure to wash them thoroughly. (also make sure that they are safe for bunnies!)


Ingredients:


1 and 1/4 cups of chopped romaine lettuce
1/2 cup chopped celery (leaves included)
3/4 cup of mixed greens (dandelion, basil, parsley, grass, clover, sage, lemon balm, pansy flowers, rose petals, lavender) (occasionally I also add in blueberries and some spinach)
1 slice of carrot (about 1\4 to 1/2 inch thick), chopped
1 slice of cucumber (about 1/2 inch thick), chopped 


Step 1:


Wash and chop romaine lettuce and celery into bite size pieces. 









Step 2: 


Wash carrot and chop into quarters






Step 3:


Wash cucumber and cut into eighths.






Step 4:


Wash mixed greens, chop large basil leaves and parsley stems (I only do this so it fits nicely in his bowl)






Step 5: 


Put lettuce on a plate






Put celery into the bowl






Then mixed greens






Then sprinkle carrot and cucumber pieces on top









New Video!!

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Recipe for Lacey and Sheba's Dinner

This is a recipe for what I feed Lacey and Sheba for dinner:


Ingredients:


1 and 1/2 cups Blue Buffalo Chicken and Rice dog food each


1 tsp. Dried Ocean Kelp each


1 tsp. Salmon Oil each


1/8 cup chopped carrots and celery each


1/2 tbsp. chopped parsley each


Some water


Step 1: Wash and chop carrots, celery, and parsley










Step 2: Put Blue Buffalo dog food into bowl(s)










Step 3:  Add dried kelp. 









Note: For Lacey I keep this in one clump because otherwise she makes a mess out of it! (For Sheba I just sprinkle it on top)


Step 4Add salmon oil







Step 5: Add veggies






Step 6:  Add a little bit of water







Yum!!!










Coming soon!

Two new Munchkin videos, a shelter profile, and Squirt updates are all coming soon! (Hopefully tomorrow!) : )

Baby bunny updates!

The baby bunnies have opened their eyes! They are now hopping all around and exploring their nesting box. They are very cute. There are actually seven. (I know, first I said eight, and then I said six, but now that they aren't laying in a big pile I can actually count them!) Four of them are all white, one is white with a little bit of gray on his/her feet and ears, and the other two are black/grey and white. The littlest one, the runt of the litter, is like the energizer bunny. He/she runs, jumps, bounces, and is generally just crazy and goofy. The other ones are more lazy. I have been petting them and getting them used to people. One of them fell asleep in my hand today. It was so cute that I nearly died from a cuteness overdose! And the are sooo SOFT. If I didn't already have six spoiled pets, I would totally bring one home! 

AWESOME NEWS!!!!

I have very awesome news! One of the shelter's cats, Neon, who has been at the shelter since November, finally got adopted yesterday morning! Yay!


I did a profile on Neon a while ago so if you want to see it again here it is:


Shelter cat profile:

This week's cat profile is a black and white cat named Neon. She is about three years old. Neon has been at the shelter for a VERY, VERY, VERY long time. I can't even remember. She is a bit grumpy sometimes, but once she gets used to a person she can be very friendly. She would like a quiet peaceful house, and I think she would like to be the only cat and be in a home without dogs. (she might tolerate and elderly pet though.) She likes to make funny noises and sleep in a comfy bed.






Friday, July 15, 2011

Shelter Updates!

I have some shelter updates!


Updates on the baby bunnies:


I believe I said that there were about eight in my last post about the bunnies, but their are actually six. It is very hard to count bunnies that all look the same pink and are laying all on top of each other in a little pile. But I am positive now that there are six of them. They all have their fur now. Four of them are white. The other two are white with gray/black spots. The biggest one is one of the white ones, and one of the spotted ones is definitely smaller than the rest and took longer getting his/her fur, he/she seems to be pretty healthy.


Their mom is taking good care of them. I have been cleaning their cage, and the mama bunny is fine with me being near the babies, but she HATES the litter scoop! So I let have some time to run around free by herself in a small room while I clean the cage.


The baby bunnies are also all attempting to hop. It is very cute, because they sort of just do these jerky spurts and than fall, and they kick each other in the process. They don't really move anywhere because they still can't really see yet. It is very funny to watch.


Updates on the rats:


Well, it turns out the trio rats are female. I didn't even check, because the owner said that they were all male. Well I went to the shelter on Tuesday, and I checked and they are definitely not male! So the staff already named them Sashi, Bijou, and Dewdrop. None of which I really like. The white one is named Sashi, so I call her Sasha now, because she does look like a Sasha. I have also been calling the black and white one Sushi, so my name now for the black one is Sashi. So it is Sasha, Sushi, and Sashi. Which is a mouthful but it is sort of a theme, and kinda cute.


The names that are winning the poll right now are Brains, Brawn, and Beauty, which could actually still work for females. Had the rats been males, I was kind of rooting for "the good, the bad, and the ugly" (although I don't think any of them are ugly, but it would have been very cute!) Although I liked all of the choices. So the next time the shelter gets a trio  of male rats,  I will suggest some of those names.


And a new shelter profile is coming soon!

Saturday, July 9, 2011

Shelter Pet Profiles/ Shelter Updates!

This week's shelter profile: 


So this week is actually a profile about a few pets. The shelter currently has five baby/ young rats. They are all very sweet and very cute! Most of them don't have names so I make up my own. 


Two of the baby rats are dumbo rats (with super cute big, round ears on the side of their head). They are both male. One is white with a little bit of grayish black and the other is all grayish black. They don't have official names, so I have been calling them Salt and Pepper because of their coloring. They are both very sweet. They like being held and they are so soft!!! Salt and Pepper have always been together, so I think they should definitely go home together!


The other three were just brought in today, and I got to set up a new cage for them. (They basically were brought to the shelter in a cage sized for one hamster, so it was way to small for three rats! It also had no food bowl or any food!) So I got them a bigger cage with multiple levels and they got fed them a heaping bowl of food. I also gave them some fleece blankets to sleep in (they were so cute afterward all cuddled in the fleece!) 


Anyway, there are three of them, all males and all fancy rats. One is an albino (white with red eyes), one was all black, and one was black and white. They all don't mind being handled. Two of them are a little shy, but they albino is very curious and outgoing. I haven't decided what I am going to call them.




Shelter Updates!!!


BABY BUNNIES!!!! One of the rabbits at the shelter had babies!!!! The rabbit was though to be a neutered male, but obviously she wasn't!!!   (which is why rabbits kept together should always be spayed/neutered!)


She came in a couple weeks ago as a stray, and no one realized she was pregnant.


Anyway, I have been cleaning their cage, and I believe there are eight babies. Right now they are all tiny with closed eyes, and they are just starting to get their fur. They are very cute. They all lay together in a little squirming bunny pile, and they fall asleep and dream. They are just so ADORABLE!!!!!






I just had a fun idea. Since a lot of the pocket pets either don't have names yet, I don't now their names, or I don't really like their names; I usually come up with my own names. I am still deciding what I want to call the three rats that just came in.... so I will put up a poll and let you help me decide. And afterwards I will pick the most voted one and since the staff doesn't have names for them, I might suggest the ones that win the poll.


The poll is on the sidebar to the right.

new video!!

Here is a new video of Sheba! Enjoy!

Pipsqueak Video!!!

Thanks to my Aunt, I know now how to embed my youtube videos right in my blog post! So here is a new video that I did of Pipsqueak! Enjoy!

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Updates.

So, in a mistake that I make every time I respond to comments, I posted all of them on my Critter Care blog. So if you want to see comments that I responded to recently from this blog, I have put the link at the end of this post. If you also read my Critter Care blog you have probably already seen them, but if not the link will be at the bottom of this post.


And yes, a shelter pet profile is coming this week! Hopefully tomorrow!






Here's the link to the comments that I recently responded to:


http://crittercare-emily.blogspot.com/2011/07/responding-to-comments.html

Friday, July 1, 2011

Updates and other stuff.

So I just updated the two other pages on my blog: "My Pets" and "Pet profiles" So now my "my pets" page has new pictures and now has a picture of Squirt the first and Squirt the second. 

My "pet profiles" also now has a profile of Squirt the second. 


A new shelter profile is coming soon!


GOOD NEWS!!! 32 cats and six dogs were adopted from the shelter last week!!!


Squirt is doing pretty well, his fins seem to still be getting better and he has been very happy and actively swimming around his tank today.