Squirt made a bubble nest! : )
Male betta fish make nests by blowing bubbles when they are ready to mate. (the eggs go into the bubble nest).
It signifies that they are happy and healthy.
So here is a picture of Squirt's creation:
Isn't it huge?
(I only got the picture after I took water out of the tank for a cleaning, I didn't notice the bubble nest till I saw it sliding down the side of the tank.)
I know I sort of did a profile on the rats already, but I have to do this one on Jester.
Jester is a pit bull mix. I think he is probably somewhere between 2 and 5 years old, but I am not sure. He is super sweet and lovable! (He is kind of my favorite!). He is pretty active and loves to play fetch, but he loves to have plenty of cuddle time.
He doesn't get along super well with other dogs or cats, so he would probably be best as an only dog, but he might be fine with the right dog.
He loves his toys. He currently has a big pile of toys on his bed that he likes to lay on. His favorite toy is his kong. I gave him a kong stuffed with frozen peanut butter and dog treats this morning and he was very happy! He likes to hold his toys in his mouth and just walk around showing off. It is very funny.
He is a very lovable dog. He likes to sit in my lap a lot <3.
He isn't amazing at leash walking, but he isn't terrible. He pulls me a bit, but not so much that he is difficult to control. With some training he would be very good on a leash.
Jester is the pet of the week this week, so he has a reduced adoption fee.
Here is his petfinder page with some really adorable pictures of him:
http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/20699970
Okay, they aren't mine, although I think of them as being mine. These are two rats that came to the shelter a while ago as babies and I did a post about them then. They have grown up a bit but anyway, I'll cut to the chase. They have a petfinder page now with the cutest pictures ever!
Here is the link:http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/20874107
I don't think that they have official names so I named them myself. The one with more white I call "Sirius" and the one with more grey and the tiny white dot on his forehead I call "Padfoot". (Harry Potter themed)
Padfoot is an absolute cuddle bug <3. He spends a lot of time on my shoulder when I am there.
Sirius likes to give me kisses and play with my hair. Once he sat on top of my head : ).
They are super sweet and should definitely go home together since they have been together for there whole lives, and they are best buddies.
Their favorite treats are "Yogies!" which are yogurt drops for rats and other small pets. Their favorite flavor is the strawberry yogies.
Oh and they love fleece!!! They are my "new fleece creations testers". They would love to have fleece blankets and hammocks to sleep in when they are in their new home. And if anyone who is reading this ends up adopting them, don't bother with a wheel, they don't really use them, at least they never use the one that they have.
Note: You may notice that on their petfinder page it says "female". They are NOT female. I don't know why it says that. They are male, no doubt about it.
So I used to get Munchkin's hay at Petsmart. The brand I got was Oxbow hay, which is pretty good. However, Munchkin never really loved a lot of the hay that I would get at the pet store, and eventually he would only eat Oxbow orchard grass. And I was getting tired of the dusty, dry quality of the hay at the pet store, and the only fresher greener kind Munchkin refused to even try, so I did some researching.
I found a place called Sweet Meadow Farm. They are a family run farm located in Massachusetts. They have hay and pellets for rabbits and guinea pigs. It can be ordered online (I would not be driving to Massachusetts!) and for much much cheaper than what I was paying in the store. So I got some of their hay for Munchkin and he LOVES it!!! And so do I! It is fresh, green, and smells really good. It isn't super processed so there are some clovers and dandelions in it, but Munchkin loves that!
So I used to pay over six dollars for each pound of hay, but with Sweet Meadow Farms it only costs two dollars a pound including the shipping costs. So I am really happy! I had a big box of it shipped to me and it came in two days, so I was very pleased.
They also have pellets, so I am going to order some for Munchkin. The formula and ingredients is literally the same as the Oxbow pellets Munchkin is currently eating, so it is very high quality but it is half the price of the Oxbow pellets.
I also like that this farm is family run, environmentally friendly (uses biodegradable bags and everything) and all the hay and pellets are organic.
Basically by switching to Sweet Meadow Farms hay and pellets, I am getting just as good or better products, for much cheaper. I did some math and found that it will save us a few hundred dollars each year.
It is always good to do some research, instead of just automatically purchasing what is sold in the pet stores. And ordering online from Sweet Meadow saves a few shopping trips.
The only thing I would say is that if you lived on the west coast shipping would probably get expensive, it is one thing if you live in New England, but elsewhere it might get pricey.
For west coast people, I hear that a company called KleenMama's is really good. It is located in California, and very similar to Sweet Meadows. They have hay, and guinea pig food. They just don't have rabbit pellets. But I hear the hay is awesome. For me Sweet Meadows is cheaper because shipping from California is expensive for me.
Okay, I have some updates:
Yogi (or Yoshi) and Smokey the guinea pigs were adopted! And so were two other guinea pigs! So right now the shelter is down to three guinea pigs. Also two more baby bunnies were adopted. Last time I was at the shelter (which was yesterday) there were four babies left.
So you all probably saw my "Huge news" post, and read about me getting a second bunny, and since I am going to be doing some bunny bonding after the holidays, I am going to do some posts about bunny bonding on my Critter Care blog (the link is in the sidebar).
Also, I know I am behind on my quizzes, this week and last week were pretty busy again, but things are settling down so I will get the quizzes rolling again. (it is okay it gave me some time to think of some questions!) I am planning on uploading my Critter Crafts video tonight! I also have some other videos I am working on, so there will be more videos soon!
This is so exciting!
So...
Munchkin is going to be getting a friend!!!!!
Yes, another bunny!
I am not getting the new bunny until after the holidays though. I have to do some planning, and then I am taking Munchkin to the vet in October, and I am going to check and see if he is neutered or not. I am hoping he is neutered, he seems to be.
And then after the holidays I am planning on taking Munchkin to the humane society (not to stay!) to pick out his bunny friend. I want Munchkin to decide which bunny he likes best, because I don't want to pick a rabbit out myself bring him/her home and find out that they hate each other! So Munchkin will pick out his friend, and it will probably be a girl (rabbits get along best with rabbits of the opposite gender) so if she is not spayed already she will need to be.
So once I get the new bunny she (or he) will have to be spayed (or neutered) so after the holidays when things are pretty quiet for me will be the best time because I need to be able to keep an eye on the new bunny after the surgery, and after the new bunny has had some time to heal, I will begin bonding the new bunny with Munchkin, and eventually they will move into Munchkin's pen together.
It is all very exciting! I will be sure to keep you all posted on my planning, and Munchkin's vet visit, and the bonding process.
Of course, it may turn out that Munchkin doesn't like other rabbits, but that is pretty rare, so I am thinking he would love to have a friend.
