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Friday, February 1, 2013

Farm Friday: Animal Hoarder

I'm tired.

Exhausted, actually.

I've started back to work, and man oh man, this girl is TI. ERD.

And I didn't have have a post all cued up and ready to go, so I'm digging up one of my old ones.

It's from a couple-three years ago, when we had just brought two new pets on board the crazy ship.

I've edited the list of what animals we have, because the times they are a-changin'.

So here you go, and I thiank you for your patience and understanding.....


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Please give a warm welcome to our hamsters Fizzy and Dizzy.

It began innocently enough on Friday afternoon. I took the girls and James out on a few shopping errands. We had a nice dinner out at Boston Market and then went by the pet store for our last errand: buying some small goldfish for our ponds.

As luck would have it, they were out of goldfish.

As luck would also have it, we had to walk past the warm furry pets to get to the cold scaly pets.

And of course, we walked right past a cage with little black and white hamsters sitting up on their hind legs looking for all the world like prairie dogs scoping their surroundings.

Adorable?

We asked the nice man to take one out.

We asked the nice man to put her back so we ould talk things over.

Three of the four kids wanted one. As in each. To be kept in their rooms.

I did my best to talk them down.

I told them to forget the 3 - 5 years life expectancy the nice man mentioned. More like 2 for a hamster. They were setting themselves up for more heartbreak.

I told them they would need to clean the cages themselves. They would need to fill the food and water dishes. They would need to handle them with care. The cute little hamsters could possibly bite if they were handled too roughly or not with enough frequency or if the mood struck them.

They would have to pay for them themselves. This little prerequisite knocked Bella out of the running as she had just blown through about half her allowance on junk at Five Below.

But the other two, James and Julie, still had cash burning a hole in their pockets from all the kind people who gave them gifts for completing their church sacraments.

So much so that Julie even decided to spring for a new cage, though our attic probably has enough critter cages to start a small zoo.

So we grabbed a cart and started loading it up. How much stuff could two pocket rodents possibly need? The cage, 2 bags of bedding (b/c James wanted blue and Julie wanted confetti), food, water bottles, wood chews, little houses, treats,hay, and an exercise ball.

There was no room left in the cart for the actual hamsters.

But somehow we managed, and we got our new pets home and settled into their new digs.

The kids were disappointed when I told them they had to wait till the next day before they could handle their new pets so they could have some time to acclimate, but they made it. And last night they took them downstairs to hold and love and cuddle. And in the process of so doing, they lost one.

Yeah. Someone was holding one of them and she got freaked out when she started climbing up her arm and then she dropped her and then she was on the sofa and then behind the sofa and then under the sofa and the kids were frantically running around searching for their new lost pet and plugging up the air conditioning vents and in general just freaking out.

Oh the joy of being a small critter in our household.

And of course I was blissfully unaware of any of this b/c I was on the road picking up one of the other kids from a party.

But they found her and returned her to her cage before I got home and all was well with the world.

I don't hold out much hope for them. Better start saving the shoeboxes now.


Meet Fizzy. Julie's hamster. Got cute?


You know, I'm betting when most people get asked,
How many pets do you have?
they're quick with an answer.
2
they might say. Or maybe even
3.
Or if the person being asked is borderline crazy, the reply could be something like
7.

Me? I'm beyond normal.
I'm beyond borderline crazy.
I probably fit more into the category of hoarder, because I don't actually KNOW how many animals I have unless I stop to count them out.

Let's see, I have....

(6)I have our dogs Sunny, Sophie, Cindy, Blue, Fiona and Annabelle.
(4) Our cats Mamfy, Mali, Milky and Punkin.
(2) The new arrivals Fizzy and Dizzy.
(1) Nick the cockatiel.
(2) Rabbits Alice and Minnie.
(6) The goats Elfie, Frex, Tibbit, Crope, and Ozzy.
(3) The horses Genevieve, Pippin and Finnegan.
(13) Our chickens Tizzy, Goldie, Puddin', Chicken Little, Miss Peggy, Elizabeth, Earnestine, Ting, Big Mama, Mamin, Nugget, Pox and 1 more I can't remember the name of.
(8) [Plus three more new ones. Plus five chickens that we're babysitting.]

Looks to me like that's 45. Is that correct? Someone check my math please.

Yep. Definite hoarder.


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In case you didn't know it, I'm like the queen of blog-hoppin' lately. It's kind of like square dancing but without the dated outfits, smelly gym, and elderly caller. You can find my full schedule in my sidebar, come join the fun!


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Rudeness disclaimer:

I love all your comments,
I read every one!
But I can't hit 'reply',
I've no time for fun.
Please don't judge me,
Please don't hate.
If you have a question that just can't wait,
Send me an email at farmbeachgal@yahoo.com,
And I'll answer right back because I'm, you know, the Mom.

16 comments:

  1. Another animal lover here - and a sheep farmer! I don't know much about hamsters but I reckon my dogs and cats wouldn't give them much of a break!

    CJ x

    ReplyDelete
  2. What a cute post. We only have 1 cat, - our 4th in 50 years. As long as you have room for all those animals and they are well cared for, then you can be a hoarder. he he The hamster is so cute. I've learned to appreciate pet rodents as our daughter has two gerbils in addition to 2 cats. Too bad their life span is only 2 years.

    ReplyDelete
  3. LOL! I have 2 shelties...if I had a farm...there would be SO MANY MORE! LOL! Stopping by from the "Weekend Social Mix Blog Hop" Happy New Follower!

    Tif
    Ramblings of a Southern Belle
    http://www.rambling-southern-belle.com

    ReplyDelete
  4. Crystal and Mariodacat, hi there, thanks for stopping in! Mario, I think you're onto something there, keeping those numbers down. I love my pets, but I'll admit to being a little envious! Crystal, I used to have a few sheep. Such dear creatures, aren't they? Thanks so much for the follow!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Well I think it's all good since you live on a farm, in the country, with probably some land. Chloe's bf's family live here in the city on a regular city property (65" X 120" or so)and have 2 horses, 3 cats, 4 dogs (they're only really allowed 3 dogs by city law, so they are "boarding" one), 3 chameleons and some assorted fish. That's 12 countable ones plus probably 12 more that won't stay still to be counted. :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Oh my, Veronica, it sounds as though Chloe's bf's family may be overstepping things a bit there! Holy cow. Wait, do they have a cow???

    ReplyDelete
  7. You do have a lot of pets but then I would too if I could. No more hair in the house, it bothers my husband's migraines. Once the last indoor cats were gone we didn't bring any more in. We still have chickens and the outdoor strays (but I sneak the two least likely to survive on their own into the garage)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Nice! I wish I could have more pets. My husband won't allow it. We have 1 sheltie and 1 aussie (she is a rescue). Well, and we do have a flock of birds that can't get enough of our bird feeder. I wonder if I should count them?

    ReplyDelete
  9. Awwww...so cute :) I found you on the Barn Hop and I would love to have you join the fun on my Creative HomeAcre Hop!
    http://www.theselfsufficienthomeacre.com/2013/02/the-creative-homeacre-hop.html

    Hope to see you there!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Kathy, Mel, Lisa Lynn, thanks for stopping in! Lisa, I joined up with your hop, thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Great post! As my pets passed on (after 23 and 19 years), we are down to one new puppy. I do, however, own more indoor plants than anyone I have every know. Is there such a thing as a "plant hoarder?" LOL TALU-ho!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Wish I could be a plant hoarder. I;m on overload with all these pets. Trouble is, I don't have a green thumb.
    I have a hairy thumb.
    Thanks for commenting, VV!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Love this! Thanks for sharing on The Creative HomeAcre Hop!
    http://www.theselfsufficienthomeacre.com/2013/02/the-creative-homeacre-hop.html

    ReplyDelete
  14. We had hamsters when we were little. It's definitely a pet that creeped me out. Too small and quick for my taste. Thanks for linking up with Tuesday Greens!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Personally, my rodent preference lies with guinea pigs. Love those little guys!

      Delete

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