Reeses and Nutella To the Village

Today we spent about 4 hours at OHS adopting 2 bonded gerbils.  Nutella and Reeses.  This is our first pair of bonded gerbils at the village so this is very exciting!  They are an 11 month old male pair.

These are their mug shots from the shelter.

Nutella

Reeses

They are moving into a big cage here and I'll get pictures up as soon as I charge the camera and shoot some.    I just wanted to mark down that the little guys are here!

Woolsey Comes to the Village

Woolsey is a baked potato shaped Syrian hamster taken in from a family in North Portland. They were moving and could not keep him so we picked him up today.  He is very sweet.  Right now he is getting settled in his new habitat so I hope to add pictures later.

Peachy Pie Passes

Peachy Pie, a retired classroom Syrian hamster has passed in her sleep.  She was a spry old gal that delighted in sending me into fits by stumbling around groggily on some days and then running around in her cage and wheel on others.  At 2 years, 11 months, it is not surprising she passed and to those that don't understand how the little ones touch our lives, it may seem rather silly to mourn the loss of  a rodent.

As a classroom hamster she was a part of many lives and I was glad to be able to take her in.

Rest in peace little hammy!

Rollo and Ping ~ 2 years, 4 mos old!

They are getting weighed for their Revolution treatment.  A couple of real sweet old men.  Rollo (black one) and Ping (PEW).  And of course you can see their buck grease.  LOL  They were part of a litter that was dumped.  The mother and other brothers I had have all since passed.

Definately not a rodent

just a pet in need...
A family was on vacation, they thought they did everything right. They put their dog in boarding with all of that dog’s medications and emergency veterinary information, what happened was far from all right.

The dog had a history of seizures (and the boarding place knew this, the dog was on a significant amount of medication, at least 10 pills), the dog had seizures while there so they sent him to the emergency vet.

After the vet stabilized the dog and went to discharge him, the boarding facility refused to take him back.

The boarding was already a few hundred dollars.  The emergency vet was already at $1300.  It would be $200 a day to keep the dog at the hospital until the family got back, an additional $1000.  They were left with the painful choice of having to euthanize their dog or find a rescue group to temporarily foster him.  They contacted a bully rescue in Lyons, Oregon.  (The dog is an English Bull Terrier Cross – the breed of dog used in the Spuds McKenzie and Target ads.)  As her foster homes were full, she posted to our rescue group forum.

F.A.T.E. from the Heart, that would be me, received an alert, and despite the fact we deal primarily with rodents, I’d see what I could do.

I made the offer to transport the dog on Saturday if a foster could be found OR to transport the dog to a different hospital that had less expensive medical boarding.   People had volunteered in Longview, WA and Seattle, WA to foster him.  I would have driven to Seattle, but I wanted to see if there was a more reasonable boarding option.  I found Frontier Veterinary Hospital in Hillsboro offered medical boarding for $50 a night, much less than $200 a night.  The owner made the decision to transfer him there. 

Anyway, the trip was made on Saturday and the dog was brought to a very nice facility to await his pet parents coming home this week.  I was so glad to be able to help.

I am looking to find out who the boarding facility was because people need to know that information, but I wanted to be sure and share an experience that luckily turned out ok.  Research where you board your animals and have a back-up plan in the event that boarding facility flakes out.

Bijou Slips Away

Sadly Bijou passed away last month.  It was completely sudden and unexpected.  She was not that old.  She was found in the back of the cage ticked up in her shredded coffee filter bed. :(    She was a gregarious Syrian hamster and as many hamsters she loved her wheel.  I have her sister Kurumi who has become quite the social butterfly since she has been here.

Rest in peace little Bijou.  You happy little self is missed every day.

Pass through update

Instead of using a brake, I was able to have Quality Cages make the gravity doors.

Here is the prototype! The door is closed. There are 3 holes on top and bottom to use c-rings to attach to the cage. I purchased some 4" diameter ceiling flashing at Home Depot. Quality Cages is converting them to gravity doors for me. These will be sent out for powder coating. This is so I can connect 2 cages together for the rats. You can use a 4" PVC pipe and 2 reducers as the connecting pipe (and that is what I'm using now), but I will be having special tubes made. I will either go to Home Depot to see if they have tubes that QC can alter for me, or I will see if a duct work place will help me. QC would make the tubes, but they are not tooled for that.


Gravity door with the door open. Note the lip on the top of the actual sliding door, that is what makes it stop from passing all the way through.

I've contacted a duct work maker to see if they can make the tubes.

Rosie Before and After

This is what I looked like before in my wheel, no space.  This is a 6.5 inch Silent Spinner.

Now I have a 12" Giant Silent Spinner and I have space!

And all is right in my happy little hammie world!

Barrels have arrived!

I didn't know that the USPS shipped items with plastic wrap.  These are food grade 15 gallon drums.  I use these to store their grain in.  These fit on the bottom shelves of the rat room.  4 drums holds about 300 pounds of flaked grain (think oatmeal).

If you are looking to purchase barrels such as this, you can try locally.  I have found this ebay store carries them http://stores.ebay.com/estanciadeals and is the one I ordered from.  It's best to order 2  barrels at a time, because that makes it about $25 a barrel which is a decent price.   Make sure you contact the seller BEFORE paying as they have to combine shipping and send you the invoice.

Please note: If you are in the Portland/Vancouver metro area, I suggest Concentrates NW (http://www.concentratesnw.com/) for the 55-gallon food grade barrels.  They occasionally get these smaller barrels, or even other sizes in so it's always worth a call.  Please remember to support your local businesses!  This company does not ship.

Mimzi Still Kickin' It

This is Mimzi's current set-up.  He lives in a Quality Cage RT-1824C.  The balcony has been removed and two SuperPet Look-outs have been added.  One below the wheel and one to the right with the ramp.  A refrigerator soda box stuffed with shredded paper provides him with the ability to make his burrow.  His wheel was upgraded from a 6.5" SuperPet Silent Spinner to a 12" Silent Spinner.  The first day he got it he was jumping up on the inside to the farthest possible point on the wheel and just flying!  An 8" wheel would be adequate but the Silent Spinner does not come in an 8" version.  The Comfort Wheel is too loud.

He popped out of his burrow to see who flashed the camera inside of it.  Of course that picture didn't come out.

He came over to say hello.  He is 3 years and 4 months old.  These pictures were taken 7/6/2012.

Map of Vermin Village Set-up!

Pictures to come soon, but here is the map of Vermin Village!  Click on the image to enlarge.  All shelves are wheeled.  The BC-7 shelves are 42" wide.  The swing shelf and the shelf in the computer room are 48" wide and the mouse, storage and hallway shelves are 36" wide.  All of the shelves except the hallway shelf are at least 76" tall, the hallway shelf is 54" tall.

Special Mouse Cages

These are the cages I use for my mice.  (Please note they aren't fully furnished yet, I wanted to be able to show you the pictures of the cage without all of the stuff in the way.)  Martins Cages made them for me.  If you wish to order this cage, you can contact Martins Cages and request this:  CC-2414 – Modified – 24" w x 14"t x 14"d, 1/2” x 1/2”, flip-top lid with 2 spring hooks, front door with 2 latches, collapsible carrier.   

Unlike other Martins cages, this one comes assembled (except for the spring hooks).

Anyway, it holds 5 mice according to the mouse calculator.  They LOVE it.  It, along with using Good Mews (similar to Yesterdays News) keeps the odor down.   They are really easy to decorate and keep clean. 

I recommend this type of caging for adult mice.  I have rescued mice, not show mice (show mice are typically larger) and the rescued mice do NOT slip through the wires.  I have had them slip through the BARS on the Critter Trail products originally used.  It also keeps the smell down quite a bit and they like climbing on the bars.  The pan is deep enough I never have anything fall onto the floor.  It has what I call a moat, a space around the side of the cage and the pan so that even if they are on the side of the cage and go to the bathroom, it will not go outside of the pan.

Update:  I also have CC-3018 cages - Modified 30" w x 16" t x 18" d , 1/2" x 1/2", flip-top lid with 2 spring hooks, front door with 2 latches, collapsible carrier.

Little Mama

Little Mama, the mother to 5 of my boys, Ping, Pong, Mr. Buttons, Blink and Rollo.  She came here because her original owner dumped her and her babies and a good samaritan took them in with the intention of finding them homes.  She was about 2 and a half years old.  She's been very active and it was actually quite a shock that she passed away early this morning.

Rest in peace Little Mama.

Giant Silent Spinners

One Giant Silent Spinner has come in and they've changed how they attach to the cage so now I can use a 1/2" x 1" cage.  This is AWESOME!  I don't have to order any more cages because the wheels will fit on them just fine!  I'm so excited about that!   I have 3 more wheels on the way but they should be here soon.  The hamsters and gerbil will be so happy!

Rosie Cheeks

After this shot she found a peanut and tried to shove that in too.  When it wouldn't fit whole, she bit it in half and put the two pieces in.

Hate to hoard and run but I need to "run" before hiding my stash.

This is the shot that proves that Syrian hamsters need a 12" wheel (this wheel is 6.5 inches).  And yes, they are on order!  Please read the wikipedia article about hamster wheels: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamster_wheel

Please note, this (All Living Things) cage is no longer made.  It is also too small for a 12" wheel.  I use a custom cage cage made by Quality Cages that is 32" wide x 16" deep x 16" tall.  It is 1" x 1/2" wire.  When not in use it folds into the 3" deep powder coated pan.  Otherwise, I recommend Quality Cages RT-1824C http://qualitycage.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1380.  It is a stock cage they typically have on-hand.  This cage can also be expanded by adding additional levels.  RT-24. 

Rosie Has Arrived!

Rosie has arrived.  Actually she arrived June 13th.  She's a gregarious little girl that seems to like it here.  Her cage is set up just like Peachy Pie's cage.

I've put a request for a quote for bigger cages for these 2 shelves as I've ordered the 12" Silent Spinner.  I honestly think it is criminal that they market the plastic type cages with tubes and small wheels to hamsters.  Maybe dwarf hamsters, but they really should live in cages or even the home made bin cages.  They should be tall enough to put the 12" Silent Spinner in.   Wikipedia has a great article on this.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamster_wheel  I'll be taking these wheels and giving them to the mice since they too should have bigger wheels.  They'll be happy then because they've gotten kind of round and can't run in the small ones side by side.  Although they are really good about using the flying saucers...

Welcome Rosie!

Peachy Pie is in The House

A retired, classroom teddy bear hamster (Syrian), named Peachy Pie has moved to Vermin Village.  She's a spry 2 and a half years old so she is in her golden time.  She's zooming around her carrier right now, ready to move into her house so I'm going to get her upstairs now.

Ok, she's settled.  Here are some pics of the little love bug.

The rest of her digs.

Sparkles, Wombat and Alfie Join the Village

On Saturday, June 2, 2012, Alfie joined the village from a home that didn't really have time to spend with him anymore.  He is a black and white hooded boy and very sweet.  As he was alone, I had contacted Best Friend Rodent Rescue to see about getting 2 spayed girls as friends for him.

On June 3rd, Wombat and Sparkles came to the village to be company for Alfie.   Right now they are living in a divided cage to get used to each other.  Hopefully they will be introduced this weekend!

Welcome Wombat, Sparkles and Alfie!

Dip leaves us

Little Dip has left us today.  He was born about 8/2009, came into my life on 9/15/2009.  He was part of a group of 5 hamsters that were rehomed by their original owner after she bred her hamster and decided she wanted nothing to do with them.  My friend took 2 babies and I took in the mother and 2 babies.  My neighbor wanted a hamster but couldn't really afford one so I provided the supplies and she took care of one of the babies.  Dip and Lady Fu stayed with me.  Dip didn't mind being picked up so much although he much preferred  to shred things, more than any other hamster I know of.  He was also the hamster that when I pulled all of his accessories out of his cage to wash, he'd run around stuffing his cheeks with all of the food he stashed, getting ready to take his stuff on his move.

Dip was the last survivor of the 5 that were picked up that day.  I will miss the little feisty guy.

Rest in peace little Dip.  You will be missed little banana chip king.

Poppy Passes

Poppy passed today while I was at work.  She'd been looking a little frailer so it isn't too much of a surprise.  She was 26 months and 15 days old.  She was a spayed little girl that lived with her late sister Rose and Lobo.  The girls were spayed and Lobo was neutered.  She also lived with the late Sookie.

She really was a gregarious little girl and usually bossed Lobo around.  She was always first at the door too.  She loved to play hand tag and always wanted you to come in the cage and play too.

Rest in peace little girl.

Bijou and Kurumi

January 2012, I picked up 2 Syrian hamster sisters from their parents that were moving out of state and could not keep them as they were traveling by bus and buses don't allow pets.  I'm finally getting their pictures up on the site.  I took these today.  They each live in their own Quality Cage RT-1824C (galvanized with a silver veined powder coated 3" deep pan).  I didn't put the balcony in.  They each have a running wheel, flying saucer, their house, and chew toys.  They get new stuff to cart around every day.  The bedding I use in their cages is rice hulls.  Thanks to people at work, they get lunch bags filled with stuff to shred every day!

The photos below were taken today.  They are both gregarious little girls!

Bijou (no notch in ear)

Kurumi

Welcome Bijou and Kurumi!

Bijou and Kurumi came with the names they have.  They join 1 other Syrian hamster, Dip, and 1 Mongolian gerbil, Mimzi.  4 shelves are reserved for Syrian hamsters and Mongolian gerbils at Vermin Village.

Pass throughs Update

A co-worker pointed me in the direction of using a bending brake to make my own grooves to slide the door for the pass through.  I now just need to find a good method of cutting the metal to make tabs in it so that I can attach it to the cage without having to use c-rings.  I'll keep you posted.

Rasta Passes

Rasta passed today.  He was approximately 2 years old.  He is survived by Sento and Dex.  Rest is peace little Rasta.

Dirty (Dee) Slips Away

I went into the room and found Dee had slipped away.  She was about 30 months old.  It was completely unexpected, as you can see this picture was from December and she hadn't changed a lick since then.  I don't like having to help them to the bridge, but walking in and finding them dead when they weren't even sick isn't any picnic either.  RIP little Dee.

She is survived by her sister See (Stinky) and her cage mate Guildenstern.

Dee has been prepared for private cremation at the Oregon Humane Society.

No to the pass throughs

I heard back from Morton Jones, they were unable to help.  I also contacted another company and they weren't able to help either. :(  I'm not giving up my search!  I also think I can do something with regards to making it so the ceiling collars work better.  I'll have to experiment.

BC-6

Was able to pick up 2 BC-6 cages for cheap on Craigslist.  These are temporary cages to use until we can afford to replace with 2 BC-7 cages in a year or so.  We've tapped our caging budget for this year.  I will probably be selling off 3 more cage parts, RT-24, but I'm not sure yet so I'm hanging on to them.  I do need to get 4 more mouse cages.

Anyway, I wrote Morton Jones to see if they can help me make a better connector and door system.  I'll post back when I hear what they can do for me!

Financial Assistance Update

Where the money goes!  This is a means to offer general information on where the money goes.  If money was collected for a specific purpose, then that money is restricted to that use as required by law.  This post just serves as a more up-to-date report to the community.


1/2012 - Funds collected specifically for the DH transfer was $58.08 + 1.92 in Paypal fees.  FATE absorbed the Paypal fees and so directed the full $60 towards the transfer.  All funds used for purpose, receipts on file.

1/2012 - FATE provided an additional $55.71 from the general rescue fund for the transport of rats (53.79 for actual funding and $1.92 in Paypal costs as listed above.) Receipts on file.

2/2012 - FATE sent $50 to North Star Rescue in San Jose, California to assist with 10 neuters.  Rescue is another 501(c)(3) organization. (Appears under another name on the rescue as it was sent from the director's private account due to issues with FATE's Paypal account.)

2/2012 - FATE sent $50 to the vet for Best Friend Rodent Rescue in Kent, Washington to assist with 1 neuter.  Rescue is not a 501(c)(3) organization, we offered to pay the vet fees for this rat so they could take the rat in due to their stretched resources and access to reasonably priced vet care.

General Update

After trying to see if the Syrian hamsters would do well in the old style Ware cages I've decided to revert back to the Quality Cages.  The Ware cages are just too small for them.  I'm also getting them flying saucers so no need to worry about the wheel issue.  I had ordered pans for the Ware cages from Martins Cages but I'm going to get rid of the Ware cages with their original pans and hang onto the Martin pans for the last 4 mouse cages that will be ordered.

I was able to get 225 pounds of rolled grain in the 55 gallon drum.  It's sealed away from anything that might get into it!  This is a food grade barrel and this is human grade grain.  I pull grain from here to mix the food for the rats.  (The gerbils, hamsters and mice eat other food although they do get a bit of this with their normal diet.)

I took the remains of the 9 critters that had passed since the last run, to the Oregon Humane Society for cremation.  Hopefully the freezer (we have a designated freezer for remains) will remain empty for some time! The urn should be ready for pick up next week or so.

I'm still trying to find a piece of the cage that got lost somehow.  The cage is slated to go to the Oregon Humane Society but I don't want to bring it without the final piece.

I ordered 2 42" shelves and casters for the room to replace one 36" and one 48" shelf.  This will allow me to get 2 BC-7 cages to expand 2 rat cages to hold up to 12 rats per group.  We often take in entire accidental litters so this allows us to keep all of the, same gender, together.

The cage configuration will be 10 shelves slated for ratties and 5 shelves slated for gerbils, Syrian hamsters, and/or mice.  Currently there are 8 shelves for ratties and 7 shelves for gerbils, Syrian hamstes, and/or mice.  (There are 12 shelves for storage.)  The critters also have their own refrigerator.

I think that is about it on the updates.  Next week we will pick up the remains, and go to Quality Cages to pay for an order and then to ConcentratesNW to pick up more rice hulls for bedding.

Chip Is Helped to the Bridge

Chip, a little Golden Syrian hamster was helped to the bridge tonight.  My neighbor was looking after him for over a year as she can't afford pets and I had a little guy that needed some more individual attention.  He thrived in her care and was very gregarious.  He apparently started to feel poorly last night and tonight he just couldn't really stand up on his own and she said he was very cold.  Attempts to warm him were not helping and he was gasping for breath.

Just his brother Dip remains of the 5 hamsters my friend Cindy and her family and I adopted.  (She took 2 babies, I took the mother and 2 other babies.)  Dip has slowed down but seems to still be in good overall health.

Chip will be brought for private cremation at the Oregon Humane Society on Saturday.  Rest in peace little Chip.

Mimzi..Admire My Cute Plumpness

My name is Mimzi...and this is my ramp!  And no you may not run on my Silent Spinner!  I highly recommend silent spinners for us gerbils because we are LOUD.  You need to get the large one.  (The small one is too small and the giant one, well, it is ok too.)

I live in a really cool cage.  It's 32" wide x 16" deep x 16" tall.  I have a high balcony so my wheel doesn't get caught in my tunneling.  I have a low balcony so my water bottles also don't get affected by my tunneling.  I have cardboard tunnels and tunnels that I make myself in my paper palace.  Mom puts 2 water bottles on all of her cages for safety reasons.  If one fails, I have a back-up.  My cage was made to my mother's specifications by Quality Cages.  It is fully collapsible and lays in the pan when not in use.  The pan is silver veined powder coated but the cage itself is not.

I like to run on my wheel but you really can't tell because I'm a little on the plump side!

Rodent Diet

I've adjusted the diet again, mainly the frozen one.  I also added information on the meat and fish offerings.  With the exception of the dog food and some treats, such as Itty Bitty Cloud Biscuits, everything is human grade food.

The current basic dry mix is:

Regular or Thick Cut Rolled Oats (100 pounds) www.azurestandard.com
Rolled 9 Grain Flakes+ (50 pounds) www.azurestandard.com
Triticale Flakes (50 pounds) www.azurestandard.com
Rolled Barley (25 pounds) www.azurestandard.com
Rolled Rye (25 pounds) www.azurestandard.com
Kirkland Low Fat Dog Food (Chicken Soup for the Dog Lovers Soul, Light formula or Diamond Lowfat Dog Food also work for this mix) (40 pounds) Costco
Dried Carrots (10 pounds) http://www.northbaytrading.com/air-dried-carrots/
Total Cereal (12 boxes) Online or grocery store
Dried Cranberries (4 pounds) Winco Bulk Bins
Raisins (4 pounds) Winco Bulk Bins
Banana Chips (4 pounds) Winco Bulk Bins

*I do sometimes add another cereal like Cheerios, for variety.
+Hard Red Wheat, Oat Groats, Triticale Berries, Rye Berries, Dehulled Barley, Soft White Wheat, Spelt Berries, Hard White Wheat, Flax.
Baby rats and pregnant mothers (should any ever come here pregnant) are fed additional food such as Innova kitten food.

Frozen mix is (with amounts listed):

Frozen Broccoli (small pieces) 5 pounds (Cash and Carry)
Frozen Peas 5 pounds (Costco)
Frozen Kale 5 pounds (Whole Foods)
Sweet Potatoes 5 pounds (cooked, purchased raw from Winco or Costco)
Beans 10 cups (cooked mixed beans purchased from bulk bins at Winco--1 cup dry  = 2.25 cups cooked)
Basmatti Brown Rice 12 cups (cooked, purchased from bulk bins at Winco-- 1 cup dry = 3 cups cooked)
Quinoa 12 cups (cooked, purchased from bulk bins at Winco -- 1 cup dry = 4 cups cooked)

I steam the rice and quinoa the day before combining my mix. I also cook the beans. I boil them for 3 minutes then let simmer for 3 hours. I cook the sweet potatoes. I put the rice and quinoa in the freezer overnight and the beans and sweet potatoes in the refrigerator overnight. The next day I cut up the sweet potatoes into cubes and mix everything together. I then divide into freezer baggies for me to pull out and heat up daily for the critters.

Again, these diets are their BASIC diet. They do eat other foods. I mix in additional items in their frozen mix, for example bok choy, apples, canned mandarin oranges, et cetera. Just watch the items on the forbidden food list.

I do feed meat and fish to the critters. They get it at least once a week, the day before cage cleaning. They get lamb, chicken, smelt, beef liver, tilapia, just to name a few.

The Dapper Rat http://www.dapper.com.au/articles.htm#diet
Dream Mountain Rattery http://www.dreammtnfarm.com/rattery/about.htm
RatFanClub http://www.ratfanclub.org/nutreq.html
Rattie Rascals Rattery http://www.boardmanweb.com/rattery/nutrition.htm
Shunamite Diet: http://www.fancy-rats.co.uk/information/guides.php?subject=shunamite

Pimp and Pong Pass & Bamboo is helped to the bridge

I am thinking Pimp actually was older than the other boys I adopted him with.  He started getting cataract in both eyes a few months ago and then went downhill real fast, he wasn't really agile and walked around with an odd gait these past few days.  I went in and found the other little boys laying on top of him, probably trying to keep him warm. :(

Pong passed last night sometime.  He was battling respiratory illness for some time so it was not a surprise that he passed, but it wasn't like he went downhill or anything.  I can only suspect he might have choked on something too. :(

Bamboo had head tilt for over a year and today when I went in, one side of his face really bulged out and his eye was pushing out of his socket.  I helped him to the bridge.  I've never seen anything like that in all of my time with ratties.

These boys are survived by their cage mates Sprout, Sprat, Mr. Buttons, Blink, Ping, and Rollo.

Rest in peace gentle giants.

Spud Slips Away

Spud was one of the ratatatoes.  He had been fighting a respiratory issue for some time.  He is survived by Tator and Harper.  He wasn't very cuddly but he did love his buddies and he tolerated being held.  Rest in peace little Spud.

:*(