The Forum Chit-Chat Thread

I have taken on a rescue/foster Crested Gecko who is completely untamed. Roughly 4-5 years old, smaller than he should be. Somehow still has his tail. He has gone completely into hiding since I have taken him home so far. Wish me luck.

It's been just over a month now since Pangur left us. I'm feeling extra conflicted about whether to get a new cat or not. I desperately miss her on my lap every evening and would love to have a new lapcat. We do have another cat in the house to love but she's not a lap cat at all.
What's giving me pause is the new procedures in place in the adoption centre because of Covid. There's no more walking around the centre to meet the cats and choose one yourself. You just go by the pictures on the site and the staff will decide if you're a match or not. So you don't get to meet the cat at all before they arrive in your house. I just feel like the chance is much higher that the cat won't fit into the household. So I'm afraid of getting a new cat and having my heart broken again by having to bring them back if they don't settle or my resident cat hates them.
Has anyone been through this new process?

Finished up work today, 108 grooms since December 1st I have loved this run up to Christmas. Normally it’s manic, squeezing dogs in anywhere I can but because of social distancing I can’t have too many in at once, and I already had a list kept for appointments because of the last lockdown so I was way more organised than usual.
This year more than ever it’s really hit me that I run my own business, I get to be surrounded by dogs the majority of the time, and even when I know I have dogs that I might have disagreements with coming to me; there’s still not a single day that I don’t want to go into work. I may never be able to groom to competition or show standards, but I’ve helped so many pets be happy, comfortable and pretty and that fills me with so much joy!

This time last year I was playing with Lucy!

I wanted to scatter some of Lucy's ashes but got a little bundle in a frame instead - like it all happened so quick on the day.. the vet had said you could open the frame and the ashes would be there to take out if I wanted to scatter some.. but I didn't feel right opening up that carefully wrapped bundle.. so she's here with us in her place downstairs. I did get my beads Christmas week and was delighted with them - you can see the stands of fur inside them.

My gf said today I shouldn't walk the dog as much in the frost as normal as its probably uncomfortably cold on her paws. I never really put much thought into it, I know not to walk her on the hottest part of the day when we get good weather.

Today we walked 2km to a field (the owner let's me use it for her to run without a lead), the road was icy but the field was half thawed and half frozen. She spent 90% of the time in the frozen part.

So does ice effect paws or not. She's a long haired GSD so since she's a shepherd breed the cold is OK right?

The paths around here have been gritted on and off since November as they’re beside main roads and never any issues. The only issue I’ve ever had was last time it snowed - Bailey got balls of ice caught between his pads and wouldn’t walk until I took them out so I made sure i clipped the fur right back after that. We walk early so would be below zero some mornings during the winter and all good. He’s 11 now so I do have him in a coat as needed because he feels the cold.

I've seen a couple of posts on Facebook from different vets giving off about pets getting treated and a few fatalities from hypothermia from living outside in the past week.

Why bother getting a dog if it's not good enough in your eyes to live in your house?

apache wrote: »

I see my local Maxizoo is back selling guinea pigs and other small furries. That was all stopped during Covid. What has changed for breeders?

There were certain small animal mills (like puppy farms, but for hamsters, rabbits, etc, with a LOT of inbreeding involved, it's horrific) in the UK that stopped being able to supply small animals for the time being due to covid19. A lot of pet shops didn't have any access to these animals over the past number of months.

These mills may have restarted their operations.

VonVix wrote: »

There were certain small animal mills (like puppy farms, but for hamsters, rabbits, etc, with a LOT of inbreeding involved, it's horrific) in the UK that stopped being able to supply small animals for the time being due to covid19. A lot of pet shops didn't have any access to these animals over the past number of months.

These mills may have restarted their operations.

Just wondering what has changed. I was told before from the pet shop it was because of Covid restrictions and they imported small animals from the U.K. but restrictions are still here.

We've put in our application to adopt another cat from the adoption centre here. Now we just have to wait and see what they match us with. I'm equal parts excited and nervous.

VonVix wrote: »

I'm not familiar with importing small animals from the UK, as I have only dealt with small Irish breeders (not mills), however there was never any change when it came to importing reptiles and fish. I only know of certain "mammal mills" having temporarily closed their doors while this whole Covid19 situation has been going on, hence why certain (usually larger) pet shops were without furries for a few months.

Since Brexit there have been a number of new hoops to have to jump through when importing certain things from the UK, I'm not sure if importing small animals has changed.

There must be some kind of stipulation. I'm just curious as to what's changed. Thanks for the input.

apache wrote: »

I didn't think the large tunnel I bought would bring such a sense of joy to my furries. Since I put it in their cage this evening they have been whizzing in and out of it and popcorning like crazy. Very amusing to watch. Things have quietened down now. They must be tired after that energy expenditure zzzz

Edit - Oh they are at it again. I took all obstacles out of the way except for a few hidey holes so they have more space to run.

Let them out on the floor with the tunnels, ours love it, I grown grass & some herbs for them, put them out like trees, I do a bit of piggietecture for them for floor time and they popcorn like mad little yokes. Our two small dogs watch them from the sofa as if it was tele, they are trained to stay on the sofa when B&H are out for floor time.

em_cat wrote: »

Let them out on the floor with the tunnels, ours love it, I grown grass & some herbs for them, put them out like trees, I do a bit of piggietecture for them for floor time and they popcorn like mad little yokes. Our two small dogs watch them from the sofa as if it was tele, they are trained to stay on the sofa when B&H are out for floor time.

Ha they are like mad yokes!

I'll think of something to cover the floor as I used to have them out on the kitchen floor but I have black tiles and the (calcium?) in their urine was staining the tiles white.

The tunnel is 6 foot and the cage is 7 foot so for the moment they are ok but I'll have to figure something out.

What's piggietecture?

apache wrote: »

Ha they are like mad yokes!

I'll think of something to cover the floor as I used to have them out on the kitchen floor but I have black tiles and the (calcium?) in their urine was staining the tiles white.

The tunnel is 6 foot and the cage is 7 foot so for the moment they are ok but I'll have to figure something out.

What's piggietecture?

My OH is an Architect so when I go building different levels of hiding spaces across the floor he calls it that. I repurpose the card board boxes that come in parcels for the little houses. I sewed some fleece blankets together to cover the play area because we’ve solid wooden floors but mostly they are toilet trained.