Pets chit chat thread

[Rae'ya]

Re: Pets chit chat thread

It only cost $100... for a $10 gosling.

Hah! We get this sort of comment all the time. Unfortunately our time and medications cost the same, no matter the price of the pet. We do charge a lower consult fee for non-dogs-or-cats, but we spend the exact same amount of time with them, so there's no reason for us to charge less. Just public perception. If I charged someone a $64 consult fee for a budgie or a guinea pig there'd be even more complaint!

[B. de Corbin]

Re: Pets chit chat thread

I'm not complaining. I'm laughing at what a bad farmer I am.

[Rae'ya]

Re: Pets chit chat thread

I'm not complaining. I'm laughing at what a bad farmer I am.

That's not bad farming in my book!

Can I pick your brain? Do you pinion your fowl? If one of these ducklings is a Mallard, I'm supposed to pinion it in order to keep it.

[Juniper]

Hah! We get this sort of comment all the time. Unfortunately our time and medications cost the same, no matter the price of the pet. We do charge a lower consult fee for non-dogs-or-cats, but we spend the exact same amount of time with them, so there's no reason for us to charge less. Just public perception. If I charged someone a $64 consult fee for a budgie or a guinea pig there'd be even more complaint!

I would happily pay extra if it meant I didn't always have to wait an hour, lol.

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[Heka]

One of my ducklings is wheezing and sneezing (Yellow Duck). Got rid of all the hay, gave her a warm bath so she (it) could head dunk properly and clear her nares (which she did with gusto) and spent half an hour on the bathroom floor steaming the three of us. Now they are snuggled on my lap. The wheezing has settled but still intermittent sneezing. Barbatos has been petitioned (and paid). Antibiotics are on order and they'll come into work with me tonight for a proper check up.

I hate this :upset:

Nyaw, do you have pics of your ducks in the bath? That would be super cute lol!

Sorry she is sick, I hope she gets better!

[B. de Corbin]

Re: Pets chit chat thread

That's not bad farming in my book!

Can I pick your brain? Do you pinion your fowl? If one of these ducklings is a Mallard, I'm supposed to pinion it in order to keep it.

No, none of our birds fly. I wouldn't even know how to do it.

I'm not even sure if it's legal to have a mallard here (DNR - Department of Natural Resources - is touchy about people keeping wildlife as pets), although I understand that Moscovies can fly & need to be pinioned, and I have heard of some Rouens that seem to be able to fly (I often wonder if people accidentally ended up with a mallard when that happens ).

[Rae'ya]

Re: Pets chit chat thread

No, none of our birds fly. I wouldn't even know how to do it.

I'm not even sure if it's legal to have a mallard here (DNR - Department of Natural Resources - is touchy about people keeping wildlife as pets), although I understand that Moscovies can fly & need to be pinioned, and I have heard of some Rouens that seem to be able to fly (I often wonder if people accidentally ended up with a mallard when that happens ).

Mallards are an invasive species here, and interbreed with the native Pacific Black Ducks, so having a Mallard that can fly and interbreed with the natives is not overly responsible. Having said that, it's really hard to tell the difference between a Mallard duckling, a Black Duck duckling or a hybrid. I'm also morally opposed to pinioning without anaesthesia, and my baby is well past 2d old, which is when they are 'supposed' to be done conscious. I could just wait until it's older and do an actual surgical amputation... I'd do the anaesthesia myself and one of my vets will be happy to do it. More risk involved the older they are and more developed their wing is though... but if it turns out to be a Black Duck then it's not an issue. So I'm having a bit of a dilemma over this one!

The good news is that Yellow Duck is has not been wheezing for a few hours now

[Heka]

Yellow duck is so much bigger!!! I wanna visit while they are still cute and babyful. They'll be too big in February... but they'll still be awesome...

'So, Heka, what'd you do this weekend?'
'Went and played with DUCKS!!!!'

HEHEHE

[DanieMarie]

Re: Pets chit chat thread

Mallards are an invasive species here, and interbreed with the native Pacific Black Ducks, so having a Mallard that can fly and interbreed with the natives is not overly responsible. Having said that, it's really hard to tell the difference between a Mallard duckling, a Black Duck duckling or a hybrid. I'm also morally opposed to pinioning without anaesthesia, and my baby is well past 2d old, which is when they are 'supposed' to be done conscious. I could just wait until it's older and do an actual surgical amputation... I'd do the anaesthesia myself and one of my vets will be happy to do it. More risk involved the older they are and more developed their wing is though... but if it turns out to be a Black Duck then it's not an issue. So I'm having a bit of a dilemma over this one!

The good news is that Yellow Duck is has not been wheezing for a few hours now

OMG so cute!!

[Rae'ya]

Re: Pets chit chat thread

I'm watching my ducklings try to figure out how to make a big mess with my new anti-mess water platform. So far so good... even with some spinach to bob for and Baby Duck/Eglantine/Tumbler climbing into the shallower water dish... ten minutes and the bedding is still dry.

It's a small miracle.

- - - Updated - - -

Yellow duck is so much bigger!!! I wanna visit while they are still cute and babyful. They'll be too big in February... but they'll still be awesome...

'So, Heka, what'd you do this weekend?'
'Went and played with DUCKS!!!!'

HEHEHE

Apparently they grow REALLY fast. When I weighed them at work last Tuesday they were 160g and 30g. My kitchen scales aren't digital, so I can't weigh them this week to check, but they are definitely bigger. I have a feeling that Yellow Duck is about to start sprouting pin feathers... there are a few thin spots appearing and s/he is starting to rub her face on the base of her tail. Of all the birds I've hand raised and/or rehabilitated, these are the first ducklings!

Right now they've given up mess-making and are preening their little baby fuzz. I wish they could stay in fuzz forever... it's so soft and squishy and cuddle-able!

[Shahaku]

Re: Pets chit chat thread

I think I may have found our cat... but he has an owner, kinda.

My photographer does her work out at her parents farm and she told me they have like, 18 cats. None of them are fixed. Etc. Her sister-in-law also lives on the property. So, I told her we were thinking of adopting a cat and she said her parents would give any of their farm cats away. Well, they have one named Yoshii whose six months old or so and he loves my daughter. He literally runs up to her every time we go out there and butts up against her wanting attention and she usually gets a good grip on him at some point, tugs at his ears, tail, fur, etc. He just keeps purring and rubbing up on her, eating it up. But apparently he's one of the two or three cats that have been claimed by the in-laws family, including her kids, and she's not sure she's okay with getting rid of him.

It's really eating me up. They don't let the cats inside. It's been like, 10 degrees F here. It's cold. They don't feed them because they're farm cats and they're expected to catch the vermin, etc. They're outside. And they won't let me take him because their kids like him. There are 17 other cats they can go pick from. This one literally loves my daughter and we love him. Ugh.

[anunitu]

Re: Pets chit chat thread

It sounds like the cat and your Daughter have bonded,that happens sometimes. The whole "Farm cat" thing goes way back,when even Dogs were work animals. Cats were allowed as long as they kept the pests down,and caused no trouble. Farmers seldom considered them pets as we do now.

[DanieMarie]

Re: Pets chit chat thread

Albert has been attacking when he wants attention again. Usually, I play with him for a bit if he gets super high energy, but he's been doing it while I'm working or while I'm trying to sleep. Last night, he scratched me in the face...he even got my eye. I was just in bed trying to fall asleep, minding my own business, when he just walked over and whacked me in the face. I'd consider not letting him sleep in the room with me anymore, but I'm also worried that if I shut him out, he'll just get aggressive with the furniture...

maybe it's time to build some new puzzle toys? he seems bored with the old ones...

[Mr. T]

Re: Pets chit chat thread

We have to keep the cat out of our room because Thal's asthma is pretty bad if we don't. But I play pretty hard with Smitty for about 30-45 minutes before I go to bed, and then I put the food ball thing out for him. The worst he's done is knocked over Soph's plants.

[Munin-Hugin]

Re: Pets chit chat thread

All of a sudden, seemingly out of the blue, two of my three cats have started to attack and harass each other pretty much every night. Normally, I don't bother with breaking up fighting animals, especially cats, since I've always found that it turns out best to just let them get it out of their system and to settle whatever issue that they may have, but tonight was different. They chased each other down into the basement and that was followed by quite a bit of yowling and hissing, as well as a few yips of pain.

I got up and stepped in, and luckily no one was really hurt, most likely more in pride and surprise. I've been trying to figure out what may have caused it. No change in food, or litter box access, my schedule has been the same, they both get equal cuddle time, and even up until a week ago would cuddle up with each other. The only thing I can think of is that with my new project of renovating the attic, it's started a territory squabble over who gets to lay claim to the newly accessible space.