Trip to the Vets...

[Hamsters82]

This is an update on Sophie's left eye. I took her to the vet yesterday at 4pm (since they have walk-ins then) and waited a bit. Sophie, meanwhile, was trying to figure a way out of her little area I put her in, not even sensing a cat & a hugh Rottie were near her.

We were called in & the assistant looked at her eye & checked her out & weighed her. Sophie was very good. Then the vet came in, it was a female this time. Our dwarves saw a male vet. I told the vet that Sophie wouldn't bite her & she held her & inspected Sophie as I told her all I knew. There is also, I found 2 days ago, a lump near Sophie's bottom, left near tail. I'll keep an eye on that as the vet said to do the same.

The vet said her eye could be due to the fact that she could've stratched herself or something else, that I forget...yikes, so she's making me put some oitment on her eye for a week. I have to do it mornings & evenings & the medicine is called Vetropolycin.

First day of doing the medicine, I had to wake Sophie up & try to put it in or on her eye. Knowing hamsters, they shut their eyes & she put her paw out to intersept my finger. Smart girl!! I finally got it on said, "Good girl." a lot & gave her treats.

I'm trying to associate the medicine with treats at the end and I hope I don't disrupt her sleeping cycle with possible waking her up in the morning. It was funny b/c she was batting my hand away & I said to her, "Okay, Sophie you have a right to bat my finger away, but I also have a right to apply this treatment to you!" Lol...anyway...I just wanted to update y'all on Sophie. She's asleep now, resting & dreaming. I love her!

[Die Fledermaus]

Best wishes to Sophie. She is lucky to have you - and a vet who KNOWS something about small and furries.

See the Rabbit forum. I posted those photos. . . and someone elsewhere said she may be a male!! ;D (?). Well I hope so - it will save me well over $200 and a big hassle for a spay!! More photos off the bits in due course. . .

[Hamsters82]

Aww...thanks! Her eye is looking better already. Yes, our vet is good. They can handle the biggest of dogs to the smallest of hamsters. And they're only 5min away from us.

Sure, okay, I'll look in the rabbit forum. Wouldn't you still have to pay for the neutering?

*This is off topic, but I'm just wondering: the word all ready is it spelled: all ready as two words? Or one word as being: already? I know wayyyy off topic!*

[Die Fledermaus]

Busy busy. Performed an operation on Stubby the gerbil - in Gerbil forum. I was very nervous.

Rabbit forum: Poppy is confirmed to be a HE!!!

Two male gerbil intros went well a few days ago. Rudolf was seen grooming the new guy again who is half his size!

Got two female gerbils today. Will try some intros tomorrow; the one with Shiva I expect to be tricky. They are together for now. One will go with Wendy who has the injury.

Wendy's injury, mentioned in Gerbil forum: some experts claim the problem was due to improper treatment for mites with too much of the right medicine, or with the wrong medicine (something used on larger animals). Someone else claimed it might have been bad diet as pups.

Lucky you have a good vet very close. I sure don't.

Glad Sophie is improving.

Who says I have to neuter a well-behaved a gentle male rabbit who is living alone?? And if I did it would not cost nearly as much. But I don't.

"All ready", and "already", mean different things. "When I operated on Stubby I was all ready with bacitracin and hydrogen peroxide". "Stubby is already showing improvement in previously his swollen face".

I'll get to your messages and stories soon. So tired; too many animals? Lots to do. I was busy taking photos of Poppy's "bits" yesterday and posting them, along with the daily mice babies photo.

[Hamsters82]

Aww...I hope all the gerbils are okay! How's Stubby doing? I hope all of the intros go well.

Soph's eye is going back & forth, but I guess we won't be able to tell until this Friday.

Idk...dogs, if not neutured they pee a lot...I guess I thought it was the same for rabbits too.

Its okay, take your time. I may send Part 10 later today after school.

Great, now I have to see where I went wrong with "already" and "all ready". Sheesh....thanks for the examples!
Gotta run!!!

[Die Fledermaus]

Wwll, here's the latest. . .

went to the pet store where I got the ones with the problem, one dying. They gave me a replacement and I told them the situation: a bad litter; bad mite treatment; bad nutrition as pups, who knows?

So, I intro'd that lovely cream male to the tank of three with white Alabaster, Stubby (whose abcess MAY be coming back; I will drain again), and the new black guy (yet to be named). That cream I chose as he looked miserable living along in a cage. But, Alabaster didn't seem to like him much, so I took out the gerbs and lightly sprayed their stuff with cologne. I even spritzed their behinds. Things seemed to calm down. I will check again later.

I also introd a black female to Wendy, with the injured back. Wendy got a little aggressive and I did the same thing. they are behind me now and quiet in a newly cleaned bin. Sounds quiet and I hope it stays that way. Will check again later.

One intro left - the older Shiva and the other black female, her sister. That will be watched very closely and a screen used. Tomorrow.

I have to clean the baby mice tank right after this, and I am told to handle them, like gerbils. Hamsters babies not so. So I will do that, and keep posting daily photos.

Watched them all very closely, and separated some gerbs with a wooden spoon until they calmed. The other young black male, introd a few days ago, got along great with Rudolf.

So, busy busy as always, Where does the time go. . .

Also have to mix the new food I got: many bags I combine into one mixture.

Best to Sophie.

I was finishing reading "Around the World in Eighty Days", which I got as part of that NY Post series of books including the Wizard of Ox and the Time Machine. It is pretty true to the movie, but, there never was a ballon trip in the book - and yet the cover of the book depicts them in a balloon! I guess the artist and book editor never read it, but saw the movie!

Back later. . .

[Hamsters82]

so I took out the gerbs and lightly sprayed their stuff with cologne.
^^Doesn't that sting them there? I've never heard of doing that before. Hope the gerbs get along with their new tank members.

Oh thats interesting that you can hold baby mice. Everyone is saying how you can't clean a cage when a hamster mom has her babies. Well my vet told us it was okay, just not to touch them. And we cleaned Harriet's cage just fine. I guess all vets are different?...

Thanks, Soph still pushs away my finger & today she tried to go higher on me so I couldn't reach her eye & hid behind my fingers. I keep feeling I'm touching more of the fur then her eye...sheesh!

Never read that book before, nor seen the older or newer version of the movies. Is it good?

[Die Fledermaus]

Only saw the first movie, the one with David Niven. the Mexican clown they got to play Passapertout, was nothing like the man servant in the book.

I wonder if Jerry's eye is anythiung like you issue with Sophie (see IM on that), but his has been very very slowly developing.

Many people told me holding baby mice is OK, I checked and checked. More on that too in the IM.

Later. . .

[Hamsters82]

I hope Jerry is okay. This morning, I think Soph has caught on, and she wouldn't let me anywhere near her eye. I think I just got the fur. Tomorrow morning I'm going to try and distract her with food as I apply the oitment. Lets hope that goes well....

[Die Fledermaus]

Jerry's fine, frisky and normal.

Loki is perking up recovering from mites.

I found mites last night in Oregano's bin and had to disinfect everything and give him a spraying - being a long hair I could not see any until he got wet, and then I spotted six or seven of the damn things. No more on the mice, though.

I never seem to catch up on things. Busy busy. Back later today. . .

[Hamsters82]

Hope you get your mite problem under control.

Today is the last day I do Soph's meds, I'm going to call the vet to see if we need a check-up.

[Die Fledermaus]

Last night I cleaned Penny and Pearl's (gerbs) tank, and spotted a few mites in the wooden house, but nothing much. I moved them to a 15 gallon as they both, especially pearly, have gotten so big! Pearl is a lovely siamese.

I spent two hours trying to find the missing gerb with no luck. It is no wonder I could not flush her out as this morning I got a glimpse of her scamering into the OTHER side of the room, where I really can't get to her. I may need a humane trap. But she comes out and eats. A feral gerb.

Glad Sophie is fine.

More later. . .