#since I have hermit crabs & a hedgehog & a ball python

[fbwzoo]

I rehab small mammals and ALL THE TIME I gotta make sure I preface things w “But these make bad pets please don’t try to tame wild animals!!” I just wish that were more widely spread and people just. Had more common sense and empathy. You can get five zillion already domesticated pets you don’t need to harm more wild animals than we already have

My rehab once had some people bring us like 30+ southern flying squirrels that had been living in the walls of their new house. They said when they brought in the multiple cages full of squirrels that when they trapped the first one, they considered keeping it for a pet, but then they just kept getting more & more in the traps. 

We quickly let them know that was for the best because it’s illegal in Michigan to keep wildlife as pets & also wildlife make really bad pets. Even when they’re as cute as flying squirrels.

We also had a young fox for a little while who had been kept as a pet - as she got older & more wild, the “owner” resorted to keeping her locked in a dark room & just tossing food in once a day. Someone got upset & reported them to the DNR, who found the fox in a completely shit-covered room. She was transferred to a fox-specialty rehab after her time with us so she could be prepared for release.

We also had two education opossums, one who was fed hot dogs & chips, and one who was fed lunchmeat ham and apples. Both ended up with MBD & stayed with us due to their health issues (Pumpkin) & from being too friendly for release (Rascal). 

(Also for the love of fuck, public, please stop trying to keep raccoons as pets. Please stop touching raccoons. Please just leave the raccoons alone.)

Just because you can walk outside & pick up an animal doesn’t mean you should decide to keep it in your home.

(also I'm sorry for the long rant/ramble, thank you for rehabbing & educating, I appreciate you!!!!)

#asks #wildlife rehab #wildlife as pets #exotic pets #like I'm not against exotic pets as a whole #obviously #since I have hermit crabs & a hedgehog & a ball python #but people are...so very bad at animals #we gotta have some rules & shit here #you don't get to keep the thing just bc it's cute and you like it #that's not enough #Anonymous

[fbwzoo]

Top 5 things you would fix about pet stores…

Oh christ, I’m only supposed to pick five things? XD Okay, I’ll try….. These are in order of my preference for fixing from most important to least important.

1) No more animals available. Stop the breeding mills. Stop selling animals that have horrible genetics, that are overcrowded & sick, that are already pregnant, etc. to people who have very little clue what they’re getting into. Ideally pet stores would work with local shelters to show off adoptable pets they have available. Animals would be displayed either in appropriate set ups in-store or come for designated meet-n-greet days for different shelters. Perhaps pictures from local reputable breeders or breeders that are able to ship (like so many reptile breeders will). The pet store shows off the potential animals & gives access to a greater audience, but interested homes will still have to go through the shelter or breeder in order to adopt/purchase an animal. Pet stores should also have a vetting process for both shelters & breeders to weed out those engaging in shady practices. Wild caught animals should have an even more extensive vetting process to check for background of capture, appropriate capture methods, sustainable capturing, and appropriate handling. No sale of threatened or endangered species (I could see cases being made for experienced breeders hoping to establish captive breeding, or zoos wanting to establish breeding programs, but this should be a limited practice & not widely available).

2) No. Dangerous/Unhealthy. Supplies. Like okay, I know everything has the potential to be dangerous, etc. etc., but christ, can we not have seed/nut treats sold for hedgehogs? Can we not have wire wheels sold? And no more of… literally anything sold for hermit crabs, tbh. Time to ban rawhide. And no more non-meat treats sold for ferrets, or shampoos/bathing supplies with essential oils sold for cats & ferrets. A heavy reworking of foods available for non-dog/cat animals, since so many are just garbage. Some conceding could be made for seed foods for parrots that are still stuck on them & need time to change over, but replace most of that shit with pellets. And can we trash colored heat lights already? Want to buy things like prong collars & electric collars? Better have letters from trainers & vets in order to get one.

3) Appropriately sized enclosures only. No tanks or bowls under 5g. Preferably nothing under 10g, to be quite honest. But I could concede 5g for some insects, maybe, possibly small isopod colonies, or a couple fancy beetles. Those crappy little wire bird cages? Smash ‘em. Maybe keep one line of more medium-ish sturdy cages that have some kind of use for travel or sleep cages. If necessary, provide ordering options for large bird cages (if there’s not room for storage/display in-store). Smash all of those crappy Habitrail nonsense for small animals as well. Sell C&C cubes and other appropriate materials for making enclosures/playpens for guinea pigs & rabbits - maybe sell the materials in a package deal for one enclosure, with instructions on putting together. Extra fee for putting enclosure together if desired. Contracts with viv companies to sell vivs in-store or a discount for shipping or something like that. 

4) Emphasis on enrichment. Larger sections for enrichment for different animal species. Enrichment labeled for the different animals it’s applicable for. Handouts or signs detailing enrichment dangers or hazards to avoid for different animal species (like things that aren’t safe for chewing for hamsters/rodents, unsafe foods, appropriate fabrics, etc.). Larger variety of wood for decor, perches, etc. 

5) Reduced produce section. I have no clue how viable this is, but I think it’d be neat if pet stores had contracts with grocery stores in their area to take produce that’s at or just past their use-by date & the pet stores paid a reduced price for it, then place out each day for people to purchase for pets. Not everything could necessarily be used this way, given some foods that aren’t safe for nearly any pet (onions & such). But it seems like most stuff could be used as such and would possibly reduce how much is thrown out from stores? Honestly I’d just like to see more healthy food options available at pet stores in general, like fresh food options for lots of exotics, & raw meaty bones for dogs/cats/ferrets, and birdy bread & grain mixes & such for parrots/rats/etc.

A lot of this is stuff I’d like to implement into a pet store of my own, if it ever happens. I wish it was something that could be done with all pet stores. It’d really improve pet care in general in this country. And having animals much less available and with less of a dollar value put on them would make it harder for people to abuse/neglect commonly available small animals that don’t have a very high money value like goldfish, betta fish, hermit crabs, hamsters, mice & rats, budgies, anoles, leopard geckos, bearded dragons, ball pythons…. All of these critters just get a really rough deal in most pet care situations and it just really, really sucks.

(Edit: Thank you for asking!!! ♥)

#asks #ask meme #fbw rambles #pet stores #ideal pet store #honestly if I had to choose even just one of these #it'd be no more easily available animals hands down #it'd just help with so so many issues #Anonymous

[fbwzoo]

I’m super curious, how did you decide you wanted the pets you have? My first exotic pet (a turtle) was basically brought in by my dad bc he’s has no impulse control but after reserching that pets care I decided I liked caring for hands-off animals who needed varied diets. (Also turtles make horrible impulse buys kids don’t do what my dad did lol)

I’m glad the turtle ended up working well for you! Definitely not a good impulse purchase, oof. And uhhh I ramble a ton, so this turned out really long. So I’ll put the long stories under a read more and the tl;dr version is:

Hedgehogs - wanted small animal pet to be my very own, but wasn’t interested in small rodents at the time. Hedgehogs were new & interesting, and I stuck with them because I loved their personalities & that for the most part, they just snuggle with you while you read, watch TV, etc.

Hermit crabs - commonly neglected pet, which I’m a sucker for. My mentality was “well, I can provide better than like 95% of people”. I’ve stuck with them because I love to feed them & they’re amusing to watch…and I’m going to keep ending up with them bc I can still provide better than like 95% of people so I have a hard time saying no.

Ball python - commonly neglected pet & I’ve always wanted to get into reptiles since my mom wouldn’t let me before. Got Charis specifically because previous owner was my roomie’s cousin & horribly neglected her.

Cats - I love cats & wanted more since losing family cat when I was 19. Fell in love with Ebony specifically at wildlife rehab & got her as soon as I had a full-time job secured (I literally called from the parking lot to give the news & arrange to go get her). Ditto chose us bc we’re suckers!

If you want to read more of my ramblings, look under the cut! :)

I got into hedgehogs because when I turned 18, my mom agreed to let me get my own pet that would be just mine (as the dog/cat were family pets). Couldn’t be a reptile, I wasn’t terribly interested in fish, and it had to be fairly small - she ruled out rabbits & ferrets. So I was looking at hamsters, mice, rats, etc. I wasn’t very interested in hamsters, mice, & other small rodents at the time, so kept looking. I found out about hedgehogs and was fascinated. So I ended up getting my Lily! I didn’t do nearly enough research before I got her, unfortunately, but luckily she was forgiving of my mistakes & I spent the first year I had her getting things fixed & doing my best to spoil her. I still love hedgehogs because they’re fairly chill and don’t absolutely need tons of hands-on handling time, but they’re still good for bundling in a blanket and snuggling with you while you read, watch TV, etc. 

When I moved out, I hadn’t had a hedgehog for several years by that point & was desperate to have them again. So I ended up in contact with a rescue in the KC area - who I ended up befriending, and now he’s my bf (and his husband is my partner too)!! ♥ I got Bindi and Pancake both from him & he also has my Bassy boy too.

For the hermit crabs, I read an article about them sometime in college, about how they’re all taken from the wild & about the shell shortage in the wild. It went into a bit of detail about how their needs are often unknown or overlooked as well…and I was hooked. I’m a sucker for commonly neglected animals! I did some more reading & decided I wanted to rescue hermit crabs eventually. I ended up getting the chance shortly afterwards because I was talking (infodumping) to a classmate about what hermit crabs need & it turned out she had two that she wasn’t providing all this stuff for. She wasn’t really interested in improving things & offered them to me. When I posted about it on FB, a neighbor who only had one left after losing the second offered me theirs as well. So I spent 2 weeks in a flurry setting up a 40g tank & brought home my first three crabs! 3.5 years later……a 130g tank of 19, and a 55g tank of 5. Sigh. XD I still like having hermit crabs because again, they’re hands-off & I love feeding them! They have a massively varied diet and that’s my biggest interest within my animal interest. Plus they’re fun to watch because they’re dorks.

Charis, my ball python, I got because I wanted a ball python for a few years, again due to the commonly-neglected type thing. They’re so common in the pet trade that people don’t always do enough research, and there’s so much misinformation out there on how big of enclosures to give them & that they “don’t need enrichment”, which is bullshit. My roommate’s cousin had Charis & was NOT taking care of her at all. Seriously - she was in a 20g tank with one open hide, one water bowl, no heat, and no light. Prior to that he was keeping her in a PILLOWCASE for at least a month because he didn’t have a tank set up for her. She has scars on her because when he first got her at a couple years old, he didn’t know better & she had access to a heat bulb in her tank - which of course she wrapped around & got burned. It was just a mess and I’m so glad she’s safe with me now (though she lives at my partners’ house bc of apartment rules). Once I’m living in a bigger place where snakes aren’t banned, I would like to rescue another ball python & perhaps some other snake species as well! It’ll depend on how much room I have to work with though, and it’ll be slow due to wanting to purchase good sized cages prior to getting the sneks.

The cats…Idk, I love kitties! I missed having a cat around after we lost our family cat when I was around 19, I think. I was still around them a lot from petsitting & working at Wildside. I fell in love with Ebony at Wildside & told the rehabber there for years that she was mine & I was taking her home someday. She was quiet, but loved when someone would come over & give her attention, and liked to climb up on your shoulders to purr in your ear & lick your cheek. So literally the day that I was offered a full-time job at my workplace here, I called Wildside from the parking lot & asked if I could still have her & made plans to drive up & get her at the end of the month.

Ditto….well, she chose us because we’re suckers. XD Gotta feed the poor skinny stray cat…and pet it…and shit, she’s friendly….oh look she came straight into the living room….crap she’s really lovey and adorable and oops, she’s ours now.

#asks #my pets #fbw rambles #fbw rambles a LOT #I like hands off animals too #as you can see by my critters #the cats are the most hands-on #and Ebony is my perfect cat bc she's just so happy to lay near us most of the time #and sleep while we do things #she's curled up in a ball on her quilt next to me rn #she's v cute

[fbwzoo]

Bonfire :)

bonfire - describe your dream house.

I think I’ve been designing & redesigning my dream house since middle school. XD This is long and rambly, so I’m putting it under a cut!

Most important: Nice large room to be my library. I already have 9 bookshelves & would happily have twice that. Library also needs room for at least one comfy armchair, maybe a beanbag chair, and a table for holding drinks. Library room would also be decorated with maps and at least one globe, ideally.

I think it’d be super cool to have a huge hermit crab tank as kind of a divider between an open-space living room & kitchen. Something like a 220g tank with toppers that would add another 3-4 feet? The dimensions I found for a 220g tank were 6ft long, 2ft wide, and 30″ tall. Pleeeenty of substrate room, and then I could add so much climbing room with toppers. Perfect jumbo tank! Of course, house would need to either not have a basement, or have extremely sturdy floor under this. XD I’d probably also have a couple more hermit crabs scattered around the house…because hermit crabs.

Elsewhere, I’d like to have a few separate animal rooms. I like the idea of having a cat room, tbh. Large room with multiple litter boxes spread out around it, several climbing trees, shelves & walkways on the walls, lots of beds, etc. And I’d want it to have a little door going out into a large attached catio so they could go outside as wanted - catio would be covered against rain, but with open sides, more climbing furniture, cat-safe plants, etc. 

Then I’d have a “hot room”, for warm-temp reptiles & hedgehogs. Probably keep the room to 78F or something? And would have ball pythons, a bearded dragon, a leopard gecko or two for reptiles…not sure what else. Plus hedgehogs! Maybe also a tank or two of betta fish? But they could also be in the main house, with tank heaters.

A cooler temp room would be for rats and a couple bunnies! Also maybe some gerbils? Gerbils are super cute and would be fun to give a nice big cage with lots of digging & enrichment. I’d probably also have a lounging chair or something in this room for hanging out with the mammals. I’d probably keep reptiles & other animal set ups out of this room so that I could better safety proof it against rats & buns. The buns would also have an outdoor run to go into on nice days for romping!

I could keep cooler temp reptiles around the house - a corn snake & crested geckos, mostly. 

If I did have a basement that doesn’t go under the giant crab tank, it’d probably have laundry stuff & also a large chest freezer for storing animal food (raw diets for kitties, rats & mice for snakes, etc.). Raw diets are generally more affordable when you can buy in bulk & store it.

I wish I could say I’d like to have parrots, but Idk if it’s really feasible with the other animals I’d like to keep. They just need so much attention & time, and it’s not fair to keep them in just one room either, since they really need to be included in their “flock”. I’d like to have a couple budgies someday, but it’s really a huge “maybe” thing for now. 

Outside, ideally the front yard would be landscaped with native plants, stone gardens, etc. so there’s little to no lawn. In the backyard, there would be a good sized pollinators garden on one side of the yard for bees & butterflies. Most of the rest of the yard would be a vegetable garden, along with some berry bushes & maybe some fruit trees? Most of the produce would likely get frozen for animals or be donated to local food shelters or something, whatever I don’t use. Also a willow tree somewhere in my yard is 100% necessary. I really like willow trees. And I’d like to set up bat houses & bird feeders.

I’m sure I’ve forgotten some stuff, but I gotta go clean Pancake’s cage. XD I’m sure half of this is totally unlikely to happen, but still, fun to dream! :) Thank you for asking!! This was fun ♥

#ask meme #fbw rambles #about me #the-awkward-turt #I mean technically not really about animals #but it's me #so like 90% of this is centered around animals #so it's still animal related lmao