We're Definitely Not Having Pets!
Last summer, Big Kid suggested that we should have a pet, or more specifically, a dog. We agreed that this would be nice, but was simply not practical as, A, we both work, B, we live by a main road and C, dogs and their upkeep are not cheap. Our arguments were accepted surprisingly well, but were soon followed by a request for a rabbit. We replied “We’ll see”, which as every parent knows, is code for absolutely not. I didn’t fancy a pet, which once the novelty had worn off, would have little human contact other than me cleaning it out every week.
We’re definitely not having pets.
In the autumn we went to a large garden centre to look at Christmas decorations. We spent more time looking at the animals, particularly hamsters. A week later we had two dwarf hamsters, even though we’re definitely not having pets! We initially did some research on the web and found that they were cheap to buy and feed, could live together in a single cage and lived up to two years. It all sounded perfect. Big Kid’s hamster was creamy coloured with a white band around its back and chest and a thin black line down its spine. When rolled up in a ball it looked like a stone, so Big Kid called it Pebbles. Little Kid’s hamster was a wild looking brown creature. He was going to call it Milly after a classmate at school. When I explained the reasoning behind the name Pebbles, I suggested calling it Mud or Rock. After a moment’s thought. Little Kid said “I know – Mudfluff”. Muddy coloured and fluffy I suppose. However the name soon reverted to Milly with both hamsters gaining the surname of Mudfluff. More research on the web and some practical experience gave us further information. Hamsters are most active at night and the little buggers like to bite the hand that feeds them. Despite this they were entertaining, could be stroked in their cage [extremely carefully], and held in a thickly gloved hand. Big Kid put a lot of effort into her hamster and Pebbles would climb onto Big Kid’s gloved hand. Milly was much more wild and was far less sociable except at night when she completed a noisy high speed marathon in her wheel, which squealed constantly. So fast was the Mudfluff, that its legs were quite literally a blur, with the little brown head being the only part of the creature that could be seen clearly.
So, eight shopping days to Christmas, we’re definitely not having pets, but already we have two hamsters.
A week before Christmas, I came home from work and as I drove along the track behind the house I was sure that I had seen a black rabbit in the beam of the headlights. The next morning I went out to get things ready for work and was confronted by a black rabbit, hopping around between the shed, greenhouse and garage. I knelt down and it came over to me, but wouldn’t let me pick it up. When I came home that night it was still there, came bounding up to me like a long lost friend and happily accepted a carrot from my hand. I then realised that it had been sleeping under a conifer by the garage. I decided that if it was still there tomorrow then I would try and get it into the greenhouse where it could take up temporary [definitely temporary] lodgings. To the front of our house is a main road, but behind are woods and the rabbit was so tame that I could imagine the big bad wolf, [ok then, big bad fox], eating it. The next day the rabbit was easily tempted into the greenhouse with a little food. It was extremely tame, enjoyed being stroked, would happily take food from us, without literally eating out of our hands, and seemed quite a nice little rabbit. It was a silky smooth jet black colour, with quite short ears. Back to the internet and I discovered that it is probably a breed called Polish [as in shiny and polished, not from the country of that name]. One of their characteristics is that they don’t like being picked up. This was certainly the case, as the increasingly tame rabbit enjoyed being fussed over, would climb onto your lap if you knelt down, but would kick out if you tried to pick it up. The greenhouse was made safe, a temporary [we’re definitely not having pets] hutch built and Fluffy, or Fluffbun settled in for the Christmas period. I didn’t waste much time in checking with all the neighbours [there are only eight properties where we live], but nobody even had rabbits and certainly hadn’t lost one. I came to the conclusion that it had been a pet, perhaps for children, but as it couldn’t be picked up it had been abandoned near a wood. Of course instead of choosing the wood it chose our house, even though we’re definitely not having pets.
Christmas morning was good with Big Kid and Little Kid getting everything they wanted and several unexpected presents that went down really well. A perfect Christmas, when every present was good. Things started to go downhill though when we realised that Pebbles was not well. She was just lying around sleepily. She licked a little water from my finger but was barely drinking and not eating. Things didn’t look good but we clung to the hope that she was going to hibernate. By Boxing Day she had died.
So, Boxing Day, one hamster, one temporary rabbit and we’re definitely not having pets.
Big Kid was absolutely distraught. She had put a lot of time and effort into her first pet [well, first pet unless you include a Shield Bug called Mr Sheldon, who lived in a box full of grass, stones and twigs for a week or two before escaping or dying]. Back to the internet. A new hamster joining Milly was probably not going to work. As far as I was concerned the rabbit was still only a lodger. With the benefit of hindsight and the internet we realised that guinea pigs were probably a much more sensible pet for children than hamsters. [Shame we didn’t realise that a couple of months ago]. They are cuddly, easy to care for and don’t have a natural tendency to bite, unless you resemble a carrot or a radish. Much of Boxing Day was spent on the laptop and I discovered a lovely lady who breeds guinea pigs as a hobby. She had three male guinea pigs for sale. Two were brothers and the third had been with them since they were all separated from their respective mothers. She agreed to keep the guinea pigs for us until we could get a hutch sorted out.
I had come to realise that we were stuck with the rabbit so Big Kid and I came up with a plan. We would get two hutches, one for the rabbit one for the guinea pigs. In the area between the house and the brick shed we would re-lay the existing paving slabs and have two runs side by side. Two double decker hutches were ordered and built so that Fluff could be upgraded and the Guinea Pigs would have a nice hutch to come home to.
On the 8th January I collected three guinea pigs to join our single hamster and single rabbit, who was still living happily in the greenhouse. Even though we’re definitely not having pets.
As it was a Thursday and the weather was bad the guinea pigs stayed in the kitchen in their large outdoor hutch. The rabbit stayed in the greenhouse, but now with a better hutch. The next day was Friday. Big Kid and Little Kid loved having the guinea pigs in the kitchen, where they can see them and another day won’t hurt. The next day was Saturday. Big Kid and Little Kid loved having….. You get the idea. On Sunday we carried the guinea pig hutch out to the greenhouse. They will be safe in their double decker hutch, but will still provide company for the free range, greenhouse dwelling rabbit we thought. Wrong! No sooner was the hutch put down than Fluff did his best mad dog impression, hackles up and growling with his nose pressed tight to the guinea pig hutch. We carried the double decker, outdoor guinea pig hutch back into the kitchen. It is still there even though we’re definitely not having pets.
Ginger, the dominant one, Butterscotch, who would like to be the dominant one and Biscuit, all seem to like living in a large outdoor hutch in the kitchen. Milly, the now almost entirely nocturnal hamster, seems equally at home inside our home. I think I might have to move out. The shed perhaps, or the greenhouse. Oh no, hang on though….
During the week I noticed that Fluff was dragging hay into the sleeping compartment of his hutch. Just taking in some extra food for the night, I thought. A day or two later I noticed black fluffy fur in the hutch – a nest. We had always referred to Fluff as he, but that has changed now. Back to the internet again. How long are rabbits pregnant for? I did the maths and realised that Fluff may have been pregnant when abandoned, or could have met Mr Wild Rabbit in the two days before he [sorry, she], started living in our greenhouse.
It is now 6th February. I am drinking a cup of tea by the greenhouse door whilst watching a middle sized black rabbit eating hay, oblivious to the three wild looking brown baby rabbits that are running around. It might be my imagination, but if I listen carefully I am sure that I can hear the sound of a fast spinning hamster wheel and the “wheek, wheek” of three guinea pigs wanting their tea. We’re definitely not having pets.
During the night of 10th February one of the little rabbits died. The next day another one went and on Friday 13th [!!!] the last one died. None had any obvious injuries or signs of illness. All very sad, but we still have one rabbit, one hamster and three guinea pigs, even though we’re definitely not having pets.