Official Pet Day

brought to you by Indigochick

Holly, the intrepid explorer, has been tracked down and agreed to have her picture taken in exchange for 3 days of freedom to roam. Fair enough.

Are there really people that sad in this World that they would buy a wedding veil for their cat?

 Or a cat neck-tie?                                            

Or make them wear a stupid hat on their birthday?  

Unfortunately, I fear such people may truely and breathe or else websites selling the stuff wouldn't exist.

Also in the petshop on Friday I could have bought a lead to take the hamster for walks..but I didn't bother.

On a more sensible note....

Okay...how do you post big pics then?!! I followed Peabody's instructions and posted a picture. I could see the picture (but only when I am signed in, I think). Nobody else could see it. More research required...

HELP!!!

It's getting boring now I know, but not much else is going on here so its the best I can do today.

Saturday is cleaning out hamster cage day, a task that has been unnecessary for the last month. However, half way through the process Jack realised that we had no sawdust. Lucky Holly gets to zoom round in her ball for an hour or so whilst the kids make a trip to the pet shop.

I'm busy cleaning the play room (OK, I was on the pc) so I guess I was in charge. Jack returns to find an empty hamster ball. The little shite has kamakazied herself into a wall, broken open the hamster ball and escaped AGAIN.

I give up..let her die a long, slow and painful death.

(OK so I'm not that mean..I'll keep leaving the food out)

Talking of animals..good to see JNuts is back!

After nearly a month on the run, Holly the Hamster has been recaptured. After her discovery last night by Neil, she put up a good fight, and refused to be taken (hid under sofa). Siege conditions prevailed overnight (doors shut to keep her in the lounge) and Jack and I mounted an early morning recapture manoeuvre.

I feel quite sad that she is now back in her cage (especially as she is now the size of a small beaver) and I doubt it will be long before she grasps at her next opportunity for freedom.

I still have one small niggling concern about the existence of a monumental mountain of undiscovered hamster poo.

The hamster has been missing for over 2 weeks now. It still visits approximately every other night and clears the food bowl.

I tried the humane mouse trap..but that didn't work. Maybe the hamster can't fit into the mouse trap....or maybe it is a very, very clever hamster.

There are absolutely no other signs that a hamster lives in our house, no droppings, no scratching noises, zilch. God only knows where is has created a little nest for itself, or why we don't catch even a glimpse of her. Does she sleep a lot? Has she made friends?

The food always seems to disappear at a similar time every night, (i.e by the time I have returned from the pub..NOT that I go there very often..I hasten to add).

So tonight, I am going to camp out in the lounge and attempt to recapture Holly. I will report back.

Holly is back.......safe and sound, if a little hungry and thirsty. Eddi (4) has just informed me that she has put an old newspaper on the sofa so that Holly can do poos whilst she watches a Thunderbirds video. Bless..how thoughtful!

Whilst we are on the subject of furry things..there was an article in the Guardian yesterday regarding a delivery of baboons to a wild life park in Kent from a zoo in France. Supposedly when the park keepers talk to the animals in english 'they just look completely bemused and don't have a clue what is going on'. As a consequence the keepers have had to learn basic french..such as dejueuner and bonjour. The keepers expect that they will have to carry on speaking french to them forever.

They also report that the french baboons are friskier than their English cousins.

Furthermore..thinking about getting a dog to dilute the childrens hamster torture sessions (it's luv really). I asked Jack what he would like to call a dog if we got one. *Lunchbox*. Have to be a boy dog then...

It had to happen. Holly the Hamster has gone AWOL. Returned from work and Jack (6) says 'where is the Hamster?'. 'Uhhhh..where you left her, in her cage this morning, she is in her cage isn't she?'. No she isn't. Also the cage door is open, so has she done a death defying Houdini act to extract herself out of the cage or has one of my two darlings FORGOT to put her back. Obviously Jack said it wasn't him. No doubt Eddi will say the same.

Three hours later and no sign..not a scratch, nothing. I hope her bid for freedom doesn't involve the big, bad, VERY COLD outdoors or else may have to make a quick run to the nearest pet shop. Knew I should have gone for the hamster with no distinguishing markings..oh well, todays lesson in life for the children.

Supposedly no House Mouse has survived for longer than 5 years and the oldest human to date is 122 years old (it was a she!).

If you really have nothing better to do you can plug names of species/animals into AnAge and it will tell you the longest recorded life span.

An Aldabra Tortoise has survived for 152 years and an African Grey Parrot for 73 years. I was surprised that the longest recorded age for a turtle was 75 years for a Green Sea Turtle. I thought they lived for hundreds of years (a 'fact' reiterated in Finding Nemo).

What I want to know if is a Common Hamster can live for 4 years and a Golden Hamster for 10 years why do the pet shops tell you that they normally will not survive more than 18 months. Is life with small children that bad that most of them die young?