Bob-related
May 24, 2008
May 20, 2008
Bob now has a little sister!
After much deliberation, I decided to adopt a second kitten to keep Bob company, especially since I'm away a bit these days. "Princess" is the name she was given at the Animal Rescue League, though that will likely change soon, and she is supposedly 7-8 months old (highly doubtful since she's such a tiny little thing). She has all of her claws intact and was spayed a month ago. She came home with us this afternoon after being selected over the weekend.
Bob doesn't know what to think of her just yet. He follows her from room to room and occasionally displays a bit of jealousy when she's shown attention. But in time I'm hopeful they'll bond and learn to love one another.
She's very lovable and curious.
Here is Bob looking on. Poor guy looks so hurt. The kitten is on HIS scratching perch.
February 26, 2008
February Updates
Life is busy and bustling these days, not that I'm complaining. Just doesn't give me as much time to blog as I'd like. So here are this week's updates in a nutshell.
After losing Chance, Noby was left without a cagemate, so I brought home a new little guy named Burns. He's solid black, slightly chubby, and relatively sociable. From here on out, the mice will be on a more restricted diet, and I did furnish the cage with a new wheel in hopes that they will exercise at least occasionally. Burns and Noby hit it off immediately and spend a good bit of time grooming one another and cuddling in their igloo. A photo will be taken and posted once he has an opportunity to settle in a bit.
I also brought home a bamboo shrimp and a couple of tiny molly fry. The bamboo shrimp found his way to the clump of hornwort floating on the surface in the 28g tank where he can sit directly in the current and feed on whatever comes his way. The molly fry went into the 10g brackish tank and so far only one is active and comes to the surface to feed, but it's also the largest of the duo and is probably less afraid of the bigger fish.
The 10g tank is doing amazingly well with all of the fish, shrimp, and plants flourishing! The bumblebee gobies are even doing well and getting enough to eat. I ensure this by feeding flakes on the surface to distract the larger fish and then dropping a variety of sinking foods (Aquadine, pieces of algae wafers, and shrimp pellets). Occasionally the mollies are fed freeze-dried tubifex worms, which they make a mess with, allowing the gobies to chase the floating particles.
The 28g tank is still not quite up to par and it looks like it may again have ich. I could just scream...but... 
eh. C'est la vie, I suppose. It may be time to bring in the malachite green, but that involves removing the filter media, which I'm not keen on doing. Medications are a last resort in my tanks, but this issue just won't go away! The corydoras are all gone (and won't be replaced) due to the increased salinity. The rainbowfish appear quite healthy aside from the few white specks here and there. I just don't get it. All I can figure is that this is a result of fluctuating temperatures and another reason why this tank shouldn't have been placed so close to my sliding glass patio door. But it's been maintaining a temperature between 78-80 degrees F for at least a week now, so... 
The plants weren't doing so well, which I attributed to the raised temperatures (back when it was kept up around 86 degrees F), and algae began to take over. One of the fluorescent lights is now kept off with the remaining strip light kept on fewer hours (no more than 10) and 3 more black mystery snails were added. The sunlight coming in from the patio door is likely the culprit causing the algae growth, though it's not excessive yet. Since reducing the light exposure time, the hornwort is back to growing full-force and the red ludwigia is perking up some.
The rats are all doing better, though Jimmie continues to make odd noises and remains a bit shaky. Keefer still isn't a fan of being handled though he will come out of the cage to run around the livingroom from time to time. And Grizzle is just as playful and sweet as always. 
Bob is bored. He's taken to pestering me constantly to toss his toy mouse, which he fetches better than most dogs I know AND brings it back. The rats just don't hold his attention like they used to, though he absolutely adores watching his mice through the cage bars. The night I brought home Burns, Bob purred and begged to be held up to look into the cage, leaning back every couple of minutes to lick my lips. lol He can be such a sweetheart when he wants to be. I'm seriously considering adopting a second cat so that he'll have a playmate that is just as rough-and-tumble as he is. He gets frustrated with the ratty boys because they squeal when he's too rough, resulting in him getting in trouble. Poor Bob. Maybe sometime soon I'll look into bringing home a neutered or spayed kitten so that they can tear through the apartment and keep one another company when I'm at work or school.
(Can't help but shudder at the idea of another kitten though - that's another set of claws and teeth to destroy the furniture and my skin LOL)
February 06, 2008
A sick bunch of critters
Myself included. Bob is having sinus problems once again and appears to be running a fever, so he'll have to go in to see the vet very soon.
Keefer seems to be relaxing a little and will let me pet him through the cage wires though he continues to sneeze often.
Jimmie is awfully skinny and breaths rapidly, so he needs to be looked at by Dr. Anderson and possibly prescribed some antibiotics. I do what I can to fatten him up and he eats like a little pig, but his body feels light and limp and he shakes more than any little rattie I've ever seen.
Even the dang 28g tank has ich once again! I've considered just leaving the temperature up around 86 degrees F but then my plants all began to wilt and die. 
No new fish have been added, but the two albino corydoras catfish died recently. My water parameters all check out fine and water changes are done weekly or bi-weekly (usually 20%). No clue what I'm doing wrong here...
Grizzle seems to be the only one without a worry in the world! lol
Oh, but let's not forget Valentine's Day is just around the corner! Grizzle and I are supposed to make an appearance at Petco on Buffalo Rd. this Saturday afternoon to enter into a "best kiss" contest and possibly decorate a cookie. The other two rats may have to come along to visit Dr. Anderson during his in-store hours. If I had another pair of arms, I'd love to bring Bob as well, but alas...he's been out and about in public many times and this will be a first for the ratty boys.
Eight more days 'til Valentine's Day!
January 29, 2008
Bob & Grizzle in '08
While snapping photos of the new baby tonight, my two characters were up to their regular shenanigans.
Here's Bob chilling in his kennel, a favorite hang-out spot. (Click on photos to enlarge)
And here comes Grizzle...
Always trying to follow his feline "bruddah"...
Bob lays the smackdown... 
As rough as Bob might play at times, he puts up with a lot from Grizzle whose sole purpose in life is to antagonize kitties...
Poor Bob...it irks him so... What a sour expression! 
Kitty water just tastes better.
Yep, Bob is a messy boy. Gotta wipe down his dinner mat tomorrow.
December 21, 2007
Presents for my babies!
Thanks to Uncle Larry, the "kids" will be getting all kinds of good stuff for Christmas! Or the New Year depending on how long it takes to arrive.
Petco has a sweet deal where if you order by midnight December 21st, shipping for orders over $50 is free. Use coupon code: affreg. 
For Bob (the cat), I ordered a larger pet taxi, some sweet-smelling shampoo, a FURminator deshedding tool, and a Kitty Hoots Big Mama's Scratch-O-Rama Scratchy Mat.
Grizzle (the rat) is getting a new front pack/carrier (so he can actually get out and about).
They'll also receive special meals for the holidays: extra fruits and veggies for Grizzle and canned cat food (duck variety) for Bob. 
Don't forget to include your critters this holiday season. They enjoy the festivities too!
December 18, 2007
The Fruit-Loving Feline
It's the oddest thing. He eats blueberries and grapes and will lick sliced tomatoes. When I feed fruits and veggies to the rat and mouse, Bob begs for nibbles so finally I caved. He now receives a few bites of fruit at feeding time as well. lol 
He's great at playing fetch too!
Such a strange little guy.
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