Silly Gerbils!

I have a fez. Fezzes are cool.

Gerbils are so very silly. Or maybe it's just my two.  When I cleaned out their cage, I put them in their small carrier thingy with some kleenex to dig in. When I returned them to their clean cage, I just dumped the kleenex in after them. Silly little desert mice like to have fluff in their nest, so I'd bought some cotton balls. A couple of those keep them quite happy.

Freddie has spent the day pulling the kleenex out of the hidey hut and putting it down on the ground floor. He then runs back up to the cotton is in the hidey and starts fluffing and seperating it to give maximum coverage. Fergie has spent the day watching his brother run down the ramp and then back up, then runs down the ramp, picks up the kleenex and runs it back up to the hidey where he promptly shoves it in the door. After a few hours of this, I swear Freddie thumped both back feet in irritation. Fergie tilted his head to one side and let out the cutest squeek/chirp. Freddie then gave Fergie a Glaswgow kiss to the middle and picked up a huge mouthful of kleenex and ran it down to the bottom.

Any guesses on what Fergie did shortly there after? :D

From Vancouver.

As some of you know, I live about an hour and a half east of Vancouver. I moved to Surrey, BC, 40 minutes south of Vancouver at the age of 11. I grew up (pretty much) in the Lower Mainland. As a few of you know, I'm a rampant Canucks fan. While we emigrated to Edmonton, AB in 1982, I've been a Vancouverite for longer than I was ever an Edmontonion. The Oilers are my #2 team, the Canucks #1.

I want to apologize on behalf of Vancouver. What you saw on your news was a group of young adults planning destruction and then dragging others along for the ride. Some people tried to stop the damage. Some people stood around and took pictures and lived vicariously. Some people tried to get out. Some people just had fun smashing [stuff].  There was talk on Skytrain (our elevated light rail transit) before the game about how they were going to riot win or lose. They packed in moltov cocktails, g8 protest signs, and various items of destruction. They thought it would be cool to destroy and run rampant.

That is not the Canadian way. That isn't the Vancouver way. Everyone I know of is appalled by the riot. They're horrified. And they're all for identifying each and every one of those people and having them slapped with a criminal record. Actions have consequences, and these hooligans should be facing their's. 

The true face of the Canucks fan is the ones who were cheering for the Bruins when they were declared the winners. The fans gave Thomas (Bruins' goalie) a standing ovation. It was a hell of a game and the Bruins played better - they deserved their win.. and while we were disappointed we didn't win, you have to salute the team who just wanted it more. The booing you heard was us booing Bettman. I don't think there's many Canadians who like him.. but even still with our extreme dislike of the man and his actions, we didn't even throw things at him.

It was reported that the first car to be torched had been brought downtown for that precise purpose. Who the heck thinks of these things??

Last night was a nightmare. I'm proud of the police, the paramedics and the fire fighters. I'm proud of those who stood between rioters and those already down on the ground. I'm proud of those who yelled "STOP!" and tried to prevent the destruction and looting. Those are the ones I'd like to think of as the typical Canadian. They're certainly the ones we saw during the olympics.

Kisses!

Its still hard to get a picture of the boys - fast shutter speed (because these two NEVER STOP) means flash, which means bad picture.. or I get a ghost.. or no gerbil at all!

In my earlier post I mentioned Petcetera and then never went anywhere with it - I got distracted by something shiny. (Ooo..Shiny) I had then gone to Petsmart. Where once again I got INCREDIBLE service. I mentioned that I'd just been adopted by two gerbils and got asked what size cage do I have, is it multi-level.. etc etc. I then ended up buying a better cage. Now, I know they may have been trying for the upsell, BUT, that wasn't the feeling I got at all. Especially since previous conversations there I've been told (pretending ignorance) that rabbits are like cats and need room to roam and play.  (Yay!)

So, tonight I was taking a break from yelling "OMFG, stop sucking Canucks!!" at my TV to make faces at the boys. Of course, I typically end up wriggling my nose like they're minature little bunnies.. Anyway, had my face plastered against the cage when Fergie came running up and put his nose against mine. I just about melted from the OMG, CUTE!!  Then he gave my nose a lick and disappeared into his tunnel. I got a kiss! Awwwwwww... <3

Now, Mr Mick.. I appreciate that there will be a bunny in my life again one day. But until I can find one as absolutely awesome as you, who will tug at heart strings, boss me around and train me right ('cause, y'know, humans lose their training practically overnight) .. I shall have to make do with two very silly little desert mice. My heart isn't strong enough for a rabbit at this point. (Or in short, one hasn't thumped and told me different)  One day tho, I'm sure.

Very sorry to hear about poor, poor Betsy. Not only dragged into a noisy car for *two* hours, but she had things stuck in her. Sage would have offered several colourful metaphors to employ about vets and their liking to stick cold metal objects in personal places.. But I'm happy to hear that she'll be well, once she finishes peeing on her humans on a daily basis for two weeks.

My new masters.

I've been thinking for weeks what my new master(s) will look like. Another rabbit? A hedgehog? A fish? (Beta fish are so pretty!)? Some mice?

Well, I made the mistake of going into Petcetera the other day and mooching around. If I hadn't already sworn never to buy from them while they sell rabbits as 'low maintenance pets,' the fact they followed me around as if I were a criminal would have done it. There's a difference between the 'I'm desperate to make a sale' stalk and the 'You're going to shove pine shavings down your yoga pants' stalk. I left without even pricing anything, I did look at their empty fish tanks, their sad looking birdies and the bunnies who were in what I'd call an sick-bed cage and wished I could rescue them all.

This morning a lady posted on a local mailing list she has some gerbils to go. She said she can't promise anything about them other than they're all from the same litter and gender. (Male gerbils have similar, ah, characteristics to male rats, rabbits and other very male animals.) I hit delete and continued with email. Then I went back to it and dug it out of my trash folder.. and phoned her.

Long story shorter, I am now enslaved two very cute little male gerbils. ("Did you know gerbils can mate through cage bars?" "I knew rabbits could.." "BUT GERBILS!!")

I was thinking "Ferdie and Freddie" for names, after the mischievous foxes from Rupert Bear. ("Rupert The Bear" if you listen to N. Americans.) But the tan gerbil doesn't seem like a Ferdie. (The grey does seem like a Freddie) So, tentatively they're Marty and Freddie.

Boy, did I think taking pictures of rabbits was "fun" .. at least they stop moving! For creatures that are supposed to sleep during the day (especially during the warmest part!) they haven't stopped exploring since I put them in their new cage.