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.