Based on the high majority of my blogs that are about my cats people may assume that they are the only pets I have. True, they have the biggest presence here (hey, YOU try ignoring them when you come here - you can't!), but I do have a few other pets that I'd like to mention.
"Mr G" the Gerbil. This is probably the first ever gerbil that I have had. For many years, ever since 1999 or so I think, I've had a variety of creatures. I've had hamsters and guinea pigs, as well as rabbits, rats, fish and of course my cats. Oh, and I've had pet mice too. But I never had gerbils. Why? Not really sure why. I think part of it was that they looked different. Kinda like a hamster with different backlegs, different eyes and a larger longer tail. And they looked like they were quick little devils too.
So from my volunteering at my local animal shelter that I've been doing since June 2004, I was typically the guy looked to as someone who might like to take home some of the little creatures that might have been brought in. Hamsters, rabbits, rats, those sort of creatures. So in this one case, a lady was bringing in and I was being offered: a hamster, a gerbil, and 6 pet rats. For reasons that only I knew to myself at that time I decided I could give them all a home.
Over the past year and a half, approximately, since then the pet rats have all passed away and so has the pet hamster. But that leaves the gerbil. My very "creatively" named Mr G the Gerbil. He's still here and he's still kickin'. I don't ever hold him as any time my hand has gotten close enough to him he has bite me. And yes, it hurt like heck! I'd rather have one of my cats bite me than to have Mr G bite me. But he seems as happy as can be. Always try to make sure he has his dish of food and water and assorted items to chew on. Once in a while he'll lay in his cage on his side or even kinda contorted on his back. Is he dead??? Is he ok??? I'll tap on the cage and sometimes get no response. At the point of thinking he is dead until I take the cover off the tank, and drop some shavings onto him and then finally he'll wake up and look around for me. Its like he gets a thril out of playing dead on me.
The pet that I've had the longest out of any of them - yes, even longer than my cats - is my goldfish. The aptly named Goldie Goldfish. At one point when I was living downstate attending college I had a aquarium tank set up with several goldfish in it. I had never had much success with fish before, harkening back to my childhood days when the family had a tank of them. So it was kinda a hit-and-miss operation here. Half a dozen or more fish, some would die, would get a few more. Finally I figured that they just weren't liking living with me, so I stopped getting more. Over the next months and years their numbers dwindled down to just one. One fish.
Goldie has been through a lot with me. We moved from where we were living downstate to my current town (my hometown) which was about 2-1/2 hours drive north of there. We've also moved from our first residence when we relocated up here to our current apartment that we're at now. I also haven't been probably the best about when to clean Goldie's aquarium. The water level has dropped down before and the sides of the tank have gotten a tint of green before. But I have tried to always make sure he gets his flakes each morning, and certainly have not ever let the tank get very bad.
Goldie has had a habit - or not really - in playing dead fishie with me as well. At times I can look in his tank and he'll be silently floating in one plate not moving his little eyes or not seeming to breathe through his gills. Once in a while he'll even almost be appearing to be floating on his side flopped over like an upside down U-shape. But he'd still be alive and the next time I might look in his tank he's swimming around like there's no tomorrow.
Yesterday in fact, I did a partial water change by taking out some water and adding in some new water. Replaced the water filter cartridge, too. Last night before bed he was doing his thing again. Appearing to be floating near the top of the water line and didn't appear very active. Earlier this morning he was nearly floating on his side. At this minute he's half hiding behind a decorative plant that he has in there and he's kinda sitting upright while looking at....well, I'm not sure. But he is still alive, appears to be "OK", and is breathing that I can see.
Odd behavior like this normally might worry me. But I have had him since about 2001 - longer than any of my other pets - and he's already been through a lot of stress. So its one of those situations where I am relying on faith that he's ok and that he just didn't like the water change. I am sure he'll be ok....
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