Animals
My Pets: Tributes
Reverse Chronological Order!
Guinea Weasley: White, tan, and black short-haired guinea pig. Born September 9, 2009 (guesstimate). I adopted Guinea Weasley on October 5, 2010. She had been surrendered to a shelter because she got pregnant and had some babies, and her previous owner couldn't deal with all those piggies. When I came along, all of her babies had been adopted out, and her name was Meatball. She has been very good for snuggling from day one, and has been slowly warming up to the idea of me occasionally leaning into her cage to give her pats. I am on the lookout for another piggy to join Ms. Weasley!
Atticus: Black hooded fancy rat. Born January 2010, died March 16, 2010. Atticus (the ratticus) came to live with me March 5, 2010. I bought him from Petco because he was clearly sick, underweight, and suffering in a tank with several big, strong rats. He went to the vet on March 6 and was diagnosed with a respiratory infection as well as an infestation of lice, but he did not weigh enough to be medicated. He was a very good boy, he came around to me quickly and put up with plenty of snuggling. I am so sad that he is no longer with me, but I hope that eleven days of cuddling and all the food he could ever want helped make his short time here on earth a little better.
Lucy: Syrian hamster. Born August 2009, died April 22, 2010. I bought Lucy at Petco (oops) on the same day that she was delivered to their store. She was about the size of a ping-pong ball. Lucy was super active and adventurous, in and out of her cage. At night she ran on her wheel for hours, and during the day she burrowed down under her bedding and became invisible. She became very sick very suddenly on April 22, and within hours she had died in my hands. I loved her so much, and I miss her dearly.
Hamilton: Syrian hamster. Born Late 2008?, died July 11, 2009. Hamilton and two other hamsters were dumped in a snowbank in upstate New York outside of a local business. Said local business called the Oswego Animal Shelter, who picked up the chilly critters. Hamilton's friends were adopted before her, and when I went on Petfinder looking for a little friend to add to my family, there she was. Hamilton came to live with me on January 30, 2009. She loved to run in her pink ball and eat in her sleep. I was told she was a boy when I adopted her, but her lack of certain addendums led me to the conclusion that Hamilton was a girl. She went to the big exercise wheel in the sky in July '09, while I was away working at camp. I miss her.
Millie: Standardbred cross mare. Born March 3, 2001. The most beautiful horse in the world. My heart, my soul. I met her in July of 2005. She does not belong to me, but a camp I went to for six years, and I brought her home with me for two winters. They were the best two winters I have had. The winter of 2007-2008 I couldn't take her, because of college. We were reunited gloriously in the summer of 2009 and proved to be the most awesome horse/counselor pair in the staff cross-country lesson. I love Millie with all of my heart and I miss her every day.
Honey: Dumbo-eared beige fancy rat. Born January 2005, died January 24, 2008. My heart rat. My little angel. She would fall asleep in my arms and lick my fingers and was my constant companion from August 2007, when I broke my right tibia, until January 20, 2008, when I had to leave for college. I loved her dearly and did everything in my power to make her life as happy as it could be, and I think she knew I needed her much more than she ever needed me.
Belle: Dumbo-eared gray fancy rat. Born January 2005, died February 2006. Belle was a genius. She would come when called and escaped every cage I ever put her in. She was not a cuddly rat, but I loved her all the same and was very sad that she died so young.
Skeeter: Black berkshire fancy rat. Don't know when he was born, died February 2005. By far the smartest and most active rat I've had. He was absolutely stunning to look at, and incredibly friendly. He was a re-homed rat, and I loved having him with me. He could leap straight up to the top of my dresser, and was generally just awesome.
Peekaboo: Beige fancy rat. Born November 2003, died December 2003. She was very sweet but died of what I have always assumed was some kind of virus or infection within weeks of me bringing her home.
Lemmiwinks: Black gerbil with white points. Born January 2002, died December 2003. I bought him while I was visiting my friend Katie in Manhattan and didn't tell my parents - then I had to take the train back, and I couldn't just put him in a cage because Katie's parents didn't know either, so Lemmi came home to Massachusetts with me in the pocket of my coat. I loved him so much, and he was a wonderful pet for about a year and a half, but he died within days of Peekaboo. I was very sad to lose him.
Pookie: Beige fancy rat. Born May (?) 2001, Died October 20, 2004. My first rat. Oh, how I loved him. He was with me during a very bad time in my life and I loved him dearly. I have a framed picture of him on my wall, and he will always be in my heart. My little Pookie.
Amelia: Australian Shepherd. Born March 27, 2000. My first dog. I begged from the time I was two years old until I was twelve, and Amelia is the result of those ten years of pleading. She is the greatest and funniest dog I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. She owns at Frisbee and rolls in smelly things. She is allergic to a lot of food but loves duck. She got skunked when I was in the seventh grade and it was the worst smell ever.
PJ: Orange and white Syrian (?) hamster. Died around 2001, I believe. I loved PJ. I loved him a lot. His full name was Pumpkin Junior, and he was absolutely darling. He was always very friendly to me but would sometimes bite other people. He was one of the three pets who moved with my family from Connecticut to Massachusetts, along with his brother Scrabbles who belonged to my brother.
Hopper: Gray Flemish Giant rabbit. Born around 1993-1995, died October 2000. Hopper was an Easter present to my brother and I in 1997, taken off the hands of a family who didn't want her any more. She was a big rabbit! She lived outside because of my mother's allergies and had a big pen that was full of ivy when we made it and just a patch of dirt when we left. She tolerated my brother and I putting a leash on her, cuddling her incessantly, etc. and when she met my dog became VICIOUS ATTACK RABBIT. In late 1997, Hopper escaped from her pen at night and was attacked by a wild animal - we think a skunk or raccoon. When we brought her to the vet, they told us she probably had rabies and should be put down. My brother and I were distraught. We loved her, and now she would die. But my dad asked what other options we had, and the vet told us she could be quarantined for thirty days and watched for signs of rabies. She could not be handled and would have to be fed with thick leather gloves on. My dad did it. He took care of her every day with his big fireplace gloves and after thirty days, she had shown no signs of rabies. She did, however, have an infected eye, and eventually she lost the use of it. We owned Hopper for five more years, bringing her to the beach house where we stayed between moving out of our Connecticut house and into our Massachusetts house, before she passed.
King Tut: Dwarf hamster. Born 1998, died 1999. Tut was the accidental result of my friend Erin buying two "female" hamsters from a local pet store. I have a special place in my heart for him, but he and most of his siblings ended up dying very young.
Bernie: Black mouse. I'm not sure when Bernie was born, but I'm pretty sure he died around 1998. He had belonged to a friend of mine, but when he got a bad case of the skin parasite called mites, she grew disgusted with and tired of him. Her mother was going to set him loose outside to die, so I took him from them and tried to keep him comfortable, but he died.
Jibbles: White mouse. Born 1997, died 1999 (?). Jibbles - I named her that because I was convinced that it was a word - was my darling little mouse who was one of the first true animal loves of my life. I doted on her constantly and she made little chicken sounds that I have recorded on a cassette tape somewhere. She had mites and unfortunately died far too soon.
I have no idea as to the birth/death dates of these pets:
Snowball: Dwarf hamster who became increasingly mean as she aged. When she was young, she would do backflips off of her food dishes. It was very cute. We loved her no matter what.
Jake II: Sand-colored gerbil. Jake was a fun little guy, and he lived for a long time. I don't remember a lot about him except that he would occasionally FREAK OUT and bolt all over his little gerbil mansion.
Jake: Our first hamster, who was actually a girl. She had a little chip out of her ear. She was a good pet.
Lots of fish.
Cleo: My first pet ever. A goldfish. I loved her more than anything!