A Day in the Life of a Zookeeper

A Day in the Life of a Zookeeper
Ever wonder what its like to share your world with a bunch of crazy critters? Tune in to find out!

Thursday, November 07, 2013

Dog and the Hog

Today - a quick update on the resident pup and hedgehog:

Nigel:

Littlest critter is doing just great.  He was seen by the vet this week to make sure he didn't catch any ear mites from the ferrets and thankfully he did not.  The vet was commenting on how great his skin, furry parts and quills look.  All good stuff as Nigel prepares to turn 3 on the 26th of this month.  If you google there are a pretty wide variety of  opinions on the life expectancy of a domesticated hedgehog,  Some say 3 -5 and some say 4 - 6.  Some say 7 is the ideal lifespan for a hedgie - equating to 100 years old in human years.  I would love to see Mr. Nigel Hedgehog make it to 7 or even older.  For now - we will enjoy our time with him.  His room was one that was bombed for fleas.  No fleas were ever found on him but the ferrets brought them in and I decided it was worth exterminating that room.  As a result Nigel has been doing a guest stint in the master bedroom closet.  Its fairly large and with the baby gate up he has room to play and investigate but he is confined and I know where he is.  I think he enjoys these changes of scenery every now and then. Hopefully today will be the day I get in his room, vacuum, wipe down all the surfaces and put all new bedding and such in his cage.




Emma:

The pup has been doing very well.  She is enjoying our fall hiking - averaging 2 - 3 miles on the weekdays and 7 - 10 miles on the weekends.  Her health seems quite good - no tummy issues to report which is great. Tummy upset is the one thing that ails her.  She has been pretty good here lately about scratching at the carpet which has been a nice reprieve.  I have ordered some fun new toys and treats for her stocking...some of that stuff showed up yesterday and she was quite curious.  I think she can smell the treats so she sat waiting patiently while I opened the Amazon boxes.  Of course I indulged her....  All in all - I am quite pleased with the old girl - she is very sweet...






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