A Day in the Life of a Zookeeper: April 2016

Friday, April 29, 2016

Month In Review

April is almost over - not sure exactly where it went to be honest. Time really does just whiz by!

We had a birdy in our bedroom, a coyote in our pasture and a possum who visited the bird feeder to snack on the peanut suet. We had frequent visits from the deer and the turkeys - I love our outdoor critters.

As for the indoor critters - everyone is doing well. They seem happy and healthy and full of energy. Emma and Winston - my big kids - they are both doing great. We have made it past allergy season so Winston is really enjoying his outdoor time. He spends his days rooting up the dirt, grazing in the grass, cleaning up under the bird feeders, sunbathing and napping outside. He manages to wear himself out during the day which is a good thing. As for Miss Emma - she is enjoying outdoor time as well but only if one of her humans will be there with her. Otherwise she wants to do her perimeter check and do her business and then she wants to come back inside.

The kitties are doing fantastic. They are happy and well behaved - even ornery Oliver. They have spent their month lounging, playing with toys and warding off excited and rambunctious ferrets. Phoebe is over her allergies - she had a pretty easy time of it this pollen drop. Much less severe than last year.

The ferrets - oh those crazy weasels! Those furry little bundles of energy and love are doing just great. They have been enjoying their new toys they got from their Auntie Laurie. We also did a bit of reconfiguration in their room which they love - we rearranged their boxes and beds and their tunnel got moved - they love that as well. Healthwise - everyone seems to be doing great. I think the seasonal coat change is over with and their weights have stabilized. I am very happy with the state of the business!!

All in all - April has been a pretty darn good critter month. As we look forward to May I am excited to get the little critters their outside play area. I am also looking forward to outside time for the humans, the dog and the piglet. Summer should be much fun!

Thursday, April 28, 2016

If Size Matters....You Shouldn't Get A Pig!!

I am on the 'you shouldn't get a pig' bandwagon again. Sorry! I see lots of reasons people rehome their pigs but the one that really kinda works my nerve is rehoming your pig due to size. Cripes! Now, don't get me wrong - if you think you are getting a mini and you end up with an Esther sized pig - maybe rehoming due to size is a reasonable thing (thank you Steve and Derek for not rehoming Esther!!). But - if your crappy, dishonest breeder says you will have a 20 pound pig fully grown and you end up with a 100 pound pig instead - really? If your human kid was taller or wider than you expected would you put it up for adoption? Grrr....

We got Winston and were told he would be 30 pounds max. He is now 85 pounds and we have no issues with that. He is a healthy, happy pig! An 85 pound pig isn't as big as it sounds....they are a sturdy creature. Winston is not as large as Emma (border collie/black lab) who weighs 48 pounds. Oh - and by the way - would you give your dog away if it got too big?

Please, please, pretty please with sugar on top - if you are thinking of getting a pig do your research and if you make the commitment to a sweet little piglet, when it grows up and out and turns into a big pig please honor that commitment. If you can't promise that then visit a sanctuary, see the cute red river hogs at the zoo, watch pig videos on YouTube - whatever - but please don't get a pig.

Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Pig and Pup Snaps

Did you think I forgot about my bigger critters?? Not at all!! Here are some piglet and pup snaps:

Yes - there are more of Winston than there are of Emma - she was humoring me - that dog still hates the camera - Winston - well he is kind of a ham! LOL

Tuesday, April 26, 2016

A Gorgeous But Kinda Scary Visitor

Yesterday afternoon something caught my eye out the back window. I thought it was a deer. I grabbed the binoculars and took a look - it definitely wasn't a deer. It was this gorgeous creature:

I have been Googling all things coyote and this is what I have deduced:

I am guessing this is a male but there is no way to know for sure without another coyote to compare it to. Males and females have no distinguishing marks so its size comparison or checking private parts which I opted not to try....
Coyotes would likely not mess with the pig - somehow nature got the memo that pigs can be mean so the likelihood that they would come close enough to the house to get in the yard is slim and they likely wouldn't want to tangle with the pig. They could try to get the dog but again - the whole pack would have to jump the fence to get in the yard. That said - Emma and Winston never have and will never go outside after dark without a human escort.
Coyotes, like possums seem to get a bit of a bad rap - the fear we have of them is greatly exaggerated and they likely have no interest in dealing with me, the pig or the dog.

I will admit that I was a tiny bit scared when I first saw him but after some research I am feeling much better and I think he is an amazing part of our eco system. I hope he comes around for another visit some time.

Monday, April 25, 2016

Outdoor Critter Run

I have wanted to come up with a way for the little critters to have a chance to play outside. I think the sunshine and fresh air would be great for them. I looked at several solutions and this is what I found - an outdoor critter run:

The plan is to put this on the patio outside of critter land. My handy dandy father in law can build some sort of threshold that connects the critter run to the opening of the sliding glass door in their room so I can open and they can access. It has to be a super tight fit to ensure that the ferrets have no tiny holes they can wiggle through.

This giant thing was delivered in two large boxes - a bit intimidating if I do say so. This week I am hoping to assemble and get it set where I want it so that we can measure and figure out the design for connecting it to the door.

Wish me luck....

Sunday, April 24, 2016

Spring Cleaning and a Jail Break

Yesterday I did some spring cleaning in critter land. You know... the icky deep cleaning, discarding the ripped up toys, replacing grubby water and food bowls and replacing the litter box. Not much fun but necessary work.

For the litter box I use a long shallow under the bed storage box. It works great but it is really hard to empty so this time I decided to replace it with three under the bed storage boxes that equal the length of the big one but can be emptied much more easily. The interesting thing is that since there are three kitties they have each claimed one as their own and they don't seem to go in each other's.

While I was cleaning I set some trash outside the critter room door and somehow the door didn't latch when I closed it. We had a jail break. Phoebe (kitty) and Theo, Kai and Tabby all went through the door before I realized it was open. Phoebe, Theo and Kai were easy to find as they didn't stray too far - just to the guest room. I got them back in their space and proceeded to look for Tabby. I couldn't find her anywhere.

She had crawled under the door to get to Winston's (pig) area. Thankfully he was napping. He got up when he heard me come in and when Tabitha saw a giant pink critter coming down the hall oinking at her she high tailed it back under the door into the kitchen. When I went in to get her she ran right over to me and seemed happy to be picked up by mom. I took her back to critter land and all was right in the world.

Their space is all clean and sparkly - tomorrow I may drag out the carpet shampooer and do their rugs. Seems like the maintenance is never ending...but so worth it.