I Heart Updates

On Wednesday, I arrived at the shelter and one of the workers handed me an envelope that said "Attn: Laura Volunteer". I didn't recognize the name and was utterly confused. He thought it was hilarious that I was now getting mail at the shelter, since he keeps telling me to just move in there already.
It turned out to be an update on Smudge, that sweetheart who transferred from West back in May. A worker must have told the adopter my name, because she took the time to send a hand-written update, and included photos which are adorable, and you'll have to take my word on that because my scanner's broken.

It did not take him long to get comfortable and happy in his new forever home. Friendly, silly, lots of laughs. He's inquisitive and makes friends with everyone that comes by. I'm so glad that I had the opportunity to take this little guy home. He has the run of the house and is in his cage only at night so he does not get into mischief. He hops up on the couch and bed when I'm there and plays, and he's clean too.

I also got an email weeks ago from one of our volunteers who's on hiatus right now to take care of her newborn son. She adopted two high-risk rabbits from us a while ago, and I will post the full update soon, but I have to post this photo. It is possibly my favourite bunny photo ever (the baby is pretty darn cute too!).
Aww. To think, that rabbit was once 'high-risk', alone at a shelter, and now she's a treasured member of a family. I love it.
She also adopted Smokey, one of the hoarder hamsters, and reports that he is now basically living in a hamster palace and has settled in well.

Finally, we have a wonderful update on Big Ben, one of the hoarder rats, who has been renamed Oliver.
"Hey Laura, here are some pictures of Oliver and his buddy Isaac taking a nap outside after exploring the other day. His respiratory infection has totally cleared up and he's somehow gained some weight despite all of his bouncing around with the other boys! I just love him to pieces, he can be such a cuddle monster :) There were a few hiccups whilst introducing him to his current cagemates, but Oliver survived the hazing and every morning all three of them are piled into one hammock for a snooze. He seems pretty happy to be living here - and why not, his adorable dumbo ears are getting attention from everyone in the house!"
Aww, such sweet photos! Oliver looks so comfy and at home. I'm so happy for that big boy.

There are 5 different hamster cages on my dining table with incredibly annoying rattling wheels. They are driving me slowly crazy. The Room is still full. Coraline is racking up the vet bills, and I realized today that of the 27 available hoarder animals, only 4 have been adopted - a month later.
But none of that matters when I look at this post. These animals are happy now because we made the effort, and because these wonderful, wonderful adopters stepped forward.
I love updates so much!

New Tenants

Max here is a transfer from Etobicoke. He is a super-friendly boy who runs right over to say hi as soon as you open the cage. He is really affectionate and outgoing. While it's not like we have extra room, I'm glad he got transferred to us, where we're more equipped to keep him comfy.
Bubbles here was the adult Dwarf Hamster surrendered along with the three young ones last week. She's a real cutie, and quite friendly too. Nice and tame. I love Dwarf Hamsters, much more than Syrians. If you treat them right, they're great pets full of personality.
This little one is our newest foster, Peggy (aka Pegleg). She's one of the baby Dwarves, the one with no hind feet. It doesn't slow her down though! She runs on her wheel until she falls off, and she climbs right up the bars with her little stumps poking between the bars. Fingers crossed that she gets along with our Molly, in which case we'll adopt her permanently.
I think the foot thing is from bad genetics, because her brother Kyle only has one hind foot, and the other leg's a stump! The last brother, Speedy, lucked out and has all four feet. Bad genetics is yet another reason not to breed at home.
Puzzle and Checkers, the two baby boys from the hoarder, have been neutered and are ready to go! It'd be nice if they went together, but they're good to go by themselves as well. Puzzle is such a handsome boy, with such beautiful eyes; happily, there's already interest in him.

Hey, I've forgotten to post this for a while, but go check out our Facebook page!

They Grow Up So FAST

Usually, I think it's a good thing that small animal babies grow up in the blink of an eye, because it means they don't have to stay in foster care too long. But when we're already full, it's a little alarming to see hamster babies double in size over night!
The hamster babies are now weaned from Minerva and separated into sexes. That photo above is of the three boys - Flitwick (brown), Dobby (black & white) and Tonks (cream). Yes, it sounds like Tonks is named after a girl, but just think of Ted Tonks.
Padfoot here is one of the two girls. The girls would not pose as nicely as the guys. She is the shyest and the most difficult to handle, but she's young and I'm sure she'll calm down.
Hedwig is the other girl. I cannot get over how gorgeous this hamster is - pure white fur, black eyes, and pink feet and nose. Photos can't do her justice.
Then there are the bunnies. They hit two weeks yesterday, and honestly, I don't think there is anything in the world cuter than two week old rabbits. The ears are up, the eyes are open, and they are incredibly fluffy.
I wish we'd had better light for these photos because they were just heart-breakingly cute last night. Look at those fuzzy faces!
They're also exploring everywhere. Forget the nest - they're all over the cage, climbing on their mom, climbing on us, climbing on everything! I think Stripe in particular has turned into a monkey.
Stripe has turned into quite the character. Her favourite new game is to sit on the others' backs to look around - especially poor Patch, who would just like to relax.
Thankfully, these guys have a few months before they invade the Room, but Minerva's babies (and Minerva!) are closing in fast.

Baby Boom

Louise's foster mom sent me this photo! These are 3 of Louise's nine babies - I know they look like little mutants right now, but hey, we look pretty weird at the beginning of our lives too. In a few weeks they'll be fuzzy and adorable. I'm so glad Louise has a safe place to raise her little ones.
I was so annoyed to find that we have four more hamsters at the shelter. Because we didn't have enough. This family dropped off an adult dwarf hamster and three little babies today. The babies were reported as 4 months but look at that little thing - they're 4 weeks if they're a day.
This is the adult, Bubbles. She's definitely a cutie, and they're all quite sweet. But come on - we don't need any more freaking hamsters. Anyway, I'm thinking I'll bring the female baby home to see if she gets along with my Molly. Molly really loved having a companion when Nicky was alive, and she gets along with everybody. Plus, the female baby has no hind feet, just stumps for legs (although she gets around just fine!) and I really want to call her Pegleg.
Look at Patch! My babies are 12 days old now - almost two weeks. All their eyes are open and their ears are up and goodness, they're so fluffy. Thick shiny coats of fur! They're running around; we found them all curled up in the food bowl one day.
So there are 9 ratlets in foster, 5 hamster babies in foster, my 4 baby bunnies, that one baby bunny in foster, and 3 new dwarf babies. And the madness slowly gets more and more out of control...
Wait, there is some good news! Penny got adopted! Of course, we immediately got a new rabbit from Etobicoke. At least she seems really nice....

Update on Barney

In the midst of the current chaos in the small animal department, I've received a few wonderful updates from past adoptions!
Remember Barney? He has now been renamed Boo and his new family sent me a wonderful (and hilarious) update!

So it's officially been one month: Barney (renamed Boo) came home with me on June 12! He's doing great. He will eventually be a free run house bunny, and at the moment he has graduated to free run of the living room. Though technically he can jump the gate that is keeping him in, but hasn't tried it out yet, hmm...I suppose it's only a matter of time...
He will do absolutely anything for kale, and is officially not in love with watercress. I'm learning! He knocks stuff over, makes a huge mess and has chewed all the buttons off my remote - but wins everyone over with his incredible cuteness and bunny licks. He still really, really hates to be held, I wonder if maybe that's why he was given up? (He gets transported between inside and his outside play pen via his carrier)
He has lost his wild toupee fur between his ears and I worry he's getting fat. Maybe he's not a dwarf bunny after all? Boo is my first bunny, so of course there are a few hiccups along the way - there was the afternoon my roommate fed him four cups of kale ("he seemed really really hungry"). But I've got a great rabbit friendly vet (found through the OREO website) who has assured me that so far I'm not killing him. I think Boo must have lived with other pets before because he doesn't seem at all bothered by my cat, Emy. They haven't quite figured each other out, except that Boo knows Emy is not a bunny, and Emy has figured that Boo is not a cat =) What a great update! Barney was such a character (and so full of energy!) at the shelter, I'm thrilled to hear he got a wonderful home. These photos are from when he was at the shelter, but here's hoping we get new ones soon!
Meanwhile, Louise's foster mom has confirmed that she has nine babies. That's not as big as it could have been, but still - oh boy! They sent a photo of some of the little ones, which I'll be posting tomorrow.
Also, Jazz the dove and Seabreeze & Sunburst the budgies were adopted on Friday! Three birds gone = way more room. And finally, that little ball o' cuteness from yesterday found a wonderful foster home for the next two months.

The Tidal Wave Continues

I suppose it was too much to ask, for the intake to slow down while we dealt with the hoarder's after effects. We're still being inudated by new animals. Oh well. That is how a shelter works after all.
I don't think I've posted this pretty girl before. Sunburst arrived as a stray on July 13. We have a ridiculous amount of birds right now - besides Sunburst, we also have the pair of budgies from the house fire (Tardis and Time Machine), and Seabreeze, a gentle budgie who's been there the longest. We also have an incredibly sweet Ring-Necked Dove named Jazz, who is one of my favourites at the shelter right now.
Check out these two guys! These two chinchillas are incredibly sweet, outgoing and friendly. As soon as you open the cage door, they run up to see you. And if you put out your hands, they'll jump right on to you and say hello. That's why it's so unbelievable that someone dumped the pair of them in a parking lot! Jerks. Anyway, these two are awesome and super-cute.
I love this new girl. Look at that grumpy face! She's got Hotot in her, which you can see from that mascara around her eyes. She's got a giant dewlap and I bet she's a bit older than our usual bunnies. Despite that cranky look, I quite like her - she's a little skittish about being held, but quite nice otherwise.
Cute overload! Look at her - isn't she the sweetest-looking thing ever? A tiny little puffball. This sweetheart is only a couple of months old and was dumped by her owners. She's much too young for shelter life, so I'm hunting for a foster home to keep her safe until she's old enough to be spayed. She is crazy friendly, easy to handle and super-sweet.
In better news, Aretha and Smokey the hamsters have been adopted! Also, Louise (remember Thelma and Louise the rats?) gave birth yesterday in foster care. Wiggins is a dad! According to her foster mom's initial count, there are about 8-9 babies.
Every day is crazier!

One Week

Coraline's babies were a week old yesterday! Their eyes should start to open in about 3 days, although one of the black ones already opened his a slit. They're very fuzzy now, with thick, shiny fur, and their ears are slowly starting to stand up. They are possibly the cutest things on the planet. That photo up there is Stripes at 3 days old...thought I'd share some more of their first week, because everyone could use some cuteness! So here we go, the greatest hits of the last week:
Day Five: They have tiny little claws sticking out of their tiny little feet! They also have huge noses.
They are already very comfortable being stroked and held; I know they can barely walk, but being held since the day of birth must be good for making social bunnies.
We weighed them one day, and they scrabbled about in the container, trying to dig and push their heads around. As soon as we picked them up, they curled up in my hand, comfortable.
Love their giant hind feet! Patch has black hind feet, with white toes. He has the cutest markings ever, it's amazing. It's incredible how detailed their markings have been since birth; even on the first day, ever dot and patch was there on their skin.
This is one of the black guys on Day Seven. This guy in particular is really starting to hold his head up and sniff around!
Patch on day seven. Patch's fur is so thick; he was probably the weirdest looking baby at birth, all pink and black patches. But with his white fur (and one ear half-white, half-black!), he is the cutest thing ever.
Stripe is probably the biggest at the moment, I swear she doubled in size overnight. The marks around her eye make her face look kind of weird at the moment, but I think when her eyes open those marks will be gorgeous.
The other black one was quite sleepy on day seven, and after a brief sniff he curled right up in our hands.
I can't believe they're a week old already! Soon their eyes will open and their legs will start to work. We'll have to set up their run soon, because the cage is not big enough for 5 rabbits with the ability to run.

It feels like there is a looming tidal wave heading for the Room. Minerva's babies must be weaned this week; Louise the rat is about to give birth. In a few months these guys will be coming back. Plus two chinchillas and two rabbits have arrived in the last few days. I've got all my fingers crossed that this doesn't turn into utter chaos. Any adopters out there?

Baby Bonanza, Part II

Oh boy, do I have a lot of baby photos to post. Where to begin?
Let's start with Minerva and her babies, since they haven't had any time in the spotlight.
To recap, Minerva either gave birth while being transported to the shelter, or at the shelter itself. I found her in an empty cage, staring with wide eyes, surrounded by pink newborns. Not exactly a promising start in life. By my count, there were 10 babies that day, but unsurprisingly, only 5 survived to the fur-and-open-eyes stage. Hamster mothers eat the babies when stressed, and Minerva had to have been really, really stressed.
She was a good mom otherwise, though. Minerva is really a sweet hamster; she likes to be picked up and petted and I've never seen her bite, even when we were disturbing the nest. Hamster babies can't be touched until they're two weeks old, but around 7-10 days, they start wandering around looking like ugly mutant things.
Then at two weeks, it's like the 'cute' switch flips on! Lookit that face! They're 22 days old now and will need to be separated from mom sometime this week.
This is the only photo I have of all five together. They never stop moving! Minerva was named after Minerva McGonagall in Harry Potter, so we're trying to keep that theme with the kids. We're leaning toward Hedwig for the white one up there.
This cutie doesn't have a name yet; he's black and white, with a little star on his forehead. Pretty markings! I suspect their dad was a Black Bear Hamster, since there's two black babies.
"Why are you still taking my photo??"
We're calling this one Flitwick - this little guy is always on the move! He was the first one out of the nest.
The black one there (tiny beside mom!) is named Padfoot, and he's probably the smallest of the bunch.
And this cream-coloured one is probably my favourite, she's so calm and easy to handle. Plus, adorable beyond belief.
And that's the litter! This house is in baby overload!

Adopt-a-Thon: Day Two

I'm a little late here, but this is the finale of the adopt-a-thon. While it still wasn't the best, it did pick up for the cats on the last day. We brought Snowflake and Caramel on Sunday; Caramel especially didn't like dogs coming in, so they decided to stay on the small animal display.
They did go outside, though. I can't believe they both fit in that thing. They are such beautiful rabbits! I was disappointed that they didn't attract much interest. The hamsters attracted no interest at all, but to be fair, they all slept through the whole thing. On the up side, Cinnamon, Smokey and Bianca are now at the shelter - which means out of my house!
Luckily, the cats attracted more interest. I am so happy to say that Oscar, the 13-year-old sweetheart, found a great home! The woman loved her. Oscar will be well-loved and spoiled. I'm so glad she got adopted, we were all rooting for her.
Charlie here (also female - what's up with these names?) didn't get adopted, which is incredible because she is the biggest, most relaxed sweetheart ever. Charlie does not get frazzled. She made herself right at home in the store! She's gone back to the shelter, where she has about 200 other cats to contend with, but luckily she has staff pulling for her.
This little guy's littermate got adopted, leaving him behind. He cried pathetically until a volunteer gave in. What a cuddler! He is a real darling. He also went back to the shelter to await his chances.
Six cats got adopted in total over the weekend - BJ, George the black cat, Oscar, a kitten, Sandal the older kitten and Kiwi, whose new owner stopped by to visit every chance she got until she got off work and could take her home! Adding in Sarah Jane the hamster, that's 7 animals who found a home. Sure, it's not much, but the shelter is full and was closed that weekend. It's something.