My Not Quite a Pet Exotic Pet - Sam

When I was in Junior High school, my dad opened a second hand store across town.  He was quite the wheeler-dealer and he ended up with a peculiar looking animal that he planned to put in the window to draw people into the store.

The owner of the animal brought it in and it got loose.  It went into a carpet roll or something like that and my dad told me to go in and get it.  I started to go and the guy said, “Hey, that animal bites, don’t send her after it.”  My dad said, “She can get it.” And I did.

One of my favorite people was the elementary school librarian (she was MY librarian when I was at the elementary school and my mom’s friend – my mom was a first grade teacher at the same school).  Mrs. Rush started researching to find out what this odd animal was.  After a couple of days she announced that it was a vulpine phalanger. 

 

Not long after that, a student from Northern Arizona University came by.  He was from Australia and he said, “I heard you had a vulpine phalanger – what would you want with one of those!!  They are real pests!  Farmers hate them!” 

 

Vulpine phalangers are marsupials and are sort of like our opossums.  They are considered to be nuisances.

Meanwhile, once Sam was put into his cage, my dad said that I shouldn’t try to handle him because I might get bit – go figure.  However, I worked at the store on Saturdays and my dad was barbering, so I would open the cage and give Sam carrots and other veggies.  I wasn’t disobedient enough to handle him, but he did get where he would come and sit by me because I gave him treats.

Aren't vulpine phalangers cute?!?

 

Maybe my dad got more cautious after he saw his teeth!

Eventually, my dad sold him (maybe he found out I was hand feeding him).  I was sad.

 A couple of guys from school came by and for the next four years (through junior high and high school) they called me Sam because of the vulpine phalanger. 

 

My First Exotic Pets

I’ve been told that I should tell some animal stories about my experiences with various animals.  While my mom and dad were not particularly interested in accumulating animals, they were always supportive of me.  The other day, a friend visited from Flagstaff (where I grew up) and said, “I just never imagined you on a farm.”  However, I don’t think my parents were surprised.

When I was eight, my dad ordered two chipmunks from the back of a Field and Stream magazine (or some similar magazine).  We’d always had dogs and cats and my uncle gave me his kids' rabbit (and dog) while they were out of town.  But the chipmunks were my first ‘exotic’ animals.

I was excited to get them!  They were so cute.  They came in a little cage. The cage probably wasn’t really big enough for them, but it had a wheel and a hideout and it came with them, so we thought they were fine.  I couldn’t wait to get my hands on them – until they bit me!  I was astonished and a little afraid.  I tried feeding them goodies, but I kept my hands well away from their vicious little teeth!

Then one Saturday in the summer, the East Flag's Kid’s Day Parade was happening!  Wallace and Ladmo would be there (they were two guys that had a kids’ show on TV that I watched) and there would be prizes for pets.  Pets in costumes, pets doing tricks, etc.  Well, how can anyone beat having pet chipmunks (even if they bit!!)?  That day I carried them around in a pocket and I had to handle them to show to various people.  By the end of the day, they didn’t bite anymore.  My sister and I also won a trophy for the “Smallest pet – Chipmunks.” 

Hard to read after all of these years, but it says,
East Flag Kids Day Parade
1964
Kathy & Julie Banning
Smallest Pet: Chipmunk

Sadly, chipmunks have a fairly short life span (about 4-6 years), but I carried them around with me after that – too bad I didn’t have a bonding bag, but we managed!

What I learned from that day at East Flagstaff Kids’ Day Parade was that it was fun to show off your pets.  But more importantly, I learned that you have to tough it out and handle the animal you bring home even if it bites.  I’ve been kicked, bitten, and scratched (There is a great book about a school for animal trainers by that name) and I’ve survived.  Usually, just like my chipmunks, once the animal finds that I won’t give up and I won’t hurt it, it calms down and I can handle it.  Most of the time the animal LIKES to be handled once we get past the biting.  They bite because they are afraid.  My job as their owner is to help them become less afraid and to trust me to protect them.  What I learned from those two little chipmunks had helped me deal with animals all these years!

GEE Funny Farm Meme Suggestions....

In our last blog, we asked for help with some meme suggestions from the pictures we posted or any on our Facebook page.  Here are some that were suggested for one picture:

The picture

Here are some of the suggestions:

Fun, huh?!?!  Feel free to try your hand.  Thanks to the people who came up with the ideas above (Bev and Erin).

GEE Funny Farm Memes

 A meme is a cultural item in the form of an image, video, phrase, etc., that is spread via the Internet and often altered in a creative or humorous way (Dictionary.com). I'm telling you that because when I was first told that we should make some, I didn't know what one was.

We’ve tried our hand at a few memes:

 

 

 

 

 However, we are sure that there are other clever ideas that could be passed down with pictures that we have.  We’d love for you to try your hand:

 

 

Have any ideas?  Or if you see a picture on our Facebook page, let me know your ideas for a meme.  We'll give you credit for the idea.  This could be fun; let's hear your ideas!!