Why buy Prickly Paul the hedgehog from a breeder?

     I often suggest going to a rescue or Humane Society to find a new pet.  I have found pets for the GEE Funny Farm on Craigslist.

     Why didn't I get a hedgehog from a rescue or Humane Society?  Well, I've watched for one, but haven't seen one.

     Why didn't I get a hedgehog from Craigslist from someone trying to 'rehome' theirs?  Because if they 'didn't have time' for their hedgehog, I would find a prickly ball with issues that I would have to overcome.  Hedgehogs need to be handled a lot, every day, so you CAN feel comfortable handling them.  Paul came with a bonding bag that I've carried with me the last two days.  His breeder handled him every day for the six weeks he was with her.  I could tell, because he was relaxed with her and with me when she handed him over.

     So, Thursday we picked him up and carried him in his bonding bag home.  When Nathaniel or I got him out, he would start out in a ball, but after a bit would relax -- thank goodness!  He is not very comfortable to hold when he is in protection mode!

     Friday I carried him around while I delivered meals on wheels (I even shared him with one of the people I often deliver to).  He was now relaxed when he was in his bag.  I could pet him and even touch his toes:)

     Today, I carried him around when I took Nathaniel home, did some shopping and once, while shopping, I had to take him out of the bag to check on him because he was so relaxed he felt limp!  That was scary -- and he didn't ball up until I touched his tummy -- then he turned into a prickly ball with a huff and a puff, so I decided he was okay.

      When I got home, I let him out and he crawled around on me, ate a little turkey from me, got a drink from a water bottle lid, and let me handle him a lot:)  That in three days.  Trying to 'tame' one that was older and had not been handled would have taken a lot longer.

       I've had people try to give me their unwanted pets.  In the old days, I might have taken them, but now I really need to pick and choose and only take in animals that I can use and that other people can pet.  It is sad, but true.  So, that is why I decided to go to a breeder this time.  I hope you get a chance to meet Paul.

Talking Turkey

Like everyday, morning and night, I've just come in from feeding animals.  Sometimes, depending on weather, I dread going out, but once there it is a joy.

So, tonight, I'll tell you about feeding the turkeys.  I started off by calling them.  They were hanging around outside David's office window where they spend a lot of each day peering in at him and tapping on his window.  One of our turkey hens was hand-raised and she is pretty sure that she should be an inside bird.  She loves seeds given to her by hand and has made our other two hens look forward to the treat, too.  We have been going up to the window and herding them down to their pen.  They have to go in since there are coyotes and other things in the night that would love a turkey treat!  

Once we get them headed in the right direction, they usually go to the pen without a lot of complications -- unless we wait until it is truly dusk.  Then they are perched and if they move they want to go toward light -- which isn't in the direction of their pen.  So, I try hard to get out to them before dusk!!  My latest idea was that, because they love the seeds I give them, we would reward them when they go to their pen.  Last night my hand raised hen came at a turkey trot to meet me at the barn, where I keep the treat, and follow me to the pen; the other hens came running, too.

Tonight, they glanced in my direction, but they didn't move.  It was warmer out today and the snow had melted, but now it is starting to freeze and it is slick.  They are uphill from me and I'm not too happy that I'll have to slip and slide up the hill to herd them.  I decided I'd go ahead to their pen, calling as I walked.  Just about the time I was going to give up, my little hen came running with the other two on her heels.  Whew!  Saved again by a turkey!  Sarah, the hand-fed one, looked at me expectantly and I gave her a treat.  She's a wonderful turkey ambassador!

(In a moment of true confession -- I wrote the blog last night and didn't have a camera.  So I thought I'd get a video tonight.  I opened the garage and there they were waiting for me.  So, they followed me down to the barn and I ended up dropping some seeds to distract them long enough for me to get ahead of them -- I love turkeys!)

Christmas is Coming and so are new Pets!

With Christmas coming, people are out looking for that perfect gift.  A gift that keeps on giving is a pet.  However, in my experience, it is best to let the pet choose the person.  This means that going out and buying the dog or cat or bird that YOU like will not determine that your loved one will feel the same way.  Letting your loved one accompany you and letting the magic happen between your loved one and the pet that is chosen is important.

Happy Valentine's Day 1999

I’ve received ‘gift certificates’ from my husband for Valentine’s Day, birthdays, and Christmas with permission to get an animal that my husband thinks that I’ve researched sufficiently (because I’ve been talking about the animal for some period of time with books and articles all over the house).  Even with the research I do, there are always surprises!  So, before you take your friend or family member out to look at the pet that they think they want, it is important that everyone does the homework!!  How big will that puppy get?  Most German Shepherds are in rescues because the people didn’t realize that they ‘would get THAT big.  How energetic will your adult dog be?  While people seem to be able to put up with puppy energy, they expect that once the puppy grows up it will calm down – which is why there are so many Border Collies in rescues or humane societies.  How loud is that bird anyway?  While parrots can make great pets (please research the kind of parrot that will fit what you expect), they can be VERY noisy in the morning and evening when they call to their flock (that would be the people in the house).  They can also be noisy when they hear company upstairs and they want to be part of things.  And they need a LOT of stimulation. 

Happy birthday 2009

Also realize that there are many bills associated with pets.  They need appropriate food.  Cats and dogs need vaccinations.  Dogs need training.  Bearded dragons need crickets (it is surprising how many crickets such a little lizard can consume!!).  Parrots and rabbits need claws trimmed (and some people have the parrot’s wings clipped) and appropriate housing.  Rabbit cages sold in most stores are NOT big enough to house your rabbit full-time.  All animals need toys and some rabbits need specific things to chew on so they won’t consume their cage or your furniture!!  And it seems that rodents and rabbits go straight for electric cords, so you may have to pet proof your home or at least an area in which you will let them run around to play.

Merry Christmas 2000

If you do your homework and know what you want and what to expect you and your pet will be a lot happier!  I also suggest that you check out rescue organizations and humane societies in your area.  There are also rehab places for birds.  These organizations can help you find the pet that will fit your lifestyle.  It saddens me to see the pets listed on Craigslist and Petfinder that are being ‘rehomed’ at six weeks or two years old.  In many cases the reason people are getting rid of the pet that they say they really love is because they did NOT do their homework or they weren’t willing to put in time training or working with the animal listed.  Don’t let that happen to you or your loved one!!

Happy birthday 2012

If a pet is being added to your household I hope that it brings you and your loved one joy and that you bring security and love to the special animal that is chosen!

Life, Death, and Adoption on the GEE Funny Farm

I know you haven’t heard from me in awhile, but don’t you worry: I, Asimov, remain abroad in the land, happily, joyfully at home at the GEE Funny Farm. Unfortunately, however, we recently had another loss. This time it was Boaz the lop-eared bunny. It’s possible that you begin to wonder what’s going on over here with fowl and bunnies kicking the bucket, but that’s the nature of a farm—life and death are all part of the program. Well, not our actual program (I mean, you won’t be seeing anybody kick the bucket on your penny . . . or I mean I hope not), but it just simply can’t be avoided in the everyday life of a farm. It’s unfortunate because Boaz was really quite pleasant, despite not being (ah hem) me. He invaded the GEE Funny Farm from the Humane Animal Welfare Society in Waukesha. For a rabbit, he wasn’t bad. He was quiet. He didn’t mind our music or movies, and when he was out of his cage he was too big to climb into our cage. He tried because, in spite of being a bunny, I suspect he was part pig.  He sure did want our pellets.  Sometimes, as I foraged, I’d throw some down to him.  He thought it was out of kindness, but it was usually some pellet I didn’t like – one bird’s garbage is another animal’s treasure, right?

Boaz, the laid-back lop-eared bunny, we will miss you!

 But, as I mentioned, we have both death and life here on the farm. The black silkie chick had a flock of little ones. They have survived surprisingly well, considering that everyone likes chicken as you’ll remember from our former post about something lurking in the woods. I mean, truthfully, even I like chicken, though I’m more civilized and take mine cooked not raw like wild beasts in the woods. You people get confused and think this is cannibalistic but I would like to clarify that it is NOT cannibalism! You eat other mammals and nobody calls that cannibalism. I don’t eat parrots! So there! Anyway, as far as little chirping feathered munchkins go, the chicks are fairly cute and cuddly.

The dad (rooster) is the black guy by the gate.  Hmm, I can see the mom and seven chicks (all those black dots).  The brown hen is a faverolle, not a silkie.

 

The mom chick, the hen, is leading her babies around --
Now I can see all eight, can you?

 

I see one chick in front of its mom, can you? 
The others are UNDER the hen (mom) to stay warm.



If you haven't had enough of the little darlings, here is a short video.

 I've had enough of chickens!! 

Also, new life with animals (and with people, as I understand it) sometimes comes in the form of adoption, not simply birth. So we’ve had that kind too because Kathy went out and got herself another rabbit from the Humane Animal Welfare Society.  Unlike Boaz who was a lop-eared bunny, Alma is a PEW (pink-eyed white) bunny.  Sometimes his eyes seem to glow in the dark -- ugh!

Alma the pink eyed bunny -- nice background, don't cha think?

 Kathy is talking about adopting some other small pets– I wonder where they will live and what they will be. Maybe they’ll be lucky enough to be in my company at least while they’re young.

 The poor Patagonian cavy, Mary, has been moved away from me. Can you imagine the emotional devastation this must have caused her? You’d think she would be very depressed about it, but I hear rumors that she was dancing in the grass when she was moved out to her own pen adjacent to the wallaby pen. This can’t be true because who, honestly, would prefer to be anywhere other than near my precious little white personage?

Mary the Patagonian cavy dancing in her new digs -- I'm pretty sure the picture has been fixed!

It’s a little strange in here without Mary's company. She was an interesting little critter (okay, she’s bigger than I am, don’t rub it in). She would pick up her pen with her teeth and move it wherever she wanted to go. I was taking mental note of her technique before she got moved so that I could figure out a way I could manipulate my cage because I sure do wish I could do that. I’m afraid, though, that I’ve been in Kathy’s capable hands too long to manage too much cage manipulation. My work in that regard involved opening doors and escaping (not moving the cage itself), but those days seem to be long past since Kathy discovered the padlock. Ah, but what fun it was to put her children into a panic . . . *contented sigh.*

We're on Facebook!

Follow us on Facebook!

Want to know what's happening on the GEE Funny Farm?  Follow us on Facebook to find out day to day happenings. 

Learn what we do for animal care and enrichment.  Read about winterizing the farm.  Who is new?  What's coming up?

And we are posting pictures on a regular basis -- did you see our new haywagon?  Our new bunny?  Our Patagonian cavy's new pen?  You can see it all -- and comment, too.

Hope to see you on our Facebook page.

To Adopt or to Buy

Our sweet lop-eared rabbit, Boaz, passed away a month ago.  It was quite a shock since he seemed fine in the morning, meeting me for a carrot, and was gone in the afternoon, looking like he was sleeping peacefully.  We mourned his passing, but thought that we really needed a bunny in our menagerie.  It is so easy to check Craigslist.com and several pet stores still carry rabbits -- and you can get a baby, sigh.  However, there are always rabbits that need adoption at the Humane Society or at several rescues.  What to do...

I went by the Humane Animal Welfare Society (HAWS) in Waukesha.  That is where I found Boaz a few years ago.  I walked along cages and most of the rabbits ran to the far side.  Boaz had come and leaned into my hand -- it was love at first sight!  None of the bunnies were THAT friendly, but one white bunny with pink eyes did hold still and let me pet him.  It turns out that he had been there for almost a year.  According to HAWS, people don't like white rabbits with pink eyes.  Poor baby.

I dragged David in and we spent an hour with 'Downy.'  He hopped onto our laps (we were sitting on the floor) and he liked being pet.  He was a little up-tight about being handled, but by the end of the hour he had relaxed a lot.  So, I filled out the paperwork while David snoozed (he can snooze sitting upright in a chair -- amazing!).  And the next day, after HAWS checked up on us, I was able to bring 'Downey' home.

He has settled in quite nicely and is less jumpy every day (at first he was startled when we walked into the room, when we opened the cage, etc.).  Now, we just need to think of a name...

It isn't always easy to decide to adopt rather than to buy.  On Craigslist.com it drives me crazy when the 'seller' is 'rehoming' a 6 week or 6 month old 'pet.'  It sounds like the pet has not yet been 'homed'.  It is sad that there are so many people breeding or buying animals that they have to find home for in a few weeks or a few months.  It is important that you know what you're getting so your new pet doesn't end up on the list!

If you do adopt, it is okay to look for a pet that meets your criteria.  Our criteria for a rabbit is one that likes attention and is healthy.  When I was looking at Border Collies I was able to find one that had quite a lot of training -- he passed his Canine Good Citizen and Therapy Dog International tests within a month of coming home with me.  There are advantages to adopting an older pet, too.  They are less likely to do the puppy dog chew or to piddle on your floor.  There are a lot of great animals out there that need homes.  So, do your research about the animal you are thinking about so you will know what to expect in temperament and size (yes, German Shepherds CAN get up to 75 pounds, Border Collies ARE hyper, cute little chicks grow into messy chickens, etc.) and think about adopting.

Thanks for the Memories!!

Last Saturday, we had a birthday party at the GEE Funny Farm! Eight kids and two adults came to visit ME (and some of the other animals). Of course I was the most important visitee:) Everyone held me and took pictures of me - it was awesome!!

Besides the wonderful time they had with me, they took in two (that's right, TWO) presentations. One was about care of animals -- I was part of that -- and the other was food and fiber. They met Aramis the mini horse, Moses the mini donkey, Timothy the goat (and saw his feet get trimmed), Boaz the rabbit (he, too, got his feet trimmed and his scent gland cleaned out - YUCK!), Isaac my cage buddy, and Abish the green aracari -- and that was for the FIRST presentation. All of us got attention, which we all LOVE -- the kids brushed and pet and oohed and ahhed in delight -- ya gotta love it!

They took a break and matched eggs to birds (it isn't as easy as you would think) and learned how to tell if eggs are fresh or old. Then they tasted some goat's milk.

For the second presentation they met and milked Martha the goat. These kids have talent!! They all got milk on the first try! They met one of the chickens, a turkey, and the goose. It was a fowl time - ha! Then they met Liahona the llama and Nephi the alpaca. And finally, they got to pet Eunice the emu.

They also got to pick a bar of goat's milk soap (you can make all sorts of things out of goat's milk -- who would have thought?!?). Choosing some wool, they patted and rubbed in water, made bubbles and wet felted the wool around the soap. When they use their bar of soap, they will have a built-in washcloth. Pretty cool, huh?!

They also took a hayride around the property to see the animals, including Clancy the wallaby and Kathy's horse, Porthos.

They had planned to have cake at our place, but it was so windy they decided to have it at home. It was also a good bargaining chip to get them to leave!! Even after an afternoon at the Farm, the kids were still excited to be here. It is because we are AWESOME -- though I am the MOST awesome.

I sure liked the attention -- I hope they, or some of their buddies, come again soon!

Later -- Asimov!!

Moving Out of Summer, With Style

All was not doom and gloom at the Gee Funny Farm during the end of summer, despite our heavy losses in the realm of "fowl"-play (Ha ha! Okay, not funny. Sorry. But puns are so irresistible. Once you think of one, you can't stop yourself.) In fact, Kathy was busy, busy, busy.

Busy with Kids' Fest to begin with. Kids' Fest was an event hosted by the YMCA. Kathy was able to have a booth to present from and a few moments on the "stage." Stage, here, is in quotation marks because "stage" usually suggests an audience and the only ones listening were two people-- a grandma lady with her granddaughter, who, it so happens, are also Kathy's friends. Ah, well. The booth still got attention, even if Kathy and the Navajo churro lamb's entertainment on stage went unnoticed. At the booth everybody wanted to pet me (of course). They also wanted to pet Isaac, but he's not really into touch. You know, that's African grays for you. Talk to him and he's happy as can be, but me? I bask in the glorious feel of fingers running down my feathers. Oh yeah! Do it again! Lucky for me to have such a non-touchy-feely cage-mate. Means more for me! We're hoping that some of the home-schoolers, who expressed an interest, will book with us! Ah yes, a bunch of active little hands dying to stroke my adorable little body. Bring it on!

Kathy also went out, this time for Porthos the Percheron cross, to teach that horse some lessons. Kathy and Porthos headed out to Parelli Natural Horsemanship training, and David tagged along to watch, er "audit." Porthos is a heck of a horse at about 17 hands tall. And he's smart too (I mean, for a horse). This is fun for Kathy, but it also entails keeping his active mind working and not letting him get away with stuff. Well, Kathy had already been very interested in Parelli, but she was all out sold after her weekend of working with Porthos. I see more outings for those two in the future. As for David, well, these sorts of things are not necessarily his things, but he was impressed and interested too and even condoned future training!

Speaking of Porthos, I feel he deserves some tribute today in honor of his stellar and unexpected herding in the face of possible chaos. (I forgot to do it in a timely fashion, but, hey, I'm patting his back now, so no criticism if you please.) One day this summer, one of the household inmates (I don't remember which it was) observed that one of the gates was open. The people, namely Kathy and Keegan (with baby in stroller), headed out before it was too late. But, well, it was too late already. Animals had noticed the open gate and headed for the hills. Actually, nobody was moving that fast. Mostly they were grazing on the green grass on the other side of the fence. (If they had been safely confined while munching in this area, David probably would have appreciated their enthusiastic mowing.) Seeing that their feast was about to come to an end when Kathy arrived, the animals headed round the corner of the fence, in the direction of the swamp and total freedom (or if you take your lesson from the chicken story, possible death). Kathy and Keegan accessed the situation. Both have had some experiences like these before with Kathy the more experienced in every way. It looked like it might be a LONG afternoon. And then, what to their wondering eyes should appear, but Porthos (who had been at the lead of the escape), taking a prancing step to herd the sheep and goats back to the field. And in very un-horse-like fashion, he herded most of them in and then galloped back through the fence and into the field himself. Okay, so it may have been a little unjust to say he was only smart for a horse. He is just simply one smart, gifted, likable hunk of horse, and Kathy and Keegan were SOOOO grateful THEY didn't have to do the herding!!

Then Kathy went to the Sheep and Wool Festival in Jefferson, WI. She took classes about making goat's milk soap, dyeing wool, weaving, and needle felting. Nothing to do with feathers, so who cares, but she liked it.

And finally, Abinadi, Hosea, Nephi, and Kathy went to Llama Camp. They hiked and Abinadi got hooked up to a cart -- he should tell you about THAT! Kathy learned more things to do with wool and they came back all bonded and happy. Why don't they have parrot camp?!?!? That's what I want to know.

All right, already, I'm done thinking about anybody but myself for awhile.

RIP Poor Elvis

I'm not talking about the Elvis who may or may not have died in 1977. I'm not talking the King of Rock 'n Roll. I'm not talking the Elvis who was surnamed Presley. And I'm certainly not talking the Elvis who made the ladies swoon. No, our Elvis kicked the bucket in 2011. And our Elvis was the king of barnyard crooning. And our Elvis was probably surnamed something like Roostermeister. And our Elvis did not have much success with the ladies.

In fact, this very Elvis I speak of wrote (on my blog) just a few months back about his troubles. Well, those independent ladies were just the beginning of his problems as it turns out. Presumably, there was something lurking in the shadows. Not only was Elvis himself lost, but his brave and daring ladies were a little too brave and daring for their own good. Our evil preying enemy of the night didn't stop with the chickens, either. No, he moved on to bigger fowl. Three ducks, who have lived on the Farm for over a year, disappeared. Then one of Kathy's imprinted geese disappeared. As your imagination surely suggests, August was a sad and mournful time at the Gee Funny Farm as our wicked nemesis picked off our colleagues not just one by one but by groups and in daylight!!

The results of his evil deeds linger on. Freedom has been restricted for the protection of remaining fowl. The outdoor fowl now spend no time open grazing these days.

All I can say is, Boy, am I glad that my cage is in the safe shelter of a house. The outdoors can be scarey -- and it seems that something wicked likes birds for evil purposes!! It is a sad time for feathered critters!

"Independence" Means: Taking a Long Walk Before Adoring Fans

I know: You probably lost faith in my expertise as a valuable reporter on the goings-on at the Gee Funny Farm after my last disappointing and despicably unimpressive report. Well, I will do my best to make it up to you even though I do still have to catch up.

On July 2nd, we headed out to the town of Oconomowoc, Wisconsin in all our glorious -- er, glory to participate in their Independence Day parade. Perhaps you were there cooling in the shade of a tree as we rushed along through the hot, steamy, baking, roasting--and did I mention "HOT"? --streets. Our party included two going-on elder adults (I say with all the fondness I possess for David and Kathy, but, hey, they are grandparents and for people it takes some age to get to that point), one younger adult, two lovely teenage girls, one pre-teen, one preschooler, and one baby. (All but the lovely teenage girls are Gee family descendants. Ain't they all lucky?) And that's not even the animals, eh!

Well, on to the animals! Of course, I (Asimov, the umbrella cockatoo) was there in all my splendor, and so was Shiblon, the Angora goat; Obadiah, the Oberhasli goat; Liahona, the llama; and Moses, the miniature donkey.

We all got shuffled around to different handlers for various reasons. I, for example, was ousted from the wagon because the two-and-a-half-year-old was struggling to keep up. It was okay with me because it was hard to keep hold of my perch in that wagon while we were jolting along. Plus, I mean, I'd always rather be held anyway. And, I understand about short legs. I tell you, preschoolers and birds are not made for long-distance walking.

The other difficulty was Moses. Adorable, braying, silly Moses refused to walk through the middle of the street. He was switched from a teenager to Kathy and she coaxed him along. And then, all of a sudden, those humans caught on. His problem? The man-holes were scaring the tar out of him. And who can blame him? The very name suggests dropping to your doom. We animals know that you people think only in terms of yourself linguistically-speaking, so in our heads we just tack right on man/donkey/horse/etc.-holes and we say, "If you think I'm going over that death trap, you, my friend, have another think coming!" As a bird, of course, I don't take issue with these sorts of things and I don't feel the need to add myself to that list. If everybody had wings, you all would be better off.

Besides the man-hole dilemma faced by confused humans, the other funny thing was watching poor Keegan (the young adult I mentioned) wearing jeans, t-shirt, socks, and tennis shoes with a baby strapped to her person and pulling the wagon with her older son and all the extra flyers and cards in it. Okay, so I felt pity for her on that sauna of a day. And I felt grateful that I have not had any offspring and that even if I did, we parrots don't work that way. But I about died laughing when a (shirtless, shoeless, shorts-clad) man drinking some (probably ice-cold) beverage, sitting in the shade said with a smile, "Hot day, isn't it?" And oblivious Keegan said mildly, "Yup, pretty hot." She didn't make the connection until much later that he was being ironic. But I am more astute than she is. Whoever that dude is, he should come visit the farm and give me a few more laughs. Sometimes you humans are too much fun!