She Has a Name!

We decided to go with Penelope, or Penny for short, as a name for our new little girl.  The surgery is going to be really expensive, so we're hoping to raise a little money amongst our friends to help us pay for it.  Hopefully we can get her fixed up before Christmas!

If you have a spare few dollars you can give, we would really appreciate it.  I put up a button on the right side of the page that should make donating simple and confidential.  Any and all money that is offered will go straight to Penny's surgery, and if we're fortunate enough to raise more than we need, all extra donations will go to God's Little Creatures shelter.  Times are tough for us, but we really feel that Penny deserves relief from her pain no matter what state our finances might be in.  She's got a lotta love, that one!

The first introductions have been made between her and Basement Cat, but so far Base isn't too thrilled.  Her tail puffs out like a raccoon whenever she hears Penny's tail thumping in the kennel.  So far we're still at safe introductions - when the cat is out, the dog is kenneled, so that the cat can feel a little less threatened and see that dog doesn't have to mean scary.

As for our bunny - those introductions aren't going to happen period if I can help it.  I know you can train most animals to get along, but when both are adopted and you're not sure about socialization - it's not a good idea to put predator and prey in the same room.  Maybe this will change in the future, but there are no current plans.

Penny is already packing on a little weight, and she's really settled in.  She's the smiliest thing you've ever seen!  When you have an adult dog that is underweight, and if you're certain the cause isn't a disease or intestinal parasite, the best food to feed is one with a high level of protein.  Puppy feed is good, since they need to eat so much more than adult dogs to grow, the calories that are there are all very useful and easily to digest.  For the same reasons puppy food is bad for normal or overweight dogs, it's excellent for underweight ones.  We're also including a lot of meaty, healthy scraps and canned food when we can, and feeding through a few small meals per day rather than a bunch at once.  We don't want to overwhelm her or anything.  Also, as odd as it sounds, it's better that she doesn't gain weight TOO fast, since she's moving on three legs right now.  Vet's words, not mine.  >.>

There's one last thing I want to talk about today:

Snakes!

Our adult yellow rat snake hasn't been eating for a few weeks, so it's a good time to talk about brumation.  Brumation is when snakes and some other reptiles basically hibernate for the winter.  Unlike other hibernating animals, though, they don't sleep more - they are simply less active and may not eat for months at a time.  This usually happens if it gets cold suddenly, if they don't have enough heat for a while, or if the light period decreases.  It tells their body it's going to get cold, their metabolism slows down, and they don't need as much food.

They still drink and can be handled, and you don't need to worry unless they become skinny.  Snakes that prefer to stay burrowed under substrate, or ones that aren't yet mature, might not notice subtle changes and may still need to eat.  Keep offering, just don't be surprised if during the winter time your reptiles aren't up for food.

Have an awesome weekend!
-Miss Mouse
<:3 )~~