May I show off my mice?

[liz]

"... and a partridge in a pear tree."

When I name off my critters I get that response.

[Loriusgarrulus]

I can still remember negotiating with the personnel department at work on a relocation package for my job. They paid for a self drive truck for us to move our animals.
The look of increasing horror on the very groomed personnel officers face when I listed pets we had to move.
Now the kids have grown up and left home and many years on we haven't so many, but still more than average.

[liz]

My phsycologist has joined in with many others to tell me I have too many pets. I tell him mine are only 1 little dog, my cat is gone, 2 Amazons and a FLOCK of cockatiels. That makes 4.

[Emily]

I think as long as you can manage them all healthily, there shouldn't be a "limit" on how many pets you own. And thank you for sharing your stories, I love to hear about other little critters.

Gerald may be sick now. We can't get him to the vet for another week or so. I hope they can help when we do bring him.

[Loriusgarrulus]

What is wrong with Gerald.

[Emily]

He has a respiratory infection. He sneezes a lot and his breathing is chattering or rattling. It's not all the time but when it happens it's bad enough for me to be worried. It's very common for mice to get respiratory infections, unfortunately.

[Loriusgarrulus]

Have you got him on a sawdust bedding, as fine sawdust can cause respiratory problems in mice or any bedding that has dust in it. They are best on a dust free bedding like aspen chip.
Also they can be affected by airosol scented sprays and having a cage in a draughty place near a door or open window.. They need fresh air, but not draughts.
You also need to check his food to make sure that is not dusty or have any damp in it as that can cause mould spores which can cause respiratory problems in mice and rats.

[liz]

He could have an allergy.

I was given a dying budgie because I have "the touch" with critters. I did not know that there were avian vets. I stripped down his cage and scrubbed every particle of dust from it and sprayed him to reduce dust and dander. It was only a week before he started singing.

Rainbow did not see him but the windows were open and he could hear him outside the sun room. This was the only time I ever knew that Rainbow went outside. He was out on the deck calling the little bird that he thought was out there. I had to go out and carry him to the window the budgie was in.