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Post by Amanda on Apr 15, 2007 16:55:13 GMT 7
Well things are really bad up here now. My work place are a bunch of money hungry animals so I can't buy frozen rodents off my regular supplier...cause they are the stores regular supplier Drastic things have started here.....I now own a rat I figure if I have to own them they may as well be nice and spoilt brats too! So far I have a little stud....waiting on some girlies to come into the store so I can find a nice one or two. The animals here come into the good life... he has a mansion, hidey holes, 2 food bowls, treats like these tropical fruit puffs, dog bikkies, fruit and veg every morning all this for my babies (snakes) The mummies and daddies will be pets (I can't believe I just said that!) and the babies will be humanely put down as food for my babies (PS organising to get another one too!) Will post pics of Noodles the male (noodles cause when he's balancing on your shoulder his tail flops around like a noodle!) In the morning for all you ratty people....(my folks are gonna kill me!)
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Post by Helen on Apr 16, 2007 10:18:48 GMT 7
Hi amanda It will be interesting to see how you go. Everyone that I know that decided to breed for food ends up falling in love with ratties and then being unable to "do the deed"
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Post by Amanda on Apr 16, 2007 12:18:48 GMT 7
Noodles is really sweet, that's why I had to get him. He's handraised and was apparantly a real stud...that's why his previous owners had to get rid of him.... he was trying to get his mummy pregnant. I'm going to have to do the deed, up here there are too many reptile people and not enough breeders of food....I wouldn't have anything to feed the four monsters I already have. I grew up in the bush and still think of rats & mice as vermin, it's so hard for my brain to comprehend the fact that I "own" a rat! I don't think I'll find it too hard, I've had to for various reasons feed snakes live food and have never had a problem. I just never wanted to breed my own ever... it's going to be more time for me to have to find to look after them too. I was more than happy to give others my hard earned $$ for frozen foods but then work took my babies meal ticket away, those b******S!!!!
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Post by Helen on Apr 16, 2007 13:02:43 GMT 7
I gather that you are working in a pet shop. I used to own one and found that it wasn't for me because to beat the opposition down here, I had to become like them and not care about the welfare of the animals, mopney was more important. My daughter used to work for one in Perth and they were the same. The almighty dollar!!!!!!
I wish you luck. As a rattie fanatic, I still understand what you are doing and why but I certainly couldn't do it myself.
I live in the country but my main problem is the snakes not the rats. They have killed several of my birds and like living on my back verandah which makes life interesting at times. I would never do anything to hurt them, I just wish that they would find some where else to live.
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Post by Silvercloud on Apr 16, 2007 13:13:31 GMT 7
Oh wow Manda, I can't believe you OWN a rat now I know how hard it is to get frozen rodents, we've been having a hard time finding any and they cost SOOOOOO much. My daughter would love a pet ratty though, she loves them.
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Post by Amanda on Apr 16, 2007 15:16:34 GMT 7
It's the smell of all those animals that makes your home so appealing beneurabunbury! I can't keep cats away from my house.... there would have to be about 50+ in my neighbourhood alone! I found in the sticks the more birds/animals we had the more "vermin" it attracted...both rodent and reptilian. At long last though my camera has finally charged! Here are some pics of a very spoilt rattie, Noodles. We are falling hard for him...he's so very shy but once he feels comfortable he'll sit there for hours! I can't wait to choose some ladies for him!
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Post by Amanda on Apr 16, 2007 15:18:23 GMT 7
PS Jules it's cause its the end of breeding season for snakes that's why food is so scarce... all those babies to feed! PPS that cage is slightly taller than me! about 170cm high!!!
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Post by Silvercloud on Apr 16, 2007 16:09:26 GMT 7
He is such a cutie, That cage is huge.
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Post by Helen on Apr 16, 2007 17:31:46 GMT 7
He looks very sweet. Boys are usually my favourites as they tend to be more affectionate than the females.
Yes, I know the snakes are one of the prices I pay for having so many rodents as pets and living in the bush but that's just the way that it is. The bright side is that I also get skinks, kangaroos, bandicoots, possums, chuditch, phascagale and HEAPS of birds. So it is worth it.
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Post by Silvercloud on Apr 16, 2007 22:42:51 GMT 7
Those chuditches and phascogales are amazing critters hey. We've had to relocate 2 chuditches so far as they were killing our chooks.
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Post by Matt on Apr 17, 2007 6:25:51 GMT 7
Amanda I understand how hard it is to get frozen mice and rats, at work we have a supplier whoi breeds all our mice and rats in various ages as well as mealworms, crickets, rabbits etc, they both used to work at the zoo and now they work full time 7 days a week breeding these animals for feeding the zoo. It is a huge amount each week, I cant even imagine how many we would go through a day. Good luck with it all! Onto the phascogales and chudich, they are remarkable, and I am so happy to hear they still exist in the wild where foxes also existm usually when there are foxes about you lose these species!
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Post by Silvercloud on Apr 17, 2007 8:27:03 GMT 7
There's a lot of 1080 baiting to keep the fox numbers down and it seems to be working. ;D
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Post by Helen on Apr 17, 2007 9:29:23 GMT 7
I consider myself very lucky to have these native animals around. When I feel down, I remind myself that I am so lucky to have my house right next to a national park, I see things that no many people do. My cats of course live inside so they can't do any damage.
When I feed my animals, I am followed by a little bandicoot everywhere I go.
After losing chooks to the chuditch (and foxes), my elderly poultry have a night pen made of weldmesh with a conrete flloor. Unless they are armed with a grinder my oldies are safe. All but one have retired, the rooster is a bantam and is 11 years old. The only one laying is a barneveldter, who I would love to get a rooster for but haven't been able to find any.
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Post by Silvercloud on Apr 17, 2007 10:50:19 GMT 7
Oh how cool having the bandicoot follow you around. We have a resident racehorse goanna and a couple of skinks that live under the back room of the garage. We've seen a couple of quendas but unfortunately they were dead on the road. Occasionally we get a glimpse of the wallabies but we really need to be in the bush for that as they are too shy to be seen near the road. My fella has a farm half way between Donnybrook and Capel with state forest over the road so we get to see lots of critters. We've even had a peregrine falcon hanging around trying to get to our weeros. Oops sorry for hijacking your thread Manda.
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Post by Amanda on Apr 17, 2007 14:05:18 GMT 7
That's ok Jules.... just tell me what a "chuditches and phascogales and quendas" are I'll be happy, (lmao I know those darn easterners LOL)
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