# Another trilling addition to the "my friends know nothing about pets" saga



## Smilebud (Jul 31, 2012)

Oh boy has it been a lot of ups and downs. I posted a while back about a few of my friends impulse buying rats, and denying any advice I gave them while they threw it in my face.

Well one of them has been saying that I "need an intervention" regarding how many pets I have (14) and my counter argument was that I take care of them all. Apparently it doesn't matter. I have a problem, I'm crazy.

This is coming from a girl who impulse bought a rat, kept him alone in a too small cage, then when he started biting and was sick asked me to take him. So I did, and he killed my other friend's baby girl that I was babysitting when he was introduced to the group. Like no aggression to I turned around to screaming and a limp baby. I still kept him until other circumstances arrived (*). After this she impulse bought a hamster, then got rid of it a few weeks later so she could get a green cheek. Fast foreward two months and she's getting rid of the conure because she wants to get a dove. See where I'm going with this? If anyone needs an "intervention" it's her. Driving me up the wall. All my pets get needed medical attention, food, water, safe housing, and love. I'm obviously an animal hoarder.

The other girl who impulse bought a rat? Her girlfriend bought two and a huge cage (after making me take her sick hamster since she didn't want him ) and when hers met the younger pair she magically realized he was miserable alone and needed a bigger cage so he could get a buddy. You know, like my selfish gate keeping self suggested a year ago. Oh, how the tables have tabled 



*The were left with my old roommate while moving, roommate claimed the were abandoned to the spca a few days after I left under strained circumstances but not any that would give cause not to trust her, cue me scrambling to find the money to pay over $200 in shelter fees per rat to get them back before they were permanently detained (after 10 days), plus for my other pets. Needless to say I did not manage to get everyone back, despite a perfect home check and a deal with the spca because they liked me (2 rats and my rabbit for a hundred, since that was all I had and I passed every home check and interview with flying colours)


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## moonkissed (Dec 26, 2011)

I am sorry. I hate people who view pets as just things that you can buy and get rid of when the fun wears off. Alot of people are like that. I'd suggest if people treat you like that and upset you so much, they are not much good at being friends & I'd simply cut them out of my life.

Was the male you got fixed? Why was he introduced to a girl you were babysitting?

Having alot of pets can be difficult. I have 30 rats alone, not counting the cats, dogs, guinea pigs lol 
I get people just assuming you have a problem just by numbers alone lol 
But at the same time sometimes other people do listen to us complain, or see more of the whole picture. Some of your older posts suggest you have had trouble, it could be that they just worry. (I don't know you, I'm not assuming anything) I just think sometimes it pays to step back and atleast consider what people say. They may just be morons but sometimes there is some truth lol


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## Smilebud (Jul 31, 2012)

I think I'm just going to confront them about it, I don't care if they think it, but hearing it the one time a month they come visit is getting irritating. Otherwise I'm just going to keep overthinking it.

She was only three weeks old, under sexual maturity. I figured she was the least threatening of the clan to help him settle, they had a meet and greet on the bed when I turned to talk to my roommate. I regret that decision very much. I feel like I was so naive and really messed up.

I have had some bumps in the road, but my major hurdles are over and happened when I had relatively low numbers. It would have been helpful if they had said something when I really was getting in over my head cost wise. They didn't judge when I was struggling, but now they are. That's the part that frustrates me. I have my own apartment, all my pets get proper vet treatment, proper housing and time. I'm not starving and neither are they (thanks to a helpful link from yourself). I finally have all my ducks in a row. I feel like I just stepped past the "learning the hard way" phase and I can make informed decisions. Before it was all just oh well she's the crazy animal lady, but now that I'm much better off it's somehow different? I can see them being worried that something bad will happen though lol


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## Gribouilli (Dec 25, 2015)

You NEVER introduce small babies to adult rats. The chance that the adult rat will kill the baby is just too high- as you unfortunately witnessed it yourself.


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## Smilebud (Jul 31, 2012)

Gribouilli said:


> You NEVER introduce small babies to adult rats. The chance that the adult rat will kill the baby is just too high- as you unfortunately witnessed it yourself.


I never let them live together, but I was lucky enough to have playtimes go okay. Never again.


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