Shirley the House Hamster
May. 9th, 2003 05:56 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
taxladyOnce upon a time I lived on Park Avenue in Montréal (okay, it was actually four times, but anyways...). We saw a few cockroaches (ick, ick, ick).
We didn't tell the landlord, because I don't like the idea of toxic chemicals being sprayed all over my home by an exterminator. We had heard that in New York City, people let geckos run loose in their apartments and hunt the cockroaches. So we went to a pet store and tried to buy a gecko. They didn't have any, but phoned the supplier. The supplier said that they weren't "in season". ??? The pet shop took our names and phone number.
The landlord found out about the cockroaches from a neighbour who had them too. So he called an exterminator. The exterminator used boric acid. What a relief, no toxic chemicals. That killed off the adult cockroaches (it messes up their ability to breath) and six weeks later the whole icky cockroach episode was history.
One day the pet shop called us. The supplier had phoned and said that they had found a Tokay gecko (gekko gecko) running loose at the warehouse. It had been several months since the last shipment, so they figured it had been diving into the aquariums and eating goldfish. He was fat and healthy and had all of his toes and might not be a he. Did we still want a gecko?
We decided to go have a look. It was magnificent - about a foot long and light blue with pink spots.
And it barked!! The bark is very staccato and sounds a bit like "tokay". They have ridges on their toes, so they can climb smooth surfaces, like glass. The colours change; they change hue and intensity. Its mouth was bigger than its head. The pet shop clerk wore leather gloves to handle him, but there was still a mark on her hand where he bit her. They lick their eyes to clean them.
While looking for a picture of a Tokay gecko, I found these pages: in French with pix and the 2nd & 3rd thumbnails in the first column are Tokay gecko pix and this impressive gecko photo
So, we brought home "Chuggy" and an electric heating rock. We put him in a terrarium and the the rock very soon became his. We fed him crickets, meal worms, and the beetles that meal worms become (all dusted with vitamins). We read that it would be good to feed him a "pinky" (hairless, baby mouse) every once in a while. The pet shops charge the same for a pinky as for an adult mouse, so we bought a few mice and started breeding them.
I found this page Norwegian Tokay gecko page. It's in Norwegian. I will make an attempt at translating the part about it's personality. The description, not my translation, is very accurate:
"In spite of the fact that it follows human habitation, that it finds human dwellings the top places to live, Tokays are the least loveable of the geckos. They are known for their foul tempement, gleefully bite the hand that feeds, something ("rensker", couldn't translate that word) and anything that comes near them. Their bite is mighty, one could say they are the pitbulls of geckos...they bite and hang on and let go when they feel like it. Equipped with an abundance of sharp teeth, the bite can cause bloody wounds which can lead to infection, which is irritating for many days. I believe that all animals can be friends with humans, but the Tokay gecko likes to be left in peace. If you are going to hold your Tokay, use gloves!"
Chuggy went to the vet. He put a tongue depressor in Chuggy's mouth. Chuggy wouldn't let go. Ha, now he couldn't bite anything else without letting go of the tongue depressor, but the vet still wasn't brave enough to use the "sexing probe", so we never found out if it was male or female. Apparently there are easier ways to tell the sex of a Tokay gecko, but we didn't know it at the time. That sexing probe sounds rather unpleasant to me.
A friend of ours asked if we could take a boa constrictor. The owner couldn't afford to buy food for it and we already had mice. So, we got Hamisch. He was not very bright, even for a snake. The apartment was turning into a menagerie. Gecko, crickets, meal worms, meal worm beetles, mice, and a boa constrictor, but no cucarachas.
One day we stopped in at the pet store. The lady asked if the gecko would eat a hamster. No, but the boa would. You see, she had a very nasty hamster that we could have for cheap. She ate all her babies and tried to bite anyone walking near her cage. So, we bought the hamster for Hamisch. When we got home, Hamisch was in the first stage of molting. His eyes were covered in milky skin and he was functionally blind. That meant we couldn't just put the hamster in the cage for Hamisch to eat. They don't eat while they are shedding.
We left the hamster in the transport shoebox on the "menagerie table" and headed for the hardware store for a plastic storage box. That's what we used for the mice, with lots of air holes melted into the box. But, we got distracted and went to Café Romolo for café au lait and conversation. Suddenly we remembered the hamster in a shoebox. We dashed home and sure 'nuff, The box was empty and there was a dime sized hole gnawed in the side.
We put a large bowl of rodent food and a bowl of water on the floor. The next morning, the bowl of rodent food was empty!! We refilled it. Throughout the day we caught glimpses of the hamster. That evening she came out and played. She was adorable. She was also very sweet. I guess she just didn't like being in a cage. the next morning all the rodent food was gone, again, but the third bowlful only vanished at a rate that seemed normal for one small hamster. I guess she really liked the idea of being able to horde a supply of food. For several weeks Shirley (once we decided she wasn't snake food, we named her.) would make her cute appearances and even come sit on the couch with us. But, eventually she stopped coming around. There was no foul smell, so we think she must have moved on.
This isn't Shirley, but looks an awful lot like her. .
The picture is on this Hamster photo page
We didn't tell the landlord, because I don't like the idea of toxic chemicals being sprayed all over my home by an exterminator. We had heard that in New York City, people let geckos run loose in their apartments and hunt the cockroaches. So we went to a pet store and tried to buy a gecko. They didn't have any, but phoned the supplier. The supplier said that they weren't "in season". ??? The pet shop took our names and phone number.The landlord found out about the cockroaches from a neighbour who had them too. So he called an exterminator. The exterminator used boric acid. What a relief, no toxic chemicals. That killed off the adult cockroaches (it messes up their ability to breath) and six weeks later the whole icky cockroach episode was history.
One day the pet shop called us. The supplier had phoned and said that they had found a Tokay gecko (gekko gecko) running loose at the warehouse. It had been several months since the last shipment, so they figured it had been diving into the aquariums and eating goldfish. He was fat and healthy and had all of his toes and might not be a he. Did we still want a gecko?
We decided to go have a look. It was magnificent - about a foot long and light blue with pink spots.
And it barked!! The bark is very staccato and sounds a bit like "tokay". They have ridges on their toes, so they can climb smooth surfaces, like glass. The colours change; they change hue and intensity. Its mouth was bigger than its head. The pet shop clerk wore leather gloves to handle him, but there was still a mark on her hand where he bit her. They lick their eyes to clean them.While looking for a picture of a Tokay gecko, I found these pages: in French with pix and the 2nd & 3rd thumbnails in the first column are Tokay gecko pix and this impressive gecko photo
So, we brought home "Chuggy" and an electric heating rock. We put him in a terrarium and the the rock very soon became his. We fed him crickets, meal worms, and the beetles that meal worms become (all dusted with vitamins). We read that it would be good to feed him a "pinky" (hairless, baby mouse) every once in a while. The pet shops charge the same for a pinky as for an adult mouse, so we bought a few mice and started breeding them.
I found this page Norwegian Tokay gecko page. It's in Norwegian. I will make an attempt at translating the part about it's personality. The description, not my translation, is very accurate:
"In spite of the fact that it follows human habitation, that it finds human dwellings the top places to live, Tokays are the least loveable of the geckos. They are known for their foul tempement, gleefully bite the hand that feeds, something ("rensker", couldn't translate that word) and anything that comes near them. Their bite is mighty, one could say they are the pitbulls of geckos...they bite and hang on and let go when they feel like it. Equipped with an abundance of sharp teeth, the bite can cause bloody wounds which can lead to infection, which is irritating for many days. I believe that all animals can be friends with humans, but the Tokay gecko likes to be left in peace. If you are going to hold your Tokay, use gloves!"
Chuggy went to the vet. He put a tongue depressor in Chuggy's mouth. Chuggy wouldn't let go. Ha, now he couldn't bite anything else without letting go of the tongue depressor, but the vet still wasn't brave enough to use the "sexing probe", so we never found out if it was male or female. Apparently there are easier ways to tell the sex of a Tokay gecko, but we didn't know it at the time. That sexing probe sounds rather unpleasant to me.
A friend of ours asked if we could take a boa constrictor. The owner couldn't afford to buy food for it and we already had mice. So, we got Hamisch. He was not very bright, even for a snake. The apartment was turning into a menagerie. Gecko, crickets, meal worms, meal worm beetles, mice, and a boa constrictor, but no cucarachas.
One day we stopped in at the pet store. The lady asked if the gecko would eat a hamster. No, but the boa would. You see, she had a very nasty hamster that we could have for cheap. She ate all her babies and tried to bite anyone walking near her cage. So, we bought the hamster for Hamisch. When we got home, Hamisch was in the first stage of molting. His eyes were covered in milky skin and he was functionally blind. That meant we couldn't just put the hamster in the cage for Hamisch to eat. They don't eat while they are shedding.
We left the hamster in the transport shoebox on the "menagerie table" and headed for the hardware store for a plastic storage box. That's what we used for the mice, with lots of air holes melted into the box. But, we got distracted and went to Café Romolo for café au lait and conversation. Suddenly we remembered the hamster in a shoebox. We dashed home and sure 'nuff, The box was empty and there was a dime sized hole gnawed in the side.
We put a large bowl of rodent food and a bowl of water on the floor. The next morning, the bowl of rodent food was empty!! We refilled it. Throughout the day we caught glimpses of the hamster. That evening she came out and played. She was adorable. She was also very sweet. I guess she just didn't like being in a cage. the next morning all the rodent food was gone, again, but the third bowlful only vanished at a rate that seemed normal for one small hamster. I guess she really liked the idea of being able to horde a supply of food. For several weeks Shirley (once we decided she wasn't snake food, we named her.) would make her cute appearances and even come sit on the couch with us. But, eventually she stopped coming around. There was no foul smell, so we think she must have moved on.
This isn't Shirley, but looks an awful lot like her. .
The picture is on this Hamster photo page
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no subject
Date: 2003-05-10 06:59 pm (UTC)I could never deal with rodents,reptiles, bugs, etc...
I am so squimish!!
Pretty cool, my son would LOVE you!
no subject
Date: 2003-05-11 08:50 pm (UTC)Nowadays I have two cats and a different husband :D, no reptiles or insects or rodents.