BelovedBirds
Crossing the Road
So, I have a bunch of animals--and wanna share some of my experiences, this will be a big ramble!
I grew up with rabbits and guinea pigs and hamsters but they didnt recieve the care they deserved and everything, like enclosures, feed, was based on outdated information. I lost my animals around the same time, the bunnies to incurable illness, and the others to old age. I ended up starting again when I was a little older. But made the same mistakes, starting with goldfish. I started out buying a male shubunkin from the pet store. I only had a small tank but planned on upgrading it. As soon as I brought him home I realised he was unhealthy, sitting on the floor of the tank and not eating. I went out the next day and brought a female shubunkin, and she lifted his mood a ton. But he still clearly had issues. We ended up having to take in 2 abandoned dogs the following summer, on top of our current dog. We were supposed to find them homes but none of us could bear parting with them!
Then I got a giant african land snail, again I made mistakes. He was bought from a bad breeder and was a runt. But, I was dedicated to him and his care.
From there, I started working with animals, first in a pet store and then later at agricultural college. I studied equine while I was there and fell in love with horses.
Then I bought more achatina snails and even *cockroaches*. As pets. Dubia roaches. I found them really cool and set up a bioactive self sustaining tank. All I have to do is feed and water them. They have been with me for a year now, and are so fun to watch. Insects freak me out, but I still love them.
And then birds.
My parents were full of promises growing up. They'd assure us that we would soon move to a better house with some proper land and have some poultry etc. This promise started at the start of my life and I waited 19 years. I'm still waiting lol.
I knew it was possible to hatch supermarket quail eggs, and I knew how from past research. And one day I decided to give it a try. Only one chick survived to lockdown, I waited. And waited. And when she was 4 or so days late and had stopped moving, I opened the egg to find a perfectly formed chick, deceased. It really broke my heart! And my mother was very sad for me. I buried the tiny baby, and covered her grave with autumn leaves. And I decided I wanted to try again. I did some research and found some potentially fertile duck eggs. But I knew ducks and quails, were very different. So I researched, and researched. A couple weeks later, I gave it a try. And within a couple days of incubating I could see development in one egg. Not wanting a lone duckling, I went ahead and bought another 6 eggs. And two more began to develop.
I lost one within a week due to a cracked shell. I worried that I'd lose another and be left with only one. But I waited. And both survived to lockdown. On Christmas day my oldest egg was midway through hatching, but she was very, very stuck. Thanks to brilliant people on the forum, like @Miss Lydia and @WVduckchick I was able to assist her and she hatched out that evening. Her sister followed four days later on the 29th of December.
I knew I wanted these babies, I knew about ratios and diet and housing- and I continued to research. And both babies are now gorgeous healthy adults. Both girls, luckily. My Dougie and her younger sister Sprightly. I do still love my dogs, and my fish, my invertebrates also, but I do feel that I've finally found the perfect animal for me to have. Now I'm spending summer days lying on the grass with my ducks, walking around the garden and having them chase after me. It's the life I've wanted since I was 6 years old.
Recently my male goldfish, Possum, the first I bought, passed away, a good few years old, but I was still devastated. Pearl, thankfully, is not left alone. She has their daughter Hope.
Their tank is a nice size, but I'll be upgrading it to a 50+ gal or so soon. I feel they deserve it.
Even the simplest most common animals can really influence you and work their way into your heart, whether it's Kupatwa Kwa Jua my first giant snail (who will be 4 years old this autumn!), or my goldfish Possum, or the sweet quail chick who never even got to see the world. They all affect me and have taught me things. I like to think I'm a quick learner, and when I invest my time into something, I really invest a lot of time. But I hope I continue to improve my animal care and someday in the not too distant future, I hope I'll be able to adopt some more ducks.
Some photos of the animals!!!
I grew up with rabbits and guinea pigs and hamsters but they didnt recieve the care they deserved and everything, like enclosures, feed, was based on outdated information. I lost my animals around the same time, the bunnies to incurable illness, and the others to old age. I ended up starting again when I was a little older. But made the same mistakes, starting with goldfish. I started out buying a male shubunkin from the pet store. I only had a small tank but planned on upgrading it. As soon as I brought him home I realised he was unhealthy, sitting on the floor of the tank and not eating. I went out the next day and brought a female shubunkin, and she lifted his mood a ton. But he still clearly had issues. We ended up having to take in 2 abandoned dogs the following summer, on top of our current dog. We were supposed to find them homes but none of us could bear parting with them!
Then I got a giant african land snail, again I made mistakes. He was bought from a bad breeder and was a runt. But, I was dedicated to him and his care.
From there, I started working with animals, first in a pet store and then later at agricultural college. I studied equine while I was there and fell in love with horses.
Then I bought more achatina snails and even *cockroaches*. As pets. Dubia roaches. I found them really cool and set up a bioactive self sustaining tank. All I have to do is feed and water them. They have been with me for a year now, and are so fun to watch. Insects freak me out, but I still love them.
And then birds.
My parents were full of promises growing up. They'd assure us that we would soon move to a better house with some proper land and have some poultry etc. This promise started at the start of my life and I waited 19 years. I'm still waiting lol.
I knew it was possible to hatch supermarket quail eggs, and I knew how from past research. And one day I decided to give it a try. Only one chick survived to lockdown, I waited. And waited. And when she was 4 or so days late and had stopped moving, I opened the egg to find a perfectly formed chick, deceased. It really broke my heart! And my mother was very sad for me. I buried the tiny baby, and covered her grave with autumn leaves. And I decided I wanted to try again. I did some research and found some potentially fertile duck eggs. But I knew ducks and quails, were very different. So I researched, and researched. A couple weeks later, I gave it a try. And within a couple days of incubating I could see development in one egg. Not wanting a lone duckling, I went ahead and bought another 6 eggs. And two more began to develop.
I lost one within a week due to a cracked shell. I worried that I'd lose another and be left with only one. But I waited. And both survived to lockdown. On Christmas day my oldest egg was midway through hatching, but she was very, very stuck. Thanks to brilliant people on the forum, like @Miss Lydia and @WVduckchick I was able to assist her and she hatched out that evening. Her sister followed four days later on the 29th of December.
I knew I wanted these babies, I knew about ratios and diet and housing- and I continued to research. And both babies are now gorgeous healthy adults. Both girls, luckily. My Dougie and her younger sister Sprightly. I do still love my dogs, and my fish, my invertebrates also, but I do feel that I've finally found the perfect animal for me to have. Now I'm spending summer days lying on the grass with my ducks, walking around the garden and having them chase after me. It's the life I've wanted since I was 6 years old.
Recently my male goldfish, Possum, the first I bought, passed away, a good few years old, but I was still devastated. Pearl, thankfully, is not left alone. She has their daughter Hope.
Their tank is a nice size, but I'll be upgrading it to a 50+ gal or so soon. I feel they deserve it.
Even the simplest most common animals can really influence you and work their way into your heart, whether it's Kupatwa Kwa Jua my first giant snail (who will be 4 years old this autumn!), or my goldfish Possum, or the sweet quail chick who never even got to see the world. They all affect me and have taught me things. I like to think I'm a quick learner, and when I invest my time into something, I really invest a lot of time. But I hope I continue to improve my animal care and someday in the not too distant future, I hope I'll be able to adopt some more ducks.
Some photos of the animals!!!
