Goodbye, Demon Fish!

The evil yellow damselfish is finally gone from my saltwater tank. It took David's help to get him out, but we took him to a LFS who would at least take him off my hands.



Now maybe I'll stop losing stuff! He killed off several of the new damsels I was trying to keep. Once I'm sure the tank is happy again (by the phosphates staying down (which they are after we installed the awesome turbo filter box in the sump), as this will help keep the nitrates processing out by the macro algae), maybe I will get a maroon clown back in, and some other things. I miss my maroon clown that I used to have before I moved the tank a few years ago and upset everything and lost him.

While there I also picked up an urchin, an anemone, and a bit of rock with some zoa polyps.

Farewell, Ratchet-Coon!

Ratchet the Raccoon, rescued in July 2008 from a missing mother, then raised from a bottle-feeding baby to a young, healthy juvenile now, was released back into the wild yesterday. As you can see in the video, he instantly fell in love with the wonders of the outdoors. He will be safe and happy now out in the national forest.

Farewell, Ratchet! You will be missed by your keeper and all your friends.




Same lil' guy who gave me a HICKEY last August. Yes, a chin hickey. From a raccoon. Sheesh, talk about feeling redneck. LOL




My co-worker HAD to snag a pic of that. I can't blame her. I had to get a copy of that too.

More photos of Ratchet available in my pets' Myspace photo album.

Snake found. Again!

Well, I found the blasted lost snake. I really hope he doesn't find some new way to escape again. I may call him "stupid" but he's really quite clever. However, unfortunately, twice now he has landed his destination at the mouse tanks where I found him and recovered him.


The 2nd time he was recovered with the help of David's clever duct-tape traps! He was totally unharmed but totally immobile. I found him right after he hit the tape.


I tried it this time but me and the cats kept getting stuck LOL, and I was afraid the cat would tape herself up again and I wouldn't be home to free her, so I took it down and that's probably about when he escaped to the downstairs room. He remembered exactly where to go, obviously!

The first time he was lost I'm not sure if he got in the mouse tank while it was upstairs, then I moved it/him downstairs, or if he actually found his way to it by himself the first time.

Oh well. At any rate, I am NOT going to remove him from the sand to feed him again, after he broke out of the feeder box. He'll just have to risk the ingestion!

Stupid Snake is lost again

Arrrrrrrgggghhhh! The stupid corn snake is loose again. Yesterday I took him out of his cage to feed him in the critter-keeper box, which I haven't been doing, and he was pretty ticked about it. He thrashed the lid right open and escaped. Feeding him in the tank was a great idea, but he is usually in his rock, and the feed usually isn't live, so I though I might move him. So much for that. Trying the duct tape trick again to see if he gets himself stuck while trying to escape. Seems like it took a couple days last time.

The Saltwater tank is happy again!

The Great Flea Battle of '08!

I've been battling them with powders, medications, and sprays. But today marks the end of the Great Battle! The cats got a flea bath, the final step of the process. And boy, were they not happy about it.

But we're all a lot happier now that the pests are dead. So, we can share a good laugh at their poor expense!

Aww, poor kitties.


Tigger started drooling! I think she was allergic....

But it sure made for a funny resemblance....

Bath: success


Pride: FAIL

WAGING WAR UPON FLEAS!!!

I must have brought fleas home from my friend's house when she had a full-blown infestation going on. I've never had them in my house before. My cats are both indoors so they pretty much stay outta trouble. Well, that kind anyway, hahaha. But when they started scratching their necks raw, and I knew what it was. I put some of that back-of-the-neck stuff on them, and it seemed to help, but they just came back with equal vengeance. I powdered the cats down and it kept it from getting worse, but still no resolution.

The cats must have some instinct because they have been staying off the carpet as much as possible. This was good, but also bad because they'd get on top of ... well, everything they could get their furry butts upon: the kitchen and bathroom counters, tables, the piano, my desk, the tv trays, the stove... the vinyl chairs. The problem is they sat there and proceeded to scratch and bite, and bite and scratch, for hours upon end while I was at work. By the time I came home, said surfaces have become COATED in CAT FUR. Bleh!!! And, sometimes slobber. And sometimes, even blood from scratching the back of their necks so hard. Poor things.

Today I had to vacuum everything down really good. Then I went and got some flea carpet powder and loaded down the crap out of the carpet all in the house, except for my bedroom, which has been a cat-free zone. Thank goodness, because that crap stinks after a while. I took all the rugs down and sprayed them down with upholstery/flea spray, and did the same to the couch & loveseat and all their pet beds.

ALIGHT FLEAS, YOU HAVE MET YOUR MATCH!!!

I dunno why I'm blogging about it. It has just been that big of an ordeal, and I am that glad to (hopefully) be done with it.

If not, I have 1 more thing left to do.... BATHE THE CATS.. oh, the horror. But David's plan will make it much, much less unpleasant. I shall NOT fear.

The carpet powder is supposed to kill stuff for a full year....! So that ought to keep the buggers in check.