Introducing Ellie and May!

Ellie and May is what I've decided to call my little rat girls. Here they are perching on the back of my neck as I study Order Carnivora:

Aren't they adorable? May is the one to the left, my phone camera has this stupid yellow tinge now, but she's a cute brown color with splotchy patches, while Ellie is on the right, and is a charcoal black. May is generally more eager to come out, while Ellie is more shy at first. But Ellie is more adventurous once out, and May likes to stick close to me and her sister. :]

Makes You Think

Tragedy sparked really close to home today. There was a massive pile up, leaving 10 dead, and many more in the hospital. The road was so foggy, even after rescuers arrived, they couldn't see the people they wanted to help, they could only hear their screaming. You can read the details here. The only tangible effect on me was that it took longer to get home, as all the traffic from I-75 was rerouted directly onto my road. It's crazy to think about though, I've driven that road so many times when visibility was really low, coming up on cars I had no idea were there until I was nearly on top of them. I was always cautious, but... 10 dead, that is crazy, a lot of people just on a Sunday morning drive. Can you imagine being one of the people that saw what was coming on and got out of their car, walked a ways, and walked right into a horror scene? Cars on fire and smoking, people screaming and crying. Yikes. My thoughts are with everyone who was effected today. Those still in the hospital, the families and friends that have to bury their loved ones, and those who witnessed something they won't soon forget. Cherish life EVERY day, every minute. You never, ever know when it's your time.

Liar!

I'm a big liar. Why? I told myself no more pets, I don't know if I'll even be in the states for more than another year, and hauling my small zoo of 8 is going to be difficult enough already, but... 2 sweet little rat girls were abandoned at one of my stores this week, and I fell in love. I'm naming one Ellie, she's white with black and more timid. I haven't decided on the other one's name yet, maybe Poppy? Or May? Izzi and Mischka are both tremendously curious and excited. Izzi probably remembers the "city" rats I had in high school (Paris, London, Venice, Berlin, and my little oddball Pinkie), Mischka because, she's a husky and all things are exciting. :]

A list of my home zoo is as follows:
Almost 2 year old Siberian Husky: Mischka

The Quaker Parrot I've raised since he was 6 weeks old, and is now 7 years old: Izzi

The Quaker Parrot that I rescued about 4 months ago: Akela

 

My Dumeril's Boa: Inkie

My Chaco Golden Knee Tarantula spiderling (only the size of a quarter currently): October (she just got her name today, took my nearly 3 months to come up with one!)

My rescue Guinea Pig: Edward

His companion Guinea Pig: Gunny

The salt water tank with: the Blue Damsels Hyde and Zeke and Chip, the Chocolate Chip Starfish

 

as well as Urchin

 

and Piperfoot the Horseshoe Crab

There is also my first true love, my biggest baby, and best friend, Piper. He lives with my mom and not with me and I miss him terribly.

                                         

Beautiful Week

This week I got to spend half a day in an aviary with 4 hawk-headed parrots, an iguana, and 2 Guam rails, which are extinct in the wild! How cool is that? I also snake hooked an Eastern diamondback rattlesnake and got to feed it, got a Bald Eagle to eat more than he had in days, and got chosen to participate in a behavior study. Still anxiously awaiting the rest of the training team announcements, as spots are opening at the zoo for the animals that have a training team.

I'm also proud of my little Akela, she is becoming such a good little talker! She says "Good boy!" really clearly now (don't tell her she's probably a girl), I really need to get her and Izzi DNA sexed, I don't need any little green feathery babies! :]

This next year promises a lot of growth, and I'm really excited to see where I am this time next year!

De-Railed and Loving It

I have had many detours from my once very set path in this journey of life. So far, I have to say, I think I prefer my trail that is windy, green, sometimes hilly and even rocky, but always beautiful. I started on this detour when I realized my 21 year long dream to become a veterinarian was starting to seem more like a nightmare. I then fell into my current program of study in zoo animal technology. Now in, I have not looked back, instead I've marched on smiling at the beautiful trail ahead. I found a place I belong, peers who matter to me, and where I matter to them. Animals small and large, winged, scaled, hooved and more to care for, to learn from, to admire and adore.

This will be a guidebook into my detour as well as  hopefully a place to put down the stories of some of the amazing animals and people I encounter and love.