We were totally shocked that last night when Colleen came home with her friend that was spending the night, that she never even asked for Spice. She just wanted Reese her guinea pig. I was really sick last night, and Rog had been sick earlier, so we didn’t push it (12-24 hour bug or something – nauseous, bit of diarrhea, sore throat, headache, and just lousy feeling!) so we both ended up going to bed early and never even told her. So we’ll have to tell her today. I think it’s good Amber’s here with her as she also lost a little friend in the sump pump at her house. But I felt bad too that it seemed that since the guinea pigs came (my mom’s been bringing different ones over to stay here with us and then bringing them back after 2-4 weeks) that she wasn’t spending as much time with Spice at all. Proves what my husband suspected, and that we were the ones always bringing down Spice and playing with her since the guinea pigs came, not Colleen. That is kind of sad. (I was in denial before she died and kept saying she was still wanting to spend as much time with Spice as before)
We’re not sure if we’re getting another hamster or not. Partly because Colleen is so enamored with the guinea pigs now, and even still, really isn’t taking care of them as much as she should. I usually end up reminding her to change the cage and feed them, etc. And with starting to type again, and trying to do the housework, and help Rog with his work search, etc., etc., etc., I had started to feel I was not treating Spice the way I should have at the end. Even though we were loving her and bringing her out of the cage and spending time with her, the span between cleaning her cage was getting longer and longer, and she wasn’t getting out in her ball to roam the world, and I wasn’t giving her enough stimulation with new toys and play areas, etc. So we have to really think about it. I also want to get a different cage. I plan to take this one back to Petsmart and get a due bill, because for $45 I was not happy with it. I had tape all over it because previously she had pushed up the side to get out, another time she pushed up on the nesting box on top. This time apparently she pushed the front door right open. So I think if we get another hamster we’ll get one that is an aquarium on the bottom and a cage on top – more $$ I know, but it will be worth it.
However, we have another thought. I would like to some opinions on this Colleen has wanted a dog for years. We keep putting it off, partially because in the last year we had the hamster and now the visiting guinea pigs. I am also nervous about the care it would take. But I would like some stories, advice, etc., both good and bad, about getting a SMALL SHORT HAIRED DOG (I have some allergies so have to be careful) and just how much work is it? Obviously we’d have no guinea pigs then (just can’t handle two pets right now). I have NEVER had an inside dog, so I really am not used to the idea and all and would just like good and bad stories š On our farm growing up we had outside dogs, and I ran in the woods with them on our trails, and helped feed them and put them to bed in their huge doghouse outside with the big running pen, but obviously that’s a little different! No worries about fleas indoors, obviously….. but different worries, like Blackie’s 2-3 litters of puppies she had and then hitting hit by a car in her old age….
I don’t really trust Colleen either to take care of the dog as she said she would so this would be the whole family’s responsibility, and the whole family has to want it. This is a long-term serious commitment.
