We're Moving!!

Holy goodness!!! Boxes everywhere!!! 

I prayed that it'd happen, but I never thought it actually would. After graduating from Western Carolina in December, I never thought I'd get a job. It was a long two months of unemployment, and I got really lucky securing this one. In fact, I got the initial call from the employer because his wife is best friends with my former professor --- who I had listed as a reference on my application! It's a frighteningly small world, especially in Western North Carolina.

Yesterday, I took Chris along for house hunting, and I found a beautiful little apartment in the heart of a glade of tall trees. There's a laundromat, pool and fitness center on site. The management is quite friendly, and after I showed them pictures of what a chinchilla actually looks like, they melted over the adorable face of Nimbus! It's a beautiful apartment with a walk-through closet, small kitchen, two bathrooms, closet space, utility room, balcony and a curved staircase to a loft second floor (I've never had a second floor before!) So, I'm very excited.

Let's move out!

There are a few things I wish I could change, but the same applies here, too, of course. I wish the new place had more windows for both Sparta's and my benefit. I'm a huge lover of natural light. Right now, the weather is fantastic. All the doors are open; the windows are open!! It's beautiful! Also, the balcony overlooks the parking lot, but why am I complaining?! Seriously, I'm 22-years-old, and this is my first job --- my first place where my full-time job isn't being a student. There will be other homes, and if I really hate it, well then, the lease expires in a year. I can tolerate a year. As long as my pets are happy, so am I.

Sparta (back) and Sansa (front)

What I hate the most is leaving Sansa and Chris behind. Sansa cannot come. I've written on several occasions about how much she tortures Nimbus. It's her natural predatory instinct to go after Nimbus. I'm very lucky with Sparta that he couldn't care less about the fuzzy rabbit-squirrel jumping around the living  room. Sansa will always see him as dinner. But, I've come to love Sansa. She's an absolute pain and gets into everything, but she's just the sweetest little kitten. I hate saying goodbye to her when I just did the same thing to my cat Binx back in July. I was heartbroken. However, Sparta and Binx didn't get along. In this case, Sparta adores Sansa. He calls for her in the morning, waking the dead in order to play with his best mate. They give each other baths, they chase each other across the entire house, and they nap together in the sun. How can you communicate with your pet that they won't be able to see their best friend anymore? How do I tell Sparta that he won't see Sansa again after the 28th? It brings me to tears. I just keep asking myself "What have I done?" I don't know why I let her into the house in the first place when I knew this was how it would end. But, thankfully, Sansa has found a home. If we were just packing up the house and pulling away with her watching us from the driveway, I'd really be losing it right now. The very image of that sentence in my head makes me want to run to the bathroom and vomit. I don't understand how people can do that to animals or what the animals must be thinking. But, Sansa has found a good home, and she'll be very loved there.

Chris can't come either. He has to stay and finish his bachelor's degree at Western Carolina for another 10 months. If we end up in the same town after his graduation, well, that'll be an interesting journey. There are two positives to this move concerning Chris: 1) It's only 2 hours away. I never made it to Kentucky because of the snow before I was offered this job. So, I'll still in the neighborhood. 2) It's Chris's hometown. The majority of his family lives within a 15-mile radius from my new apartment, and so he won't be spending all his gas money to come see me. When I'm at work, he'll have something to do. He can visit his mom and dad and his high school friends. He won't just be sitting at my apartment staring at the television waiting for me to come. I played that game once... I was in a long distance relationship for nearly a year. It was torture. I was a student. He had a full-time job. Every time I visited, I sat in his apartment waiting for him to come home from work. Every time he visited, he sat in my apartment and waited for me to come home from class --- or I skipped class, which is just as bad. Our relationship was made up of how to say goodbye as quickly and painlessly as possible (For skeptics who believe long distance doesn't work, I will say that we made it through our long distance relationship. Hilariously enough, it was moving in together that ultimately led to our very nasty, painful split.). In this case, it will be different because Chris won't be relying on me as his sole source for making the trip. Still, our nightly routine of making dinner, caring  for Nimbus as he hops around the house and watching "Storm Chasers" or "White Collar" will be at an end. I will miss his company more than anything else. He is my best friend. Whether or not we'll ever be officially more than that (again) is still up for debate. It goes back and forth. But, that will never change the fact that I love Chris, and him not being around to share my day makes life look a little dimmer. The thought that it will just be me, Sparta and Nimbus again breaks my heart.

So now, I have exactly one week left before we head to our new home!!! Any ideas on how to make this as stress-less on Nimbus as possible?!?!? He'll be riding in the cat carrier for two hours, but I'll be in the car alone. If he gets it in his head to rip through the rubber mesh, ...we're in trouble! There will only be so much I can do to stop him besides pulling the car over. Let's hope he behaves! Right now, the plan is to have the chinchilla cage be the first item unpacked from the U-Haul and moved into the new apartment. But... yep, that's as far as I've gotten!

Can we go now?

Nimbus the Snowman (Video)

SO MUCH SNOW!! SNOW EVERYWHERE!

Once again, my Kentucky trip has been postponed! It is pouring buckets of snow here, and... well, everywhere. My grandparents have snow down in South Carolina. My father has snow in Charlotte. There's snow all across Tennessee, so there's no heading to Kentucky.

In North Carolina, this is a lot of snow!

The snow started some time this morning and has been going ever since. According to the weather reports, it won't stop until 6 a.m. tomorrow. Chris and  I are huddled down with the pets, trying to keep warm and entertained! Since we thought I'd be gone on Friday, we've been celebrating Valentine's Day today. That means a whole lot of candy and later, we'll exchange our teddy bears we made at Build-A-Bear on Sunday. Yes, teddy bears... but Chris has never had a teddy bear before, and I wasn't about to stand for that. And, I find teddy bears irresistible.

I just went wandering around outside, and I couldn't see the bottom half of my snow boots!! Man, I wish I had a sled and a good hill!! We've got some awesome slopes around here, but they're pretty dangerous as far as backyard sledding goes. And if I wanted to use my own backyard, well then, the only sledding hill abruptly stops right at Scott Creek. WHEEEEEEE SLEDDING....and then.....YAY HYPOTHERMIA!

When we had a snow day last week, I desperately wanted to show Nimbus snow. Wouldn't it be adorable to see him bounding around in the snow??! Of course, that would kill him!! I would never do such a thing.

Today, we brought the snow inside instead!! I didn't have a clue how Nimbus would respond. For all I knew, he'd completely ignore me and scamper into his cage. I had no idea he'd do this!!!

Follow us on Twitter @ChillWithNimbus

Vet Says Nimbus is on the Mend!

What do you know?? It's snowing again, and it's actually sticking!! The forecast predicted that we'll get 2-4 inches! That's pretty intense for these lower elevations in the valley. It looks like most of the Southeast will be slammed with snow. My mother and grandparents down in the northern part of South Carolina are expected to get just as much snow.

I'm excited to announce that our vet appointment this morning was nothing but good news!! Nimbus's injury is looking significantly better since Thursday, Jan. 23. The cut is beginning to scab over, and Dr. Wall estimated that everything should be back to normal in 10 days. That puts us at February 7 --- NIMBUS'S BIRTHDAY!!!!! That would be the greatest birthday present in the world: a happy, healthy Nimbus needing no medication and able to take a dust bath once again. I'd love to give him a dust bath for his birthday!

Speaking of medication, Chris and I got more good news when we discovered just how much Nimbus loves the taste of his antibiotics. Now, we don't have to hold him down. Instead, I sleepily stumble into the living room in the mornings and put the syringe near his mouth. He sucks it down while simultaneously chewing the plastic syringe. I think he takes the medicine just to chew on a new plastic object! Sneaky chinchilla! The evening dose is just as easy, except it doesn't interrupt my sleep. Thank goodness. I absolutely hated holding him down, which is the scenario that happened at the vet this morning. A poor vet assistant had chinchilla fur all over him! That stuff sticks to everything. Hopefully, he can get it off his uniform.

Here's a video of Nimbus taking his medication. Chris doesn't know how to work my camera, so the middle part is quite blurry, but you can see how easily Nimbus slurps up the antibiotics!

Also, check out Nimbus's new Get-Well-Soon toy!! He took to it quickly and chews it on a regular basis! Hooray! One of the hardest parts of shopping for your pets is determining if they're actually going to like it. I've bought too many cat toys that are completely ignored. But, I've learned my lesson now. Going to the store, I can recognize Sparta's tastes in fun and usually don't go wrong anymore in the toy department.

Carrot toss toy made of handwoven hay

A Turn for the Worst

My grandmother often complains about doctors and how they don't know anything helpful or accurate. She's dead certain that they're quacks, and in a small way, I believe her. I definitely felt this way heading to the emergency vet with Nimbus. Something just didn't sit right with me during the examination and after they handed him back to us. I should have trusted that feeling... Unfortunately, I was right.

Yesterday was supposed to be a happy day of celebration, dusts baths and relief. Nimbus was going to get his stitches out, and life would be restored to normal. No more corralling him on the bed. No more syringes with nasty medicine. No more stress.

Photo from http://scdocorg.files.wordpress.com

We entered our local vet to the great enjoyment of everyone there. Most had never seen a chinchilla nor petted its soft fur. Nimbus was a celebrity! One veterinarian assistant said, "I didn't know what it was until I looked it up on the Internet just now."

When Nimbus's fans settled down, Dr. Wall and two assistants held him down to examine his stitches... Except, there were no stitches!

Every single one had popped out, or Nimbus had taken them out. Not that it would have mattered if he did. By the size of Dr. Wall's frown, I knew REACH had messed up.

The wound was completely exposed. Although Chris and I had seen several stitches on Nimbus's arm two days before, they were gone now. The last one sat on the exam table with a tuft of fluffy gray fur attached to it. I had to turn away, and I began to feel my legs give way at the horrible sight of it. Nothing had healed. Nothing was better. We were right back the start of all.

Dr. Wall explained that REACH had used the wrong type of stitches, ones that require some very tight tying and glue to hold the knots in place. Dr. Wall insinuated that REACH should have known better and didn't understand why those were used. I had shelled out hundreds of dollars to that emergency vet with nothing to show for it except worthless medical assistance. In my opinion, REACH's only help was discovering Nimbus didn't have a sprained or broken leg. Everything else was shredded money.

Photo from chinchillaclub.com

Dr. Wall wanted the wound to remain open instead of putting Nimbus through stitches again. By looking at the cut, he noticed that there was healthy pink tissue regenerating and that the injury should scab over and heal on its own. He prescribed us two weeks of antibiotics - here we go again with that one - and scheduled us an appointment for next Tuesday.

"If the wound starts to open more, you need to bring him back in," he said.

As I carried Nimbus in the cat carrier out to the car, I didn't feel the biting winds and finger-aching cold. I was already numb from such disappointment, stress and worry. I couldn't believe it. I also felt an overwhelming, choking anger boiling up my throat. The wrong stitches??? THE WRONG STITCHES?!?! What does that even mean, "the wrong stitches??" If that's the reputation of those stitches, that they need glue to just hold the knots in place, why on earth were they used on my chinchilla in the first place??!?!?!

Angry and in tears, the ride home was very silent.  I put Nimbus back in his cage, told him to go to sleep and get some rest, then went out into the living room to stare at a wall. My mind tried to process this tragedy, this horrible mistake. Dr. Wall said he'd need 2 more weeks of recovery time with medication through syringe twice a day! No dust bath. No playtime. When he said no playtime, I stood up.

"He has to be able to play," I said. "A chinchilla's health and happiness depend on him being able to run around and explore."

I said this to Chris later, "If anything, Nimbus is going to hurt himself more by trying to get out of the cage and throwing tantrums by flying around and banging against the walls."

Dr. Wall relented, thankfully. However, Nimbus will no longer play in my room or on the bed. Instead, we have created the perfect, safe chin play area we possibly could in the living room. No more running into the kitchen. No more jumping up on the bookshelf. No more sneaking behind the couch, thanks to a lot of cardboard alcohol boxes Chris picked up from the ABC store. Nimbus can hop around on the carpet, chew on his toys, and that's it! Still, he can't have a dust bath. There's no way we can allow Blue Cloud dust to get into that open injury.

Photo from annarboranimalhospital.com

That afternoon, Chris went to pick up the medication. However, the WalMart pharmacy said they didn't have it.

"But, the vet called me this morning and told me it was ready," I told Chris on the phone.

Still, there was no medication. This morning on my way out the door, I called the vet again.

"Yes, my chinchilla Nimbus was prescribed medication by Dr. Wall yesterday. When we went to pick it up, WalMart didn't have it."

"Ok," replied the receptionist. "I'll take care of that. I'll call them right now."

Six hours later, Chris returned to the gigantic chain store to pick up the medication. The pharmacy said they didn't have it. So, I called the vet again. They answered that WalMart had told them it was ready to be picked up. My temper started to flare. On the phone, I sharply told Chris to get aggressive and get that medication.

Poor Chris stood in line and at the counter trying to convince these people they had Nimbus's medication for 30 minutes! Once again, we encountered the chinchilla conumdrum. I think there needs to be a Chinchilla Awareness campaign. The guy helping Chris had no clue what a chinchilla was or why we were giving it a generic form of bactrim. Finally, they located our medication. And, here's why it was missing for two days:

Yeah, that's not how you spell my last name.

What Chris should have said to the pharmacy was, "I know with complete certainty that there is no other medication back there prescribed to the first name of Nimbus. Can you please search for Nimbus?"

It's just been roadblock after roadblock. At this point, I just want Nimbus to get better. Please, please, let him get better. I want my beautiful chinchilla to be happy and healthy again, to be able to roll around in his beloved dust bathtub, to scamper through the house, to use the bedroom door in order to "wall surf." He acts fine, but what if it gets infected? What if he suddenly becomes sicker in the middle of the night? I can't take him back to REACH. I would never. And, there's only so much money left in my bank account. What if that runs out before he gets better? How do you choose between not spending money and your pet's life? My mind can't stop reeling from all the "What ifs?" At this rate, both Nimbus and I will be sick, one from an injury and the other from stress.

Photo from clipartof.com

Chilly Chinchilla Day

Oh boy!!! It is really coming down here!! In a matter of half an hour, we've got a good bit of snow sticking to the ground. And, it's that kind of snow that's perfect for snowballs and snowmen. Actually, I'm hoping Chris makes it home safely. He had to go to classes today at the university, and I'm hoping the roads aren't too bad so he can stock up on some groceries that don't require electricity to eat. And when he does safely come home, I have a few snowballs waiting for him!!! Muhahaha!!

Snow covering the walkway

Snowballs lying in wait for Chris!

Sansa doesn't know what to think.

Wonder how long we'll be snowed in!

The Cullowhee Crud

This weekend, I've been absolutely heartbroken because I can't play with my Nimbus.

Two days ago, I developed a horrible cough to where my lungs are hurting in a matter of minutes when I wake up (that's if I'm getting any sleep at all) from coughing and hacking so hard. In our college town, we have something known as The Cullowhee Crud. Any sneezing, coughing, hacking, sniffling, nose blowing, head spinning, nasty feeling sickness is referred to as The Cullowhee Crud, which includes (but is not limited to) a hardcore common cold, bronchitis and the regular flu. There's also an illness known as the Catamount Flu, which is a completely different scenario. It refers to the middle of the college semester when everyone is sick of their classes and is exhausted of their professors. Usually, it hits two weeks before Spring Break. I discovered that my version of The Cullowhee Crud is an upper respiratory infection. I feel horrible, unable to catch my breath during coughing fits, swimming in throes of nausea and sleeping about 1-2 hours a night as I battle my coughing. Thankfully, the doctor I saw today gave me several suggestions to help me heal, which couldn't come at a better time. I have a Skype job interview on Monday and another interview on Thursday, one that involves 2 and a half hours of driving one way. But, all of this means, I'm not allowed near Nimbus until I'm better.

My poor roommate/on-and-off-again boyfriend is now forced to take over chinchilla duties - something I'm not happy about. But, not because Chris can't take care of Nimbus. I'm scared that Nimbus and I will take huge steps backward because our bond will lessen. Chris will become his provider by feeding him, interacting with him and cleaning up after him. I, meanwhile, have to sit on the sidelines and watch from a distance because I don't want my cold transmitting to Nimbus's little lungs. You should never breathe directly on your chinchilla because they find human breath "offensive." I'm not kidding! But when you have a cold or the flu, this can be extremely dangerous because chinchillas can catch a respiratory infection from you.

Chris at Crane Beach, MA. He's a brilliant photographer and computer science major.

For Nimbus's safety, I am no longer handling the food he eats, the bowls he eats it from or providing direct contact. It means I can't pick him up and hold him like he's used to. This really upsets me because I don't want Nimbus to replace me as his primary owner with Chris, who is now doing the majority of the interacting.

Now, Chris would rather play with the cats than with Nimbus. I think he finds Nimbus very frustrating because he can be very stubborn and has destroyed some of Chris's belongings like his cell phone case and a few chargers. Although Chris should know better than to leave such objects within Nimbus's reach (nudge, nudge), he's still learning just how many places Nimbus can get to and how important it is to pick up around the house. I've lived with Nimbus since last February, and Chris moved in last October. He's a 21-year-old guy and isn't used to constantly picking up his stuff, particularly in a timely manner. I don't have to go after and pick up the house, but his room is an utter disaster!! It's gotten better, but still... it's a mess, and sometimes he leaves chewable items around in the living room. It's even more frustrating now because I can barely leave the couch, and Chris is responsible for getting up every time Nimbus gets in trouble like gnawing on a hidden cat toy or sneaking his way behind the couch. It only takes a few times before caring for Nimbus during play time is exhausting! In fact, Chris usually puts Nimbus away when I feel the chinchilla deserves more play time, and I think it's because he's frustrated about how much he has to correct Nimbus's behavior. I know it's frustrating. I've been there. From April to October, I lived with Nimbus on my own, and it was my job to watch after him alone. Yes, it's extremely frustrating. You would think that he'd learn which objects are off limits, because they're the same ones each time, particularly the books on the bookshelf, sliding under the oven, getting behind the couch. But, he is stubborn!! Goats are stubborn. Mules are stubborn. But, Nimbus takes the cake, and on a bad night, that's when the you-definitely-shouldn't-do-this yelling comes out.

Chris and myself at the WNC Nature Center, Asheville

At the moment, there is a very distinct difference between how Nimbus reacts to me compared to Chris. While we're not on the bonding level that I'd like, Nimbus knows that I'm mommy and knowing that I'm the mom is important because it establishes a stronger relationship. I don't believe that animals can handle two masters. In the wild, there is the alpha, and one alpha. You have the male lion over his pride. You have the alpha male and sometimes alpha female in a wolf pack, but the alpha female usually takes the top spot because she's the one who is strengthening the pack with offspring. I want to be the alpha in Nimbus's life. Right now, it seems more like he's the alpha, but we're working on that. Chris is the outsider. Nimbus does not put up with Chris's discipline in the slightest. He will sit there and egg Chris on in order to keep getting what he wants. I, on the other hand, usually get a quicker response from Nimbus. While perfect harmony would be complete if Nimbus responded to both of our commands, I don't see it happening, and a horrible situation will arise if Nimbus starts seeing Chris as the bigger influence in his life because if I move or Chris leaves, Nimbus and I will have to start all over again with discipline and cementing our bond.

When Chris glanced over and skimmed this post as I was writing it, his response was "I don't get frustrated with Nimbus!"

"You don't see how you interact with him," I answered.

"Well, it is really frustrating to get up and down all the time."

And, he's right, and because Chris isn't familiar with my chinchilla research and with Nimbus's behavior (although he's been reading every post on this blog which I think is helping), he finds it more difficult to be around him. And since Nimbus sees me as mommy and Chris as just some guy in the house, it only makes matters worse.

Photography by Chris, taken in Rhode Island

When my former boyfriend - the one I adopted Nimbus with - was still living here, he and Nimbus had the same relationship. He wasn't thrilled with getting a new pet, and so I took over Nimbus's care and loving. My gut feeling is that he felt Nimbus was just an annoying fur ball that chewed everything in sight and left droppings all over the house. Thus, there was never a bond, and I became the only chin parent in the house. So, what happens if I have to stop being the parent and someone else takes over?

Hopefully, I won't be laid up too long so that Nimbus doesn't forget who I am. He stills sees me every day, but it doesn't make up for the loss of physical play time of holding, stroking, riding my shoulder, chin rubs, etc. When I do become healthy again, I plan to do that five minutes of holding time a day, a suggested bonding activity for chins and new owners. In the meantime, I have to focus on myself and rest and hope that Chris doesn't get too frustrated with Nimbus. I highly doubt it would reach this point, but if something does happen and Chris pulls a wrong move, particularly with discipline, Nimbus could lose his trust of any humans for quite some time. Starting all over.... I don't even know what to say.

Nimbus's BFF is a Cat

Sparta is my beloved kitty of 7 years. My mother found him under a car at a gas station on a rainy night and brought him home. He was too cute and too sweet and too loving to be given away or taken to a rescue, so he became part of the family (he's named after The Mean Kitty). During my sophomore year of college, I took him as my own cat, and we've been inseparable ever since. He's the most important living being on the planet to me.

Sparta in his favorite location: my lap

Since my sophomore year, life hasn't been easy for Sparta. He's moved from Mount Holly to Cullowhee to Raleigh to Greensboro to Raleigh (without me) to Cullowhee to Sylva since August 2010. It's caused him some separation anxiety and stress concerns, as one could imagine. He's never quite sure if rearranging the house is packing for good and if bringing out the suitcase is moving or traveling. We've now lived in the same house for nearly two years, and he's developed a routine and easy lifestyle. However, I've applied to some jobs in New York - one that would require me to start by the end of this month - and I'm hoping he doesn't revert back to old habits of worrying whether I'm going to come home at night or if I've left for a long while. I also hope I can find a house where he'll be comfortable. Over the years, I've learned Sparta's requirements for a home:

1. Large windows so he can watch the birds and be aware of any other cat or dog threatening his kingdom
2. A large open space to run from one side of the house to other in either a burst of energy or while playing catch with his toys
3. At least one window that faces the sun so he can bask in the morning sunbeams (like he's doing right now)
4. A screened-in porch (I've never lived in a home with a screened-in porch, but it's a feature I've always wanted, and I know he'll love. He wants to be an outdoor cat, but he's not very street smart! He wouldn't last an hour on his own.)

Sparta watching his favorite movie "The Mousehole Cat"

Sparta has also seen a lot of pets come and go. In the Greensboro home, he lived with a chocolate Lab and a cat named Mac. He didn't mind the Lab, but he and Mac didn't get along. He went to live with my former boyfriend without me for two months. He and I were both miserable without each other. He also lived with Nutmeg the hamster and Binx the cat, who came into my life last November and left it in July. Binx and Sparta never got along, but they eventually tolerated each other enough to where it was a safe environment for both. However, it could be very stressful at times.

When Nimbus came into the picture, I wondered what Sparta's reaction would be. At first, he was quite curious, as any cat would be. But then, he didn't really show much interest in Nimbus. He's always been quite a calm cat and has never hunted for his food. Sparta's go-to meal is human food, a long and hard habit to break him out of. Right now, he's allowed five different types of human food: a small amount of tuna when I have it for lunch, a few laps of milk from my cereal (because it's not healthy for anymore than that for kitties), small pieces of steak and slices of chicken or turkey. To me, it's important for Sparta to get real meat like steak, chicken and turkey. Cats' teeth are made for meat, not the crunchy, hard kernels we give them in cat food. Neither is canned food constantly the best option either because the slick meat and gravy can become caught in their teeth causing plaque to build up and gingivitis. Before he was trained, Sparta would make off with whole chicken legs, popcorn, potato chips, anything on your plate. He was a little devil, but thankfully, his tastes never really were inclined toward moving critters.

Sparta and Nimbus

To allow Nimbus playtime, both the cats were corralled into separate bedrooms for Nimbus's safety. I was never fond of the practice, though, because it meant that the longer Nimbus played, the longer the cats had to sit in their bedrooms. Already, Sparta sat in his bedroom on Tuesdays and Thursdays while I was at school. Binx sat in his bedroom on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. They still didn't get along well enough for me to trust them together alone. To come home and have to lock them up yet again for Nimbus's sake always made me cringe and feel guilty. Since Sparta was so calm, I decided to try letting them interact with one another outside of the cage.

At first, Sparta wore his harness with his leash to become accustomed to the chinchilla's robust bursts of streaking down the hallway, his bouncy steps and his close encounters by tickling Sparta's face with his long whiskers. Sparta, of course, would lunge when Nimbus scampered away from him, but it didn't take long for them to grow used to each other. His reaction was more "What on earth is that thing??" rather than "Let's cook it for dinner!" In fact, I shouldn't have been worried about Sparta hurting Nimbus. It was actually the other way around!!

Nimbus and Sparta plotting how to conquer the world!

Chinchillas can be quite fierce and nasty when they are protecting their territory. Since Nimbus had never encountered Sparta during playtime, he felt that the living room was his and no one else's. Not even mine! That first interaction was led by Nimbus, who went after Sparta, testing him with nips to the tail and bluffs by dashing up to Sparta in order to scare him. It was quite hilarious, and Sparta received the message clearly: Nimbus is the boss!

Normally, I would never recommend introducing your cat and small mammal together. Sparta certainly never had access to Nutmeg the hamster unless she was in her exercise ball. In this special case, I felt Sparta was calm and even "chicken" enough to allow tolerance to form with this little puffball of power. And, it did very well. Instead, Sparta would rather play with catnip or his toys. On occasion, Sparta will have too much energy and need to be locked up again. Not because he's trying to hurt Nimbus by biting or scratching but because he's chasing the chinchilla. Every few weeks, I'll give a glance at them together and see Sparta, paw hovering over Nimbus' head, ready to bop him between the ears! It's a hilarious little game, but one we don't allow to go any further. Sometimes, they will play a gentle game of tag. Sparta will run after Nimbus, then Nimbus will run after Sparta. It's quite entertaining.

For me, it couldn't have been more of a relief, and I've found videos of other chinchilla owners who have tried the same experiment.This first video is of two chinchillas and what appears to be a Maine Coon.

This video shows a Siamese with his chinchilla buddy. I completely agree with the statement made by the owner in the description: "PLEASE NOTE THIS IS ALWAYS SUPERVISED AND DO NOT ATTEMPT UNLESS YOU ARE COMPLETELY CONFIDENT THAT YOUR CAT WILL NOT ATTACK."

If you are thinking about introducing your cat to your furry friend, I suggest taking into consideration your cat's temperament. While a chinchilla can be harmful to the cat because of its sharp teeth, the cat's behavior needs to be considered more so because of the claws, the teeth and the size. You should also begin with a controlled environment like using a harness to restrain the cat to gauge his or her reaction.

In my next post, I'll tell you what happens when a cat and chinchilla don't get along.

My perfect Sparta, who does not live up to his name!

Chinchillas vs. Hedgehogs and Ferrets

Now, I've always wanted a ferret, but there are two major problems with ferrets: 1) the smell and 2) the destruction. My boyfriend at the time put his foot down when it came to a ferret. He did not want to deal with the smell, which is a musky odor like a weasel. In order to keep that smell under control, cleaning the cage is multiple-times-a-week chore... not something we had time for - him with a full-time job and me with a full load of college courses and a part-time job.

I was concerned about point two, which is the destruction a ferret can wreak, especially in our rental home. Ferret curiosity is like no other. Cats are less curious than these little creatures. And because of their curiosity, limber body types and little claws, ferrets are sure to cause some damage. If I had to guess, looking around my house right now, I'd say that I'd have fewer snow globes, constantly dismantled shelves of books, stolen items from the key/wallet/iPod/miscellaneous, and a broken-into candy jar. They steal, they sneak, and they know they're good at it. As entertaining as a ferret would be - and I do plan to own one in the future - right now was not a good time to adopt "Pippin" and "Merry."

Furthermore, the time needed for a ferret to be happy and healthy requires multiple hours outside of his cage. They can be expensive because they need multiple toys to keep them entertained, though if they're anything like Nimbus, it doesn't matter how many toys you buy. They'll still end up playing with objects they shouldn't. Finally, I've held a ferret before, and they are wonderful critters. However, if you're not a fan of snakes, I wouldn't suggest a ferret. They're agile bodies slip and slide, which reminded me of the green snake I owned growing up.

All of the aspects I just mentioned sound like ferrets are horrible pets. Not the case. It just wasn't the right choice for me. Ferrets have vibrant personalities, are individualistic, will provide much entertainment, recognize their owners and have a lot of fun all-around. Just make sure you have the time to care for them.

If you'd like to see what I'm talking about with a ferret's sneakiness, check out this video below. I particularly love the polecat featured in the clip running off with a fish and the ferret who found his owner's bra!

 
Hedgehogs:
Pros -
Keep the cage clean, and hedgehogs will smell less than ferrets, although they do have an aroma. They, too, have distinct personalities, which means that your pet is your pet. Their love for swimming is entertaining and provides a different aspect to other types of small mammals. They live for seven years, which was the length of lifespan I was longing for.

Hedgehogs do not need buddies or mates, which is a plus when you're bringing in an animal you've never cared for previously. Nothing is worse than losing two animals instead of one if something goes wrong... or having to find homes for two animals because your inability to care for them is harming the animals.

During the evening/night, you'll find a very active pet on your hands. They won't sit on your lap, but they will provide entertainment and interaction, according to Pet Info Packets.

Cons -
I wanted a new friend that I could hold without being injured. Obviously, a hedgehog does not accommodate that desire. Yes, they're prickly little critters, and that is something to be aware of, especially if you have children. Those spikes also posed a danger to my cats. They'd learn the lesson, but at what cost? Their safety was more important.

Due to their type of excrement, an everyday chore is cleaning their large exercise wheel. Along with the cage, this can add up to a lot of time not spent with the animal but with chores. Yes, all pets come with chores. My cat Sparta needs a clean litter box, fresh water and food. What he also needs it playtime and a snugly lap. He doesn't need baths, walks in the rain, trips to a specially trained vet or a cleaned cage. You need to research what is the ratio between chores to playtime, if that fits into your schedule and if that's time you're willing to give up in order to own a hedgehog, ferret, rabbit, etc.

Finally, while my home is able to accommodate a hedgehog's desired temperatures during the spring, summer and early fall, I am not able to keep the house between 74-76 degrees F. I just graduated from college and have yet to find a job, which means no income for me. Aside from rent, my heating bill is the top expense in my household. However, unlike rent and the Internet payments, I can control what my heating bill amounts to. This means that on average my house is between 52-59 degrees each day during December, January, February, March and into April as I live in the Appalachian Mountains. This is the PERFECT temperature for a chinchilla as they are native to the Andes Mountains in South America. According to Pet Info Packets, a hedgehog would freeze to death. Meanwhile, my roommate and I bunker down with lots of coats. If it's a sunny day, our home is in the perfect location to bask in the sunlight. On cloudy days, we huddle together under blankets.

From lovedogbook.com