Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Am I a responsible pet owner?

I have a rabbit, a guinea pig (I am currently trying to find a friend for her), and 2 rats. My rats live in my room, in a large bird cage with 3 added levels and tons of hammocks and toys (I typed the dimensions into several cage calculators including ones that include levels and it fits 2 rats comfortably). My guinea pig lives in a Midwest Pets Guinea Habitat cage that is similar to a C&C cage. It is 7.5 square feet and when I find a friend for her I am buying another so it will be 15 square feet. My rabbit lives outside in a very safe and secure situation. First of all, I live in the city Eugene, Oregon so there is very mild weather here. It rains a lot but temperatures don't ever go below 15 or 20 degrees Fahrenheit and don't go above 95 degrees at the most. In my yard there is a large wooden frame covered in chicken wire, with a roof, and a door (that securely latches.) It is about a 5 or 6 foot square. Inside of that, is a wire cage, the length of the enclosure, attached to the wooden frame. The whole thing is right under a bunch of tall shady trees and bushes, it is never sunny there. In the winter we put Plastic around 3 1/2 sides of the enclosure, so that he is warm and safe from the rain/wind. It also makes it hard for predators to get in or scare him. We provide him with plenty of hay to burrow in in the winter. In the summer we take the plastic off all sides except the side that the back of his cage is on (so predators can't get to the cage as easily), but it is still very well ventilated. His cage is about 10.5 square feet and 18 inches high. Even though his cage has a wire bottom, about 1/4 of it is always covered with a large generous handful or hay so he never has to sit on the wire. I change the hay daily and I scrape out the droppings/hay under the cage weekly. Also weekly, I wash and disinfect his food/water dishes and scrape the bottom of the cage. I also spray the area under the cage with bleach. For exercise, My rabbit has a 6 foot by 6 foot dog kennel with a roof and wire on the bottom. The kennel is in the shade over some nice grass. There is a stool for him to play on and some brick platforms too that I made. I put him in it every day for at least 1 or 2 hours, but usually 4 or 5 hours (more on the weekends). I don't put him out if it is raining really hard or very windy. I give my guinea pig exercise in a large corner of my basement that I covered in towels/blankets and then put a pen around the corner. I spread her veggies all around and she also has boxes/toys to play with. She runs around for about 2 or 3 hours a day. For my rats, I have very thoroughly rat proofed my room and I let them out while I do some of my homework or whenever I have time to watch them, usually at least 1 hour, but more often 2 or 3 hours. For diet, my rabbit and guinea pig get 1/8 cup Oxbow pellets (guinea pig for the guinea pig and rabbit pellets for the rabbit of course) and 1 packed cup, or 2 loose cups of vegetables. They also get a large handful of unlimited orchard grass hay. My rats get a handful of Harlan Teklad lab blocks and about 1 tablespoon each of treats/fruits/veggies. I spot clean my guinea pig and rat cages daily, and clean the whole cage weekly. Here is the thing: This description of what I do is really what I try very hard to do, but sometimes I get really busy with homework/chores/events and things I have to go to. So sometimes I don't have time to spot clean, or do a whole cage clean, sometimes I clean the cage every 2 weeks, or I can't spot clean for a couple days. Sometimes I don't have time to let my bunny out, or it's raining. This is not really on a super regular basis, but it happens and I feel really bad. I really really want to give them best care I can to my animals but school and parents seem to get in the way a lot. If I stopped doing my schoolwork, then my parents would make me get rid of my pets. I have a very special bond with each of them and I also let my rabbit run around my fenced yard. He sticks close to me and follows me around. If I go inside to get a tissue, he will be waiting at the door for me. I love them very much. In the summer things like that won't happen very much, and next year I am going to a school with less homework, but 1 hour longer than most school days. I think it will be a better fit and I will have more time for my animals. In general am I a responsible pet owner?

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