Meryl has gotten a new kitten and I have had the pleasure of being amongst the first to meet her.She a former feral and is a bit skittish, but Meimei is warming up to me.
She has a gloriously loud purr, I call it thunder purr. I can clearly hear her when I'm playing with her with the laser pointer. It is so much fun watching her zoom about with such obvious joy.
And a bit of joy is always something to be appreciated.
Showing posts with label pets. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pets. Show all posts
Sunday, November 03, 2013
Tuesday, June 04, 2013
My Kitties
At this point in my life I'm a dog owner, but I still love the kitty cats. Between allergies and having dogs that would eat cats, it's just not a good idea to bring a cat into our household.
However, a long time ago I did have some cats. Way back in the 70's we acquired my first cat. Since we are all allergic she was a barn cat. I remember going to pick her out and bringing her home. I named her Meeshu (ME-shoe), I have no idea where that name came from, and loved her dearly.
We lived on a dirt road and had a huge old barn. She ranged about, but was always happy to go on walks with me in the fields around our house. She was an excellent mouser, and had one odd trait. She loved to be stroked, but on her terms. When she had enough she would turn her head and ever so gentle grab your hand with her mouth. I wouldn't call it a bite, since she never ever broke the skin.
A few years and an interstate move later we acquired another cat, actually a whole family. Mica, a solid grey, has dumped at our house. She kicked Meeshu out of the cellar (we had a catdoor in one of the windows). At first we thought she was pregnant, but not long after we saw her nursing her kittens in the dog yard. It was a fascinating litter, one Siamese, two calicoes, and two black and whites with tuxedo markings.
Obviously Mica got around.
We figured out two of the fathers, the black and whites looked like the stray hanging around out barn. We called him Boris and he was like a shadow, never letting us near. The calicoes were most likely the result of a rendezvous with one of the many orange and white cats about two miles away. The orange cat house was legendary with my fellow school bus riders. Every day we would count all the visible cats, I think the highest total was 20 and each and every one of them was orange and white. As for the Siamese, that was a complete mystery.
Sadly the Siamese got nailed by one of the dogs. One black and white, Tippy, was given to our neighbor. The second was humanely put down as it was completely feral and vicious. It bit me while it was scruffed by twisting around in its skin. When we took it to the vet it climbed halfway up the bare wall and spat at us. The vet, who was not really on board with the whole putting it down, agreed that it was dangerous and it would be inhumane to release it in the wilds of VT. Once the kittens were weaned we had Mica spayed and found her a good home. She did not get along with Meeshu and very clearly wanted to be an indoor cat.
Thus leaving the two calicoes, Pablo and Tasha. We planned on keeping just Pablo, but when my mom picked Tasha up to take her to the shelter she said "If you purr you can stay. " And right on cue Tasha started purring. So for the summer we had three cats. Unfortunately Pablo got hit by a car that fall. Then we moved and Meeshu disappeared the day the moving trucks came. It was a local move and we kept returning to look for her, but she never did turn up. Tasha, however stayed on and lived to become the oldest cat in town. Seriously the vet called us when she was going through her records and realized exactly how old Tasha was at the time. I think she was at least 23 before she faded away. Not bad for an outdoor cat.
However, a long time ago I did have some cats. Way back in the 70's we acquired my first cat. Since we are all allergic she was a barn cat. I remember going to pick her out and bringing her home. I named her Meeshu (ME-shoe), I have no idea where that name came from, and loved her dearly.
We lived on a dirt road and had a huge old barn. She ranged about, but was always happy to go on walks with me in the fields around our house. She was an excellent mouser, and had one odd trait. She loved to be stroked, but on her terms. When she had enough she would turn her head and ever so gentle grab your hand with her mouth. I wouldn't call it a bite, since she never ever broke the skin.
A few years and an interstate move later we acquired another cat, actually a whole family. Mica, a solid grey, has dumped at our house. She kicked Meeshu out of the cellar (we had a catdoor in one of the windows). At first we thought she was pregnant, but not long after we saw her nursing her kittens in the dog yard. It was a fascinating litter, one Siamese, two calicoes, and two black and whites with tuxedo markings.
Obviously Mica got around.
We figured out two of the fathers, the black and whites looked like the stray hanging around out barn. We called him Boris and he was like a shadow, never letting us near. The calicoes were most likely the result of a rendezvous with one of the many orange and white cats about two miles away. The orange cat house was legendary with my fellow school bus riders. Every day we would count all the visible cats, I think the highest total was 20 and each and every one of them was orange and white. As for the Siamese, that was a complete mystery.
Sadly the Siamese got nailed by one of the dogs. One black and white, Tippy, was given to our neighbor. The second was humanely put down as it was completely feral and vicious. It bit me while it was scruffed by twisting around in its skin. When we took it to the vet it climbed halfway up the bare wall and spat at us. The vet, who was not really on board with the whole putting it down, agreed that it was dangerous and it would be inhumane to release it in the wilds of VT. Once the kittens were weaned we had Mica spayed and found her a good home. She did not get along with Meeshu and very clearly wanted to be an indoor cat.
Thus leaving the two calicoes, Pablo and Tasha. We planned on keeping just Pablo, but when my mom picked Tasha up to take her to the shelter she said "If you purr you can stay. " And right on cue Tasha started purring. So for the summer we had three cats. Unfortunately Pablo got hit by a car that fall. Then we moved and Meeshu disappeared the day the moving trucks came. It was a local move and we kept returning to look for her, but she never did turn up. Tasha, however stayed on and lived to become the oldest cat in town. Seriously the vet called us when she was going through her records and realized exactly how old Tasha was at the time. I think she was at least 23 before she faded away. Not bad for an outdoor cat.
Friday, April 13, 2012
Project MCP: Shallow Depth of Field
I'm back after a little two day holiday. Having everybody home for a week is draining and I got a bit obsessed with Mini Ninjas.
So amongst dental appointments and Dr. appointments I squeezed in a little time to take pictures. The assignment was shallow depth of field and I tried taking a few pictures in the backyard when I got assaulted by Dell. I was on the ground and he was all over me. Silly me, I tried being on the dog's level and expected to get anything meaningful done.
The logical solution (short of dragging the offending dog inside) was to take pictures of the dog. Dell happily milled about when I got this great shot of him with one paw lifted. He is in the shade, perfectly exposed and in focus while the rest of the lawn is overexposed and blurry. I did no processing of the photo, just cropped it down and uploaded.
So amongst dental appointments and Dr. appointments I squeezed in a little time to take pictures. The assignment was shallow depth of field and I tried taking a few pictures in the backyard when I got assaulted by Dell. I was on the ground and he was all over me. Silly me, I tried being on the dog's level and expected to get anything meaningful done.
The logical solution (short of dragging the offending dog inside) was to take pictures of the dog. Dell happily milled about when I got this great shot of him with one paw lifted. He is in the shade, perfectly exposed and in focus while the rest of the lawn is overexposed and blurry. I did no processing of the photo, just cropped it down and uploaded.
Sunday, November 06, 2011
Little Bunny
We went this unbelievably cute critter at a birthday party today.
The party was in honor of another cutie's first birthday. We are friends with her father, grandfather, and uncles hence the invitation. The proud grandfather even went so far as to hire a pony. Along with the pony there were two miniature goats, a couple lambs, a brace of chickens, possibly the world's happiest pot bellied pig (it never stopped wagging its tail), a rabbit that has an amazing coat- the fringes along its jaw resembled an outrageous pair of mutton chop sideburns, and two of the tiniest little baby bunnies.
The critters were a huge hit with the dynamic duo and most of the other party guests. The little bunnies, however really stole the show.
The party was in honor of another cutie's first birthday. We are friends with her father, grandfather, and uncles hence the invitation. The proud grandfather even went so far as to hire a pony. Along with the pony there were two miniature goats, a couple lambs, a brace of chickens, possibly the world's happiest pot bellied pig (it never stopped wagging its tail), a rabbit that has an amazing coat- the fringes along its jaw resembled an outrageous pair of mutton chop sideburns, and two of the tiniest little baby bunnies.
The critters were a huge hit with the dynamic duo and most of the other party guests. The little bunnies, however really stole the show.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Argh, Just Take My Picture Already
John is such a patient and cooperative dog. That is why he got stuck with the eye patch. It was just challenge enough getting a hat on Delly. John would sit there waiting 5, almost 10 minutes with the eye patch before he would rub it off. With Dell...
Well this is how the photo shoot went.
Find hats, eye patch, and camera. Take all of that outside along with the dogs.
Place John on the deck box, place eye patch and hat on his head, then tell him to wait.
Try to pick up Dell. Dell flops over for a tummy rub.
Man handle Dell onto deck box and stop him from leaping off.
Try to place hat on Dell's head, he flops over for a tummy rub. Haul Dell into an upright position. Repeat a half dozen or so times until Dell figures out that a tummy is not going to happen and decides to sit.
Jam hat on Dell's head. Adjust John's eye patch take pictures while periodically repositioning Dell's hat and stopping Dell from leaping down.
Release dogs, download pictures discovered the best pose is blurry.
Round up dogs, get smart and show them I have treats. Dell no longer wants a belly rub, now he is all OMG SHE HAS FOOD, I LOVE FOOD! GIMME FOOD!!!!
After a minute Dell settles down, John sighs, and I take more pictures.
End of shoot dogs get treats.
That's one way to spend a Monday morning.
Well this is how the photo shoot went.
Find hats, eye patch, and camera. Take all of that outside along with the dogs.
Place John on the deck box, place eye patch and hat on his head, then tell him to wait.
Try to pick up Dell. Dell flops over for a tummy rub.
Man handle Dell onto deck box and stop him from leaping off.
Try to place hat on Dell's head, he flops over for a tummy rub. Haul Dell into an upright position. Repeat a half dozen or so times until Dell figures out that a tummy is not going to happen and decides to sit.
Jam hat on Dell's head. Adjust John's eye patch take pictures while periodically repositioning Dell's hat and stopping Dell from leaping down.
Release dogs, download pictures discovered the best pose is blurry.
Round up dogs, get smart and show them I have treats. Dell no longer wants a belly rub, now he is all OMG SHE HAS FOOD, I LOVE FOOD! GIMME FOOD!!!!
After a minute Dell settles down, John sighs, and I take more pictures.
End of shoot dogs get treats.
That's one way to spend a Monday morning.
Friday, February 18, 2011
MCP Project 52: Open Your Heart
I submitted this photograph of Max with John for this week's MCP Project 52. The theme this week is "open your heart" and I felt the interaction of Max with the dogs best represented the theme.
In all likely hood if Max had never grown up with dogs he probably wouldn't like them. Dogs are messy and unpredictable and Max is not a big fan of either. Max is still a bit wary of big dogs, but our very silly and loving dogs has opened his heart. He has told me on numerous occasions how he will have a miniature dachshund when he is all grown up and out on his own.
I'm glad our dogs were able to worm their way into his affections and open up the world of companion animals to him. The world can be a lonely place and having a pet can warm up your little corner.
As to the picture itself I tried out adding texture. The effect I used is called dry brush and I like the feel it gives to the finial product. I generally avoid using such filters and effects, but it's good to try something different once in a while.
In all likely hood if Max had never grown up with dogs he probably wouldn't like them. Dogs are messy and unpredictable and Max is not a big fan of either. Max is still a bit wary of big dogs, but our very silly and loving dogs has opened his heart. He has told me on numerous occasions how he will have a miniature dachshund when he is all grown up and out on his own.
I'm glad our dogs were able to worm their way into his affections and open up the world of companion animals to him. The world can be a lonely place and having a pet can warm up your little corner.
As to the picture itself I tried out adding texture. The effect I used is called dry brush and I like the feel it gives to the finial product. I generally avoid using such filters and effects, but it's good to try something different once in a while.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Because Puppies Are Like That
Yesterday the kids did not have school. It was the end of term and the teachers had a work day to sort out grades and what not. Which I heartily approve of, they need the extra time to get it all done.
Anyway this meant we had a free day to do whatever.
As I had mentioned before, 5 and 1/2 weeks ago Dell's sister (and John's half-sister) Trudy had a litter of six. The puppies have been growing like weeds and Diane and I thought it would be fun to bring the kids on over. My kids would get to play with six adorable puppies and the puppies would get exposed to some dog savvy and gentle kids.
It's full of win!
The only downside is that it's a solid two hour ride to Diane's house, but that is what in-car DVD players are for. We ended up watching Pink Panther cartoons on the way up and Order of the Phoenix on the way home. [Note I refuse to watch the Steve Martin Pink Panther flicks. I think Mr. Martin is a brillant comic in his own right, but come on, redoing Peter Sellers. It is just not going to happen.]
Anywho, the ride up was fine and the puppies were happy to see us. Even little Miss Pink, who has been a bit shy, swarmed all over the kids with her tail wagging. Speaking of wagging tails, the puppy climbing on Max was wagging his tail so hard it looks like a ghost image in the picture.
Even Trudy, the puppies' mother, got a bit of loving. She zoom around us with the puppies trailing behind trying to hit the milk bar. She is just like her brother Dell, full of energy and kisses. She had no problem with a bunch of kids playing with her puppies. All she wanted was some attention and some biscuits, but that is what I would expect of a Crunch puppy.
After a bit the puppies started to get sleepy and we went upstairs for cupcakes and ice cream. Nate raced through his snack and asked if he could go downstairs again to sit with the puppies. Diane said it was fine and down he went. I was very pleased that Diane trusted my son enough to let him be with the puppies by himself. She knows him well enough and saw how good he was with the pups that she was comfortable with him being alone with the pups.
Once we were all done with snack we trooped back down for some more puppy time.
It's hard to say who had the most fun. For the most part the kids had a great time. Even Jake who didn't want to go in the first place had a good time, though he was the first to want to go back home.
I think the biggest surprise was Max. He was a bit fidgety at first, he really doesn't like kissy dogs. But after snack and watching the puppies he got in with them and really started to enjoy himself. In fact he announced that he loves the puppies and wants to come back soon this month.
Since the month is almost over coming back in January is not going to happen, but sometime in February is a distinct possibility.
Oh and the title of this post, it the title of a great little book that does a great job showing what puppies do.
Anyway this meant we had a free day to do whatever.
As I had mentioned before, 5 and 1/2 weeks ago Dell's sister (and John's half-sister) Trudy had a litter of six. The puppies have been growing like weeds and Diane and I thought it would be fun to bring the kids on over. My kids would get to play with six adorable puppies and the puppies would get exposed to some dog savvy and gentle kids.
It's full of win!
The only downside is that it's a solid two hour ride to Diane's house, but that is what in-car DVD players are for. We ended up watching Pink Panther cartoons on the way up and Order of the Phoenix on the way home. [Note I refuse to watch the Steve Martin Pink Panther flicks. I think Mr. Martin is a brillant comic in his own right, but come on, redoing Peter Sellers. It is just not going to happen.]
Anywho, the ride up was fine and the puppies were happy to see us. Even little Miss Pink, who has been a bit shy, swarmed all over the kids with her tail wagging. Speaking of wagging tails, the puppy climbing on Max was wagging his tail so hard it looks like a ghost image in the picture.
Even Trudy, the puppies' mother, got a bit of loving. She zoom around us with the puppies trailing behind trying to hit the milk bar. She is just like her brother Dell, full of energy and kisses. She had no problem with a bunch of kids playing with her puppies. All she wanted was some attention and some biscuits, but that is what I would expect of a Crunch puppy.
After a bit the puppies started to get sleepy and we went upstairs for cupcakes and ice cream. Nate raced through his snack and asked if he could go downstairs again to sit with the puppies. Diane said it was fine and down he went. I was very pleased that Diane trusted my son enough to let him be with the puppies by himself. She knows him well enough and saw how good he was with the pups that she was comfortable with him being alone with the pups.
Once we were all done with snack we trooped back down for some more puppy time.
It's hard to say who had the most fun. For the most part the kids had a great time. Even Jake who didn't want to go in the first place had a good time, though he was the first to want to go back home.
I think the biggest surprise was Max. He was a bit fidgety at first, he really doesn't like kissy dogs. But after snack and watching the puppies he got in with them and really started to enjoy himself. In fact he announced that he loves the puppies and wants to come back soon this month.
Since the month is almost over coming back in January is not going to happen, but sometime in February is a distinct possibility.
Oh and the title of this post, it the title of a great little book that does a great job showing what puppies do.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
One Happy Dog
My friend Dianne found this video over at StumbleUpon Video and sent me the following note:
As I watched this video, I couldn't help think of Crunch and the boys. Thought you would enjoy this.
Dianne
Jerry, with his white face, looks so much like Crunch. Crunch was also tennis ball crazy, but he never got his own ball throwing machine. I think the whole thing is fantastic.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Tig
Saturday was a very sad day around here. Meryl called me up and told me it was time. She would be taking Tig to the vet for his final journey.
Tig was a magnificent cat and I was privileged to know him and to help ease his final days. I'm glad we had a bit of false spring the past week so that Tig could sit in the sun and warm himself.
Farewell Tig and happy hunting in the next life.
Tig was a magnificent cat and I was privileged to know him and to help ease his final days. I'm glad we had a bit of false spring the past week so that Tig could sit in the sun and warm himself.
Farewell Tig and happy hunting in the next life.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Pictures of Gwen
This is for my Mom, it's easier to post pictures here than to try to send them.
So feel free to look, ultimately I'll be taking this post down.
So feel free to look, ultimately I'll be taking this post down.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Weekly Tadpole Update: The Final Five
Last Sunday we bid farewell to the last of our tadpoles. Only five were left, four were ready to go and one was stubbornly refusing to leave the water. The last holdout was unceremoniously dumped on the turtle dock to see if it could handle dry land. It tried to wriggle back to the water , but after a few moments it adjusted. A good thing too, because there was no way I was going to maintain the tank for just one froglette. It is a strapping fellow compared to its short-tailed and tailless brethren.
So off to the stream with the final five.
It was a damp and squishy walk, just the kind of day to re-release amphibians back into the wild, or at least the suburbs.
They looked happy enough in their new environment. The smallest one looks a bit sickly. It is quite thin and I fished it out of the water when I saw it sinking in the water. It perked up on the land, I hope it makes it.
For those of you keeping score we released 33 tadpoles and only lost four. One of the deceased looked a bit odd and the other three ended up drowning when we ere less vigilant about scooping them out. I would say that is a pretty good survival rate, just under 88% made it back into the wild. They got quite a head start over the tadpoles left behind.
So off to the stream with the final five.
It was a damp and squishy walk, just the kind of day to re-release amphibians back into the wild, or at least the suburbs.
They looked happy enough in their new environment. The smallest one looks a bit sickly. It is quite thin and I fished it out of the water when I saw it sinking in the water. It perked up on the land, I hope it makes it.
For those of you keeping score we released 33 tadpoles and only lost four. One of the deceased looked a bit odd and the other three ended up drowning when we ere less vigilant about scooping them out. I would say that is a pretty good survival rate, just under 88% made it back into the wild. They got quite a head start over the tadpoles left behind.
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Endings and Beginnings
Yesterday I got a very sad call from my mom.
My mother's dog, Willie, had been off for the past few days. The poor thing had been laying about and it took some serious effort from my mom to get her to move. Willie is normally a busy little soul that keeps track of my mother and follows her about the house, classic behavior from a smooth dachshund.
So my mother decided to take her in to the vet.
The initial findings were that Willie was severely anemic, cause unknown.
This led to further testing and it was discovered that Willie had an enormous tumor. It was amazing that she could functional at all. Since Willie was no longer a young little pup, in fact pushing 14 if I recall correctly, my mother decided that the kindest thing to do was to put her to sleep.
Willie breathed her last breath in the arms of my mother, the person she adored most in the world. It was a heartbreaking moment and even the vet cried.
I wish I could have been there. Larry and I had picked out Willie and brought her out to my mom. She was the half sister to our dear Rally and was almost exactly a year younger than Rally.
But instead of being there for the end, I have been charged with the task of finding my mother a new dog. One phone call later I already have not one, but two likely prospects.
I guess I'm in charge of new beginnings and that is a pretty good job.
My mother's dog, Willie, had been off for the past few days. The poor thing had been laying about and it took some serious effort from my mom to get her to move. Willie is normally a busy little soul that keeps track of my mother and follows her about the house, classic behavior from a smooth dachshund.
So my mother decided to take her in to the vet.
The initial findings were that Willie was severely anemic, cause unknown.
This led to further testing and it was discovered that Willie had an enormous tumor. It was amazing that she could functional at all. Since Willie was no longer a young little pup, in fact pushing 14 if I recall correctly, my mother decided that the kindest thing to do was to put her to sleep.
Willie breathed her last breath in the arms of my mother, the person she adored most in the world. It was a heartbreaking moment and even the vet cried.
I wish I could have been there. Larry and I had picked out Willie and brought her out to my mom. She was the half sister to our dear Rally and was almost exactly a year younger than Rally.
But instead of being there for the end, I have been charged with the task of finding my mother a new dog. One phone call later I already have not one, but two likely prospects.
I guess I'm in charge of new beginnings and that is a pretty good job.
Monday, May 07, 2007
Weekly Tadpole Update: Another Six Gone
We released six more tadpoles/frogs today.
Right after we released the last batch of six on Friday, a froglette pulled itself out of the water and onto the turtle dock. On Saturday a few more followed suit over the course of the day.
I considered releasing them Saturday night, but I thought it would be quite a shock to the frogs' system to be dumped outside at dusk in 50 degree weather. Today was a much better choice.
If you look very carefully you can see a few of the frogs. Two are somewhat obvious and the third is a bit trickier to spot. If you click through the picture you can roll the mouse over the image to reveal the frogs.
Meanwhile back in the tank it is becoming obvious to me that we have two different species. There are the cute little ones that are quick to mature and are already being released. And then there are the much larger and slower developing tadpoles that are just starting to grow front legs. The big ones are easily twice the size of the little ones.
I can't wait to see how the big ones turn out.
Update: Another seven, that's right 7, were released Monday afternoon.
Update Part II: Another nine gone, some with a decidedly toady look about them.
Right after we released the last batch of six on Friday, a froglette pulled itself out of the water and onto the turtle dock. On Saturday a few more followed suit over the course of the day.
I considered releasing them Saturday night, but I thought it would be quite a shock to the frogs' system to be dumped outside at dusk in 50 degree weather. Today was a much better choice.
If you look very carefully you can see a few of the frogs. Two are somewhat obvious and the third is a bit trickier to spot. If you click through the picture you can roll the mouse over the image to reveal the frogs.
Meanwhile back in the tank it is becoming obvious to me that we have two different species. There are the cute little ones that are quick to mature and are already being released. And then there are the much larger and slower developing tadpoles that are just starting to grow front legs. The big ones are easily twice the size of the little ones.
I can't wait to see how the big ones turn out.
Update: Another seven, that's right 7, were released Monday afternoon.
Update Part II: Another nine gone, some with a decidedly toady look about them.
Friday, May 04, 2007
Freedom
On Tuesday Nate noticed that one of the froglettes was struggling in the tank. It kept falling backwards and landing upside down. Fearing that the little guy was drowning, I scooped him up and deposited him on the turtle dock.
The little guy stood there, probably a bit stunned by the experience, looked around and decided to stay put. I put a leaf in the tank to provide it a bit of cover and spent the rest of the day watching it.
He is so tiny, he would fit neatly on top of a dime. At first he had a bit of a tail, but amazingly as the day wore on he reabsorbed it. Thus we now officially have a frog.
As the days passed a few more froglettes joined our first frog on dry land (or rather Styrofoam). Most of them we rescued from the bottom of the tank, but a few figured it out on their own. Amusingly one or two upon rescuing would immediately plunge back into the water; they were not quite ready.
The biggest puzzle was what to feed them.
I tried a pile of fish flakes, but it was ignored.
I then went to the exotic pet store and asked for the smallest live food for frogs and ended up with a bag of baby crickets. The smallest ones were about half the size of the frogs and the largest... well, the biggest one actually threatened a frog. It drew itself up and waved its antenna at a frog and then stamped away. The frog, meanwhile, was completely nonplussed. It just sat there absorbing it's new environment.
This morning we had five little frogs arrayed on the dock. It was nice out and we had a little time before the bus so I decided it was time to release this first batch. At first there was a bit of protest from the kids, but when I pointed out that we couldn't feed them properly they agreed it was for the best.
At this point one more frog heaved itself out of the water and joined its compatriots. He still has quite a bit of tail as you can see in the photo, but he was deemed ready to go.
So six little frogs were loaded into Jake's orange bucket and taken down to the stream.
Jake and Nate grabbed their back packs and the rest trailed us, still clad in their pajamas including our house guests' two daughters.
A shallow stretch of the stream, not far from where they were originally caught was selected. We could see in the shallows a few tadpoles wriggling about. The wild ones were not nearly as far along as our crew. They firmly remained in the tadpole stage, nary a leg in the bunch.
With little ceremony I dumped our frogs back into the stream from whence they came.
And here you can see Rebecca, one of the girls and Max watching our frogs in their newly freed state.
I don't know how happy they are, but they certainly looked cold when they hit the water. The good news is that Jake and Nate spied a fair number of water bugs just the right size for our frogs to eat.
The little guy stood there, probably a bit stunned by the experience, looked around and decided to stay put. I put a leaf in the tank to provide it a bit of cover and spent the rest of the day watching it.
He is so tiny, he would fit neatly on top of a dime. At first he had a bit of a tail, but amazingly as the day wore on he reabsorbed it. Thus we now officially have a frog.
As the days passed a few more froglettes joined our first frog on dry land (or rather Styrofoam). Most of them we rescued from the bottom of the tank, but a few figured it out on their own. Amusingly one or two upon rescuing would immediately plunge back into the water; they were not quite ready.
The biggest puzzle was what to feed them.
I tried a pile of fish flakes, but it was ignored.
I then went to the exotic pet store and asked for the smallest live food for frogs and ended up with a bag of baby crickets. The smallest ones were about half the size of the frogs and the largest... well, the biggest one actually threatened a frog. It drew itself up and waved its antenna at a frog and then stamped away. The frog, meanwhile, was completely nonplussed. It just sat there absorbing it's new environment.
This morning we had five little frogs arrayed on the dock. It was nice out and we had a little time before the bus so I decided it was time to release this first batch. At first there was a bit of protest from the kids, but when I pointed out that we couldn't feed them properly they agreed it was for the best.
At this point one more frog heaved itself out of the water and joined its compatriots. He still has quite a bit of tail as you can see in the photo, but he was deemed ready to go.
So six little frogs were loaded into Jake's orange bucket and taken down to the stream.
Jake and Nate grabbed their back packs and the rest trailed us, still clad in their pajamas including our house guests' two daughters.
A shallow stretch of the stream, not far from where they were originally caught was selected. We could see in the shallows a few tadpoles wriggling about. The wild ones were not nearly as far along as our crew. They firmly remained in the tadpole stage, nary a leg in the bunch.
With little ceremony I dumped our frogs back into the stream from whence they came.
And here you can see Rebecca, one of the girls and Max watching our frogs in their newly freed state.
I don't know how happy they are, but they certainly looked cold when they hit the water. The good news is that Jake and Nate spied a fair number of water bugs just the right size for our frogs to eat.
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
My Life is Going to the Frogs
The most exciting thing I have going on is the tadpole tank.
Monday (yesterday) I noticed one of the tadpoles had some very pronounced front leg buds. After a bit of googling I found out the front legs emerge elbow first, which pretty much matches what I can see of this little one.
This afternoon the boys were watching the tadpoles and noticed that one had three legs! Well it turns out it actually had all four. Interestingly it was one of the smaller tadpoles in the tank. Now, with its new four legged status, the tadpole has now been granted the title of froglette.
So far we have only one froglette, but several others are sporting the telltale front leg buds. Mind you, at the same time there are still a few that are just starting to grow their hind legs.
From the front the froglette has a decidedly froggy appearance, no longer is it a little blobby tadpole. So far it remains underwater and hasn’t shown an indication that it will become an air breather, but I know that will come with time. I think we’ll be releasing a few back into the wild in the near future.
Monday (yesterday) I noticed one of the tadpoles had some very pronounced front leg buds. After a bit of googling I found out the front legs emerge elbow first, which pretty much matches what I can see of this little one.
This afternoon the boys were watching the tadpoles and noticed that one had three legs! Well it turns out it actually had all four. Interestingly it was one of the smaller tadpoles in the tank. Now, with its new four legged status, the tadpole has now been granted the title of froglette.
So far we have only one froglette, but several others are sporting the telltale front leg buds. Mind you, at the same time there are still a few that are just starting to grow their hind legs.
From the front the froglette has a decidedly froggy appearance, no longer is it a little blobby tadpole. So far it remains underwater and hasn’t shown an indication that it will become an air breather, but I know that will come with time. I think we’ll be releasing a few back into the wild in the near future.
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Weekly Tadpole Update: Moving Day
Another week has passed and the tadpoles are thriving. They continue to grow and develop. In fact, their little leg buds from last week have blossomed into full blown legs, complete with little flippers and toes.
With the advent of actual legs I have been increasingly concerned about the tadpoles and their living quarters. At some point their gill flaps grow over and they begin to use their lungs, if I don’t provide a spot for them to rest out of the water the little hoppers-to-be could drown. It is not exactly clear when this momentous event occurs, so I decided it was time to do something. It would be horrible if I waited too long and ended up with a tank full of dead tadpoles.
So Friday I hauled the old 20 gallon tank out of the attic, cleaned it up and readied it for tadpoles. I let the tank settle overnight and Saturday was deemed to be “moving day.” The tadpoles moved from this:
To this:
The new tank is huge, easily five times larger. I also picked up a “turtle dock” which is a floating platform that features a sloping ramp that extends down into the water. It is a perfect place for little tadpoles to rest and learn how to breathe.
I know our human houseguests would have enjoyed the show, but I didn’t want to have to supervise two extra kids. As is, it was a complicated process. Everybody wanted to scoop up tadpoles with the fish net. I decided that each child would get to scoops, starting with Max than Rebecca. It was tempting just to dump the contents of the small tank into the big tank, but I didn’t want to crush the tadpoles when the rocks went tumbling in. Instead each tadpole was carefully scooped up and then transferred to the new tank. Once they were in I rinsed the old rocks and slowly dropped them in the new tank.
The tadpoles have adjusted to their new home and are still endlessly fascinating to watch. A few have even been spotted on the boat ramp. I can’t wait to see them get their front legs.
With the advent of actual legs I have been increasingly concerned about the tadpoles and their living quarters. At some point their gill flaps grow over and they begin to use their lungs, if I don’t provide a spot for them to rest out of the water the little hoppers-to-be could drown. It is not exactly clear when this momentous event occurs, so I decided it was time to do something. It would be horrible if I waited too long and ended up with a tank full of dead tadpoles.
So Friday I hauled the old 20 gallon tank out of the attic, cleaned it up and readied it for tadpoles. I let the tank settle overnight and Saturday was deemed to be “moving day.” The tadpoles moved from this:
To this:
The new tank is huge, easily five times larger. I also picked up a “turtle dock” which is a floating platform that features a sloping ramp that extends down into the water. It is a perfect place for little tadpoles to rest and learn how to breathe.
I know our human houseguests would have enjoyed the show, but I didn’t want to have to supervise two extra kids. As is, it was a complicated process. Everybody wanted to scoop up tadpoles with the fish net. I decided that each child would get to scoops, starting with Max than Rebecca. It was tempting just to dump the contents of the small tank into the big tank, but I didn’t want to crush the tadpoles when the rocks went tumbling in. Instead each tadpole was carefully scooped up and then transferred to the new tank. Once they were in I rinsed the old rocks and slowly dropped them in the new tank.
The tadpoles have adjusted to their new home and are still endlessly fascinating to watch. A few have even been spotted on the boat ramp. I can’t wait to see them get their front legs.
Monday, April 23, 2007
Weekly Tadpole Update
The tadpoles have survived a week under our care. If fact I would even venture to say they have thrived. They are plump and have almost doubled in size. Fish food, apparently, agrees with them.
They are turning out to be a fine, albeit, temporary addition to our household. According to the various websites dedicated to their care, it is better to frequently drop in small amounts of food throughout the day than one big wad all at once. This is great for the kids, because then everybody gets to feed them once a day. Of course all this eating means that they growing. I foresee in the near future they are going to outgrow their little tank. We’ll have to bring down the big tank up in the attic and set it up for the little hoppers to be. At some point the tadpoles lose their gills and will need a spot to rest and poke their heads out for a breath of air.
But for now the little tank suits them very well. I just want too know why does there seem to be a whole lot more tadpoles than what we started with a week ago. Oh and it’s a bear taking a decent picture of them.
They are turning out to be a fine, albeit, temporary addition to our household. According to the various websites dedicated to their care, it is better to frequently drop in small amounts of food throughout the day than one big wad all at once. This is great for the kids, because then everybody gets to feed them once a day. Of course all this eating means that they growing. I foresee in the near future they are going to outgrow their little tank. We’ll have to bring down the big tank up in the attic and set it up for the little hoppers to be. At some point the tadpoles lose their gills and will need a spot to rest and poke their heads out for a breath of air.
But for now the little tank suits them very well. I just want too know why does there seem to be a whole lot more tadpoles than what we started with a week ago. Oh and it’s a bear taking a decent picture of them.
Monday, April 16, 2007
Unexpected Houseguests
Saturday I came home late with Max from his t-ball game. As I rushed about throwing together dinner I found out that we have been invaded.
Sitting on the table was a little plastic vial; tightly capped, full of water and about a half dozen tadpoles.
It wasn’t a complete shock, Jake asked me if he could catch some the other day and I put him off with the standard “I need to talk to your father” speech.
I am not opposed to the idea, it is fascinating to watch the little guys develop legs, but I first needed to get organized. I would have to dig out our old 1 1/5 gallon fish tank, treat some water and let the tank settle for a day or two. Also I have no idea what to feed them once we installed them in their new temporary home.
So of course I got mad. I wasn’t ready for them and I hate having animals foisted upon me, especially when there in inadequate housing. A little vial with maybe half a cup of water does not make a good home for multiple tadpoles. Poor Jake got very upset and in the end we decided that we would get a better home for them in the morning. Nate then chimed in “what about mine?” It turns out even more were stashed outside in a dump truck.
Argh!
Apparently they had badgered their father who is quite ill and just wanted to go back to bed. Larry liked the idea of their playing outside and that was what he had agreed to, not the acquisition of more pets. Anyway it’s water under the bridge and I got over it.
Sunday morning I dug out the tank, filled it with stream water and unceremoniously dumped all the tadpoles in. Not an ideal situation, but an improvement none the less.
There was much delight from the younger members of the family with our new pets. So far they are hanging in there. They like to burrow into the rocks and occasionally venture out into open tea colored water. As for feeding them, there are all sorts of helpful websites out there. One suggested boiled, then frozen lettuce leaves, but I’m going to use some left over fish flakes. It’ll be interesting to see what happens.
Sitting on the table was a little plastic vial; tightly capped, full of water and about a half dozen tadpoles.
It wasn’t a complete shock, Jake asked me if he could catch some the other day and I put him off with the standard “I need to talk to your father” speech.
I am not opposed to the idea, it is fascinating to watch the little guys develop legs, but I first needed to get organized. I would have to dig out our old 1 1/5 gallon fish tank, treat some water and let the tank settle for a day or two. Also I have no idea what to feed them once we installed them in their new temporary home.
So of course I got mad. I wasn’t ready for them and I hate having animals foisted upon me, especially when there in inadequate housing. A little vial with maybe half a cup of water does not make a good home for multiple tadpoles. Poor Jake got very upset and in the end we decided that we would get a better home for them in the morning. Nate then chimed in “what about mine?” It turns out even more were stashed outside in a dump truck.
Argh!
Apparently they had badgered their father who is quite ill and just wanted to go back to bed. Larry liked the idea of their playing outside and that was what he had agreed to, not the acquisition of more pets. Anyway it’s water under the bridge and I got over it.
Sunday morning I dug out the tank, filled it with stream water and unceremoniously dumped all the tadpoles in. Not an ideal situation, but an improvement none the less.
There was much delight from the younger members of the family with our new pets. So far they are hanging in there. They like to burrow into the rocks and occasionally venture out into open tea colored water. As for feeding them, there are all sorts of helpful websites out there. One suggested boiled, then frozen lettuce leaves, but I’m going to use some left over fish flakes. It’ll be interesting to see what happens.
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