Chiasma

Chiasma is a budgeriger who sadly, like many budgies, became a throw-away pet when his vet bills exceeded the price of his purchase. Suffering from a long-untreated parasitic infestation that deformed his beak, the bird was near death when he came to ACS a little over a year ago. Sadly, the long-term effects of his poor care and the subsequent intensive treatments for his medical conditions have resulted in chronic renal failure, and he only has been given about one more month to live. (Above - Chiasma after successful treatment for Cnemidocoptes mites)

Cnemidocoptes sp. are a family of mites that, much like sarcoptic mange, burrow into the tissues of animals, resulting in pain, discomfort, and damage to soft tissues. In birds, these parasites are responsible for a condition called "scaley beak and leg disease." The condition is especially problematic for the beak, making it porous, weak, and deformed as it progresses. It can become so severe that the bird's beak may fracture apart.

When Chiasma was surrendered by his owner, he had severe deformity of the beak and was roughly half the weight he should have been for an adult male budgie. In addition, the chronic stress of his condition & a poor diet had caused an upper respiratory infection. Chiasma had to be on intensive anti-parasitics and anti-biotics for quite some time to recover, needing to be tube-fed and administed fluids therapy during rough patches in the recovery process. He also needed extensive and frequent trimming and re-shaping of the diseased beak tissue. The bottom jaw was permenantly effected by the beak's positioning, and as a result, Chiasma still needs routine beak re-shaping so that he can eat properly. (Above Left - Chiasma upon arrival ; Below Right - Chiasma during treatment)

Cnemidocoptes is a condition that is common in budgies, and easily treated. The symptoms are very apparent even early in the disease's course, and can be remedied with anti-parasitics. Only when the condition progresses without treatment for a prolonged period of time do we observe the marked beak deformity and secondary health conditions observed in Chiasma. Only when the infestation is severe enough do veterinarians perscribe such powerful doses of anti-parasitics, which can damage organs. In other words, outright neglect is why Chiasma will be living only a fraction of his potential 10+ year lifespan.

Budgies are parrots; they are Psittaciformes just as much as an African Gray or Macaw is. They require the same specialized diet, stimulating environment, and social interaction as any other parrot. Yet because they are small, inexpensive, and breed readily in captivity, budgies have become one of the most rampantly abused, neglected, and commodified birds in captivity. Few live even half of their potential lifespan, and most spend their lives in undersized, unenriched cages eating sub-standard seed based diets. Because they can be purchased cheaply, many owners do not bother to take them to a veterinarian when they fall ill; they allow the bird to perish and simply buy another.

This flagrant disregard for the wellbeing of budgies has resulted in an epidemic of their homelessness; I defy you to go to the 'pet' section of any online classifieds site and not find at least one budgie per day that is being given up. Their owners grow tired with the mess, the noise, or the minimal cost of husbandry, and assume that someone else will want them. Often times, no one does; bird sanctuaries are literally overflowing with unwanted budgies (ACS is home to seven). Others still will perish outdoors after having been released. Karen Lee of Foster Parrots Inc. said it best: "... if you buy a cage and all the accessories, you get the parakeet for free. If people are throwing away a parrot they spent thousands of dollars on, what chance does an animal have that is given away for free? None."

Here at ACS, we feel that all lives are valuable, regardless of their monetary cost, size, or rarity. Chiasma doesn't want any other budgies to wind up like him, and would like to share the following tips about parakeets:
1. Parakeets are parrots. They may be small, inexpensive parrots, but they are parrots nonetheless. This means that they are intelligent, active, social, and require a specialized diet & plenty of mental stimulation to be happy and healthy.
2. All pets need vets - even inexpensive ones! While with proper care your budgie may never need an emergency visit, there are a number of potential health conditions they can suffer from. If you are not willing to spend much more in vet bills than you did on the bird itself, please do not buy a budgie.
3. Prevention is the best medicine. Once a bird is showing signs of illness, it is often too late. However, many illnesses can be avoided with appropriate husbandry. This includes, but is not limited to:
- Good Diet - budgies, like all parrots, need a mixture of grains, legumes, fresh fruit, vegetables, leafy greens, and seeds/nuts to remain healthy. A balanced pellet is also reccomended, but not as the sole diet.
- Clean Living Conditions - a parakeet's cage should be spot cleaned daily and thoroughly cleaned at least weekly. This means daily removal of droppings, scrubbing of perches and bars, and decontamination of toys. Food and water should always be fresh as well.
- Physical Activity - just like us, birds get sick from being sedentary. A parakeet should have a large enough cage for flight, or time out of the cage, as well as plenty of perches to climb on and toys to play with.
- Mental Stimulation - parakeets are very intelligent animals and need to be stimulated mentally. Foraging toys and behavioral enrichment are a daily must.
4. Research before buying; believe it or not, whatever advice your 80 year old grandmother or the 16 year old pet store employee has for you may not be accurate. There is a lot of "folk knowledge" about parakeets rooted in inaccuracy. For example, did you know that the misconception that budgies need grit is a throw-back to chicken husbandry, and utterly irrelevant since their beaks are designed to hull seeds?
5. Make a commitment for life or don't make one at all. A bugdie should easily live to ten years of age if properly cared for, and yes, during those ten years the bird will indeed poop, scream, scatter food, bite, destroy toys, and probably need at least a couple of vet visits. If you aren't prepared to care for the bird will unwavering dedication for the full duration of its lifespan, do not get one.

Feros

Feros is a male mouse who was being severely neglected by his previous owner. Living in a tiny cage with absolutely no toys, hides, or even a wheel, Feros was being kept on toxic cedar shavings, fed a sub-standard diet, and had not received veterinary care for a prolapsed rectum, parasites, respiratory infection, and mange. He was directed to us as a "wild" mouse who was doing poorly, but was clearly just a neglected pet no longer wanted by his owners.

Feros's veterinary care needs were extensive; he needed ivermectin for the parasites and mange, antibiotics for the respiratory infection, special washes for his itchy, flaking skin, a special diet, and creams to minimize the irritation of his rectum. It was also discovered that he was completely blind, a condition that may have stemmed from malnourishment.

Despite his poor health, Feros has tolerated all of the discomfort of treatment, and today lives a happy and enriched life. He is a clever, friendly mouse who is very placid about handling (even for uncomfortable situations like his twice daily rectal ointment), and thrives in an interactive environment. (Top Right: Feros today. Below left: Feros's skin upon rescue)

Gentle, sweet Feros would have likely died shortly without prompt veterinary intervention. Sadly, his case is hardly an exception; it is a popular misconception that small mammals do not require veterinary care like dogs and cats do. Because they are short lived and can be purchased inexpensively, many small animals are denied veterinary care even when afflicted with conditions that can be treated easily and inexpensively. Some conditions can even be self-vetted due to the availability of OTC treatments, yet more often than not even this half-hearted courtesy is not extended.

It is important to remember that all mammals have an equal capacity to suffer; a mouse with mange, infections, or injuries is in just as much pain and discomfort as a dog or cat, and ignoring such for the sake of one's wallet is the height of speciesism. Lifespan and purchasing price do not affect the degree to which a living thing is suffering, and as such, should not result in a failure to provide veterinary care. In addition to being inhumane, such behavior is illegal in many states - rightfully so!

There is no such thing as a "cheap pet." If you are purchasing an animal like a rodent because you think it is an inexpensive alternative to a dog or cat, take pause and consider the fact that your mouse is likely to demand vet care at some point in its life, particularly if it was sourced from a pet store or rescue due to the high frequency of mycoplasmosis, sendai virus, and genetic cancers in such animals. If you are not prepared to pay for a vet bill on a small animal, do not purchase or adopt one.

Of course, prevention is always a helpful way to minimize vet costs in your small mammal. Because of this, Feros would like to offer some pointers on ways to help keep your small pet happy and healthy.
1. Choose Safe Bedding. It is a popular misconception that pine and cedar are acceptable bedding for rodents, and nothing could be further from the truth. Pine (exception: kiln dried) and cedar contain harmful aromatic oils that are very toxic to the kidneys and lungs of small mammals. They are also highly implicated in skin conditions in rodents. Suggested beddings would include hardwood, paper, and corn cob based brands.
2. Quality is Job #1 - when it comes to diet, that is! In the wild, most rodent species eat a wide range of foods, including leaves, stems, grains, seeds, nuts, berries, insects, and more. One thing they do not eat is a diet of sunflower seeds and corn, which makes up the bulk of many commercially available rodent food mixes. It is much healthier to feed a balanced laboratory block enriched with the foods your rodent species would consume in the wild.
3. On That Note - Avoid Ethoxyquin. Ethoxyquin is a popular preservative found in pet foods that is known to be carcinogenic in higher doses. While the threat posed by ethoxyquin is probably minimal at the levels in pet foods for most animals, many rodents derive from very closely bred laboratory lineages that, due to poor genetic diversity and deliberate selection for generating illness, are extremely prone to cancer. Thus, even trace levels of known carcinogens in the diet should be taken seriously and avoided.
4. Quantity is Job #2 - overfeeding and underfeeding are equally hazardous to the long term health of your rodent. Many species are obese-prone or diabetes-prone and depending on their feeding behaviors may demand a restricted diet rather then free feeding. Tumors proliferate in fatty tissue and there is a known link between cancer and obesity in rodents. However, the quantity fed must be sufficient to maintain healthy condition; rodents have a rapid metabolism and can die very quickly from insufficient caloric intake due to hypothermia.
5. Exercise Bodies and Minds. Rodents are clever animals that, in the wild, spend much of their waking hours being active - they forage, seek mates, defend territory, and play. In captivity, it is vital that rodents be offered items and activities that cater to their natural behavior known as behavioral enrichment. Foraging toys, wheels to run in, toys to chew, ladders and ropes to climb - all these and more should be utilized to keep your mouse active and stimulated.
6. House with Care. Many, if not most, commercially available rodent cages are of an insufficient size or quality for rodents. Small size, poor ventilation, difficulty in cleaning, and poor safety are all common problems for rodents and may result in injury or illness. Remember, if keeping rodents in an aquarium, bigger is better and all lids should be screen for ample ventilation. If keeping in cages, select bar spacing of 1/4" or less and avoid drafts. Avoid gimmicky products with cheap plastic parts and compact sizes; these items are normally insufficiently safe and undersized.
7. Heed Social Need. Rodents, depending on the species, have highly variable social needs. Some, like siberian hamsters, need to be housed singly or they may harm or kill one another. Others, like rats, must have the company of their own species or they may very well languish or die. Keeping a solitary rodent with others or a social rodent alone can have dramatic health affects and should be avoided.
8. Be Alert. Most rodents will hide illness well, and may not show immediately obvious symptoms until it is too late. Early detection is the difference between life and death (and the size of your vet bill!). If you notice any irregularity of behavior, activity, feeding, defecating, breathing, etc. seek help promptly - better safe than sorry!

Special Entry: "We've got fissues."

When Manx came to us, his tail had been ripped off down to the bone and left untreated. Spartan, Clarence, Noriko, Nanahara, and Warsaw had all been fought for entertainment and betting; Warsaw is permanently disabled from his wounds. Jersey, Nugget and many others were found on the brink of death from starvation. Murphy was abandoned on a front porch in the middle of winter, sick and underweight. Mia was unwanted because a genetic defect resulting from coloration selected for show animals had caused her to go blind. Leucothea, Rail, and two others were neglected by a hoarder. Boudica and Thatcher were abandoned because they didn't reproduce. Mahalo and many others were found dying of severe, untreated infections that could have been prevented with proper husbandry, while Chuck was so infested with parasites that it nearly killed him. Some, like Mouse, lost their homes because they were just "too ugly" to be wanted. And others, many others, died before help ever reached them.

Animal lovers would hear these stories and ask where they can sign up to welcome these tragic dogs and cats into their homes. They would demand legal repercussions for abusers, or hold walks to raise funds for medical care. These poor lost souls would want for nothing in the loving care of dedicated volunteers. The problem is, none of the animals above were dogs or cats. They were all fish, and many more have suffered and died silently, with no advocates.

I've met self-professed animal lovers keep bettas in a vase on their desk or goldfish in a bowl in their kitchen. Others tout the importance of research before buying yet have overstocked, under-stimulated, incompatible nightmares for home fish tanks. The same people who go to leaflett against puppy milling or wild caught parrots buy their fish from pet stores without a second thought. For all of the condemnation of the exotics trade, few I've met bat an eye at the fish in a store front aquarium.

Fish in most pet stores are mass (mill) bred, production bred on fish farms, or taken directly from the wild. They are subjected to extreme shipping stress with no laws protecting them on their voyage. In stores, they are kept in over-crowded aquariums with species they may be incompatible with, and seldom receive any sort of veterinary intervention for the (extremely prevalent) infections, parasites, and injuries that plague them. Untold numbers - thousands, perhaps even millions - die before ever leaving the store from preventable health conditions, and it is common to see sick, dead, and dying fish on display even in stores that pride themselves on animal care (ie. Petco/Petsmart).

Those who survive long enough to make it to their new homes do so with no adoption screening and often no age limit (some without even so much as a guarantee that the animal will survive more than a day!). The result is often prolonged suffering in undersized, unclean, unsuitable living conditions, perhaps alongside aggressive tankmates, before dying of a shortened lifespan (knowledgeable, responsible, and perhaps equally importantly humane fishkeepers, even among those devoted enough to the hobby post on web forums, seem a rare phenomenon). Those that lose their owners' interest due to upkeep, overbreeding, prohibitive size, or any other reason may find themselves released into non-native habitats, returned to pet stores, dumped on shelter staff ignorant of their care needs, killed through gruesome home methods, or shuffled through to the next owner with only a shadow of hope that they will not suffer the same fate again.

If we consider the dismal state of the fish industry, it is readily apparent even from surface examination that these animals are suffering and dying on a massive scale that trumps perhaps every other species championed by shelters and humane groups. They have little to no legal protection, a low standing in our culture, and perhaps the greatest (and only preventable) crime of all, virtually no advocates (PETA anthropomorphising bettas as social butterflies does not count). Humane outreach programs, legal funds, and even grassroots protests ignore the issue of fish in pet stores for more handsome quarry like ending dog fighting, stopping puppy mills, or reducing rabbit homelessness. Rescues for fish are few and far between (and often, in my experience, fraudulent), with sanctuaries virtually non-existant. Thus, no one speaks out to prevent the suffering of fish in the pet trade, and no one is there to pick up the pieces when the inevitable happens.

Here at ACS, fish ARE a major concern. At one time, they made up the bulk of our residents. These animals have experienced all the horrors (and then some) ever experienced by rescued dogs and cats, but their suffering occurred legally, unpunished, and often unquestioned, right in the public eye. They are constant reminders of the progress that needs to be made in bringing the animal welfare community around to the plight of all animals, not just the cute, furry ones that are visually appealing and great for fund raising. They need impassioned advocates unafraid to draw the comparison between the worst abuses of mammals and birds and the commonplace suffering of fish.

Until that day comes, ACS would like to suggest the following:
1. If you wouldn't buy from a store that sells milled puppies or wild caught exotics, don't buy from a store that sells fish! Fish in chain stores tend to come from a small handfull of massive production breeders or are wild caught depending on the species. Likewise, if you normally oppose purchasing animals from pet stores, carry that philosophy over to fish!
2. Look to your classifieds, craigslist, petfinder, shelter listings, etc. if you think you'd like to adopt a fish. Most major cities will have postings every day for fish who are no longer wanted for a wide range of reasons. If you simply must buy, support a responsible, humane breeder with good credentials - though remember that ideally, living beings should never be reduced to products.
3. Carefully research before you adopt or purchase any fish. Flipping through a book published in the 80's, going to Yahoo! answers, or reading one web page does not suffice. Go to the websites of serious enthusiasts, talk to other keepers on forums for experience, read up on the species habitat and diet in the wild - misinformation is common, but outright ignorance is simply inexcusable.
4. When you see ailing fish in pet stores, speak up. Stores need to know that it is not acceptable for any animal in their care to be suffering or denied basic care needs. Consider how you would react if it was a dog, cat, or rabbit, and act accordingly. Be polite, firm, and if possible public so that other shoppers become aware of the problem as well.
5. Try to avoid the "sympathy purchase"- you are putting money in the hands of abusers. Many stores will relinquish ailing fish free of charge if asked, particularly if you display a level of expertise. Just remember to never bring home an animal you do not have the time, funding, and knowledge to help.
6. Educate whenever you see a fish being mistreated, be it in stores, private homes, or places of business. Ignorance is massive and pervasive when it comes to proper fish husbandry; even stores are often happy to learn the proper care of a given species. Just as you would try to educate a friend letting her unspayed cat breed willy-nilly, do not remain silent on behalf of fish. This is complicity with cruelty.
7. Above all, be an advocate! Whatever your talent may be - humane law, rescue, fostering, education, protest, letter writing - use it to help fish in addition to any other causes you champion. If you live in a state where fish have legal protection, DO report abuses. If you have space in your home, money in your wallet, time on your hands, and knowledge in your head, consider fostering or adopting fish needing homes. Got a talent for education? Write caresheets, post on web forums, or just talk to people about issues pertaining to fish in the pet trade. And always feel free to be your local fish store watch dog, making sure management keeps an eye on the conditions of animals in the store.

Mikhail J. Bentham

Mikhail J. Bentham is a male Syrian hamster who was put up for adoption at a Petco store after having been badly mauled by other hamsters in the store. Though his physical injuries healed, his psychological ones did not: he became extremely aggressive to humans and it was obvious that he was unsuitable for an average "pet" home. While one might applaud Petco for putting Mikhail up for adoption rather than trying to make a profit off of him at the expense of some poor child, it is important to emphasize something: Syrian hamsters should never be housed with others of their species once they are sexually mature. A solitary, territorial, aggressive species, housing this species together is a recipe for injury or death. Mikhail was very lucky to have made it through his ordeal alive, and should have never been placed in this dangerous situation to begin with.

It is tragically quite common for pet stores to house incompatible animals or even species together for the sake of being able to stock more animals. In addition to the grave risk of physical injury in the store, these habits are often passed on to unwitting pet owners, resulting in injuries and deaths. Male mice (US lines), all varieties of Syrian hamster, pacman frogs, male canaries, countless species of fish, crayfish, and many others are put at risk in pet stores across the country every day, typically unchallenged. Some stores even foster dangerous interspecies pairings, like bettas with guppies or rabbits with guinea pigs. The result is something akin to housing a trained fighting dog with a cocker spaniel puppy: disaster waiting to happen.

Were groupings physically dangerous to animals not bad enough, it is equally common for animals to be housed and sold in improper groupings: finches, degu, female mice, rats, and gerbils are routinely sold singly. Schooling and social fish like otos, cories, guppies, and goldfish are often sold in insufficient numbers to foster natural behaviors. Though the result may not be as dramatic as a sudden mauling death, it makes its mark: when denied proper social groupings, animals become stressed and neurotic, often developing stereotypical behaviors, or abnormal repetitive stress behaviors. Pacing, obsessive digging/wheel running, self mutilation, or simply languishing are all regularly observed in deprived social species.

It is easy to point fingers at pet stores, and indeed they are at least in part liable for housing animals inadequately and being ill-educated on their husbandry. However, the bottom line is that individuals who purchase animals from pet stores, particularly stores demonstrating incorrect husbandry, are directly responsible for the mistreatment by continuing to support it. Every species available in pet stores and more is available either from a responsible breeder, or better still, from a rescue organization. In fact, rescues are inundated with pocket pets and exotics who are purchased without thorough husbandry knowledge, so for every hamster crowded in a cage with others in a pet store, dozens of other hamsters are patiently awaiting homes in rescues that could really use to free up the space that individual caging demands for other needy animals!

So, next time you consider a new pet, Mikhail would like you to remember the following:
1. Always research your companion's social needs. The best cages, toys, and nutrition on the planet mean nothing to a social animal deprived of companionship or a solitary animal stressed by it.
2. Think adoption first; it isn't just dogs and cats suffering a homelessness crisis, but virtually every species in captivity today. Besides, wouldn't you rather have your dollar support animal rescue efforts over animal exploitation?
3. Speak up if you notice fighting. Bring it to an employee's attention; it could mean the difference between life and death. Likewise, if you see a social species languishing in solitude, let the store know what you think. Bad conditions persist only because they are allowed to.
4. Avoid anthropomorphism. One of the reasons that solitary animals like bettas, hamsters, horned frogs, and other species wind up being injured from improper social groupings is that we tend to humanize animals and assume that they, like us, need company. There's nothing wrong with valuing an animal as much as you would a human, but equal respect & consideration does not equate equal needs - do what is right for that species, not your species!

Rancor & Khaeryne

Rancor & Khaeryne are two Emperor Scorpions who were abandoned along with a two others (one Asian Forest Scorpion, Gremlin, and a third Emperor Scorpion who died shortly after rescue) when their owner no longer wished to care for them. The four animals were being kept on sand - an inappropriate substrate for a tropical species - in a 3g Kritter Keeper, well below the minimum tank size for a single scorpion. The aggressive Asian Forest Scorpion had out-competed the other animals for food, resulting in Rancor and Khaeryne to be seriously underweight.
There was also insufficient water offered for the group, causing dehydration among all three survivors and most likely the cause of death for the fourth. The suffering of this maligned animal demonstrates the price of both ignorance and a lack of regard for "lower" animal like invertebrates.
(Above: Khaeryne Left: Rancor upon rescue, underweight and dehydrated. This image shows him drinking water frantically upon being introduced to his new habitat, a behavior that lasted for nearly five full minutes.)

The focus of this blog, however, will not be on problems with the exotics industry or the suffering of invertebrates. There is an even darker side to the strife of the emperor scorpion: they have been listed by CITES II as a threatened species since 1995, yet are still almost 100% wild caught (WC) for the pet trade. As the single most commonly sold species of scorpion in pet stores, the Emperor Scorpion is severely threatened by over-collection, yet a lack of awareness and widespread apathy has resulted in a failure to stop the trade in this vulnerable species. Even "enthusiasts" of scorpions and other arachnids routinely sell imported WC scorpions since captive breeding is not profitable (but selling imports at a high mark-up is!).

All too often, the popularity of a given species is its demise. Much as parrots once suffered serious declines in wild populations due to collection for the pet trade, the Emperor Scorpion's simple husbandry needs, hardiness, docile temperament, and large size have created in an appeal that is literally stripping the wild of the species. However, unlike parrots, which have widely endearing qualities resulting in a strong push for advocacy, Emperor Scorpions are lumped into a category of undesirables that many people even within the rescue community are unwilling to fight to protect. Indeed, in addition to their suffering in the pet trade, these animals are routinely bought en-masse for movies, manhandled on game shows like Fear Factor, eaten as a novelty, and otherwise exploited with no contest, due to a lack of awareness and/or a lack of compassion.

It is important to never buy an Emperor Scorpion unless you are certain that it comes from captive bred (not captive born, which implies a second gen with wild caught parent) lines. Pet store individuals are guaranteed to be wild caught, and expo or online vendors typically sell WC as well unless otherwise specified. The 9-18 month gestation, small number of offspring, and frequent scorpling mortality makes the Emperor Scorpion unprofitable to breed in captivity. While a few enthusiasts of the species are fighting hard to establish captive bred lines to protect the scorpions from collection, these efforts are in their infancy. Thus, for the time being, there are very few ways outside of adoption to ethically acquire an Emperor Scorpion.

It is also worth questioning the validity of keeping Emperor Scorpions in captivity overall. One interested in keeping one of these magnificent animals should consider what is more important: the desire to "have" an animal as a pet, or the need for its species to continue surviving and thriving in the wild as it ought to. Like a tiger or a wolf, the Emperor Scorpion is a wild animal with no real place in captivity, and whose very survival is threatened by humanity due to exploitation. Can we really excuse the continued presence of these animals in the pet trade, something fueled entirely by consumer demand, and truly profess to care about wildlife or conservation? Likewise, can anyone consider themselves to be an ethical steward of animals if they purchase a threatened species, without doing the research to know of their situation or having done so but simply not caring? Personally, I think not.

I will leave you with a final quote to consider, as I feel it is very pertinent to the Emperor Scorpion and other exotics who are largely wild caught:
"Those who wish to pet and baby wildlife love them, but those who respect their natures and wish to let them live their natural lives, love them more."
- Edwin Way Teale

Wendy

Wendy is a young female lop rabbit who was found roaming the streets in the dead of winter. Skinny, dirty, and frightened with overgrown nails and swollen teats suggesting a recent litter, it became apparent that it was likely she had been deliberately released despite hopes that she was merely lost. Wendy likely had a litter that was cute enough to be adopted out, but being larger and older was no longer desirable herself; we see this frequently in rabbits due to the large number of pet stores that sell animals of both genders, often resulting in pregnancies their new owners were not prepared to deal with. Pair this with the fact that many "mini" lops sold in the US are not so "mini" after all, and you can see why a rabbit who was suddenly too big and too pregnant for their owners' expectations would find herself on the street instead of in a loving home.

I wish I could say that the release of domesticated rabbits by their owners is a rare and isolated occurrence. Sadly, quite the opposite is true - indeed in the past we've taken in three other rabbits found running at large who were never claimed and thus likely abandoned. Rabbit homelessness in the United States is rivaled only by dog and cat homelessness; they are one of the most popular small pets, yet only just now are appropriate shelters and sanctuaries, advocacy groups, and spay/neuter efforts becoming commonplace. Despite being a commitment with a lifespan rivaling a dog's, rabbits are still available as inexpensive impulse purchases at pet stores, $20 in exchange for a creature whose vast care needs are only just now being understood.

The pet industry has played a prominent role in the rabbit homelessness crisis. Being inexpensive to produce and easy to sell at a high mark up, rabbits have been a prominent figure in most stores selling animals - including so-called progressive stores like Petco and Petsmart. Products sold in stores often fail to reflect the true husbandry needs of rabbits, ranging from too-small cages to inferior diets, with plenty of gratuities inbetween. Indeed, and investigation of a few local stores suggests that many stores do not sell a single cage appropriate in size for a pair of full grown rabbits. More importantly, what rabbits truly need can not be bought in fancy packaging: plenty of space, attention, stimulation, understanding, and of course, a committed life long home.

Still, responsibility must lie equally on the shoulders of the owners. While most in the US have come to realize that dogs and cats are precious family members who should not be purchased on impulse, commodified as tools of profit, denied basic care needs, or light-heartedly abandoned, the message is yet to spread out to other species. Ask your average person on the street if one should research and prepare before buying or adopting a dog and the answer is likely to be an enthusiastic yes, yet even advocates of responsible dog and cat ownership may keep rabbits and other species in utterly unacceptable care conditions due to ignorance. With the wealth of information now available on proper rabbit husbandry from organizations like the House Rabbit Society, there is really no excuse to go into rabbit keeping ignorant and unprepared.

And so, Wendy has a few requests for the prospective rabbit owners out there:
1. Please research proper rabbit husbandry prior to getting a rabbit - the House Rabbit Society is a good place to start. Pet store employees are not experts, often do not have the best interest of animals at heart, and may mislead you into buying unsuitable accessories for the sake of profit. Don't fall into the trap of assuming "They wouldn't make it if it wasn't good for them!" If this were good logic, there would be no market for cigarettes and junk food in humans.
2. Make sure you can afford and accommodate a rabbit's life long care needs. With proper care a rabbit can live as long as a dog or cat, and during that lifespan will need a constant supply of fresh foods, hay, bedding/litter, enrichment toys, etc. not to mention vet bills. What's more, the rabbit will need plenty of space and attention for it's whole life - not just until the cuteness wears off or until the baby is born. Pet ownership is about your commitment, not your convenience.
3. If you can't keep your rabbit, never let it loose! Domesticated rabbits have been bred for hundreds of years to live with humans. Their wild natures (and looks) have been so diluted by captivity that they never survive long out in the elements on their own. Releasing a captive rabbit isn't "freeing" it - it is a death sentence. Try classifieds, online adoption net works, rescue organizations, etc. Also consider if the rabbit really needs to be rehomed, or if its owner simply needs to step up to the plate and fulfill his or her duties.
4. Don't buy, adopt. Rabbits are living beings that we have no right in buying and selling like a pair of pants or sack of groceries - they are intelligent, sentient, living creatures. Pet store rabbits are typically mass produced in the same poor conditions of puppy mills and backyard breeders, which can result in genetic and temperament issues. Thousands of unwanted rabbits are already in need of loving homes without producing more. Check your local shelters, nearby chapters of the house rabbit society, petfinder.com, and classified ads - it is almost definite that you will quickly find rabbits needing homes.

Wendy is a wonderful rabbit, and I am honored to have her living here. However, the fact that she and many other rabbits have needed to come through these doors suggests a fundamental problem with the state of rabbit ownership today. The ultimate goal is not to have shelters and sanctuaries available for rabbits, but rather a day where rabbits are never put in her situation thanks to an end to impulse purchase and a greater respect and awareness of rabbits' needs.

An Introduction to the ACS Blog

I would like to note that the purpose of this blog is not to edify myself, for to me animal rescue is something I must do just as much as other people are compelled to eat, sleep, and breathe. I am not out for recognition nor for praise or promotion. Simply, I would like to give a voice to the animals who have come to reside here, and more specifically, to make others aware of why they are here. I believe that education and awareness are the key to making sure that animals never wind up neglected, abused, and homeless to begin with. Thus, you will not find this blog asking for funding, bemoaning the personal burdens of rescue, nor focusing on my efforts over the actual profile of the rescued animal.

That being said, some background on "All Creatures Small" is in order. ACS, simply enough, is a one person, privately funded, rescue, rehab, and sanctuary for - you guessed it - a variety of small animals. Initially, it started primarily as wildlife rehabilitation with the occasional domestic creature that worked its way in. Today, efforts focus on providing sanctuary to small animals and exotics, fostering/adopting out those that can not be accommodated long term, placement assistance, small scale wildlife rehabilitation, and educational efforts. All of the above are strictly as time, space, and funding permits; the focus here is on quality, not quantity; being privately funded, I've elected to invest my resources to a very high standard of care for fewer long term inhabitants rather than acceptable but no-frills care for a large number of transients. Certainly I admire such facilities that place a large number of animals in loving homes, but simply enough ACS is more sanctuary-minded than shelter-minded.

This is about as much of an intro as you are going to get; I will not be giving out my location because I do not wish to take in any more animals at this point in time. I will not be giving out my name for similar reasons, nor will I be soliciting donations, posting animals for adoption, etc. The rest, from here on, is their stories and their stories alone. I hope you enjoy learning about the special creatures who live here.