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.