Poop, prayers and angels
I think I am a pretty lenient parent when it comes to pets. I really like animals and as long as the kids are kind to them and they don't stink, all is well with me.
We recently added Spike a chocolate chip hedgehog to our family and he was a huge hit with everyone... but me. With all the reading I did on hedgehogs NOWHERE did it say they have the foulest most pungent smelling poop of any animal alive (or dead). The smell would gag me when I walked into Haley's room. Haley and Eric started cleaning out the cage everyday just to try to keep me quiet about it and let Spike live. Even with that I was not happy and felt like we had a construction site port a potty upstairs. I was at the end of my lenient rope!
(This is where my prayers are answered)
Eric had the day off and we were running errands together. We ran into our local pet store to buy crickets (for our non-stinky tree frogs) and I was complaining to the owner about our hedgehog. She said we should get a chinchilla and showed us the babies. She explained why they are easy pets but the only thing I need to hear was "they do not smell at all." She even picked up one of their tiny pellet poops and held it to my nose and said "see". We were sold. I jokingly said "I wish we could trade our hedgehog for one". She said "We can. We get calls for hedgehogs everyday". (This is where I heard a choir of angel singing in my head.)
Eric and I discussed how to talk Haley into this and we decided that it had to be her idea or she would say no. So the next day without saying a word I took my girls to the pet store. While we were there the owner showed them the chinchilla babies and Haley fell in love with them. Haley said "Mom we need to get a family chinchilla". I told her we had met the family pet quota but she could ask the owner if she could trade her hedgehog for one. Haley was thrilled when the owner said yes and we headed home to get Spike. (At this point I am on cloud 9 singing with the angels)
After we brought Haley's white chinchilla Ming Ming home and realized how wonderful they are (especially after a hedgehog), Eric decided he wanted one for his birthday (so they could breed). Eric got a grey chinchilla named him Rico and got a big cage for our two new chinchillas. We have our fingers crossed that Rico and Ming Ming will "fall in love".
(deep breath)
What a difference a couple of chinchillas have made in our home!
- 1 hedgehog
+ 2 chinchillas
= Life is good
6 comments:
Ya know, you are my pet mom hero. I keep hearing your voice saying it's good for Walker to get a hamster when he turns 8. Do you hereby promise to be my friend and help me over my pet issues if it truly does come to pass?
- 1 hedgehog
+ 2 chinchillas
= Life is good
Multiplied by x chinchillas = ?
Just thinking of how much fun you will have in the future.
Suzanne- Walker needs a hamster! Although I would probably vote for a guinea pig over a hamster, they are friendlier and easier for kids to play with... but I understand you need to start small.
Let me know when you are ready for a chinchilla baby.
Greg,
Hopefully we will have lots of babies because we already have friends that want one. If we have excess we can sell them back to the pet store. Wait until you see what the babies look like (bouncing cotton balls), you will be driving up here to get one!
I think Eric and you need to open a poop free smelling pet shop.
Thanks for letting us know about the stinky poop. Lindsey has always wanted a hedgehog...the only pets we have are fish. I've heard chinchillas are great pets, but just be careful they can be really aggressive with other chinchillas, which is what I've been told. Hopefully your two will be fine together.
You have officially saved me from having to buy a hedgehog for Terry for Christmas. He really, really wanted one until I showed him this post.
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