stitches, boas and birds

Another fun day as a pet owner. Rosie had a skin biopsy taken from her face while she was sedated at the vet last week. Tonight she ripped the stitches out while pursuing a chew into her new calf hoof that was all about the big jaw pressure. We were just sitting down to dinner when it happened.

Rosie is very dexterous with her paws and will punch and bat things around when she's playing which is how she got hooked up with the stitches.

I noticed that the vet had left a full stitch loop exposed, but figured that must be a best practice of some kind. I'm such a sucker. The results when the dog accidentally caught a front claw in that loop tonight repulsed our teen. I cleaned off the blood to have a good look and it clotted up well so I left it alone. I'm glad I didn't have to mop up any more bloody pools. That entertainment is wearing really thin.

Could we have any more fun with this? Oh yes we can!

I thought it a bit strange that Rosie's 15cm belly cut was sewn up with dissolving stitches, but the 3mm cut in her lip was sewn up with thread that will have to be taken out forcibly. Can you guess which ones haven't held up to life in the fast lane? Tonight, Boo pointed out a spot where we think the incision is coming apart on Rosie's belly. No goo is leaking and maybe it's just the way it's supposed to be. Whatever. They did a crappy job of the tattoo in her ear too, but when I was asked about it I assumed they would take cosmetics into account. My bad.

On a more optimistic front, I'll carry on.

After cleaning up after Hugo the boa yesterday I got in his face a few times today to test the waters more closely and tonight he was behaving very differently than most evenings. When I went out to shut off lights and check on the herp room critters Hugo was out and about like he had places to go, things to do and phone calls to make. Had I been a little more ballsy I would not have had trouble getting him out of the enclosure. He would have come out willingly under his own power.

I so rarely see him out, when he's not seeking food, that I was very curious about his temperament. With the door open he behaved exactly like he appeared to be acting with the door closed, very active. He certainly has a posture to suggest a strike is pending, but I'm onto it. I've got to have this guy where I can show him off better. He has such a remarkable pattern and colour. I'm not a boa expert and he's just a garden variety BCI, but I'm now getting a much better look at him. Given that he ate really well last week I am fairly certain he's not hunting tonight. I'm hoping he's looking for some more stimulation. Sadly Boo goes back to the city tomorrow. She's my failsafe partner in these types of matters.

I've got some cockatiels coming tomorrow. Hopefully they aren't too bitey. They are young and hand fed birds looking for a home. Welcome to the zoo. I'll keep the best one and I've got homes lined up for the others. I cleaned up a cage and rigged up some toys yesterday. PU seems to be interested in having a bird which surprised me, but with animal acquisitions I'm an easy sell. We'll see how it all pans out tomorrow. I really don't know what I'll find when I get there. I hope it's not more of the horror show. No more vet bills for a while! I've been really lucky over the years in not having to pay vet bills. I've learned to give injections and own a proper vet manual, but I've been stung properly this week and if the birds are anything but brimming with health I'll be walking away Rene.
Rave On.