Hey MIML™ and Fi… Our cage is small. We know it backwards and even though you rearrange it every few weeks it gets kinda boring. Can you please Pimp our Cage? Love, Daisy and Pikelet.

Please Pimp my cage!

Daisy and Pikelet are the two gorgeous rats that came to stay Chez Fifikins when MIML™ had a flat inspection and have never gone back! They are very cute, love to snuggle on the couch and are actually very relaxing to watch.

For a few months MIML™ and I have been tossing around ideas as to how to build a bigger cage. We thought of using the base of the original cage and adding height, or getting a tray from Bunnings and building on top of that, but were not sure. Then yesterday after going to the gym, walking past Crazy Clarkes on the way to get a coffee we saw them! Larger bird cages. Over coffee we talked about how they were larger and we could put more ramps etc in one. Then when we went to buy one, we both said at the same time, let’s get two and join them together.

So we did!

One of the new cages

MIML™ hard at work with Immy and Japs offering suggestions!

Holes were cut in the side and a wire box built to act as a bridge!

He’s not really that evil, except when playing with fire perhaps!

Joined together... and the two had become one... or something!

Fi starting to arrange the insides

Pimped!

Daisy and Pikelet ready to be introduced to their new home!

The explorers happy in their new environment

So far they seem to be liking their new home. I had to rescue Pikelet who got up too high and had trouble getting down so I do need to get some more ramps, but still I think it is a success!

Oh and in other pet news we are a snail down. Poor Jean-Calude has gone to the place where all dead snails go… the belly of the goldfish! Will have to get some more to start up the breeding programme again after the snails that hatched when we were away were, er, eaten by the goldfish! Methinks they have a taste for escargot!

Well kinda! No, not one of the fishfingers, but the snails! After the premature demise of Gin and Tonic, we replaced them with Kin and Gyo. Now I know Kin is spelt correctly, but not sure of Gyo. All I know is that it is Japanese for Goldfish. When the kids suggested Japanese names I did suggest Sashimi and Tempura, but I was looked at in a strange manner.

Now when getting Kin and Gyo, we also got an extra snail. Immy named her Mimi. In the fish shop I asked about breeding snails and was told that they are hermaphrodites and they are very unlikely to breed in a fish bowl, especially one without a filter. Whatever. My research showed that perhaps the snails are Apple Snails and indeed are male and female. But whatever! The person in the pet shop knows better.

Of course the first night they are in the tank together they, er, joined for over an hour and a half. Jasper thought they were getting to know each other better. I’ll make sure I tell him about getting to know girls and if he thinks that joining together with them after 5 minutes is… actually I might wait a while for that chat! Anyway, over the next few days they indeed got to know each other rather well and appeared, er, close. Immy did suggest that they might be eating the algae off each other’s shells. MIML™  thought they were just horny.

Last weekend MIML™ noticed that one was out of the water and thought s/he might be disoriented so s/he was poked and ended up back in the water. Yesterday morning We awoke to find one of the snails had laid eggs. I know! Immy was over the moon. Jasper thought it was gross. I texted the image to MIML™ whose response was ‘Soonz we can haz eskargotz.’ Not sure the kids will go for that, but still it will be interesting to see what happens. They are due to hatch when MIML™ and I are in Canberra so we may just be providing food for the fish when we are away

It is nice knowing that you have provided such a nice environment for your babies to procreate in. Or something. Of course when they are teenagers all bets are off and things change. Get that kids?

Yes. Both Gin and Tonic have gone to the great fishbowl in the sky. I’m blaming the weed- you know bad weed kills. Jean-Claude is still with us and will be getting new playmates at some stage. Any tips for names?

Yes, it is my sad and melancholy duty to inform you that our dear pet gin (or was it tonic?)  has passed on! This fish is no more! He has ceased to be! ‘E’s expired and gone to meet ‘is maker! ‘E’s a stiff! Bereft of life, ‘e rests in peace! If we hadn’t flushed him ‘e’d be pushing up the daisies! ‘Is metabolic processes are now ‘istory! ‘E’s off the twig! ‘E’s kicked the bucket, ‘e’s shuffled off ‘is mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the bleedin’ choir invisibile!

Kids took it really well. I don’t actually think he had been dead 5 seconds when Japs had whipped him out and started to feel him. He wanted to cut him open for a look and then asked if we could eat it. I said it was kinder to flush. Now the fight is on as to which fish died and what the new fish will be called.