Friday, June 5, 2009

the wages of gerbil ownership part deux

Have I mentioned before about never learning lessons?

Sigh.

The internet is right, peat moss makes good digging material for gerbils.

And putting them in the empty tub to play is a great idea. Good for getting them used to their owners, and so on. Olivia was delighted when they ran up her arm and down the other side. She came down to tell me. And stayed down. And I left the not quite two year old alone with them, and he climbed in the bath... and stood on the (at that point) undamaged one. Squish.

So, it's now at the vet's, bloody, swelling and clinging to the oxygen mask. Its fate will be clearer in the morning.

Fuck. fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck.

Fuck.

14 comments:

Ms. Moon said...

Oh my God.
Jo. You have a pet curse.
I just don't know what to say. Are you laughing or crying or just cursing and tearing your hair out?

Jo said...

I feel horrible. Bodhi was a little mini giant, and I unleashed him upon them. It's like Of Mice and Men! I feel a bit sick, the poor little creature in pain. I think Olivia's just hoping she'll die, (the gerbil that is), so she doesn't have to feel bad about it any more. She'd just stopped having stomach pains after the first one!

Ms. Moon said...

Oh. I know. Poor, poor baby. Olivia, I mean, not the gerbil.
Being a mommy is too damn hard some days, isn't it?

Jo said...

I just feel like ... ugh.

AND I offended my mother in law to the point that she swept out of the house yesterday, because I asked her to stop singing after I came in from counselling. She may have misunderstood, and thought I was rudely asking her to leave. If that's the case she must think I'm the worst person in the world.

I was going to post about it, but I can't even start. Shoot me now.

Annah said...

I know I shouldn't laugh...... but its really funny reading it, not living it. So Sorry

Anonymous said...

It should count itself lucky Richard Gere wasn't around

Ciara Brehony said...

Jo... oh dear. I can just picture it. And I'm so sorry but it made me laugh at the image of the wee giant stomping around the bathtub. Wheeeez!!!

Hope the gerbil is feeling better!

maggot said...

Gerbils are evil!

Martin said...

On second thoughts, maybe don't get a goldfish.

Poor Olivia though.

Jo said...

They're not evil, maggot, they're sweet.

Don't feel too bad, xbox, she wants it to die so she can get a new one...

samcrea said...

Maybe I have been listening to too much of George Lee over the years, but I cant help but start to think how much a new gerbil would cost when compared to a trip to the vets. I mean what are they a tenner? How much is a trip to the vets these days? Am I being a bit too objective here?

Jo said...

Well, my daughter agrees with you, sam. For me, I dunno, they're alive, they feel pain and fear, do we have the right to just keep breaking them, killing them, and getting a new one? I don't really want to be the one making that call.

Yes, getting a new one would cost less than caring for the old one. But isn;t that sort of disgusting?

Anonymous said...

Go to PETA's website and you'll see really disgusting stuff.

This, though? Just an accident. Silver lining is that Gerbil's brains are too small to cope with such sordid things as resentment. Mothers though, they're entirely different unfortunately. I've booked mine in for a lobotomy.

PĂ©itseoga said...

god, how awful!! if M ever asks for a gerbil i must remind myself of these two...