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Wow, foxy - I think you might even beat me, especially if you count each fish! But if I were to count up all my feeder rodents (numbers vary), it could be a draw.
When we had four snakes we tried the raising feeders thing, too much upkeep and some of the mice would become pets themselves if they had pretty markings, and after a while inbreeding caused problems.
When we had the Python we got small rabbits to feed it, one of THOSE became a pet.
We have one small Gopher snake left, I buy the mice as needed.
Sometimes I wonder if it's more than I can handle by myself. But it's a labor of love. I know each of them, just by the noise their pawpads make on the hardwood floors as they walk. Each meow, each thump, each jingle. And ... there are just certain things that become a manditory routine that can not be altered. It doesn't matter where I go or for how long - when you get home, first thing you do is check the litterboxes. Before you close a cabinet door or the upstairs storage, you run around and do a headcount. Moo's hiding under the blanket on the bed- check! Cinders is curled up on the couch - check! Spot is sitting on top of Kirby's face by the foodbowl - yes he's still breathing - ok, check! Before you sit down to dinner, you prepare their dinner. (on a side note, our favorite time of day!) And you make sure all their little ceramic bowls are in a row. And you make sure they sit at their own, instead of flavoring other samples and starting a scuffle. And you scoop up the bowls and soak them soon as their done. I look at their auto-waterer, and ask myself every time - would I feel comfortable drinking out of that? cat kibble floaties, a stray fur, and all? - So we change the water too
I move the laundry off of their kitty perches, so they have comfy nap places, and meanwhile I fold the laundry.
I make the bed and straighten the linens, so they can all sprawl out in the sunshine while I'm at work, and meanwhile it keeps me actively tidying up the room every morning.
Everytime Spot comes inside from his "farm hunt" while I'm at work, he sits (with minimal wiggling) while I do a quick once over on him. Check his paws for cuts, check his ears for bugs, check his forehead for ticks, check his butt for worms, smell his fur, to see if he's been hanging out with his SKUNK BUDDY AGAIN
I was laying down on the bed a week or so ago, not feeling well, and everyone came in to express their sympathy and devotion to sleepin' mommies I had Kirby (the smallest of them) balanced on my chest, I had Moo curled up on my lap. I had Spot snuggled under one arm, and Cinders upside-down stretched out between my other arm and my ribs. I asked Kirby (seeing as how he was the closest to my face), if this was my little slice of heaven? - he promptly responded with a soft-as-cottonball "boop" of his front paw onto my cheek. That's his way of telling me to be quiet.
So everytime I question whether I have too many, I back it up by affirming that this is my little fur family, that is so precious to me, and wouldn't trade it for the world. And while I won't say it outloud, and try not to think about the possibilities, I know that I wouldn't - couldn't bat an eyelash if I came home one day and found another distressed ball of fur that needed my help. God puts them in your path for a reason. Who am I to question the tasks set before me?
I'll admit that it's a handful. I'll admit that it would be more fair, if I had four arms - one to pet each of them at a time. I'll admit that their food budget per week, just about averages the same as mine. I'll admit that it keeps me in a constant state of guilt, that I haven't replaced their broken laser toy - even though in grown up world, my dryer is broken.
Aside from the usual cleaning-feeding-maintaining of an animal, as long as I can sit down and have my special time, with each of them, I feel like I can keep up with them.
I am for 1 animal per person kind of deal (in a family... unless that person is a single solo person)...
That one animal will have that 1 owner to be bonded to in their family & have their designated care taker.
Right now, my family only have one cat to dote all our attention on but she belongs to DD.
My DH will be getting his own dog next.
ive never had ANY look living like that huey ESPECIALLY with dogs because they are PACK animals, you cant just have a dog and his owner and everyone else in the family gets to sit back and watch EVERYONE has to be involved ina dogs upbringing, training ect so the dog respects each of you individually as members of the family...
cats are a little different being they are more indpeendant and less dependant on a strict group hierarchy within the family dynamic...but dogs...
dogs need EVERYONE to be involved in day to day activities, they need to bond with EVERYONE in the family or you are eventually going to run into issues down the line.
Well, here is fuzzy creature #5. She's 7 weeks old, vet says she's healthy. Kinda wish DH had found an older pup...she's only had her first set of shots and I am paranoid about diseases. But she's fitting in pretty well
We have so many pets I never know how many we have.
5-15 chickens. "Big Red" the rosster just died defending the ehns from we do not know what. It got the little bantam Rooster too. So we have maybe 10.
1-2 dogs. We jsut lost one, but normally have 2. However I have not been home yet so maybe we have a puppy.
1 inside cat (Devon Rex).
2 Barn Cats. They are feral and we rarely see them. One has not been seen in a while, it may be gone.
1 Tarantula- Much loved. Probably 10 years old. How long do they live?
1. Gecko. Actually has a personality.
1. Tree Frog. Ditto. Makes cool scary noises.
10 Finches. Plus or minus. they breed like mad and die a lot too.
2 Lesser Sulfur Crested Cockatoos. They domoinate the household.
1 Cockatiel. Pissed off abotu the Cockatoos joining us.
Unknown number of fish. 12-20 is my guess.
Evryone has a pet of their own sort of. Most get plenty of attention except the frog and the spider who are indifferent.
IN the past, we had some other sort of neat pets.
6' huge Iguana (not very nice, tail was a weapon).
2 Sugar Gliders (stinky and only come out at night, but really fun).
2 Ducks (school egg hatching project).
A baby Bunny (Mom hit the nest witht he mower - sole survivor, eventually released, still hangs in the yard).
Several Misc brids mostly rescue types.
100 mice (each fall, at least until I get the traps going).
my D's have earnt their OG's time and time again... a 2lb dog is no less of a dog than a 200lb dog...the human that owns it however...
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