The Pipsqueakery

12/16/2024

So many animals have that one scratchy spot that activates a back leg that I honestly wonder why humans don't. Maybe it was a hazard when our ancestors lived high in trees? In any case, Agnes is showing off that reduced inflammation has helped her range-of-motion some in that leg. With the partially fused ankle it still isn't amazing for swimming or running, but she's getting more confident with standing, gentle walking, and grooming.

It's extremely rainy here today, and I think my goal is going to be finishing work on some interior walls. Plus we have to prep for our next surgery day. And I should probably repair the cord on the shop vac that I want to be the main upstairs vacuum. Anything else I'm forgetting?

12/16/2024

12/16/2024

Working on getting live! Trying to get this thing figured out has been more complex then any animal care today

12/15/2024

The Auctions for Agnes at Melissa Philbrook Art are ending in the next two hours! Check them out before they're over and get some amazing things while supporting a great cause. All of her auctions are set to donate 75% to The Pipsqueakery so you definitely want to check them out!

https://www.ebay.com/str/melissaphilbrookart/Artist-Auctions/_i.html?store_cat=39329671011

12/15/2024

Agnes wanted to show off her water drinking while I precariously filmed her and I thought I would answer a couple questions from the last post!

Q: How is Agnes transported from the bath to the couch? Is she carried or can she walk?

A: Agnes is carried from the couch to the bath. She could walk the distance between the two but that would mean getting her off the couch, setting her on the floor gently, following her to the bath (which is actually a big sink in our veterinary clinic), and then lifting her into it. She takes two scheduled baths a day at around noon and 10 pm and all the baths in between are when she wakes up and signals she needs to go potty by acting restless and *almost* getting off the couch herself. It's very obvious to me [Alex] when she needs to go potty vs restless for other reasons now which is definitely nice.

Q: What is her mobility like given the injuries to her feet/paws and are they improving?

A: Fairly poor. Her front right foot is her best foot and her front left foot is injured in such a way that is doesn't really impact her mobility significantly mostly just her dexterity. The back right foot is her better back foot in that she has full range of motion on it but it's still infected and sore. The back left foot is just a disaster. She will bear weight on it now but there's no range of motion in the ankle meaning she has to move her hip in really exaggerated ways to walk. Its also infected and swollen and painful despite all the meds, but like if you had a broken leg the meds make things tolerable they don't make it 100% pain free. So she can walk and it is improving but I don't force her to walk if she doesn't want to. It is getting better though!

You can ask more Agnes questions below and i might answer some in the comments or make more posts answering them!

How to support what we do:

❤️ Venmo: (please make sure you confirm it is our account, last 4 digits of the phone number are 2235)

❤️ Credit card on our Website: thepipsqueakery.org

❤️ Zelle: 574-993-2235

❤️ Cashapp: $ThePipsqueakery

❤️ Paypal: [email protected]

❤️ Patreon: patreon.com/thepipsqueakery

❤️ Amazon Wishlist (if you have trouble with addresses or you want to send something not on the wishlist you can just send to 8491 S Rockport rd Bloomington, IN 47403) : http://a.co/fEKocKc

❤️ Chewy Wishlist: https://www.chewy.com/g/the-pipsqueakery-inc_b69832307

❤️ Mail a check: 8491 S Rockport Rd Bloomington, IN 47403

❤️ Vote for us to win in the Shelter Challenge: https://www.shelterchallenge.com/shelterchallenge/Shelter/Detail/1244853

12/15/2024

I’m (Katie) planning on doing a live tomorrow at 8pm eastern while caring for some of the animals who don’t mind me talking (this opossum is not on that list)! Facebook lives have a bit of a delay and it’d be nice to have a stockpile of questions to kick off Q&As. Length will depend on how cooperative the various animals (probably rabbit kits) are feeling. If you have a question about anything or everything, I would love to hear it!

I tend to work mostly with the not-rodent wildlife, but I play one part or another in all of the animal care. If you’re curious about Jason’s favorite drink or what Addie’s favorite snack is, please ask away!

12/14/2024

Agnes is actually the most spoiled beaver in the entire world. Just, you know, in case you were wondering.

How to support what we do which is just spoil Agnes 24/7 because that's apparently our sole mission now:

❤️ Venmo: (please make sure you confirm it is our account, last 4 digits of the phone number are 2235)

❤️ Credit card on our Website: thepipsqueakery.org

❤️ Zelle: 574-993-2235

❤️ Cashapp: $ThePipsqueakery

❤️ Paypal: [email protected]

❤️ Patreon: patreon.com/thepipsqueakery

❤️ Amazon Wishlist (if you have trouble with addresses or you want to send something not on the wishlist you can just send to 8491 S Rockport rd Bloomington, IN 47403) : http://a.co/fEKocKc

❤️ Chewy Wishlist: https://www.chewy.com/g/the-pipsqueakery-inc_b69832307

❤️ Mail a check: 8491 S Rockport Rd Bloomington, IN 47403

❤️ Vote for us to win in the Shelter Challenge: https://www.shelterchallenge.com/shelterchallenge/Shelter/Detail/1244853

12/14/2024

Here's Agnes in her oatmeal bath! She isn't sure how she feels about the fishies who sometimes sq**rt water at her but she likes the boat the ride in because sometimes it's full of treats.

Agnes added a few things to the wishlist today but she has to admit that mostly what she wants is to get on the couch and sleep. Which is my entire mood today but obviously I have lots of other things to do to cater to Agnes.

How to support what we do:

❤️ Venmo: (please make sure you confirm it is our account, last 4 digits of the phone number are 2235)

❤️ Credit card on our Website: thepipsqueakery.org

❤️ Zelle: 574-993-2235

❤️ Cashapp: $ThePipsqueakery

❤️ Paypal: [email protected]

❤️ Patreon: patreon.com/thepipsqueakery

❤️ Amazon Wishlist (if you have trouble with addresses or you want to send something not on the wishlist you can just send to 8491 S Rockport rd Bloomington, IN 47403) : http://a.co/fEKocKc

❤️ Chewy Wishlist: https://www.chewy.com/g/the-pipsqueakery-inc_b69832307

❤️ Mail a check: 8491 S Rockport Rd Bloomington, IN 47403

❤️ Vote for us to win in the Shelter Challenge: https://www.shelterchallenge.com/shelterchallenge/Shelter/Detail/1244853

12/14/2024

This is Buzzy. She’s terrible. The food isn’t going anywhere, and she eats it all, but she prefers to scatter everything over delicately pecking away like most of our other chickens!

We’ve been chicken sitting Buzzy for our friends at Hoppy, Healthy & Safe. They’re amazing folks and also the people who brought the neglected guinea pig to us! Buzzy has had a rough road to get here. She was a part of the Owen county animal abuse case, where we took in over 200 animals (mostly chickens) after they were seized. Buzzy was one of those chickens! We reached out to our friends at Hoppy Healthy & Safe after having the influx of animals and she kindly accepted some into her care.

Buzzy, like all of the other chickens, was starved and in terrible condition at intake. But thanks to HH&S TLC, she’s doing great! She’s gained weight, feathers are in good condition, and Buzzy is overall an active and healthy gal. The night before the director of HH&S was going to leave for a trip, Buzzy declined her treats and didn’t put herself away like she does at the end of every night. Concerned, the director made a four hour round trip from 10pm-2am to bring Buzzy to us. We kept an eye on Buzzy and she’s seemed to be completely normal for the time we’ve been chickensitting. We’re thinking she was sick of being outside and has been enjoying the indoor heating.

If you’d like to support us so we can do stuff like say,”Yeah, we’ll take in 200 abused/neglected animals and find them forever homes”, check out the below!

❤️ Venmo: (please make sure you confirm it is our account, last 4 digits of the phone number are 2235)

❤️ Credit card on our Website: thepipsqueakery.org

❤️ Zelle: 574-993-2235

❤️ Cashapp: $ThePipsqueakery

❤️ Paypal: [email protected]

❤️ Patreon: patreon.com/thepipsqueakery

❤️ Amazon Wishlist (if you have trouble with addresses or you want to send something not on the wishlist you can just send to 8491 S Rockport rd Bloomington, IN 47403) : http://a.co/fEKocKc

❤️ Chewy Wishlist: https://www.chewy.com/g/the-pipsqueakery-inc_b69832307

❤️ Mail a check: 8491 S Rockport Rd Bloomington, IN 47403

❤️ Vote for us to win in the Shelter Challenge: https://www.shelterchallenge.com/shelterchallenge/Shelter/Detail/1244853

[ Katie ]

12/14/2024

Some moments from this week:

• This guinea pig was transferred to us with an abscess caused by dental issues. With some TLC, he’s made a gorgeous recovery, and we were able to integrate him in with the rest of our sanctuary guinea pigs! There was some initial teeth chattering, but he decided that a fun hide was way more interesting then picking a fight.

• We got to visit an adopted Pipsqueak! This cat was surrendered to us after being found as a kitten in a sewer drain. It was late enough that other shelters were closed and the finders were concerned she was urgently sick, so she came to us. She was fostered until she was a young adult and one of our volunteers fell in love and adopted her. She’s still doing great!

• Three eleven day old rabbit kits were transferred into our care after their mom wasn’t taking great care of them. Baby rabbits are touchy and we’ll likely make another post with more information on these babies!

• This chicken is a terrible messy monster. That’s it!

• Horace the musk turtle attended the second day of a staff training in Columbus, IN where he was an excellent model for attendees to see how wiggly and scratchy aquatic turtles are.

This is a quick snapshot into some of the highlights of the last few days. If you’d like to support us, check out the below!

❤️ Venmo: (please make sure you confirm it is our account, last 4 digits of the phone number are 2235)

❤️ Credit card on our Website: thepipsqueakery.org

❤️ Zelle: 574-993-2235

❤️ Cashapp: $ThePipsqueakery

❤️ Paypal: [email protected]

❤️ Patreon: patreon.com/thepipsqueakery

❤️ Amazon Wishlist (if you have trouble with addresses or you want to send something not on the wishlist you can just send to 8491 S Rockport rd Bloomington, IN 47403) : http://a.co/fEKocKc

❤️ Chewy Wishlist: https://www.chewy.com/g/the-pipsqueakery-inc_b69832307

❤️ Mail a check: 8491 S Rockport Rd Bloomington, IN 47403

❤️ Vote for us to win in the Shelter Challenge: https://www.shelterchallenge.com/shelterchallenge/Shelter/Detail/1244853

12/14/2024

This rat's name is Charlie, and he has baaaad teeth. He was surrendered by an owner who wasn't prepared to deal with this medical issue, because those things grow fast, and he needs them trimmed every two weeks. They should really be trimmed with a diamond burr because clipping teeth has a chance of shattering the tooth and causing infections and pain. This can be very pricey to have done every two weeks at the vet, so we completely understand that his former owner wasn't up for it.

Normally, a rodent's teeth are kept worn down via a motion called bruxing where they rub them together to trim and sharpen them nicely. But bruxing only works if the teeth have good alignment. Charlie's issues are changes to the bone, and he'd normally be considered an obvious case for euthanasia for any owner or rescue, but we happen to have the resources to take care of it, so efficiently that it costs us nearly nothing. He's been here about a year now living a normal rat life with the other rats in the medical sanctuary group. You can see his friends in the background of pic 4 waiting for him to return to the snuggle pile.

12/13/2024

Do you think Aveeno wants to advertise that they make beaver safe products? Agnes is currently enjoying an oatmeal bath and by enjoying I mean she is farting in the bath.

Today I'm going to try to work on her crusty left ear. She really hates when I do that but it's time to get it cleaned up. I'm struggling to write interesting and engaging posts right now. Clearly I need to take some time to read my beaver book so I can give you more fun facts.

Oh, but in the meantime we need more quotes to use on the website. So comment below: Why do you support The Pipsqueakery?

How to support what we do:

❤️ Venmo: (please make sure you confirm it is our account, last 4 digits of the phone number are 2235)

❤️ Credit card on our Website: thepipsqueakery.org

❤️ Zelle: 574-993-2235

❤️ Cashapp: $ThePipsqueakery

❤️ Paypal: [email protected]

❤️ Patreon: patreon.com/thepipsqueakery

❤️ Amazon Wishlist (if you have trouble with addresses or you want to send something not on the wishlist you can just send to 8491 S Rockport rd Bloomington, IN 47403) : http://a.co/fEKocKc

❤️ Chewy Wishlist: https://www.chewy.com/g/the-pipsqueakery-inc_b69832307

❤️ Mail a check: 8491 S Rockport Rd Bloomington, IN 47403

❤️ Vote for us to win in the Shelter Challenge: https://www.shelterchallenge.com/shelterchallenge/Shelter/Detail/1244853

12/13/2024

Rawr! She heard that means I love you in dinosaur.

Agnes is being particularly needy today and doesn't want me to groom her but also doesn't want me to do anything except groom her. I can't believe my life is currently ruled by the whims of a beaver.

Anyway I'm sure I had a really update for you but it's been 20 minutes since I started typing. Agnes and messages keep interrupting me and I have zero idea where I was going here.

How to support what we do:

❤️ Venmo: (please make sure you confirm it is our account, last 4 digits of the phone number are 2235)

❤️ Credit card on our Website: thepipsqueakery.org

❤️ Zelle: 574-993-2235

❤️ Cashapp: $ThePipsqueakery

❤️ Paypal: [email protected]

❤️ Patreon: patreon.com/thepipsqueakery

❤️ Amazon Wishlist (if you have trouble with addresses or you want to send something not on the wishlist you can just send to 8491 S Rockport rd Bloomington, IN 47403) : http://a.co/fEKocKc

❤️ Chewy Wishlist: https://www.chewy.com/g/the-pipsqueakery-inc_b69832307

❤️ Mail a check: 8491 S Rockport Rd Bloomington, IN 47403

❤️ Vote for us to win in the Shelter Challenge: https://www.shelterchallenge.com/shelterchallenge/Shelter/Detail/1244853

12/12/2024

Baby Rory is practicing her beavering skills by helping us put donations away. And by helping I mean she is creating chaos and hoarding things in our closet after dragging them there.

Did I ask for this help? No.

Is this help actually helpful? No.

Do I have a choice? No.

Rory pushed past a volunteer to get out of her outdoor enclosure, came in through the backdoor, and came upstairs to "help" me. Beavers may actually be the most stubborn creatures ever who decide what they want and insist on getting it.

How to support what we do:

❤️ Venmo: (please make sure you confirm it is our account, last 4 digits of the phone number are 2235)

❤️ Credit card on our Website: thepipsqueakery.org

❤️ Zelle: 574-993-2235

❤️ Cashapp: $ThePipsqueakery

❤️ Paypal: [email protected]

❤️ Patreon: patreon.com/thepipsqueakery

❤️ Amazon Wishlist (if you have trouble with addresses or you want to send something not on the wishlist you can just send to 8491 S Rockport rd Bloomington, IN 47403) : http://a.co/fEKocKc

❤️ Chewy Wishlist: https://www.chewy.com/g/the-pipsqueakery-inc_b69832307

❤️ Mail a check: 8491 S Rockport Rd Bloomington, IN 47403

❤️ Vote for us to win in the Shelter Challenge: https://www.shelterchallenge.com/shelterchallenge/Shelter/Detail/1244853

12/12/2024

Yesterday morning my oldest rat ever passed away. He was getting ready to celebrate his third Christmas at my house. Even though he had lost the use of one of his back legs and had developed a cataract in his right eye, he was not otherwise sick. It appears that he passed away peacefully in his sleep.

Diomedes was adopted from The Pipsqueakery in August of 2022. His rescue intake was from a backyard breeding situation in Tennessee. He came in stuffed in a wire bottom cage with a bunch of other rats. He and the rats bred before him, had never been socialized with people. Naturally, he was quite skittish and remained that way for most of his life.

Diomedes had the rare privilege of spending almost all of his life in a safe and loving home where he had many rat friends and appropriate care. I wish every pet rodent could have the same story as Diomedes, but working in rescue we often see that this is not the case. Pet rodents are often improperly cared for and don't always get a stable home. If all pet rodents did have a safe and loving home, The Pipsqueakery never would have come into existence.

The first photo is Diomedes as a tiny little rat when I first brought him home. The second photo was taken two days before he passed. In that photo he is eating noodles from a bowl of chicken noodle soup that I had decided to share with my rats.

If you would like to donate in Diomedes's memory, there are lots of ways to do so:

How to support what we do:

❤️ Venmo: (please make sure you confirm it is our account, last 4 digits of the phone number are 2235)

❤️ Credit card on our Website: thepipsqueakery.org

❤️ Zelle: 574-993-2235

❤️ Paypal: [email protected]

❤️ Patreon: patreon.com/thepipsqueakery

❤️ Amazon Wishlist (if you have trouble with addresses or you want to send something not on the wishlist you can just send to 8491 S Rockport rd Bloomington, IN 47403) : http://a.co/fEKocKc

❤️ Chewy Wishlist: https://www.chewy.com/g/the-pipsqueakery-inc_b69832307

❤️ Mail a check: 8491 S Rockport Rd Bloomington, IN 47403

[ Felicia ]

12/12/2024

This guinea pig was brought to our attention after someone was looking for somewhere cheap to euthanize him.

He ‘jumped’ out of a childs arms and landed on his head. The person who had him thought he’d broken his jaw. When they’d tried to put him back in his cage, he fell on his side and started hitting himself. A week after that happened, he wasn’t able to eat or drink, and they were looking for somewhere cheap to put him down.

Thanks to hoppyhealthyandsafe and the amazing work of their transport volunteer, he was brought to us ASAP. We noticed a few things right off the bat. 1) He is scarily skinny. You can feel every k**b on his spine the second you pick him up. 2) His feet are full of infection. This is a condition called bumblefoot. It’s commonly caused by living in unhygienic conditions (do you see the p**p stuck in his nails?). It’s painful and something we see pretty frequently. His right foot in particular looks almost like an elephants foot from above due to the swelling and he can’t walk. 3) This guinea pig has an abscess from likely caseous lymphadentis, an infection caused by Streptococcus bacteria. 4) Tentatively, his jaw seems okay, but his top teeth are missing and his bottom teeth are extremely overgrown. This is why he’s been unable to eat.

This condition came about after years of improper care. He’s also not a euthanasia case. With time and care, we’re hoping he’ll make a full recovery. Considering his teeth issues and age, once he’s stable and in good body condition, we’ll integrate him into our sanctuary group of CL+ guinea pigs ❤️

Our Patreon is currently coming up with a good name for him. If you want to help support him, please check out the below!

❤️ Venmo: (please make sure you confirm it is our account, last 4 digits of the phone number are 2235)

❤️ Credit card on our Website: thepipsqueakery.org

❤️ Zelle: 574-993-2235

❤️ Cashapp: $ThePipsqueakery

❤️ Paypal: [email protected]

❤️ Patreon: patreon.com/thepipsqueakery

❤️ Amazon Wishlist (if you have trouble with addresses or you want to send something not on the wishlist you can just send to 8491 S Rockport rd Bloomington, IN 47403) : http://a.co/fEKocKc

❤️ Chewy Wishlist: https://www.chewy.com/g/the-pipsqueakery-inc_b69832307

❤️ Mail a check: 8491 S Rockport Rd Bloomington, IN 47403

❤️ Vote for us to win in the Shelter Challenge: https://www.shelterchallenge.com/shelterchallenge/Shelter/Detail/1244853

-Katie

12/12/2024

I told Agnes she had to give me some content or the people would start a rebellion. Of course she obliged and did some grooming while wearing her mittens. It's kinda cool to see just how unbothered by wearing mittens she is though she still doesn't like the process of putting them on.

Also in exciting news Katie and I finished the paperwork to keep Agnes here as an educational ambassador so that will go out in the mail tomorrow! Keep your fingers crossed that she gets approved to stay and we can start educational programming in the early spring!

How to support what we do:

❤️ Venmo: (please make sure you confirm it is our account, last 4 digits of the phone number are 2235)

❤️ Credit card on our Website: thepipsqueakery.org

❤️ Zelle: 574-993-2235

❤️ Cashapp: $ThePipsqueakery

❤️ Paypal: [email protected]

❤️ Patreon: patreon.com/thepipsqueakery

❤️ Amazon Wishlist (if you have trouble with addresses or you want to send something not on the wishlist you can just send to 8491 S Rockport rd Bloomington, IN 47403) : http://a.co/fEKocKc

❤️ Chewy Wishlist: https://www.chewy.com/g/the-pipsqueakery-inc_b69832307

❤️ Mail a check: 8491 S Rockport Rd Bloomington, IN 47403

❤️ Vote for us to win in the Shelter Challenge: https://www.shelterchallenge.com/shelterchallenge/Shelter/Detail/1244853