Gecko Mania!!!

Disclaimer: I won't even start this by saying I'll be posting more often because, lets face it, I barely have time to poop and shower (at an impromptu lunch with my husband last week, I raised my arm to scratch my back and he said, "Uh, are you gonna shave your armpits any time soon?"). I'll write when I have time and am clean...tonight happens to be one of those times.

Also, I fully expect most of you to file this under your tldr folder.

First off, let me tell you that the following events happened within a time span of 13 days...I almost feel like I should write this as an episode of 24.

Now then, I do not discriminate when it comes to pet sitting. I look after dogs, cats (obvi.), birds, fish, frogs, hamsters, geckos, bearded dragons (my fave), hedgehogs, horses, goats, snakes, rabbits, etc. Really, as long as you are not all, "Hey, pet sitter, here's my pet clicking cock roach...", I'm game! 

So, when a new client approached me and said that her family is in the gecko breeding business, I thought, "Cool! Learning opp! I'm in!"

I went over for the consult, got the drill - geckos (well, certain ones) need to be misted every other day with water, at a minimum, and they eat a slurry of either baby food (peach or apricot) or gecko food and/or crickets. They also had gecko eggs that were simmering and would hatch at various times - none during the time I was to care for these critters. Whew! Anyone else see my amazing foreshadowing skills at work here???

A small reptilian lesson (keeping in mind, I'm going off of my experience and will resist the urge to consult the interwebs to look more intelligent):

• A leaf-tailed gecko is larger (at full size, approx. one foot from tail to head) and it's tail looks like an actual leaf - seriously, these guys can blend in to ANYTHING!!! I have spent the better part of an hour searching for one, only to find it has been splayed out on a branch right in front of me...jerks
• A leopard gecko is smaller (approx. six inches from tail to head) and has the patterns of a leopard. Fairly spritely little guys and always wear a smile :)
• A crested gecko is even smaller than a leopard gecko (approx. three to five inches). SUPER fast, mischievous and sneaky...they have eyelashes so, naturally, they are my favorite kind of gecko.

In my care was the following:

• One Bearded Dragon (does that need to be capitalized?? Also, reptile enthusiasts call them "beardies") named Spike. I LOVE Spike
• One python
• Two frogs (one is a beautiful, green surely-from-the-Amazon type guy) and one, who (whom??? No clue) I named Bob The Blob - he lives in water and literally looks like a hocked up loogie and is quite aggressive with his food (crickets) again...still, not a roach so I'm good caring for this being
• Two Leopard geckos - no misting needed
• Two chameleons! One small one and one large one - AMAZING creatures!
• Approximately 30 leaf-tailed or crested geckos
• Two on-the-verge-of-dying Beta fish
• Several gecko eggs.

My responsibilities were:

• Visit the reptiles every other day - on the first visit, just mist the required lizards; on the next visit, mist AND feed everyone (except for the beardie, python, and Bob the Blob)
• Make sure Spike has water and food; make sure the python has water; feed the inevitably dying fish
• Water the tomato plants.

Onward...

I entered the house on my first visit (July 31, 2015) - a visit just to mist the lizards. Lizard Central (LC) is located in the area of the house where the dining room would typically go. Along the walls and windows are the larger tanks for the...you guessed it...larger lizards; the smaller lizards are in critter carriers in the middle of the room. As per usual, I go in, say "hello" to everyone (even if they don't respond, and they never do) and resume my duties. I go to the sink and fill the mister from the kitchen and begin. First up - large chameleon. His name is Ernest and I LOVE him. He's amazing. Curled up tail, wandering eyes and the most beautiful shade of green ever. A simply stunning creature. He laps up the water that drips down is body as I spray him gently. I also mist his leaves so that when I go, he has the drippings to frolic in, lick, and enjoy.

I make my way around and get to the third large habitat, which houses two leaf-tailed geckos. I later learned that these two were wild-caught so their ages were unknown at the time of their capture. I'm misting...enjoying the quiet solitude that comes with caring for lizards as opposed to yappy dogs or nosey cats...then I see it, there on the floor of the habitat, a dead, rigermortized (is that even a word???) leaf-tailed gecko...up-side down, toes curled up, white (chalk-ish) looking skin and even some skin hanging off. EW (insert Jimmy Fallon "EW" skit here)!

A cold sweat rushes over me - I'm good with live animals, but I'm not so good with dead ones. Why? My biggest fear is that the "dead" animal actually has a shred of life left in it and at the very moment I touch it, will jump to life and scare the ever loving fuck out of me. What to do? Call Dad.

Dad was busy having lunch with a cousin...well, isn't that just freaking great?! There is NO way I'm going to pick that dead lizard up. And so, for the next 20 minutes I sprayed this poor, dead creature with various pressures of water to confirm its "deadness."

I do have a small, but AMAZING team of sitters who help me out more than I can even explain. Nancy....Nancy is a very tiny person with a huge personality. She doesn't mince words, nor does she take any shit from anyone (even me). She handles a client who has a horrendous roach problem for me. SHE is the man...er...woman for this job. I called her...she came right over. 

Armed with rubber gloves and poop bags (a necessity in this industry), Nancy extracted the stiffy lizard and deposited it into a zip-loc bag and placed it in the freezer (as instructed by the client). Prior to laying (lying??) it to rest in its icy tomb, I took photos and sent them to my client. This was necessary because they planned to do an autopsy to determine the cause of death. Since this lizard shared a habitat with another gecko, they need to make sure it's not something contagious that can be passed on to it's flat mate.

Wouldn't it be nice if the rest of the scheduled visits with my reptilian friends went smoothly? FAT CHANCE! However, the next story is pretty cool!

As I said, this client not only has several geckos as pets, but they also breed them. There are always various eggs in little, tiny Tupperware containers resting, cooking, simmering - waiting for the day that they hatch.

My client assured me that none of the eggs were due to hatch while they were gone, but to check on them at each visit just in cases (hello...Love Actually reference...anyone...anyone???). So, I made checking the eggs my last task before I walked out the door each day...I made my rounds and the first two visits - nothing. Good.

Third visit comes around. I mist, give Spike some love, baby talk to Ernest and marvel at his swiveling eyes and slow-moving tongue, talk to everyone else and make sure things are in order. Check on the fish...can't believe they are still alive and audibly say aloud, "I can't believe you guys are still alive." I begin making my rounds to check on the eggs and, wouldn't you guess...one of the m-effers has hatched!!!! 

I immediately call my client and deliver the good news. They are shocked that one hatched and told me that I needed to go to PetSmart, get a small habitat to put the baby in. Get some of the bedding from one of the other habitats, toss it in the new baby's home and steal a leaf from another habitat to add for nice ambiance for the little guy...or girl. Off to PetSmart I go!!!

I quickly grabbed a small, plastic critter cage and a bag of bedding. I didn't want to risk another one of the lizards escaping as I stole bedding from it's home...better to just add new.

Once back at LC, I arranged the bedding and grabbed a leaf from another tank (a low-risk tank on the "possibility of escape" scale) and prepared to transfer this teeny creature. It was a crested gecko that hatched...a red one. It was about the size of 3/4 of my pinky - super small and super CUTE!! I placed the "egg cooking" container that he/she hatched from inside his/her new home (again, minimizing the risk of having this smaller-than-pint-sized baby escaping into the open house), opened the container and poked it a smidge with my finger to get him/her to hop out and onto the new bedding. This tiny creature made the cutest sound that I have ever heard come from something so small...too bad I can't attach audio or I would try to recreate it!! My client later told me that only the babies make this sound.

I sat back and watched the baby. I gently misted it and gave it a stern talking to, "Ok, now listen, little fellow...please don't die in my care. You are so tiny and cute and I will take good care of you, but please don't die on me. I will bring you some peach baby food tomorrow and will mist you with a gentle touch. Again...do NOT die!" 

Fun factoid time!!! A gecko's first meal is the skin that it sheds after hatching. Once it finishes this meal, it can eat either gecko food or some peach or apricot baby food (as stated earlier). And that is just what I got him/her - some Gerber peach baby food, which I placed in a cut-down Dixie cup the next day. 

From that day on, I walked into my client's house and immediately went to the baby's container to make sure it was still alive, and it WAS :) I felt like it was mine...it was so fragile and tiny. 

The rest of my visits went off without another glitch, death or hatching. A few days after my clients returned, I text to check on "my" baby and it's still doing well!! Also, the freaking fish are still alive!!!

I'm still waiting for a TV network to call and offer me a reality show...

Post by: Allison Otero, owner of AlleyCat's Pet Service
alleycatspetservice.com

When Text Messages Go Wrong

Several of my clients like to receive confirmation and updates when I have visited their pets. I am the same way - when my personal pet sitters look after my fur kids, I am probably a very annoying client for them to have as I want to know every detail about my babies while I'm away. So, I understand and am happy to accommodate my client's needs for communication.

This communication usually comes in the form of text messages. It's convenient and easy for me on-the-go. A quick, "Kiddos are doing great!" is a quick and reassuring message I can send to my human clients to let them know that I (or one of my girls) have been to see their pets and all is well.

As most anyone who is a frequent texter, you know about the convenience of autocorrect. However, what happens when autocorrect gets it wrong can quickly turn a message into a hilarious / disturbing / completely wrong one. Since most of my days are spent on the road driving, I often use the voice memo feature to transcribe my text messages for me. I used to trust that it would get all of my words correct...that is until these two epic text fails happened...

1) What my text was supposed to say: "Kids are great!"

    What my text actually said: "Kids are dead!"

Can you imagine the panic this message ignited? When I received a message back from the human, "WHAAAT?!" I quickly corrected myself and assured her that her dogs were not dead...in fact they were great. Oy vey!

2) This one needs a little bit of a back story. 

I keep a sweet little Shitzu, named Maverick, at our house fairly often. As many of you know, my husband and I have been fostering cats and kittens for a rescue group called The Way Home, Inc. (thewayhomeinc.org) for the past three years. Maverick absolutely LOVES the tiny kittens. So much so, that I and his people have nicknamed him "Kitty Boy." 

During one of Maverick's stays at our house, we adopted out all of our kittens and he was left with only our big kitties in the house to play with...no more kittens for him to look at, groom and paw at. I decided to send Maverick's mom an update on him - "Poor Kitty Boy! All of our foster kittens just got adopted." She responded, "Poor little man, I'm sure he's sad that the little kitties are gone." Here's where it gets funny:

What my next text was supposed to say: "It's ok, he has the big kitties to play with."

What my text actually said: "It's ok, he has the big titties to play with."

As soon as I hit send, I saw the error and immediately, my arm pits started itching. You know that feeling when you think your stomach is going to fall through your butt??? As fast as my now clammy fingers could, I sent my client another message apologizing for the crude text. She replied that she and her husband were in stitches laughing. WHEW! Thank goodness for people with a sense of humor!

Moral of the story: Check all of your messages BEFORE hitting send! 

Happy Tuesday!!

Dog Poop...The Struggle is REAL

One of the perks of having a pet sitting business is that there are hardly any overhead expenses. Other than insurance, business cards, gas, and poop bags, there's really nothing else....

Poop bags...ahhhhh poop bags. I may be one of a very small group of people who get excited about poop bags. Why, they come in all different colors, prints, and even scents (like anything could mask the smell of a fresh, hot, steaming pile of dog shit, but at least BEFORE the load goes into the bag, it smells nice). Poop bags come with or without handles, perforated seams for easy tearing and, for the most part, they are strong and rarely break. 

Don't get me wrong, I have fallen victim to the ole 'finger-tearing-through-the-bag' disaster and gotten doo doo on my hands. A person who handles as much dog excrement as I do is bound to have a few of these mishaps. The only thing worse is when I have the poop on my finger somewhere, don't realize it and then scratch my nose or put my hair behind my ear. However, unpleasant that sounds, situations like the aforementioned also double as instant husband deterrent when I come home and he wants to get frisky and I'm too tired, "Ewww! You smell like dog shit!" Mission accomplished!

Sometimes my clients do not provide a proper container for which to throw the filled poop bags into after a walk. You obviously never want to put a full poop bag in an inside garbage can (see comment above re: scented bags) or even an outside garbage can, for that matter. Imagine you put a full bag of poop in a garbage can and then someone comes along and tosses something heavy into the can on TOP of the full poop bag. Have you ever stepped on a packet of ketchup??? You get the idea...SPLAT - now your garbage can is covered in dog crap. Lovely.

Anywho, when I can't find a proper receptacle (park garbage can/construction container/etc.), I will take the bag of poop with me in my car and dispose of it when I can find one. One hot, summer day, I walked a large Labrodoodle who seemingly ate an entire can of chili beans and chased it with Sriracha sauce and I picked up the feculence with my trusty poop bag. I tied it up and headed back to the doggy's home to deposit said canine and the bag and be on my way. Unfortunately, there was no place for me to properly get rid of the bag so I took it with me and put it on the floor board of my car (with plans to remove it ASAP), rolled the window down and was on my way to the next stop.

Went to my next stop, then my next and by the time I knew it, four hours had passed and my day was over...YAY! Time for wine and vegging on the couch.

Fast forward to the next afternoon - time for my afternoon dog walks! I got into my car and HOLY SHIT! The events of the afternoon before flooded my brain as the rancid smell of a poop bag filled with dog feces flooded my nostrils. I gagged...literally gagged. I live in Florida where it is not uncommon for the temperatures to soar into the 100's. Can you even imagine the aroma of this thing baking in my hot car for 12+ hours? 

You know when the person riding in the car with you rips a huge fart and you have to hang yourself half way out of the window to get a breath of fresh air? Well, that was me for about four hours after finally throwing away the bag of poop.

One thing I've learned during my pet sitting journey - walking dogs is easy...it's all the shit you have to worry about!

Cheers!!

Post by: Allison Otero, owner of AlleyCat's Pet Service

alleycatspetservice.com

  

Dog Treat, Anyone?

One of my most loyal clients has two adorable, rescued Boxers named Riley and Austen. Riley is a bit of a nervous Nelly and has some tummy issues, so her food schedule and what she eats is quite particular. Riley and Austen's people feed them the BEST food possible and order special treats from an individual in Oregon (I think) who makes dog treats from her home.

I have been looking after these two pups for almost two years now and I just adore them. Their people like for me to spend the night in their home with them when they are out of town and are so gracious, offering anything in their kitchen for me to snack on and have even left me bottles of wine to enjoy while I'm caring for Austen and Riley. Free wine and get paid to stay with two adorable dogs...yes please!!

Rarely do I gorge myself on my clients' food (with respect to a few times when I still considered myself a rookie and didn't pack food with me) while I'm in their homes, but this particular time, I noticed some delicious-looking crackers in their refrigerator and I had brought some cheese with me, so I decided to try one. It was DELICIOUS - maybe one of the best crackers I have ever tried.

So, my time with Austen and Riley was over - I think it was a three night stay this time and each night I would nibble on a few of the crackers with my cheese. A few more weekends came and went that I again slumbered with Austen and Riley and there were always the same yummy crackers in the fridge that I would indulge myself on. About a month went by and Austen and Riley needed my services again and this time when I went to see them, I opened the fridge and I saw the crackers...only this time, the bag they were in had a note on them that read, "Dog Biscuits."

All this time I had been eating dog biscuits!! Ok, ok, I'm not THAT freaked out that I ate the dog crackers as I have, on occasion, gotten curious as to why dogs like the taste of certain treats and decided to just have a taste - clearly, dogs have different taste buds and palates because EWWWWA! However, these crackers didn't taste anything at all like the disgusting, gamey, weird consistency-having treats I have tasted before.

I would be lying if I said I haven't eaten them again since finding out they are for dogs...WOOF!