#dinopups

I've mentioned that we've been pretty busy, well, here is one of many reasons why! This is #Raptor, who was from our #DinoPups litter. I picked her up a few weeks ago as she was going to be heading to join Bibi's family. Unfortunately when we went to get her we found her cheek pouch had prolapsed. The entire pouch was out of her mouth, and there was a small mass inside it. Obviously in her attempts to get the mass out, she prolapsed the pouch. As I was on the phone booking her in for emergency surgery, the cheeky madame popped the same pouch back in. Thus, we were able to delay her surgery and get her in a few days later (I am now an expert pouch replacer, I'll have you know 😂) She had her pouch amputated last Tuesday. Since there are stitches and an incision inside her mouth, Raptor is not allowed to pouch anything until she heals. This means no blocks, no seeds, no bedding... Basically nothing. It's really hard to deny a hamster their instinctual practices, but sadly it's required for her to heal. As such, I have to provide her with a completely liquid diet (emeraid omnivore solution, however I've mixed it with other things as she began to turn it down!). She needs feeding at least 3x a day... So miss Raptor has been joining me at work. We got the results from the histopathology on the mass today. Sadly, poor Raptor has sarcoma, which is a kind of cancer. Her mitosis count is 1, which is low thankfully. We don't have many options - we know there were cancer cells up to the incision meaning that they did not get clean margins. To do so would mean another surgery, and removing part of her cheek. While I am a huge advocate for vet care, there are times when we need to say no. Sadly, this is one of those. Raptor will not have additional surgery (she has been through so much already) but we will monitor and treat the symptoms. If you could think a good thought for Raptor, we would appreciate it. She has a lot of people who love her. 💗 https://www.instagram.com/p/B1XTiN-AJth/?igshid=3v9zrhmzfpa2

#Meg may just be the cutest baby polar bear I’ve had the pleasure of meeting! #DinoPups https://www.instagram.com/p/Bt1H1QSgifd/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=105apqguj6s0m

Snuggles with mum, the best way to spend a drizzly day! The #DinoPups are now four weeks and the boys will be moving out shortly. They are soooo sweet. The #SuffragettePups have been moving to their new homes and I’ll share a bit about their new homes soon! https://www.instagram.com/p/BuHeQ6HAu--/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=13tno093ly285

Meet #Steve, a black recessive dapple carrier male from the #DinoPups! Steve is named after the dinosaur Stegosaurus, which lived during the Late Jurassic period. The mighty Stegosaurus gets its name from the word “roof-lizard”. This dinosaur was unique because it was the size of a bus, but had the brain the size of a bent hotdog. Stegosaurus had strong boney-spikes at the end of its tail, however, scientists are unaware if these spikes were used as display or a weapon. The spikes were given the amazingly brutal name “Thagomizers”. Thank you for joining us and #LearningWithHamsters. All graphics/drawings/representations belong to their original owners. https://www.instagram.com/p/BtmWa7zAel-/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=s1wafrejeo1y

Meet #Cera, a black female from the #DinoPups! Cera is named after the dinosaur Triceratops, which lived during the Mesozoic period. The Triceratops powerful jaws that were tipped with a pointed beak. Their name translates to “three-horned face”. Underneath the long horns were part of the bone structure of the skull, however the bone was covered by the horn material. Just like present day buffalos, antelopes and other horned mammals, they re-grew if they were worn out or fell off. Thank you for joining us and #LearningWithHamsters. All graphics/drawings/representations belong to their original owners. https://www.instagram.com/p/Btmds0sAwVs/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=16q41gq4n7n06

Meet #Huxley, a heterozygous extreme dilute yellow male from the #DinoPups! Huxley is named after the dinosaur Huxleysaurus, which lived during the Early Cretaceous period. The Huxleysaurus is a genus of herbivorous styracosternan ornithopod dinosaur. Unfortunately not much is known about this dinosaur since the fossil only included a femur, limb elements, vertebrae, a foot-claw within the deposit it was collect from. Thank you for joining us and #LearningWithHamsters. All graphics/drawings/representations belong to their original owners. https://www.instagram.com/p/BtpGAlBAm_p/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1qhm3181qzdem

The #DinoPups are ready for introductions! #Bee and #Bibi certainly gave me quite the doozy in terms of pups. I am sure you’ll understand. I wanted to also take a moment to say a massive thank you to @sycohearteds_pets!!! She wrote pretty much all the dinosaur information for us and I am soooo grateful. I love doing the write ups, but they do take some time and that’s something we’ve been lacking lately! I am incredibly thankful for her help, and I encourage you to thank her too as without it, you’d be waiting even longer for intros! So, who is ready to meet some pups?! https://www.instagram.com/p/BtmSvgrgOIh/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=a3s7is8ul3nb

Meet #Barry, a heterozygous extreme dilute red eyed cream male from the #DinoPups! Barry is named after the dinosaur Baryonyx, which lived during the Cretaceous period. Baryonyx was a unique theropod (three-toed limbs) found primarily in what is now northern Europe. Its name translates from the latin as “heavy claw”, and it indeed had a large, heavy claw at the end of its forelimbs. Its appearance is also marked by a long, balancing tail and a relatively small skull, which tapers into a very narrow jaw. Baryonyx was a carnivore. In artwork, Baryonyx is often depicted making use of its outsized claws to catch and devour fish. It can be recognized by its crocodilian head. Thank you for joining us and #LearningWithHamsters. All graphics/drawings/representations belong to their original owners https://www.instagram.com/p/BtpMfcIgIP6/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1o2vd0vhhfx6b