Spike, The Radiator Siege & Other Adventures

[Thin Lizzy]

Good to hear your tooth is better. Mine has healed thank goodness, it took a week to heal.
Also good to hear your Hubby's doing great, fresh mackerel is a gr8 result.
Good luck with Spike's cage clean lol!
I'm looking forward to the Bank Holiday too.
Happy Anniversary for Saturday when it comes. How many years are you celebrating?
I did giggle at you giving Spike a lecture about coming out at a suitable time. I've had that conversation with my 2, they just look at me with their cute face and I melt.

[RubyDG]

Originally Posted by Shannonmcn

Hold your ground Ruby, I believe in you!

Thanks Shannon! I'm trying to stay strong. It's hard though when he's being all cute and doing his little paw peddling begging dance like an excited puppy. I tend to convince myself that I should take him out just for a little while, especially when it's the weekend or I'm on holiday .

Originally Posted by Thin Lizzy

Good to hear your tooth is better. Mine has healed thank goodness, it took a week to heal.
Also good to hear your Hubby's doing great, fresh mackerel is a gr8 result.
Good luck with Spike's cage clean lol!
I'm looking forward to the Bank Holiday too.
Happy Anniversary for Saturday when it comes. How many years are you celebrating?
I did giggle at you giving Spike a lecture about coming out at a suitable time. I've had that conversation with my 2, they just look at me with their cute face and I melt.

Cage clean was such a nightmare! Popped Spike in his carrier, which he was not too happy about, but he went to sleep anyway. Got Hubby to lift the cage top off and then told him to go away. I like to do it myself really even with my bad arm. It does get a little frustrating sometimes but I can manage. Of course yesterday I decided to take the white plastic corner shelves out to wash them as I haven't bothered since I set up the cage as they don't get dirty really, they just get a quick wipe while they're still clipped in. I don't tend to have hissy fits but I was pretty close trying to get those things in and out. Of course Hubby was hovering going 'let me do that' and I got all snippy saying I could manage perfectly fine thank you . I managed to get everything done in the end though and Spike was suitably unimpressed with all my effort. I'm sure he thinks it was all a lot of fuss for no reason at all .

Hubby made me a nice lunch though so it was all well in the end. This Saturday is our 10 year anniversary, although it feels like longer because we lived happily in sin for 4 years before we got around to getting married . Goes quickly though!

[Coco61]

Sounds like a hubby who is getting back to normal! Congrats for 10+4 on Saturday.
Spike better behave for the day though not spend his time teaching CC!

[Shannonmcn]

It's the cute faces and the cute paws and the ears and everything, impossible to resist! 14 years is a long time! Congrats! I've been with my partner for almost 4 years and he would not be trusted with a cage clean either, maybe in another 10 I'll reassess :P

Coco don't be giving them ideas!!

[RubyDG]

I honestly don't know what to do now. I just had to cut Spike's playtime drastically short. Spike doesn't spend much time under the bed except for the little stash that he keeps there. I heard him making a noise from under the bed but it didn't sound like he was chewing a nut or something. So I looked under and he was chewing on the wall. Not the skirting board or the bed but the actual wall. More frightening than that he was pulling little chunks out of it. I had to tempt him out with a treat and then put him back in the cage. I'm going to have to talk to Hubby tomorrow, I don't even know how to begin hamster proofing a bloody wall

[phinox]

he is just trying to add a window or maybe a door so friends can come over?

[Shannonmcn]

Eeek how did he get a grip on the wall? is it painted plaster or what kind of wall covering have you got because he really shouldn't be able to be pulling chunks out of it.

Hope the solution is as easy as finding something to block under the bed

[Jen250]

Spike is a feisty one. His personality really matches his name! Maybe he's been watching too much Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

[RubyDG]

Well I had Hubby pull the bed out this morning so I could check (that thing's heavy!). Looks like that wall has one of those never-ending layers of wallpaper and paint. The Fluff Monster has made a nice decorative hole . Hubby got a large heavy piece of chipboard he had and we've put that up against the wall. As the bed has a headboard and is heavy that's keeping it nicely in place. The only thing is that as it's on the floor the skirting board means there is a slight gap between the wall and the board on the sides. I don't think it's big enough for him to get his fat head through but we'll see how it holds up tonight. You all better think happy thoughts for me because if this doesn't work I'm out of ideas. Also, I'm never ever ever getting that security deposit back now .

[Leila0420]

Ah Spike, ever the fluff monster... You poor thing Ruby! It might be worth pushing some boxes or something in front of the gap between the skirting board and the chipboard because I can imagine Spike may keep trying to get back to this new potential chew space (if not now, then maybe later).

Recently I've had to deal with a lot of legal stuff about deposits etc. so, just in case you don't know, if your landlord holds a deposit for your apartment then he has to register the deposit in a 'Deposit Protection Scheme' and provide you with the 'Prescribed Information' regarding the scheme. If he hasn't done this then you're entitled to claim up to 3 months rent back from him. What deposit protection schemes do is protects your money by ensuring that any interest made on the deposit is yours to keep, and they arbitrate any dispute over reductions to the amount to be paid back. In other words if your landlord has to fix any of the destruction caused by Spike then he has to provide receipts/ sufficient evidence before he is allowed to remove the amount and if you think he's taking an unfair amount you can argue against it. Deposits aren't an all or nothing thing and he should only be taking what's necessary for any repairs etc. (...Sorry lol I've learnt a lot about this kind of stuff lately and like having an excuse to splurge it all out at people...)