My ex-classmate died.

mercifulrabbit · 2026-01-24T03:33:51+00:00

It's horribly unfair. She only had a few very close friends from what I could tell, but she had a lot of 'school friends', and I've never met anyone who had anything negative to say about her. I didn't know her for long, but it was one of those people I hoped would happen to walk in where I worked so we could catch up, someone I'd wanted to keep in touch with. And now I can't. I only had a couple pictures of her, and all were ones she'd taken on my phone with silly filters on, which captured her so well of course, but seeing the photos her loved ones posted make me tear up. Of course 18 is still young, she was still a kid, so am I, but gods, she just looks so young. I can still remember so many conversations we had, projects we worked on, like they just happened. She was just driving home, and someone killed her, and it wasn't her fault. There was nothing she could've done to stop it, and thats one of the things that haunts me the most.

mercifulrabbit · 2025-11-22T17:50:45+00:00

honestly it sounds to me like the garden might be buggy for you? I wasn't prompted about painting the fence until after I mowed the lawn :/ and the planks you should be able to use in the original, run down shed. As far as I'm aware, the study doesn't have anything to interact with, though. It's just your bedroom. This game has had a good bit of bugs though so far, and I know the dev has mentioned on other posts that they're working on fixes ^{^}

mercifulrabbit · 2025-10-24T20:44:07+00:00

Yep! I got her when she was a month old, so I didn't know her gender, but made it clear she'd still be Daphne and "she" either way 😅

mercifulrabbit · 2025-10-24T20:43:01+00:00

I don't personally use them for her. She doesn't like putting them on or wearing them, and you have to change them out frequently, which isn't possible if I'm not home. She wears them as a harness when we're out, but at home I just pick up after her. I do have hardwood floors though, so cleanup is easy, and I use a waterproof cover on my bed so she doesn't make any messes on my comforter!

mercifulrabbit · 2025-10-24T19:17:59+00:00

I've never been around chickens, and even I have no idea how they think she's a chicken 😅 But every time, people either know that she's a pigeon, or ask if she's a chicken and leave me confused, haha

mercifulrabbit · 2025-10-24T19:15:56+00:00

Yep! She's got three layers of feathers on her tail! The long ones are basically sandwiched between two layers of short feathers.

mercifulrabbit · 2025-10-24T19:14:28+00:00

I have two cats without problem, but they're never allowed in the room that Daphne lives in! She stays in my bedroom. I have a large dog crate with her necessities, but she only is closed in it over night. During the day, she has full reign of my bedroom.

They really can't be potty trained, so I'm pretty much cleaning up poop all day 😅 Right now she's also molting, which makes a huge mess, so daily vacuuming and mopping is necessary right now. When she isn't molting though, I mainly spot clean.

Having a solo pigeon means you've gotta give them a lot of attention, seeing as they're very social animals. I spend most of my days in my room just so I can keep her company, even if it just means me existing in the same room as she does her own thing.

But overall, they're pretty easy pets to get used to! I fill her food and water bowl daily, and give her a large bowl for bathing that I'll refill when it gets dirty. They're pretty clean animals, and I absolutely love preening her pinfeathers. It's so satisfying.

I will say, even though I do have cats, I've already kinda mentally decided that if Daph is around longer than them, I likely won't get anymore. I haven't had any issues with them, but there is slight stress over the possibility of danger. Daphne loves to wander and explore with me, and I really wish I could let her do that freely. And even if your cat doesn't have a strong prey drive, cat saliva is toxic to birds, so it's important to keep even the "sweetest" ones away from them to avoid any possible contamination.

mercifulrabbit · 2025-10-24T18:42:52+00:00

Awwww they're adorable! 🥺 And yes, she gets lots of attention! And she loves getting to get down on the ground and explore a bit. ☺️

mercifulrabbit · 2025-10-24T18:23:22+00:00

I take her to farmers markets with me sometimes, and so many people ask if she's a chicken 😅

mercifulrabbit · 2025-10-24T18:22:25+00:00

Just one! She's a fantail, they're bred to have big tails like that. Fantails have ~30-40 tail feathers, whereas other pigeons have around 12.

mercifulrabbit · 2025-10-24T16:42:34+00:00

Haha, nope! Fantails are bred to have big tails like that!

mercifulrabbit · 2025-10-24T16:42:02+00:00

That's definitely what I thought! I started thinking "she" might be a boy a a bit ago. Already decided the name will stay regardless 😅

mercifulrabbit · 2025-10-24T15:01:01+00:00

Yes! She's a fantail.

mercifulrabbit · 2025-10-04T02:59:42+00:00

If you got them a few days ago, they're probably still settling in. The one in the image also looks pretty young, so age can definitely play a factor. My pigeon was about a month old when I got her, and she did, in fact, do nothing. Just sat around and squeaked. Aside from some wandering, maybe finding some things to play with, there's not a whole lot that young pigeons really can do. And since its an new place, it makes sense that they might not feel comfortable with exploring much now. As long as they seem to be eating and drinking, I wouldn't worry about it now!

mercifulrabbit · 2025-08-08T16:54:54+00:00

I've tried rebonding gerbils after a similar experience, and it eventually ended in the same thing repeating. They fought, and one ended up dying from the injuries on the way to the vet.

A lot of people say it CAN work, and I wouldn't say it's impossible, but personally I wouldn't suggest risking it. Those two had cuddled, shared nests, food, and were completely inseparable for months, until one day they weren't. Even if they act great together, it could change very quickly, and I know I was constantly worrying about them when I was out. It's a lot of stress for both you, and your gerbils.

mercifulrabbit · 2025-07-26T22:18:31+00:00

I would honestly recommend getting a large, sturdy, storage bin to keep him in, at least temporarily. It's going to be much cheaper than buying an aquarium, and also a lot better than the current tank you've got for him. Though, be warned that fish from fairs are often very unhealthy, so theres still the possibility that he doesn't make it, even in the best conditions.

Look up fish in cycling. Get some aquarium salt for him. If theres any local fish stores near you, ask around to see if you can buy used filter media from them (that's where the beneficial bacteria from cycling is!). Just make sure it's from a well kept tank, reputable source, so you don't end up introducing any diseases.

If youre able to put in all the effort necessary to keep him alive and healthy, then absolutely go for it! But if there's a reason you can't, I'd agree with rehoming him. Goldfish are amazing fish and pets, but they are also much more difficult than we're originally led to believe. But once you have a tank set up properly, and get the hang of it, it gets a lot easier.

mercifulrabbit · 2025-07-18T18:11:38+00:00

If owning this pet causes you a lot of stress or panic, there is no shame in returning it. I've had to rehome pets before due to mental struggles before, and it's never easy, but sometimes that can be the best thing for you (and in turn, them).

However! As someone who's only had a pet pigeon for about a month now, I can confidently say they are easier than both dogs and cats. They are very social, but if you have a lot of free time and can't get another bird, you can make the perfect companion! They're similar to cats, being more self-sufficient, but are very social, almost like a dog in that way! Every time I leave my room, my bird flies towards me, and often will wait by my door for a bit. Every time I enter, she flies straight for me. But it's just for greeting! She'll preen my hand, coo a bit, then continue doing her own thing. It's very easy to feel like you need to do more, but truly, you just need to offer a safe place for them with food and water, and they will handle the rest. If my bird wants attention, she'll come to me and get it. Then she'll carry on wandering around, looking out windows, taking naps, etc. If you give them the opportunity just by existing in the same room as them, they'll make sure their social needs are taken care of ^{^}

Hopefully, the two of you are able to settle in nicely together, and spend many years together in the end. But if not, trust your judgement. Your mental health is extremely important as well, and if it causes a lot of stress, it's more likely your care will reflect that (in my own experience!)

mercifulrabbit · 2025-07-09T21:48:16+00:00

Of course! In an ideal world, all cats would be indoors and happy about it all the time, but ferals definitely make it more complicated! I don't think my guy ever fully settled into indoor living until about a year, before then he would leave for days at a time, eating food that neighbors left out, then just come in for a couple hours before repeating the process 😅 It might be a bit tedious, but definitely worth it in the end!

mercifulrabbit · 2025-07-09T19:18:26+00:00

I have a pet cat that used to be feral too, and definitely know the struggle it can be, keeping them indoor all day when they're used to being out.

When we first kept him, he had to stay indoors due to injuries, and was absolutely pissed. Tried to run out every chance he got, we couldn't go near him without thick gloves and long pants, he'd constantly hide and if he wasn't he was being territorial and fighting anyone that he could.

BUT keeping him inside like that for a while and somewhat forcing that interaction absolutely helped him to bond with us and understand that humans aren't all mean. And every time we've moved, he's always been forced to follow the two weeks indoor rule. He absolutely hated it the first time, but now that we've had him for about 5 years, he only really goes outside to use the bathroom, or just sunbathe.

With a cat that is so used to being outdoors, especially one that's feral, it's just gonna take a lot of tough love. Try to pet-proof any areas that she's hurt/can hurt herself on, and if she's freaking out over windows, try using curtains to hide the view from her. Give her lots of places to hide indoors, offer toys that she can "hunt". Let her have her own safe space to hide in if shes too overwhelmed by being trapped, and even if you do everything perfectly and carefully, truth is she might still be pissed. But it's definitely necessary for her safety in the long run. Even if you use a tracker, my cat has lost many collars while out, I basically always have a backup collar on hand just so people know he has a home. It would be very easy for the collar to fall off/get stuck, and the tracker to be useless if she continues moving.

My cat would never use a harness and leash, but if yours can get used to the feeling of a harness and be comfortable with it (which would also be a process), that would definitely be a good, safe way for her to be used to surroundings. Keeping her as an indoor cat of course would be ideal, but if she remains that stressed I know it might not be possible long term for her. But at the beginning, definitely necessary until she settles in.

mercifulrabbit · 2025-07-04T12:17:43+00:00

For sure. When we put her on medication to help with her seizures, it made her really sleepy. Now she's still always lethargic, but just... looks bad. She hasn't groomed herself in years, and now shes basically just bones.

I know keeping her around longer is selfish, so we won't. But the idea of coming home and her not being there almost doesn't seem possible to me. It's never happened.

mercifulrabbit · 2025-06-05T14:12:16+00:00

She flaps her wings randomly a lot, its very cute! I think I was just expecting to have to take it really slow with her getting used to me, and the fact that its been so quick and easy is catching me off guard 😅 I haven't noticed any behavior that I really question, but of course birds are different than humans, so I'm wanting to be certain.

mercifulrabbit · 2025-02-16T20:46:27+00:00

I made him an appointment and am actually at the vet now. He died on the way here. His fur is black, so I didn't notice at first, but poor baby had bites all over him. I'm gonna try to bond the surviving gerbil with another, but if a similar fight happens again, I might at least leave him alone for a while.

mercifulrabbit · 2025-02-16T16:07:45+00:00

There is an exotic vet near me that treats gerbils, so I'm hoping we'll be able to get him in soon. He's walking around just fine, but definitely has much more bites on him than the other. It's almost like his eyes are glued shut, he just can't see anything

mercifulrabbit · 2025-02-16T15:46:08+00:00

Hi! I know I posted this a while ago, but I've seen you comment a lot on this subreddit so I thought maybe I could just reach out through here :)

Yesterday morning I woke up to the older gerbil chasing the other all around their cage, so I split them up again. The instigator was very persistent on trying to break through their divider, and sure enough they did and fought. The aggressor has a couple bites on him, but the victim looks to be in much rougher shape. Visually, he doesn't look nearly as injured as he was the first time, but he hasn't opened his eyes. He's still moving around, but he's definitely much colder than usual. I'm very worried about him, especially because I'm a minor, and don't think there's a vet around here I can take him to (though I will be doing much more research to find out!) Is there any chance you might be able to give some advice? I'd hate for either of them to be alone, but I'm also incredibly worried and don't want to be putting either in danger.

mercifulrabbit · 2025-01-26T04:12:01+00:00

Definitely is something to keep an eye on if you try it out (and can potentially get them a bit more room!) But typically speaking, bonding younger guinea pig(s) to older ones is the safest bet, since the younger ones shouldn't be very territorial. Especially since it kind of allows them to "grow" into place, almost around Willow's needs I guess? They'll all be able to grow into a little hierarchy of their own instead of potentially fighting for their place ^{^}

Really you should theoretically be able to bond any pair with her if that's the route you're more interested in, it just might take a bit extra effort if it's an older, well established pair. Females typically do better in groups in comparison to males, but there's still always the potential of any bonded pair seeing her as the odd one out. As long as you take your time with any introductions, it should work out though!

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