Hi all, A bit about myself I'm a grandmother soon to be great-grandmother. I live in a small town, enjoy quilting, knitting, organic gardening and reading. I also raise cornsnakes, rats, mice and hamsters. I have 12 cornsnakes, 1 corn x king hybrid, a crested gecko, 3 colonies of rats, 3 of mice and one hamster colony, three cats and a dog. No partridge in a pear tree.
Happy New Year all, marieg

Marie

You've found a lovely group of people...always willing to listen and/or help as the case may be. I live in a small town too, but I have three small dogs. We share some interests, as I like to quilt and knit and read, but.....I'm afraid I'll admire you're animal collection from afar (I'm deathly afraid of snakes - and rats and mice as well.)

Lizzie

Marie-

I'm with you right down to your choice in pets. Afraid I am grandchildless, though. I have grandvermin! LOL You'd get along very well with my DDIL, she does rat rescue. Puh-leeese!

Any time you want to talk about organic gardening, I'm your girl! I have been trying to persuade my fellow BC-ers in the merits of worm composting!

Welcome to the forum. Lots of talented, fun-loving ladies, and a few gents, too!

Welcome, Marie! so good to have you here! I'm a grandma (Oma) of two granddaughters. No pets, yet - we used to have dogs, and hope to get a puppy again soon. Once we're out of this apartment!

Gerda

Thanks for the welcome. Meg we have just started with worms in a few of our raised beds. We compost everything we can and invested in a composter this year. Our yard is rather small so we don't have room for a large compost pile. marie

I'm sorry what is a DDIL and how does she rescue rats?

This composting is done in your kitchen/mud room/basement. All you need is a large rubbermaid tote and some red wigglers (get them at the bait shop). It reduces your carbon footprint by composting all the vegetable and fruit peelings that you would normally put down the disposer or in the trash (no dairy or meat, please, it stinks), and improves the soil like crazy.

Our yard was solid clay when we started. Now my gardens almost look tropical. What you are really doing is making worm castings which are worth their weight in gold in the garden. You can "brew" a tea by placing a ladies knee-hi filled with castings in a 5 gallon pail of water set in the sun. Your flowers will love you and reward you with much bigger, healthier, long-lasting blooms.

The reason I prefer worm castings to any other type of natural fertilizer is that you don't run the risk of getting weed seed that has passed through the animal. I would rather take a beating than have to weed, I dislike it so much! LOL You also don't have to age it so it doesn't burn your plants.

Hello and a warm Michigan (not really, it's very cold here) welcome!

My name is Debbie, Mom to two lovely girls, but not Granny yet....I wil be very excited to have them someday! I also love to read...one of my closest friends is the library directors here in my little town, so she supplies me with my book "fix" I always get the latest and greatest one's first!! I love creatures, all of them! I used to have a hairless rat n amed melvin, he was just about the smartest little thing you ever did see! I have four wonderful dogs, all rescues.
you will love this group, we have alot of fun, share our joys and heartbreaks, and support one another thru thick and thin!!

Oh! I envy a library, ours closed about a year ago. People voted against a tax to keep it open, UGH. I have hairless rats, I love the babies they just so cute. All my breeder rats and all hairless remain pets. I hated rats but once I got them they are so intelligent... I could go on and on about rats.

welcome to BC marie! looking forward to getting to know you better - but i have to confess that lizzie is braver than i am if she's willing to admire your pets from afar . . . i prefer "outta sight, outta mind" and it looks like meg has a new best friend!! LOL if y'all promise to leave the snakes where they are i'll let y'all come & cultivate my yard with worm castings (no snake castings tho) i definitely have a black thumb.