My Sunday Tribune Interview
Ad Lib - The Big Stories Behind The Small Ads: Sarah O'Flaherty (16), Fifth Year Student, Clonsilla
"If I ever spot a mouse or rat outdoors I ask my parents if I can catch them and keep them but unfortunately they've always said no" .Sarah O'Flaherty: 'Rodents are loveable, easy to care for and show you a lot of affection' I suppose I can understand why some people are terrified of rodents. They're a bit intimidating with their sharp teeth, long tails and pointy faces but I'm not frightened of them. I never have been. I love rats, mice, hamsters, gerbils and guinea pigs. Maybe that's unusual for a girl or maybe it isn't. I don't know. I've never really thought about it. I've just always loved animals; whatever shape or size they are.
Rodents get a bad rap but they actually make great pets – even for young children. They're lovable, easy to care for and they'll show you a lot of affection – if you treat them well.
At the moment I only have two guinea pigs full-time at home – one male called Suki and one female called Peppa. I bred them recently and their three baby guinea pigs have been sold. I didn't do it for the money. I just really enjoy watching them grow and having as many of them around the house as possible. That's why I put up the ad offering to mind people's rodent pets – not to get rich. I'd have to charge obviously, to cover the upkeep of the rodents but I just thought that it would be fun to care for more pets.
As pets go, rodents aren't very high maintenance. I wake up about 8am and feed the guinea pigs before I go to school. They mostly eat fruit and vegetables as well as this special food from the pet shop. I let them out for a while around the house when I get home from school and feed them again at night and that's it. There isn't a lot to do it and they're not expensive to keep.
If someone was thinking about getting a rodent as a pet, I'd advise them to look at their teeth, ears and eyes to make sure they're healthy. They should make sure that there aren't any scratches or scars or anything like that. Rodents are also pretty clean but it's really important to wash out their cage once a week at the very minimum because the cages can get smelly. They should let them out of their cage as well because they're very sociable, particularly guinea pigs and hamsters. Gerbils are a bit less friendly and can be a tiny bit nippy or aggressive at times but that doesn't bother me. I've never looked after a chinchilla and mentioned in the ad that I wouldn't be able to mind one because they have very specialised needs and need a very big cage, which I don't have.
I don't have a rat at the moment but I wish I had. A lot of people hate them but they're great pets. You can have a tame rat rather than a sewer one. My cousin has one and he's just lovely. If I ever spot a mouse or a rat outdoors I ask my parents if I can catch them and keep them but unfortunately they've always said no. I don't think they'd have a problem if they were tame ones though.
Rodents don't have a very long lifespan and it's very tough when they die. I get very attached to them, so I'm always very emotional. I usually bury them in the back garden. I had my hamster less than a year and he died. Guinea pigs can live to eight years old though.
I put the ad up in November and a few people rang to see if I could look after their guinea pigs while they were on holidays but they never followed up the enquiries with a booking.
My parents think it's great that I put up the ad and just said fair play to me. I keep the rodents in two separate cages in the sitting room at home, which my mam isn't too keen on because of the smell. But I don't think she minds too much. If I'm happy, they're happy.
In conversation with Claire Ryan
January 24, 2010
(This was extracted from the Sunday Tribune)
"If I ever spot a mouse or rat outdoors I ask my parents if I can catch them and keep them but unfortunately they've always said no" .Sarah O'Flaherty: 'Rodents are loveable, easy to care for and show you a lot of affection' I suppose I can understand why some people are terrified of rodents. They're a bit intimidating with their sharp teeth, long tails and pointy faces but I'm not frightened of them. I never have been. I love rats, mice, hamsters, gerbils and guinea pigs. Maybe that's unusual for a girl or maybe it isn't. I don't know. I've never really thought about it. I've just always loved animals; whatever shape or size they are.
Rodents get a bad rap but they actually make great pets – even for young children. They're lovable, easy to care for and they'll show you a lot of affection – if you treat them well.
At the moment I only have two guinea pigs full-time at home – one male called Suki and one female called Peppa. I bred them recently and their three baby guinea pigs have been sold. I didn't do it for the money. I just really enjoy watching them grow and having as many of them around the house as possible. That's why I put up the ad offering to mind people's rodent pets – not to get rich. I'd have to charge obviously, to cover the upkeep of the rodents but I just thought that it would be fun to care for more pets.
As pets go, rodents aren't very high maintenance. I wake up about 8am and feed the guinea pigs before I go to school. They mostly eat fruit and vegetables as well as this special food from the pet shop. I let them out for a while around the house when I get home from school and feed them again at night and that's it. There isn't a lot to do it and they're not expensive to keep.
If someone was thinking about getting a rodent as a pet, I'd advise them to look at their teeth, ears and eyes to make sure they're healthy. They should make sure that there aren't any scratches or scars or anything like that. Rodents are also pretty clean but it's really important to wash out their cage once a week at the very minimum because the cages can get smelly. They should let them out of their cage as well because they're very sociable, particularly guinea pigs and hamsters. Gerbils are a bit less friendly and can be a tiny bit nippy or aggressive at times but that doesn't bother me. I've never looked after a chinchilla and mentioned in the ad that I wouldn't be able to mind one because they have very specialised needs and need a very big cage, which I don't have.
I don't have a rat at the moment but I wish I had. A lot of people hate them but they're great pets. You can have a tame rat rather than a sewer one. My cousin has one and he's just lovely. If I ever spot a mouse or a rat outdoors I ask my parents if I can catch them and keep them but unfortunately they've always said no. I don't think they'd have a problem if they were tame ones though.
Rodents don't have a very long lifespan and it's very tough when they die. I get very attached to them, so I'm always very emotional. I usually bury them in the back garden. I had my hamster less than a year and he died. Guinea pigs can live to eight years old though.
I put the ad up in November and a few people rang to see if I could look after their guinea pigs while they were on holidays but they never followed up the enquiries with a booking.
My parents think it's great that I put up the ad and just said fair play to me. I keep the rodents in two separate cages in the sitting room at home, which my mam isn't too keen on because of the smell. But I don't think she minds too much. If I'm happy, they're happy.
In conversation with Claire Ryan
January 24, 2010
(This was extracted from the Sunday Tribune)