January 2010

 

My very first item crossed off my bucket list.  Those were simpler times.............

 

 I was a sophomore at college and for some reason that I can't remember my roommate Sarah and I wanted a little furry pet for our apartment.  We lived in school housing (because that's all we were allowed to live in as underclassmen) and having non-fish pets definitely wasn't allowed! Sarah and I didn't care!! (Our other roommate didn't like furry little creatures, but didn't resist having one in our apartment too much, bless her heart).  I honestly didn't think that Sarah would have been the type to break a few rules on occoasion, but she was, and we did!  It turns out that she was a pretty damn good roommate.  

 

Originally, we thought we wanted a hampster.  Small, easily contained, probably wouldn't be too much trouble.  However, we found they bite and have a tendency to run away and get lost in small places (like the inside of walls if they could).  So we continued looking around and found a chinchilla rescue that both saved and bred chinchillas.  They were more friendly, had more personality, were cuter, more docile, and just all around a better idea than a hampster.  

 

Sarah and I ACTUALLY went to the chinchilla haven because they had hampsters,  that's when we learned of the downfall of hampsters and the awesomeness of chinchillas.  We made the decision right there and then that we were now getting a chinchilla!  Learning that chins are quite acrobatic, I named our little furry guy Jumping Jack Flash, or Jack for short.  

 

We brought him back and made a nice little home for him.  He freaked Allison (the other roommate) out!! I could never understand that...but whatever.  We showed everyone that we could trust (seeing that it WAS against the rules and all).  He was EVERYONE's favorite  (especially since they're weren't any OTHER pets on campus....so naturally..). Even our awesme RA, who's suppose to uphold all campus rules, loved Jack! We took care of him.  We took turned looking after him if we had to leave.  Sarah would take him on one break, and I took him the next.  

 

It was great! For a few short months that is.   Then.  Then our RD found out.  She saw a picture of him on facebook......the fact that she knew he was in our apartment is one thing but then that she saw the picture in the first place! I think she had to have been habitually facebook stalking all her residents, because it was kind of ridiculous how fast she knew about him.   Ughh.....

 

It was a sad day, we were forced to get rid of him.  *tear*  *sniffle* Thankfully, my family was able to keep him so I could keep visiting him and be around him in the summer months.  So it turned out alright!  The next year, my family even got him a friend they named Louis.  Not really friends at first, but they warmed up to each other. 

 

Sadly, later that year (2011), Jack escaped his cage late one night and found his way into the water filter (I think that's what it's called..?).  He was unable to get out and thus drowned right in our home.  It was heartbreaking to tell Sarah at school later on.  

 

He will forever live on in my heart.  I loved that little guy.  My family has forever been changed into a chinchilla loving family.  We still have 2 chinchillas close to 6 years after getting Jack: Louis and Julius.  I love going home just to be close to my pets once again. 

 

 

 

 

*note: the last picture is Julius.  The first 2 are Jack.