I have done harm??

My ball is 1 1/2 years old and the past 8 months I have been very neglectful. I dont' want to go into it but last year was horrible. All my pets suffered but especially the ball. I cage wasn't cleaned as often but the worse was he wasn't getting fed as often as he should of. Please don't yell at me. I just want to know if he will recover. He is small and skinny but looks good.

Have him checked out by a vet. There's a whole slew of problems that can occur. It sounds though that he just needs some food.

Make sure his temps and environment are as least stressful as possible as well.

I won't yell since I don't know the situation.

But I might suggest that if you realize your getting neglectful to the point where your animals are going to suffer because of it, offer them up for adoption.

I think RESPONSIBLE pet ownership means providing for them at ALL times, and doing what's best for them, even if that means adopting them out to a more suitable home.

It isn't a matter for yelling at you and I do applaud that you realize what you did. However. No animal should suffer and there are no excuses for neglectful treatment.

get rid of it, no need to have somthing you wont take care of.

Something smells fishy...

If your animal(s) is/are neglected regardless of the reason you need to do what is right, when animals become a burden and start to suffer because of it, this is when you need to look into re-homing for their sake as well as yours.

This goes for your dogs, cats, fishes and snakes.

I'm not giving them up for adoption, any of my pets. They are what got me through this year.

My 24yo son died from complications from an accident on May 9. He had to have both legs cut off then 10 days later died when he got an infection in his blood that went to all his organs making them septic. He was the oldest of our 4 kids.

My best friend and neighbor of 15 years died on Nov 17 from liver cancer. She left behind a husband and 4 kids ranging in age from 21-11yo.

I have kept the cage kinda clean, it is just not feeding as often as I should. Yes, I know I have been neglectful, that is why I posted. I will take him to the vet to have him checked out, thank you for that idea. He does look good, sheds fine just skinny. I was wondering if I stunted his growth. I haven't taken him out to just hang around with me either.

I have had him since he was 5 months old and his set up is good.

I debated over posting this over a week and I see I was right. This board is good for information but there are people here very quick to judge and put down. :(

The only way to know if he'll recover is to make sure he is taken good care of from here on out.

There are worse things than underfeeding, and without knowing how often you fed he may be just fine or may not be in good shape.

Just take good care of him, you have identified problems and know what you need to do.

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Originally Posted by blb

I debated over posting this over a week and I see I was right. This board is good for information but there are people here very quick to judge and put down. :(

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yes that is true. there are some hard headed people here as there are in all aspects of life. try and get him to start feeding on a regular schedual. once a week i'd say. since you say he is skinny, try giving him something small at first to get his appetite up. nothing thats gonna fill him up immediately cause he might go off feeding cause of the sizew of the meal. i'd say try large mice at first then after a few weeks move him up to small rats.

its completely understandable of what has happened given your situation and i am very sorry for your loss. you'll pull through it, life has a way of testing our will to keep going. take care of yourself and your family!

I was in a bad accident in Sept 08, was out of commission for about 10 months. I lost my right arm as a result of the wreck, my Daddy passed away from cancer in January 09 and I lost an uncle to cancer in Sept 09. If it weren't for my wife, kids, and a few close friends I don't know what would have happened to my collection. I understand where you are coming from, there were times that my pets were the last thing on my mind, but we still have to make sure they are not neglected. I hope God will put peace in your heart and continue to see you through these difficult times, He has me.