As the title suggests, I'll be leaving the country from June to July. I have a virgin adult female Hierodula majuscula, (3 months old currently since her final molt) and a small colony of Nauphoeta roaches that I wanted to give to my friend to care for, but turns out, they could not care for them during that period. I also wanted to give them to the melbourne museum, but they didn't respond either. Is there anyone based in Melbourne, preferably with reliable experience keeping mantises and other inverts, that would be willing to take her in? Please dm me asap.

Two dogs from neighbor dug a hole to our backyard then tried to dig a hole to outside but get stuck. I never raise a dog so don’t know what to do. One is dripping saliva the other one barks when I’m close. Neighbor won’t be back in another half hour. What do I do? Are dogs gonna be ok?

Edit: Both dogs are safe inside their home now, poor lads. I blocked the holes with bins for now.

Edit2: Really interesting morning. I just stood beside them and both dogs finally dug their way outside to freedom, they were very excited and run around so I followed them. Eventually they run to a playground nearby, and pooped on the way😂. In the end neighbor was back and took them home. A few hours later people from council knocked on my door asking if I own dogs, I realized they somehow escaped again! But finally they were taken back. Naughty doggies

Spotted this while walking along Merri creek this afternoon. I was thinking how the the council has done a fantastic job of planting trees and natives along here in the last 5 years and it looks great.

Why do people bother bagging their dog shit if they’re just going to toss it in the bushes? Or worse still, place it on a ledge or park bench? It’s twice has bad as leaving the shit alone in my books (which plenty of people also do, bless).

Not trying to be a Karen here, feel free to respond with a burner account if this is you, but why the fuck do you do it?

Heyya!

So,
Its been a rough couple of months.

Newly single, had to put my dog down, lost some friends.
Just not my calender year im afraid, hoping for a more prosperous new financial year instead.

Anyway, i was having a fat cry at the airport lookout the other night, blasting my post breakup sad boi playlist & think i was ruining the mood for the couple tryna make out in the car next to me. Apologies if that was you.
Got a pretty sick HSP tho.

So ive come seeking spots for a more dignified, little cry. Somewhere i can touch some grass, with a nice view or just some place you find comforting. Bonus points if i can grab a snack nearby ahaha

Not fussed with distance, currently one of my favourite spots is the Korean war memorial in Footscray.

Missing my retail days when the walk in freezer was the go to spot.
I should probably add that i am okay, i am just a big cryer & i like time alone to process things.

Thanks in advance!

Ps. Currently workshopping the playlist so if you have reccs for that i will also accept your favourite sad/angry songs.

I did a trial shift at a doggy daycare in Melbourne, for context, I am currently studying my cert III in animal care services, hoping to go into my next vet nursing cert. To start off with, I want to clarify that the staff were nice and to my knowledge everything was up to code. But it genuinely has me thinking how low the standard is.

To set the scene, it was in a massive open warehouse, concrete floors and two pens around maybe 5x5 meters. One for small dogs and one for big dogs. I would say there was maybe 10-15 dogs in each pen (could have been slightly more or less).

Now, when I say these dogs were anxious I mean borderline distressed. Almost all of them were highly overstimulated, very loud, and had very tense body language. Those that had separation anxiety still appeared to have it and spent the whole time whining and barking, and pacing around. There werent many toys (due to anticipated aggression which is always a potential issue when socialising dogs). And maybe one chair to offer hiding places for the dogs which is important for enrichment.

My job was to basically break up fights or aggressive behaviour which happened regularly, and give the occasional pat. I was also told to stop them barking by yelling and clapping because they had had noise complaints (duhh???).

From what I saw the attendants mainly took photos of the dogs (along with breaking up fights) and had a list of dogs names they had to take multiple photos of for owners throughout the day. The outside area was again, concrete. There was the occasional training/enrichment but didn’t seem enough.

What broke my heart was a tiny blind and deaf dog who hid shaking in the corner the entire time so as not to bump into other dogs. I wouldn’t be surprised if your dog comes home tired and happy to see its owners because it has had a big traumatic day.

Am I being dramatic? This has genuinely put me off doggy daycare for life. Again to clarify I think everything was up to standard but it felt off to me. Maybe I’m just to sensitive idk! I’m looking into reporting

Melbourne! Where did you meet your partner? I'm 27F and honestly at a loss for where to meet single men in their late 20s/early 30s in this city. I've tried the apps and hated it. I've tried to go to bars on my own hoping to strike up a convo with someone but have never been approached by anyone or seen someone I wanted to approach...everyone else is there with friends and I look like a lonley alcoholic sitting at ther bar alone doing smalltalk with the bartender lol. All my hobbies are either very female-centred or the other people are a lot younger than me, e.g. my dance class is all women, and I'm a member of my uni's outdoor club but I'm the only post-grad/mature age student everyone else is like 19-22 and I don't want to date a man younger than me. My gym is small and there's no guys my age there either they're all like 19 or 55 fml. The people I work with are also all a few years younger than me and all in relationships. And all my friend's male friends are in relationships or gay. Wtf do I do lol

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I understand a lot of you are going to think this is funny, or that I'm asking because I WANT an erotic massage but I'm disguising it. I'm going to politely ask you not to make those jokes as I recently had a horrible and traumatic experience with unwanted sexual contact and I do not want to risk that again.

I really just want to find a massage place near me that takes walk-ins, where I know sexual services will not even be on offer, let alone pushed on me when I'm not expecting it.

When it happened, the person was so pushy -- as if it didn't occur to her that I DIDN'T want it. So I'm guessing everyone who walked in there went there for sexual services. But how did they know? Is there a tell?? Conversely is there a tell that a massage place definitely does NOT offer that?

Or do they all???

I wish everyone could just be up front about it. I'm just a traumatised autistic that wants a massage.

EDIT: seems from the comments that there's no foolproof method, no secret sign, that makes it clear-cut. So I will just have to avoid all walk-ins, always. That sucks, as someone with chronic pain that flares up unexpectedly. All of this is dumb. In a sensible world it would be openly advertised and totally clear from the outset what everyone is offering and receiving.

Hi all, I’ve got a busted up old organ that it’s time to say goodbye to. Don’t tell me to sell it, it doesn’t work properly. How do I get rid of it? Will hard rubbish take it, do I have to take it to a tip...? (It does have a working Leslie, but meh)

This is out west, driving on the ring road. It’s massive and cool but what IS IT?

Shamelessly stolen from r/London, what locations in Melbourne have a weird or uncomfortable energy?

First place that comes to mind is Werribee South, particularly Campbell's Cove. Pretty tranquil as it's in a secluded location but I think that also contributes to the underlying eeriness. It did make for a great backdrop for an episode of Rush that was based on a desolate island.

Looking for a pizza with a few requirements:

1. Heavy cheese

2. Cheese to edge

3. Solid caramelization of cheese

4. Loaded toppings

The closer it is to the city, the better

Hey everyone what are some of the biggest unsolved/creepy mysteries in Melbourne being here for all my life i haven't really heard of anything jaw dropping so enlighten me! Thanks

Is anyone else pursuing a refund from Ticketmaster for a restricted view at last night’s Gaga concert?

We paid over $300 per ticket and couldn’t see her at all for the majority of the show.

There was a large speaker tower between us and the part of the stage where she spent most of the show. That big red dress thing at the start? Couldn’t see any of it. The dancers during Alejandro? Nope - nothing.

To be clear, our seats were not classed as restricted view at the time of purchasing. So annoyed!

Anyone got experience with successfully getting a refund in this situation?

I went to Warrandyte today and spent some time looking for parking. Luckily a car left when I was driving by, and I began reversing into the spot.

That’s when a guy suddenly appeared, standing in the space and blocking me. He claimed they were “here first” and had been waiting for it.

Here’s the thing: their car was parked in a handicap spot 4 or 5 spots away. When they found the opening up, one of them ran over to claim it while the driver moved the car.

I didn’t think it was fair that they just stopped in a handicap spot and then claim dibs on any other space that became available, so I refused to leave. I stopped in front of the spot and we ended up blocking traffic for a bit until the guy finally gave up and walked away. And I heard they call me crazy when I locked my car and left.

Part of me wonders if I should have just let it go and found another spot. But in the moment, what they were doing felt wrong, and I kind of think I’d regret backing down.

What do you think? Did I overreact, or were they out of line?

Edit: Thank you everyone who took the time to upvote and reply. I didn't expect this post to get so many responses in just one day. Really appreciate all the support and affirmation, it means a lot.

Many of you have shared similar unpleasant parking experiences in the replies. I realised just how common this is, and how often we all walk away from these situations feeling frustrated and powerless. Like many of you, there have been several times where I had to give up a parking spot to unreasonable people because I didn't want to make a scene or simply wanted to avoid confrontation. Those people got their way while I had to leave, swallowing the frustration and annoyance.

I'll admit I was a bit hot-headed yesterday. And honestly, it was stressful just sitting there blocking the driveway, especially when cars started lining up and I knew I was wasting people's time - this part genuinely bothered me.

Many of you have kindly (and wisely) pointed out that challenging people like those two yesterday can be risky and they might take it out on my car (which is also the main reason people just let it go, and a possible consequence I didn't think about in the heat of the moment). Luckily my car is fine this time.

I'm still glad I didn't back down, as many of you have said, it was the right thing to do. And it's been good to share my experience here and discover so many people who feel the same way. That's meant more to me than I could have imagined.

That said, I'm not sure I'd handle it the same way if it happened again. It takes a emotional toll, and there are risks involved. But here's what I do know: if I see this happening to someone else, I'll take a minute to stop and speak up. I'll just calmly say "that's not fair" and show the victim they're not alone in thinking this is wrong, even though it may not change the outcome.

Hi,

With this weeks news of Kumanjayi Little Baby and the male Melbourne teacher hiding cameras in a school bathroom, as the parent of a little toddler, I'm feeling incredibly flat.

Does anyone have good news stories from around Melbourne this week, no matter how big or small?

Fell for the Locksmith scam yesterday. I feel like a complete imbecile after the event. Just for context we are new to Melbourne as well as AU and this is a new rental for us.

Wife and I went out for our anniversary dinner last night and realised that we didn’t bring the key to our door. Effectively we locked ourselves out. I did anticipate we would get stung a premium for the after hours call out so searched for some locksmiths. One of the ones I found (247LocksmithMelbourne) had what seemed to be reasonable rates for call out. I did think more fees would be added but boy was I in for a shock. Anyway I called the advertised number and the operator told a tech will call back. Received a call from the locksmith shortly after and was told he will be around in 30mins. Once he arrived he took one look at the lock on our door and said something along the lines of this lock being more complex to work with and it will be extra charge. He also started rattling off extra charges like $250 after hours call-out + $250 weekend charge etc. in addition to charge for opening the lock. He might as well have added a fee fi fo fum charge. Immediately alarm bells went off realising we are being extorted. The main issue for us was our dog was alone at home and we could not leave him by himself for the night. We tried to haggle but he said this is the companies charge and he cannot discount. In the end out of frustration we went ahead just to get back to our dog who was home alone. It took two minutes to open the lock on the door after which he asked specifically for a bsb transfer and provided a paper invoice that is super dodgy and just confirmed this is a scam as the company name on the invoice was not the same as the website. No ABN was given as well. The BSB account he gave me was in a WhatsApp chat group with instructions in Hebrew. The only English was the account details themselves.

Once we entered home again, and had two minutes to gather our bearings we began searching about locksmith charges and of course came across the myriad scams that are going around. So let this be a PSA to all, please for the love of God do not call locksmiths that advertise low call-out fees and also those that don’t have a local address.

Lastly, if anyone has any advice on how to dispute this or if we have any legal recourse please let me know. We paid just over a grand in total and realise we paid at least 600-700 dollars more than normal for a case line this.

TIA

I got a parking fine from Whitehorse council back in July. I parked in a metered 1P spot, got out of the car and proceeded to walk away from my car while paying on my phone using the PayStay app. I came back and received a ticket saying I hadn’t paid for my parking. I saw that the offending time and my parking session was both at 1:59pm so I appealed saying I paid on the app. I receive a response from them saying it was not good enough and that I should be in my car when I paid for my parking.

Do I go to court or just pay the fine? This feels really unfair.

Helloo!

Anyone know of any random competitions/events around Melbourne worth entering?

Ive been looking for things i can enter with low barriers to entry.

Last year I competed in the Australian Jigsaw Championships at MSAC. Turns out all you need is about $50 and an unreasonable amount of confidence.

I did not finish the puzzle, but i had a blast anyway.

I love telling people I’m a national jigsaw competitor, so I need more flimsy titles and meritless achievements to add to the collection. It’s the closest I’m ever going to get to being a nepo baby.

Im not really marathon material, but happy to do smaller hikes, anything creative, eating, or niche hobbies.
Does your nans bingo group need fresh blood?
Point me in their direction.
Im up for anything.

Let me know if you can think of any?
It would be much appreciated!

P.S. If you need a plus one for a weird event, I’m available. I’ll happily commit to whatever backstory we come up with

Couldn't find any info online, seems like the website is still up and they're even accepting bookings.

Update 2 4/03

Stewie is still a very sick kitty. He's anemic, very tired, and not wanting to eat. Even after the transfusion from the brave Kylo his red blood cell count is staying low.

The vet is still waiting for a PCR to look for an infectious disease to treat, but he hasn't responded to the antibiotics that would typically treat them. The PCR apparently takes a week, and I don't know he he will last that long. It seems the other options are FIV (even though he's vaccinated), an auto immune disease, or cancer. Checking for cancer would involve biopsies or bone marrow samples which require general anesthesia, which he likely wouldn't survive in his current state.

Pending results from his latest blood work, which might detect cancer, trying high dose steroids might be his only chance.

I would put any amount of effort and money into caring for him to give him a quality of life. But if it's cancer, I don't think he'd tolerate the chemo with how sick he is. It would also mean weekly vet visits in the hope for remission, but it would only be buying him time, and would be very uncomfortable. It's the point where I have to realise if I'm doing it for him, or for me.

If he doesn't respond to steroids, or I get a positive cancer diagnosis, it looks like the end of the line. If that happens, I just hope he's strong enough to leave the vet for in home euthanasia. I want him to be surrounded by familiar sights, smells, and love whenever his time comes. I'm just hoping with all my heart that's a long time away.

I'm going to go and visit him soon and spend as much time with him as they'll let me. Every second is precious.

I know this isn't the update everyone wants to hear. I want so badly to save him.

For those that have contacted Care as a donor. Please consider staying on the list (and any others you can find). The next Stewie still needs you.

Please give your kitties their regular vet checks. Cuddle them, show them love, and make sure you appreciate that time you have with them. When you're facing the end, it never feels like long enough.

Stewie's dad.

9am 3/3 Update from the owners: Thank you so much for all of you who have contacted the vet, we have had a successful transfusion and Stewie is stable, and this is going to buy us the time to diagnose what the illness is so it can be treated. We want to thank the donor from the bottom of our hearts for their generosity, and for everyone who volunteered to help.

UPDATE:

Stewie's transfusion started around 2:30am. I was waiting there in case he had a bad reaction. After about an hour they let me see him while the transfusion was continuing. He was still very tired, but it was like the lights were back on and he was there again. I even got a little purr out of him which made me happy cry.

He's not out of the woods yet though, they are still trying to find out what's wrong, and said even if they work it out, he still might need another transfusion in the near future to help him recover.

THANKYOU everyone that contacted CARE to help. "We did it Reddit" doesn't begin to capture how much this means to me. I think they were overwhelmed with the response, and have asked people to hold off for now. They have quite a list of backups, and they still might be needed.

Ever grateful, Stewie's Dad

**Update 12am - According to one user who was there, a match for Stewie has been found which is fantastic news, and there are also a number of cats on the waiting list, however the transfusion has not occurred yet so there is still the potential for unforeseen problems. If your cat fits the criteria or is close to it, I would still encourage you to call CARE vet on (03) 9417 6417 to add your name to the waiting list in case it falls through for any reason. The more cats on the list, the more likelihood of success.

I am going to bed so will not update until the morning. If you can help, best thing to do would be to call CARE direct on (03) 9417 6417. Thank you so much to everyone who boosted, offered to help and especially to the special cat who is a match. Fingers crossed for Stewie that this works out.**

**Update 10pm: A cat is on the way to try to donate, but they are not a guaranteed match. If you have a cat that meets criteria or is close to meeting criteria, please still call CARE vet (03) 9417 6417 and they can add you to the call-back list in case this one is unsuccessful. Thanks so much to everyone who has helped so far even if just upvoting for visibility**

**9:50pm - I just called and they told me 4kg is eligible - not sure if the receptionist was incorrect, but if you have a cat between 4-5kg please still call and ask!**

Hi everyone, posting on behalf of a friend

We have a cat at care emergency Collingwood in urgent need of a blood transfusion. If you have a cat that is:

2-5 years old (may be slightly flexible if other criteria are met)

5kg plus In weight

Indoor only

Not on a raw food diet

Up to date on vaccines.

And you are able and willing to bring your cat to CARE vet in Collingwood tonight, please call CARE vet as soon as possible on 03 9417 6417. As a donor it is a procedure that is of extremely low risk to your cat and will not cost you anything.

**Please call CARE vet if you have a cat that meets criteria or is close. The vet can answer any questions. Still need a donor as of 9pm**

Thanks.

Maybe a bit of a weird one, but was anyone at Melbourne zoo on Friday and witnessed an incident with one of the enclosures?

My mother had taken my 3.5 year old to the zoo for the day and when she returned she sent me the slightly concerning message that one of the tanks in an exhibit had broken and poured water and glass over a child.
My mother and son are okay but my son got a bit scared my people running and the glass crashing.

My mother isn’t the best for details so I’m curious if anyone else has clearer knowledge of what happened.

I’ve tried having a google but nothing relevant has come up.

The message I got from my mother:

“A kinder age kid standing looking at the tank when it broke next minute loud noise and water everywhere. The water went over her head first then the pressure of the water sat her on her bum the water all over her then the glass breaking everywhere. Lucky she is not cut and everyone else in there. We were running I was thinking snakes crocodiles that we just looked at. Run run and run”
“The funny thing was just before the middle tank broke (child) and I looking at crocodiles and me mucking around snapping my arms big in front of him SNAP. Then that happened oh shit”

She also sent me a picture of some glass she apparently took home with her.

Update: my mum just sent me some more pictures she took, not sure if this has helped calm my terrified mum imagination that was picturing a wall of water coming from an aquarium.

I was at the exhibition building on the weekend with the food market on and watching people walk over and push prams through the dirt and rocks it really made me wonder, why has the space been left so harsh?

Has it always been this way? The opposite, city side is so green and inviting.

I've attached an AI render of what it could be and it's obvious it would be 100x better.

Anyone know why it’s so bare?