World Rat Day

Happy World Rat Day! (Click the banner for more info.)

I look forward to this day every year. I love that we have a day for our special pets; a day we get to share with other rat owners and with people who have never thought about owning a rat.

As I type this, Sugar is running around on the computer desk, and it strikes me how much she's changed and come out of her shell in the last 2.5 months. I feel so blessed that I was able to bring her home and have her share her life with me. As all rat owners will tell you, each rat, though so very different, touches us in profound ways and teaches us something new. They reinforce that we are their world, and truthfully, they are ours.

It's hard to own a rat only once, and I don't know anyone who has. Once they come into your house, they're in your heart forever. And people who have never owned one can't figure out why.

Anyway, enough reflecting. Give your ratties a hug today!

Our New Family Member

We have big, exciting news.

After 14 months without a rat, J and I have adopted "Debbie", a year old (approx.) REW Dumbo. (Yay!!! I finally got a Dumbo!!)

She came from a very ignorant home with scabs on her face, neck and shoulders and a gimpy back leg. She was housed in a 10 gal aquarium w/ pine & cedar shavings with only a water bottle and food bowl. Her food mix was very, very basic. She didn't have free range time and hasn't been handled a whole lot. She is also very thin; skin and bones.

However, she seems to be enjoying her new cage and we found out she likes whipped cream. She does cower when I pet her and she doesn't like being picked up at all. She has been eating a lot more than I thought she would, according to what the previous owner said. I think her appetite is fine now that she doesn't live with 2 cats, 3 dogs and a rabbit. She is definitely less frenetic than when I visited her at her old home.

They tried to sell her back to the pet shop when they found they couldn't/didn't want to keep her, but she was too old. Then they tried to give her to a shelter, but the shelters here don't take exotics unless there's a demand to adopt them. Basically, she was going to be "set free" or something (I didn't ask, because I didn't want to know), so we brought her home.

We will be renaming her, but we'll have to think of an appropriate name. I'll also get pictures after she's had time to adjust. We've only had her 3 hours. She does gentle biting a lot, but I don't know if that's attitude or nervousness. I'll let her settle in to figure it out. She's always been a lone rat, so we'll probably keep it that way.

But, now I have a rattie! Horray!!

What If The Rats In NYC Were This Big?

Here's a great article I'd like to share with you. The main reason I'm posting it is that scientists have found a species of rat they're calling "The Giant Rat". It's about 5 times larger than a typical city rat. (And those rats are a bit bigger than our little guys. Well, I dunno. Some of the boys I've seen are so spoiled and well fed they're huge. You know who you are! *Wink*)

Anyway, check it out: http://news.aol.com/story/nc/_a/giant-rat-discovered-in-lost-world/20071217090909990001

Also, scroll through the pictures. There's a Pygmy Possum that is too dang cute!

Hope you enjoy it.

What Do Dreams Mean?

I've been in kind of a crummy mood today, and it's all because of a dream I had last night. I woke up this morning, with a start, and thought "I never want to have that dream again."

It was the saddest dream I have ever had, and it has stayed with me all day.

If you're wondering what it was, I'll tell you.

I dreamt I got to have Rat Rat, Halfs and Rat again. But I only got them for the last 2 weeks of their lives, and I got them all at the same time, even though they passed months apart. So, basically, I had to relive the last 2 weeks of their lives all over again, but I had to do all 3 at once and I knew we only had 2 weeks with them. It was the most heartwrenching experience. I hated to see my poor girls go through their illness and old age all over again, and to know exactly what was going to happen.

The weird thing is, Rat Rat got to be healthy until the very end of her life in my dream. In reality, she was slowly getting worse for at least 4 months before she passed. I guess in my mind, she deserved to be healthy longer because in real life she suffered much longer. All of my girls, except Rat Rat, were gone within a couple weeks of starting downhill. She slowly lost the use of her back legs, her muscles atrophied and her fur fell out. Plus, she had 2 tumors that grew and grew up to the end. But she stayed the sweetest, lickiest girl you could ever have.

Anyway, I woke up so saddened and brokenhearted. I hate when I have dreams that real. It was eerie.

And since it's been on my mind all day, I figured I'd share it with you and see if I could put it to rest.

I Feel I Should Write Something...

Today I'm really missing my ratties. I'm not sure why, but I've had the urge to go to the pet store and at least cuddle and play with them. When I feel this way, I don't trust that I can come home without several. I have no self control when cute rats are involved.

In other news, it seems the weather has indeed turned to winter or at least late fall. It's very cold in the mornings, complete with seeing-your-breath and foggy, misty windows on the car in the morning. It was still nice and warm last weekend, and then BAM! Cold, rainy, cloudy, windy weather landed squarely in our laps.

I guess it's time to get the sweaters out.

I've also got a rant. It's a short one, though. I have always ordered from catalogs or online. For many, many years I have done this. I have gotten used to the fact that a lot of the time stuff doesn't look the same in person as it does in the pictures (this is most true with clothing). I understand this. But it seems like lately the clothes are terrible when I get them. This is stuff I wouldn't even look at twice in the store. If they would mention some of these descriptive factors, I wouldn't be so annoyed. Like the coat I got today. It would have really helped if they said it was a cropped (!) peacoat. I assumed it was hip-length, like most peacoats.

Anyway, that was my lame rant.

North American Rat Registry

Wow! There's been a lot of interesting news stories about rats lately.

This one is about the North American Rat Registry (sorry non-Northeners). It's basically a way to register your rats, become a serious breeder, provide support for rat breeders and lovers and a networking opportunity.

Read about it here: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/living/2003759975_fancyrats24.html

Here's the registry website: http://www.ratregistry.org/

I had no idea such a thing existed, but I hope it grows in popularity and that rat owners have more resources from it.

Side Note: The owner quoted in the article uses my favorite description for pet rats; "They're like small dogs." I've been using that for so long, and I think it is really accurate in describing why we enjoy owning rats.

Rat Rescued From House Fire

This article was in our paper today. As sad as I am that poor little Halo the rat was huddled in his cage with nowhere to go, I am very happy that he was recued. Thank you firemen!

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,21942944-2,00.html

I Have Been Looking

for a new rat. I don't know how serious I am about getting one yet, but I am looking.

Laughing Rats

Do you love the idea that your ratties express their pleasure by laughing? Now, some scientists are working on proving it. (Of course, we've known all along. :) )

Click here to watch:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9ekeJVX8Ro

World Rat Day

Snuggle your ratties a little more today, because today is World Rat Day!

Rats are amazing pets, as you know, and they are so smart and full of personality. So, take this day to appreciate your ratties a little more and give them a treat or two extra.

Still Learning

Just when I think I know pretty much everything about my rats, I'm surprised. Out of nowhere, Coda has decided she likes ear tickeling.

I scritch her between her ears and she's a bruxing, boggling maniac.

Anyway, I know what her sweet spot is. What's yours? What do you do for your pets, or what does your human do for you that just makes you go wild?

Happy Weekend!

Sittin' On My Shoulder

I had a comment from Norway Ratty that got me thinking.

She mentioned that Coda is a good shoulder-sitter, according to her picture. The funny thing is...Coda hates riding on shoulders. She'd rather burrow in the couch and tear my cushions apart.

But, it got me thinking. The truth is, Half Rat was my best shoulder sitter. She LOVED to just sit there and watch the world go by. The other girls weren't/aren't too keen on it, although Rat Rat will tolerate it, if just to humor me and get a yogie or two.

So, I'd like to know...

Who's your best shoulder sitter?

No Voice Today

*sigh* I wanted to post an audio post, because there's a lot to catch up on, but guess what? Audioblogger isn't working. Of course. grrrr

Anyway, to update:

The vet now has his office open! yay! Rat Rat is heading over there on Weds. so he can look at her huge lump and see if we are safe to remove it. It's causing her leg to have continual spasms and she's not really able to use it. Otherwise, she's really active, so I don't feel right just letting it take over her little body.

Rat still has 4 lumps. They're getting big, but none are growing as fast as Rat Rats. She just slugs around anyway, so I don't think they impede her too much. ;)

We found a new lump on Coda. Dangit. She's been lump free for 8 months, but now that's over.

Annnndddd....*insert drumroll*.....we're looking at a house tonight! yay! Hopefully we'll be able to get out of this hellhole apartment in a month or so. Please cross your fingers for us (and the rats) that this will work out.

K, I think that's about it for now. If anything else exciting happens, you'll hear about here. Take care everyone.

(And Dari, we're hoping your son is ok.)

Quickie

While cleaning the rat cages tonight I noticed something. Rat now has 4 lumps! 3 are on her right side from under her armpit to behind her hind leg and the 4th is on her left side just in front of her front leg.

We're not going to have her operated on. She's 2 1/2 and she's already been through a couple tumor removals. So we'll keep giving her experimental drugs and see if we can keep them from growing.

Rat Rat has two lumps. Thankfully the one by her tail has stopped growing and perhaps (?) shrunk. Yay! Her tummy one is gigantic, though! She comes out from under the furniture and it's got all sorts of dust bunnies clinging to it. LOL

Both girls are in fine health and aren't having any problems I can discern.

Coda still chews the heck out of the sofa. *sigh*

Workin' Hard...

or hardly workin'?

I vote for number 2. Times like this I could appreciate a regular job. I mean, I'm always at work and I'm responsible if *someone* isn't happy. It's no big deal most of the time but lately it's been *BAM* *BAM* *BAM*.

The rats totally agree.

Sleeping is so not overrated

Let's Hear It For Pictures!

Yeah, yeah, yeah. When I don't have anything to write about (like right now) I post pictures. And I am sick with a cold, so unless you want to hear me whine about it, you're getting pictures! :)

But they're cute, at least. Unlike me. Red noses belong on Rudolph. (and I had to go to the dentist today too! fun, fun, fun.)

You can't really tell, but Rat Rat is bruxing here. She was super happy about something. Makes for a great mental image, tho, doesn't it? :)

Gettin' Colder

Today's high- 43

One word....BRRRRR

And now, from the rat pics archives:






Who needs floss?

Winter Weather

Well, our first day of real winter weather is here. It's freezing. The rats and I are freezing. Our heat hasn't been turned on yet.

I've got the ratties in the warmest room in the house with a heater aimed at them. For the rest of the house, I've got the oven open and on 350 degrees.

*shivers*

It's damn cold today.

Quiet Night

It's a nice, quiet night over here. I'm cleaning the cages. The rats are snoozy.

Hope you're having a quiet night too!

The Doctor Is In

Well, we've finally got a date that our old vet is opening his new doors. It's October 1. Yay!

On the down side, Rat Rat's lumps are growing very, very quickly. I thought we were home free, but this week they just mutated. I would take her to another vet, but she's on experimental treatment, and I just don't know what they'd think of it. She's over 2, so it's getting to that "too old for surgery" stage. This stuff she's been on seems to work really well.

But, see, I'm not the vet. I don't really know if it did work. And I don't know how to explain it to another vet. The other thing is, if this stuff really is working, which I think it is, I don't like her to be missing treatments. I want to keep her on schedule so it doesn't get out of hand. But would the other vet agree? *sigh*

Ok, I've rambled on enough. I'm going to wait until next week and see if his work phone is up. If it is, I'll give him a call and see if I should order some more stuff. A week seems like a long time though. I just want her lumps to go back to being small.

I also have to ask him about mycoplex. I've heard it's a good homeopathic remedy for mammary tumors, but I don't know. So much can go wrong when you start using supplements if you aren't totally educated on what each one does. I am not educated. I am kind of afraid of just helter-skelter self medicating her.

Ok, I'm done now.