Back in July, we said good bye to one of my favorite rats, Emi. She was the only dark hooded rat out of Mama's 12 babies. When Emi was younger, she very submissive and shy, but as she grew up and got bigger, she became one of the more dominate rats of the group. She was very playful and loved to chase my hand. She was partial to me (Joy), but enjoyed spending time with Ben too. She loved food and liked to chew things. She did a bit of damage to Ben's jeans when he left a wrapper from a chocolate bar in his pocket. She chewed right though his jeans to get the wrapper! She was very mischievous, and would always check out new things. She was a sweetie, and enjoyed getting her ears rubbed. She is missed.
It's been over a month since we said good bye to our rat Maple. She was one of the all brown (or agouti) rats that we decided to keep from Mama's litter. She loved to explore and get into things. She was very easy going, and didn't seem to prefer either Ben or me, but was perfectly content with whoever was holding her. Maple loved food, and therefore was a little chubby. We are not positive why she passed when she did, but she did so very quickly. We are thankful that she did not have to suffer long. We found her buried under the wood chips in the cage, almost like the rest of the rats gave her a little funeral service. Maple was a good rat and she is missed.
Recently we said goodbye to one of seven girls, Louisiana. Louie was one of Mama's six daughters that we kept. She was one of a pair of blonde hoodies in the litter, so I (Ben) named her Louisiana after the shape of the stripe on her back. From the start, she gravitated towards me. (Rats, like dogs, or people for that matter, show preference for certain company.) She was an adventurer, bold and curious. She was one of the three girls on Team Explorer, with Maple and Belle. She was the one of the first to try something or to go somewhere. She was always a little rat and always was slim. I imagine that in a wild colony, she would have been one of the rats that ranged far and wide, scouting for food or shelter. She was a sweetie. We speculate that she either had a stroke or a spinal injury that greatly limited her physical abilities, but not her spirit. She eventually could not hold self up or feed herself. It was rough to see her decline physically, yet cling to life. I was glad to see her finally rest in peace. You were one of a kind and you will be missed, Louie.
Late last month, we said goodbye to one of our pet rats. Fez was one of the two boys in our litter of twelve. He was all black except for a large white streak on his belly. He and his brother Kelso were kept separate from their sisters very early on. Because of this, the two brothers were very close. Fez was not very dominant, even though he was bigger than his brother. His love of food and treats probably contributed a little bit to his size. Fez loved spending time with us. He and his brother always looked forward to their evening play time, when they would bounce around on the couch and play with us. Fez was very easy going and loved getting back scratches. Although he was a little more reserved than Kelso, he loved being with you and was a very social rat. He loved attention and affection, more than the average rat. One of our favorite memories of Fez highlights his love for affection.
I found a Rat King Nutcracker at the store the other day, and had to get it...
A lack of posts for October doesn't represent an absence of activity, but rather the opposite. We took some fall pictures of the rats before Halloween, but we hadn't gotten to them to post. We let all seven of the girls play on the porch, followed by the boys. Some of them enjoy getting to explore more than others. Louie is by far the most intrepid explorer for all the rats. While quite cautious, she'll nevertheless go anywhere she can. Since she weighs barely anything and is quite strong, she can get places, too. Belle and Maple are the next most outgoing. Emi is the most retiring. Of the boys, Kelso wants to go everywhere and Fez would rather stay. Given their size, they aren't as much of a handful, though.
Fez beside the pumpkin. The size difference between the boys and the girls might not be as obvious in the picture, but it is in person.
