A little under two weeks ago a friend told me she had liver cancer, and asked if I would take a lone rat who wouldn't live with others. Her other rats were to go to a good friend of hers. A few days ago she was taken into a hospice to have her meds reassessed, and two lone boys came to live here. I don't know what their names are, I don't know how old they are. I do know they were taken as rescues in November, but nothing of their story. So they're going to stay here now. They've been messed about enough. I'm hoping that if I have them neutered they'll accept one another, as I think they may be brothers. If that works, then at some time in the future they may move in with my older group of girls.
I lost no time getting the new lads neutered, as I simply don't have space to keep them in their own single cages. With luck I can get them in together and later on move them in with a group of girls. They've been out tonight, both bruxy, and Hoover has been licking my hand. (I've named them Dyson and Hoover, as we were only saying the other day what good names those would make for a pair of rats.) I think they should go in together without any problems once they're healed up. Their cages are side by side and there has been no hint of aggression towards one another. Maybe they smell more familiar than the rest of their surroundings? I've assumed that they were originally together and fell out with one another, but I hate to see rats on their own.
Hoover in particular needs to go on a diet. He is very pancake shaped. I hope he doesn't hate me by the time I've finished with him; First I neuter him, then I starve him, then I try to make him share a cage!
I now have a phone number for my friend, so I'll give her a call tomorrow and see how she's doing. The boys should give us a topic to talk about.
I was told that Hoover and Dyson were rescues, but it seems they were pet shop rats and she'd had them for ten months. So annoying that my friend was telling porkies again, but I guess I have to forgive her. In fact I suppose it's rather funny. Something to remember her by. Their names were Billy and Ben, but I have them registered at the vets under their new names now. I'm told that Hoover has inflicted serious injuries on Dyson in the past, which makes me rethink the idea of putting them together.
Hodge did his usual trick of stapling himself to my son's sweatshirt as he passed the cage today. Then squeaked his protest when my son tickled his tummy. Wouldn't open his mouth and let go though, just kept squeaking!
The lump on Hodge's foot has begun to grow again. I'd taken my eye off the ball and stopped worrying about it, as it had just sat there for a good while. He's going in to have it removed today.
Dyson has 'nipped'/warned me twice now, but I suppose they have had a very stressful week. We'll see what they're like once their hormone levels have dropped a little. Hoover is enjoying having a 'blankie' to hide under. He's been making himself a nice little nest in there. Dyson doesn't seem to have figured out what it's for yet.
I'm due to have some AC babies soon! Mantelli and Aprikoosi bubs, one topaz rex boy and one agouti boy. Unfortunately my booked cinnamon girlies don't seem to have been born yet, but I'm doing my best not to be impatient. The litter I was hoping on didn't have any mink gene in it. I think I'm having some Matrix girls next month, mink or black, dumbo or carrier, but haven't heard much lately. I'm trying not to worry about where they will go now I have the two big agouti boys each in their own cage. I have enough cages; that's not a problem, but heaven knows where I will put them until I get the newbies integrated into my existing groups.
Hodge came through fine. His foot is slightly swollen, but the stitches are neat and he seems unconcerned now he's home. I'll find out if it was an abscess or a tumour on Monday morning.
Well, they're all black. But that's OK, I need black to make mink. There's also still a possibility that they are carrying mink - if only one parent was carrying it wouldn't have shown.
Hoover and Dyson's mum died last night. I can't believe how quickly this all happened. They only told her she had cancer two and a half weeks ago! :*(
So I guess the boys are all mine now. I'm planning to move them both into taller cages when I clean them out, so they can get a little more exercise. Hoover's cage will go on top of one of my other cages, as he begs for food in his current place and he's hefty enough already. Dyson will stay next to me; he needs to get used to me and to calm down, as he seems quite nervous still.
It was a growth, not an abscess.
Chumble is still giving his cagemates grief. We now have four food bowls in the cage, and he's wearing himself out trying to guard all four at once! I posted on one of the forums, and came to the decision to try him in a cage with just Hodge, as Hodge isn't as cowed by him as the others are. It didn't work - after one day I put them back with the others, as Hodge wasn't getting any peace at all. At least if they're all in together the bullying gets shared out.
At last some good news! I tried letting Hoover and Dyson out on the settee together for five minutes this morning, and they were really good with each other. I think they may go in together! That would be so wonderful!
I had the two boys out together again this morning, and now have two very unhappy rats sharing a bare cage. I hope this is going to work!
Having spent all day together, the boys have progressed from sleeping at opposite corners of the cage, to sleeping in two corners at the same end of the cage. I'm taking this as a good sign.
The swelling has just about gone down. The wound has almost healed. So the only remaining question is whether this was a one-off problem or if it will return.
My friend's funeral was this morning. Still can't quite believe she's gone though. :-( But the fantastic news is that her two lone ratties are now not only in the same cage, but snuggled up together in a Savic Sputnik. I was so worried that it would all go wrong - two people told me they'd never live together, that they had too much history, so if they had fought it would have been all my fault. But they haven't, and I'm all goosebumpy just watching them. I am just so pleased for them.
They're great together. Their neuter scars have healed. I was getting used to the idea of having two more rats, but someone else is very interested in taking them, and that really does make more sense. I'm taking them up to her on Saturday as I am getting more and more attached, so the sooner the better.
Got a committee meeting tomorrow in Lincolnshire - but the weather is awful at the moment. I hope it's going to improve. I'm stopping off in Nottingham to deliver Hoover and Dyson too, so that extends the journey slightly.
I'm picking up two Alpha Centauri boys in two weeks, then the two Matrix girls the week after. At last I'll have some does! The boys I'm hoping will go in with Darwin, Max and Morse, and the girls with Pyramus, Thisbe, Sophie, Rosie and Megan. I'm not sure whether Sophie will still be with us though.
In the girls cage, Sophie's weight is plummeting. She's light as a feather; I don't think she'll be around much longer. Pyramus is losing weight too, and spending his evening cuddling rather than running round.
I've got four girls coming along at the next show. I think that's me sorted for a little while.
I've had to separate Sophie and Pyramus from the other girls. They were getting bullied by Rosie and Meg. Initially I took Thisbe out, but she was desperate to get home, whereas the other two are just so ill and tired they didn't really care.
One of the pairs of girls I'm getting is possibly carrying US mink, which is not a great idea to add into my mix, so I guess I'd be better off not using them for breeding.
Last modified: Sunday, 06-Apr-2008 17:06:11 BST
