Thisbe

Health: fit, very lively.
May 2007 Accidental pregnancy - phantom or reabsorbed?
3rd Sep 2007 - Operation to remove abscess from left side. Removed unpunctured. Difficult recovery from anaesthetic.
Oct 2007 - Beginning to get a slight warble in her breathing on occasion. Vet can hear no problem.
14th Dec 2007 - Looking spiky and unwell. Vet diagnosed respiratory disease and prescribed Baytril.
16th Dec 2007 - Still wheezy but looking better.
29th Jan 2008 - Rattly chest. Injection of Convenia, return in one week. 0.04ml.
5th Feb 2008 - Second jab. Still wheezy.
12th Feb 2008 - Third jab. Still slightly wheezy.
19th Feb 2008 - Fourth jab. Almost there.
27th February 2008 - 5th injection.
Thisbe is having a break from the injections, and seems to be doing fine. Still a little wheezy, but fairly bright and busy.
17th June 2008 - Breathing laboured. Injection of Convenia. Return in one week.
23rd June 2008 - 2nd injection of Convenia. Clear chest.
15th July 2008 - Wheezy. Convenia. Return on Tuesday.
22nd July 2008 - Chest clear, breathing a little fast. 2nd jab. No need to return.
29th July 2008 - Abscess on throat.
30th July 2008 - Abscess lanced under light anaesthetic. Injection of Convenia. Poor breathing - oxygen needed for 5 mins after op.
6th August 2008 - To vets to drain abscess. Burst while we were feeling it. Injection of Convenia.
8th August 2008 - Abscess had filled up, but drained itself.
9th August 2008 - Looking good.
6th Sept 2008 - spine starting to show. Feeling her age.
20th Sept 2008 - Breathing poor. Weight down to 281 grams from usual 345. Injections of Convenia (0.04ml) and Dexafort (0.05ml). Return in one week if doing OK, earlier if not.
22nd Sept 2008 - Eating a little, even some hard mix. Looking a lot less stressed.
26th Sept 2008 - Down to 234 grams. Dehydrated. Breathing poor. Decided to pts. :-/

About Thisbe

Thisbe came to Ratty Corner on the 13th of January 2007, when she looked four or five months old. Tiz had been living wild with Pyramus in a pigeon loft, and was quite unsure when she came. Read her story in 'A Tale of Two Ratties' and 'Thisbe's Biggest Adventure'. She was very interested in the boys at first, and gave us a couple of pregnancy scares as she is very good at opening cages. Thankfully it all came to nothing and she has calmed down a lot as she has matured.

I guess it's Thisbe who has sparked my desire to breed rats. She made me plan for housing a litter, she made me think she was pregnant and she made me anticipate having little babies to care for. It's down to her and Pyramus that I have chosen to breed the mink colour. It's down to her timing that I was losing ill rescues just then and became very motivated to attempt to improve the health and longevity of pet rats.

Pictures