Ratablog

And now for something completely different.

Nothing special going on with our rats at the moment, but I thought you all would enjoy watching a hamster video.

Daisy

We'd like to say hello to Matt, Lesley, and Daisy from Lancaster, UK.

This is Daisy...isn't she a sweetie?

As always, we're very glad to hear from other people (and rats) who enjoy our blog, and we looooove cute rat pictures!

Rats-in-a-Box of the month!

Introducing our friend Paisley's Trip and Phlox:

Isn't Trip cu...hey, waitaminnit!

And now Phlox shows off...what the...?

Phlox agai...hey! These aren't rats in a box! These are cats in a box! CATS, YOU FOOL! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!?!?!

OK, so I'm a little late. It's still April Fool's day for more than 150 minutes.

Ellie in a Box

Please allow me to introduce our second guest Rat in a Box, Ellie:

Ellie passed away early last July, but she has a very special place in my heart. I confess I tear up every time I see her lovely face. She was a very loved little girl, and Abita and I consider her friend MousiesMom an aunt to our rats.

In the extended entry: Ellie's biography, by MousiesMom.

Ellie (4/1/01 – 7/2/03)

Although I love all of my ratties dearly, Ellie Belly will always be my favorite. She was truly that one in a million furry friend that wrapped herself around my heart and will remain there forever.

I brought Ellie Belly and her sister Bailey home with me one day after stopping in a neighborhood petstore. I took one look at that beautiful face and was hooked. Of course, those dumbo ears and lightning blaze on her forehead sealed the deal. Ellie was laid back, sweet and friendly. She immediately became a mommy’s girl. At playtime, she would rather hang out with me that play with her cagemates. I could never walk by the cage without Ellie giving me the “oh mommy, can I come out for just one smooch” look. She was the best little friend anyone could ever ask for.

As Ellie Belly approached two years old, she began to have health problems. She developed a cyst next to her private area and went in for surgery. Unfortunately, the cyst had ruptured through her urethra. The vet performed magic on her and rebuilt her delicate privates back to working order. Ellie spend the next three weeks in a huge collar while she healed. But that collar never slowed her down a bit. She still toodled around and lived for cuddles from mom.

A few months later, Ellie began to experience seizures. We never knew what caused them but I tried to help keep her comfortable and worked with the vet to find a dose of phenobarbitol that would help keep the seizures under control. It was a long hard road, but Ellie Belly just kept fighting. Her wonderful personality never changed and neither did her love for me.

Ellie had a fast growing tumor that we decided not to remove at first as she would not be a good candidate for surgery with her neurological problems/seizures. But as it became obvious that Ellie would leave me soon otherwise, we decided to try the surgery anyway. Ellie made it through the surgery. She was a fighter like nobody’s business.

For the next two weeks, I hand fed Ellie baby food and cuddled with her almost non-stop. Although she kept on fighting, it was obvious that she was only doing this for me. It was Ellie Belly’s time to say good-bye and leave me for a better place.

My heart broke as I held my dear Ellie Belly while she was helped over the bridge. The only thing that helped me through was the thought of Ellie Belly hopping across the bridge, greeted by her best pal Mousie. Mousie met her halfway and the two passed across the bridge together……..both looking back to me as if to say “mom, we’re ok, and we’ll love you forever”.

Bill

Please welcome our first ever guest Rat in a Box, Bill from Connecticut!

We have a special place in our hearts for Bill, who survived a broken leg (and a very unuseful emergency vet visit) last spring. The poor boy has been through a lot, so who can blame him for just wanting to curl up in his box?

Our thanks to Ratqueen for sharing Bill's picture, and lots of scritches to sweet Bill.

UPDATE: We recieved more details on little Bill's life from his mum, Ratqueen. Here's what she had to say...

Bill came to me as a newborn with his mother and 11 siblings in April 2002. They were to be live frozen by a pet store that was going out of business. Bill's childhood was pretty uneventful, but in the spring of 2003 disaster struck. We came home one night and Bill was bleeding in the cage. We think a cagemate bit him. We rushed to an e-vet, who managed to botch the repair, not catching on that Bill had broken his leg. For a week and a half Bill had to fight for his life - some days we thought his leg would have to be amputated, others it looked as though Bill would lose his battle altogether. His foot was horrifically enlarged and he couldn't use it at all. By some miracle I got up one morning and went to check on him and during the night his foot had drained and was almost normal sized, and he was moving arond the cage. The eventual verdict was that the leg HAD been broken, and had fused bent so he can't use it anymore. Once healed, Bill was unable to climb up the five foot tall cage his brothers live in, and he was uninterested in having their company. He has been living alone since then, through several failed introductions including to two babies who he was wholly uninterested in. Bill is happiest, and can almost always be found, in a small, square tissue box. He doens't like the full sized ones. Bill builds elaborate beds in his boxes and sleeps with his head poking out the front on a Bill-made pillow. He adores yogurt and apple-raspberry baby food. Bill can always use well wishes, as he's never really gotten well after being injured, and seems to catch anything that considers entering our house.

It seems we do a lot for our rats, and we do. After all, they're not just our pets--they're our friends and loved ones, too.