Kathi called and left a message the other day...
"Hey, Susan. It's Kathi. Look, I have this client who has a rat that she can't keep. Her son has a really serious allergy to the rat and they need to find a home. The rat's name is Junior, which I thought you would appreciate. If you're interested, give me a call."
She hadn't even finished the message before I had made up my mind.
Here's Junior:
He's quite pretty...a chinchilla-like gray head. He's also extremely overweight, so he's now on a diet of lab blocks, with very spare treats.
*If you are going to have a pet rat, please don't give them the seed-filled, fat-slathered "gourmet" food that is sold in the pet stores. Get the LAB BLOCKS.*
He is very friendly, but needs a bit of socialization.
*If you are going to have a pet rat, get more than ONE. They are social animals who NEED to be with others. Just don't put males and females together. *
Junior came with a mansion (a three-level ferret cage!) and a note from the 9-year old boy whose heart was broken when Junior had to leave.
We introduced him to a few of our rats (Stanley, George and Cutie) but Junior seems to be a chewer. Geoff started yelling the other night: "Aiiiii! Susan! Help! Rats are out of their cages! Aiiii!"
The cage had had a few chew holes in the corners, but I didn't think twice about it. Duh.
We corralled all of them back into their places, but it was a tense few minutes.
Junior is now in a metal cage with a few roomies to keep him company.
We can't seem to get below 8 rats. One dies, another comes along.
Sigh.
Feel free to now roll your eyes and say to yourself, "Man. That Susan is crazy. "
10 comments:
Sometimes I have to wonder what I've gotten myself into. I had a friend who was a vet tech and now...
I have 7 birds (2 budgies, 1 jenday conure, and 4 cockatiels). All but the 2 budgies and 1 tiel were taken in from people who couldn't care for them properly. 1 cockatiel I found on the ground in the snow on the side of 125 in Mt. Washington on a February day about 7 years ago - couldn't find the owner.
You are not crazy - you just love too much sometimes, Susan :o)
I can't help but hee-haw at your wild life. Rats loose in the house! LOL!
We had some tense moments with loose gerbils and I remember shipping them to local pet stores after their urges to merge.
Nuts.
That's what I was thinking.
No, not really, I know your mansion-sized heart!
Glad to hear Junior survived his night with me. He actually came from a woman in my pottery class (not a client) and her son. I said, "Leave him at the studio and I will get him Tuesday night." I thought a rat cage would be, I don't know, like the size of a 10 gallon fish tank, not a three story ferret mansion.
I had to break the cage down to get it into my car, and Junior traveled home in a cardboard box (Thank GOD he didn't chew out of that!) with my dogs in the back seat. He spent the night in a cat carrier, still smelling of cat, I presume, locked in the guest bathroom with three cats hovering outside the door. I'm surprised he didn't have a heart attack!
Glad to hear he is on a diet. I'll tell his little boy that he is having fun in his new home.
~Kathi
Bless you for taking them in. I am like that with cats. Once one dies another one comes to take its place. Junior is kind of cute for a rat!
Aww--if you are crazy, it's the right thing to be.
Poor little boy to lose a pet. I wonder if he would be allergic to everything furry?
Maybe he could get a goldfish.
(Since you asked a while back about our goldfish and TMI--you know, I have NO idea what happened to that fish. I mean, of course it survived TMI, but after that? Dunno.)
I'm with Lynne. Nuts. I was rolling my eyes when I ready the caption under Junior's picture that said how cute he was. Cute? A rat? Different strokes and all that.
Junior is lucky you have such a big heart. I know he will be happy with his new forever family.
Beth
You are one special person with a huge heart, that's what I was thinking - taking care of everything.
Junior looks adorable and you are crazy.
Wow your rats sound adorable!! Could I possibly use some of your pictures for my new site Rat Info ? If so could you post them on the Rat Forum to let me know I have consent? I would love to add them to out Cute Rat Pictures page!!!
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