Pet Forum / Mammals / Rats / September 2006

My girly rat Riley just died suddenly a few weeks ago :(  and it's the
first time I've ever lost a rattie companion so it was quite hard for
me and my mom as well.   My mom still cries a little when we talk about
her and her antics, and she keeps telling me she doesn't want another
rat just yet, or maybe not at all.   I always knew though that I wanted
to keep having rats - they're such great pets, it feels really empty
not having a fuzz-butt sitting on your lap or running around your room.

Anyway, a few days ago, my boyfriend P. (owner of two rats) and I
decided on the spur of the moment to check out the local SPCA.  The
girl on the phone said they had three little girls and would I "please
please please come and adopt them?"   Since my mom (and maybe even I)
aren't quite ready for new rats yet, it would really depend on my
boyfriend.  Luckily for me, he's a great guy (and knows me better than
I probably know myself) and he simply said, "If you see those rats, you
know you'll be bringing them home." He offered to house them at his
place until my mom was ready, since he has a large house with plenty of
space for rats.  He also said we could keep them there permanently if
we needed to.

Needless to say, these girls are adorable.  Very friendly, surprisingly
socialized, all with distinct personalities.  We've named them Portia
(calm and sleepy), Savvy (the adventurous Pi-rat) and Dolby (mild
mannered but can't sit still).  Turns out they're from the same litter
as one of P.'s other rats (Kahlua) so now we have 4 sister rats, all
reunited.  They're about 9 months old, but very petite and one of the
parents was definitely a rex because their fur and whiskers are all
curly!

My mom doesn't know yet that P. has 5 rats at his house.  Every day she
warms up to the idea of having rats again - so I don't want to push it
upon her too much.  But I'm glad I chose to rescue these girls.  Who
knows how long they would have lingered in the shelter - the minute we
took them home, they were climbing all over the cage and begging to be
let out, and bruxing and boggling like crazy - a far cry from the quiet
huddled mass we saw in the shelter.