We had to say goodbye to our precious Bailey this morning. She was 25 months 10 days. She was gasping for breath, likely pneumonia. 😢 Love you forever my brave girl. X
I'm sorry to say that we lost Peaches. She started gasping horribly so we rushed her to the emergency vet. When she was pts, the vet said blood poured out of her mouth which indicated a possible lung tumour. X
You know, everyone rattles on about how great 'Sir' David Attenborough is, but I don't like him. He hates rats, even saying in a brown rat documentary of a lost baby, 'Nobody could think this baby was cute.' WRONG! Rats are the best animal in the world! Who agrees with me? X
Had a scare with Bleep this afternoon. She began noisily struggling for breath and panicked at one point. She was put in an oxygen tank and given a shot of penicillin at the vets. Please think of her -- pneumonia is difficult to bounce back from for rats, but she's got youth.
Do rats have HANDS or PAWS? I'm def. in the hands camp. If you hold things with these appendages, they are demonstrably not paws. Rats hold not just food, e.g. they can be trained to hoist a basket or flag on a cord.
After over 5 years I have finally got a job! I'll work on Sundays at the reception of a museum. It's a beautiful setting right by a canal where you overlook geese and other waterfowl. X
Holly's birthday is 24 October and she has turned 2! Many Happy Returns Holly darling. Here she is with her cake, which she shared with Bailey and Bleep and of course Mummy & Papa. X
I think (and hope) I might have good news. Laurel doesn't seem to smell or be bloody around her private parts anymore. Maybe it WAS an infection afterall? We've had her on doxycycline for 3 days. X
Welcome to our newest girl, Laurel. She is an agouti born 19 November 2021. Currently cuddled in the pet carrier with Peaches. We are on our way home. X
I bought this book from the Japanese Amazon. It's a great book of wild rat photos. The author asked me to let her know what I thought. Alas, I can't find that post. But I hope she sees this, as I really do recommend this as part of a rat book collection. X
Whenever I give big cuddles, it makes Laurel happy and she eats, as here with apple/yogurt baby food. Pretty sure she has a ZGT and she's seeing the vet Saturday. She ate a lot before I began filming. She's getting the abscess bathed twice daily, plus antibiotics and pain meds. X
Banana had her 1st free-range today. She eventually fell asleep, so we put her back in her cage, but she got cross and trashed the cage, knocking the shelves off. Baby pouchies are like toddlers. The breeder said, "Wait until she's a 'teenager.'' 😆 X
Some very sombre news. I'm afraid to say that I just found Treasure dead in the cage. She was stone cold. We were in bed for hours yesterday (tired) and last time I had her out on the bed she was fine. She ate her smashed avocado, I watched her. Her tongue was weird. A fit? X
My sister said something lovely about Cosmos. She said our lives are richer for having known her. We loved her so much. Even though we had her less than two months, she really got her sweet feet under the table, and adored the nice food and free ranging. X