Rodentist
Well-Known Member
Not a very good weekend here, we lost two of our Rodentdoodles.
First was Nellie...she was out and about for their freshie dinner at around 11... but when we let them out for out time about an hour later she was lying motionless at the bottom of the cage. Breathing but stable....we took her to the vet as soon as possible the next morning. The vet took an x-ray, and didn't see anything at all, not even a scratch. He gave her IM fluids and steroids. We took her home but she left us later that evening. We had a necropsy, because I have never had one go like that...and she wasn't very old. The vet said she had an enlarged liver and died from sepsis, and was in septic shock.
Poor Nellie. For those who don't know her story...she was a "vicious biter" on Craig's list. Chaz picked them up from Niagara Falls, and they are as sweet as pie. Too us. Chaz saw Nellie lunge, jaws a-snappin, at the previous owner. If he didn't see it, I would have never believed it. The previous owner was afraid of them, never let them out, feeding them dog food she dropped through the bars. Never at us though. She was a little more shy than her sister, but once she decided we weren't so bad, and life was good, she burst out of her shell. She loved to explore, was friendly with us, but had a bit of a dominate streak....okay, a lot of it. When MamaDoodle came around, who is used to cowing about 20 rats despite her petite size, Nellie refused to submit, and actually made Mama peep and run off. NEVER seen that before. She spent her last two weeks in a section of a Ferret Nation with her sister, Laura, and Valentine, aka "Eddie Haskell". He didn't mess with her though. One of my friends, who is from Niagara Falls as well, said Nellie was a true "Falls chick", because you don't mess with a Falls Chick. I miss you, Nellie, even though you weren't with us that long...you had six weeks of real food, lots of out time with us and new rattie friends. You rock, you rough and tumble tiny Falls Chick!
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[center:2gwug4o3]Nellie is the cinnamon pearl, Laura the berk[/center:2gwug4o3]
Milton...was our oldster...we don't know exactly how old he was, but it was over 3 years....maybe a lot over three years. We rescued him from a town outside of Chicago. He was a lone male rat who hated people and other rats. We also suspect him of being part wild. When we got him he was at least a year old, possibly older...he already had that older rat look. We tried to introduce him to the other four boys, but he screamed in pure terror whenever they came near him,a horrible sound to hear. He hid from us...but as soon as you clicked the light off he was in his wheel within seconds. Pretty funny. After a while, it was obvious that he was TERRIFIED of adult males...so we adopted Newton. Newton was a little guy. Milton tried his best to ignore him, hoping he would leave. He would do this thing where he would stick his head in the corner and you know he was thinking, "Go away, go away" but Newton....who isn't our brightest rat would be like, "Is that what we're doing? Sticking our head in this corner?" and then do it with him. He just followed Milton around and did what Milton did, until Milton accepted him. Which was how Milton got his first friend. Then we got Arya, our first girl. She was supposed to be a boy, already neutered...perfect for our colony. When we got to the SPCA, it was clear she was a girl...but we drove all that way. Took her anyway. As soon as we brought her in the room, Newton was enamored with her. She was in a separate cage. He spent all day on his back legs STARING at her cage. I'd turn on the light at 3 am, there he was staring. 5 am? Staring. I got him neutered, and a month later.....introduced her to Milton and Newton.
Newton loved her, mooned over her. Milton acted like he didn't care. Who did Arya hit on? Milton! She pulled his ears....stretching them waaaay out...it looked like it hurt, actually. Did he scream? No. It sort of looked like he was smugly smiling. She would box with him, and he let her win...I mean he was three times her size, how did she flip him over? Arya loved her Milton. And Newton was cheesed. Then we got Mamadoodle and her three boys. Added Mama, her boys after they were neutered. Milton really liked playing with the boys. Then we got the Duras sisters....Lursa and B'Etor...they were ding-dong-ditched here....no problems with the add.
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[center:2gwug4o3]Milton and Arya[/center:2gwug4o3]
Lastly, my colony of older boys was down to one after Julian died...Nero. Nero was one of the rats Milton screamed around. But after three days of feeling sorry for himself, Nero was clearly interested in being with the Main colony. He entered on the lowest level, sort of slinking and very submissive. Everybody was sniffing him...it looked optimistic. Then Milton came down, you could see the surprise on his face. "YOU!" Milton ran at him and just barreled into Nero's side, and Nero FLEW out of the cage. The next day, Nero tried to come in again. Milton let him. The day after that they were cuddled up in a hammock like best friends. Milton just had to make a point. He was King Milton, and this was his colony. Nero was #2 in his old colony, and quickly #2 in this one. (Poor Newton, no one ever takes him seriously)
So, that was how Milton...the rat who couldn't be around other rats....became proud alpha of a colony of 10.
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[center:2gwug4o3]From left to right: Milton, B'Etor, Newton, Nero, Hector, Lursa, Ajax, Arya, No!No!Nestor! and Mamadoodles escaping.[/center:2gwug4o3]
He started showing signs of hind leg paralysis about 6 months ago. We have had him on Meloxicam. The past two months, the back legs have atrophied...but he was refused to give up being alpha, he still ate with the group, and socialized. When I tried to introduced Valentine....Mama's three boys...now giant squishes, formed a protective gauntlet around him...it was clear that they were protecting Milton.
Milton never loved being held or cuddled. Its okay, we appreciate an independent rattie. He would get this squinty look if you petted him... "If you must..." and tolerate it. He has been getting thinner and thinner until he was gone.
I miss you, Milton, the colony won't be the same without you.
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Sorry about the long story, but they deserve it....especially Milton who came such a long way from where he started.
First was Nellie...she was out and about for their freshie dinner at around 11... but when we let them out for out time about an hour later she was lying motionless at the bottom of the cage. Breathing but stable....we took her to the vet as soon as possible the next morning. The vet took an x-ray, and didn't see anything at all, not even a scratch. He gave her IM fluids and steroids. We took her home but she left us later that evening. We had a necropsy, because I have never had one go like that...and she wasn't very old. The vet said she had an enlarged liver and died from sepsis, and was in septic shock.
Poor Nellie. For those who don't know her story...she was a "vicious biter" on Craig's list. Chaz picked them up from Niagara Falls, and they are as sweet as pie. Too us. Chaz saw Nellie lunge, jaws a-snappin, at the previous owner. If he didn't see it, I would have never believed it. The previous owner was afraid of them, never let them out, feeding them dog food she dropped through the bars. Never at us though. She was a little more shy than her sister, but once she decided we weren't so bad, and life was good, she burst out of her shell. She loved to explore, was friendly with us, but had a bit of a dominate streak....okay, a lot of it. When MamaDoodle came around, who is used to cowing about 20 rats despite her petite size, Nellie refused to submit, and actually made Mama peep and run off. NEVER seen that before. She spent her last two weeks in a section of a Ferret Nation with her sister, Laura, and Valentine, aka "Eddie Haskell". He didn't mess with her though. One of my friends, who is from Niagara Falls as well, said Nellie was a true "Falls chick", because you don't mess with a Falls Chick. I miss you, Nellie, even though you weren't with us that long...you had six weeks of real food, lots of out time with us and new rattie friends. You rock, you rough and tumble tiny Falls Chick!
[center:2gwug4o3]
[center:2gwug4o3]Nellie is the cinnamon pearl, Laura the berk[/center:2gwug4o3]
Milton...was our oldster...we don't know exactly how old he was, but it was over 3 years....maybe a lot over three years. We rescued him from a town outside of Chicago. He was a lone male rat who hated people and other rats. We also suspect him of being part wild. When we got him he was at least a year old, possibly older...he already had that older rat look. We tried to introduce him to the other four boys, but he screamed in pure terror whenever they came near him,a horrible sound to hear. He hid from us...but as soon as you clicked the light off he was in his wheel within seconds. Pretty funny. After a while, it was obvious that he was TERRIFIED of adult males...so we adopted Newton. Newton was a little guy. Milton tried his best to ignore him, hoping he would leave. He would do this thing where he would stick his head in the corner and you know he was thinking, "Go away, go away" but Newton....who isn't our brightest rat would be like, "Is that what we're doing? Sticking our head in this corner?" and then do it with him. He just followed Milton around and did what Milton did, until Milton accepted him. Which was how Milton got his first friend. Then we got Arya, our first girl. She was supposed to be a boy, already neutered...perfect for our colony. When we got to the SPCA, it was clear she was a girl...but we drove all that way. Took her anyway. As soon as we brought her in the room, Newton was enamored with her. She was in a separate cage. He spent all day on his back legs STARING at her cage. I'd turn on the light at 3 am, there he was staring. 5 am? Staring. I got him neutered, and a month later.....introduced her to Milton and Newton.
Newton loved her, mooned over her. Milton acted like he didn't care. Who did Arya hit on? Milton! She pulled his ears....stretching them waaaay out...it looked like it hurt, actually. Did he scream? No. It sort of looked like he was smugly smiling. She would box with him, and he let her win...I mean he was three times her size, how did she flip him over? Arya loved her Milton. And Newton was cheesed. Then we got Mamadoodle and her three boys. Added Mama, her boys after they were neutered. Milton really liked playing with the boys. Then we got the Duras sisters....Lursa and B'Etor...they were ding-dong-ditched here....no problems with the add.
[center:2gwug4o3]
[center:2gwug4o3]Milton and Arya[/center:2gwug4o3]
Lastly, my colony of older boys was down to one after Julian died...Nero. Nero was one of the rats Milton screamed around. But after three days of feeling sorry for himself, Nero was clearly interested in being with the Main colony. He entered on the lowest level, sort of slinking and very submissive. Everybody was sniffing him...it looked optimistic. Then Milton came down, you could see the surprise on his face. "YOU!" Milton ran at him and just barreled into Nero's side, and Nero FLEW out of the cage. The next day, Nero tried to come in again. Milton let him. The day after that they were cuddled up in a hammock like best friends. Milton just had to make a point. He was King Milton, and this was his colony. Nero was #2 in his old colony, and quickly #2 in this one. (Poor Newton, no one ever takes him seriously)
So, that was how Milton...the rat who couldn't be around other rats....became proud alpha of a colony of 10.
[center:2gwug4o3]
[center:2gwug4o3]From left to right: Milton, B'Etor, Newton, Nero, Hector, Lursa, Ajax, Arya, No!No!Nestor! and Mamadoodles escaping.[/center:2gwug4o3]
He started showing signs of hind leg paralysis about 6 months ago. We have had him on Meloxicam. The past two months, the back legs have atrophied...but he was refused to give up being alpha, he still ate with the group, and socialized. When I tried to introduced Valentine....Mama's three boys...now giant squishes, formed a protective gauntlet around him...it was clear that they were protecting Milton.
Milton never loved being held or cuddled. Its okay, we appreciate an independent rattie. He would get this squinty look if you petted him... "If you must..." and tolerate it. He has been getting thinner and thinner until he was gone.
I miss you, Milton, the colony won't be the same without you.
[center:2gwug4o3]
Sorry about the long story, but they deserve it....especially Milton who came such a long way from where he started.
