Today, my last sweet baby rattie, Ratatouille, was PTS. She had a large tumor that seemed to open up, and there wasn't much else that could be done except to stress her out and "wait it out". She went while still happy, before she got to feeling any pain, and I feel as though we made the right choice. She was about 2.5 years old.
A couple months ago, her sister Oreo died, and a week before that their cagemate Matilda. This leaves me without rats, and I know that I will miss the scratchy, loud noises at night and soft, chittery bruxing at day. It hurts so very much now, to be ending something that started when I was eleven, but at least for now I need to take a break from pets.
I am going to vet school soon, inspired by my rodent friends, and I hope that one day I can not only have more, but learn more and more about them to take part in the joy and care of other people's pets, too.
My first two babies were nicknamed Blackberry and Cinnamon. They were females that I got from my best friend, who got I think a total of 10 all at once from some crappy owner neighbors, and they started my rattie addiction. Looking back at these two babies, a milky-coffee girl and a black with white belly girl, I feel a lot of guilt. They had a large but wire cage, weren't fed proper food, and unfortunately died when I had to leave the US for a year. My mom took care of them of course, but I felt terrible for not being with them. They were my first babies, and I don't have any pictures of them as they were lost in an old, old cell phone. Rest in peace my first babies, momma's sorry and loves you. We had so many fun times together, learning tricks and using up all of the fun game and plaything ideas from dapperrat.com(and there's a lot on there).
My third rat was Charlotte. I was a bit older when I got her from a breeder, and I read up a lot on rats with her. I got a much better cage, began feeding good food, and learned a lot about rat health issues when she became extremely lethargic one day, just 3 months after I brought her home. I took her to my vet, who I would rely on with all of my next rats and whom I feel so grateful to have discovered, but unfortunately she died there. She is the all black one in the pictures.
To keep company for Charlotte, I purchased Matilda. She was such a sweet, white spotted skittish thing when I first brought her home! I couldn't touch her without her bitting and attacking me and squealing like a little rat-piglet. She was so sassy and stubborn, so determined and downright mean! Nothing could be kept away from her, and she couldn't settle down for a minute. When she was 2, she was diagnosed with a PT. It was heartbreaking, but this little miracle managed to live a FULL YEAR(till 3) with the terrible tumor, and it was a happy one. Just a couple weeks after her symptoms became in any way a problem to her, she passed away calmly and happily in her sleep, with Oreo and Ratatouille cuddled up.
When Charlotte passed Matilda was alone, so I got her NoName to keep company. NoName is the one with the giant sunflower and Matilda, and she looks almost entirely like Oreo and Ratatouille. She was the entire opposite of Matilda-- sweet, docile, friendly from the start, sleepy, and cuddly. They say that opposites attract, and that was true in their case, because they immediately became wonderful friends. They would do everything together, sticking side by side in and out of the cage. NoName had a lot of great times with Matilda and I, before she passed away in surgery due to a ginormous internal tumor that unfortunately couldn't be removed(although we gave it a shot anyways).
Well now Matilda was alone. On craigslist, I found that someone had to rehome two sisters- Oreo and Ratatouille. They came in friendly and cuddly from the start, and while I'm sure they missed their past family a bit, they were welcome with open arms by Matilda. Finally, there was a full cage again, and everyone was immediately happy. Oreo was the more outgoing of the two, and she is the one with more white on her back and belly. She was a little more like Matilda, outgoing and active, but more friendly I'd say! She loved her sister, blood and "step" dearly, and it was a heartbreaker to all of us when she passed away. A few months after a very successful surgery, exactly one week after Matilda, she simply became lethargic and slipped off-- we have no idea what happened.
This left my baby Ratatouille alone, and her life ended today. She was so sweet and cuddly, and we spent every single day together in her last couple lonely months. She didn't seem too heartbroken or saddened to be alone, without her sisters, but I'm sure that this was only because she was a trooper, and because she knew she would see her sisters soon again. It is very painful right now, to be without my little baby(who I keep wanting to reach into the cage and take out for our hours of daily cuddles), but I know that soon this will fade away and I'll be grateful for all the memories I have- both with Ratatouille, and with my other lovelies. Rest in peace sweetie, and have fun at the bridge with Blackberry, Cinnamon, Charlotte, NoName, Matilda, and your sister Oreo.
http://www.ratshackforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=28219
http://www.ratshackforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=26936
http://www.ratshackforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=21776
http://www.ratshackforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=21604
![Snapchat-20140514022127[1].jpg](https://cdn2.imagearchive.com/ratshackforum/data/attach/1/1971-Snapchat-20140514022127-1-.jpg "Snapchat-20140514022127[1].jpg")
![IMG-20131108-WA0000[1].jpg](https://cdn2.imagearchive.com/ratshackforum/data/attach/1/1972-IMG-20131108-WA0000-1-.jpg "IMG-20131108-WA0000[1].jpg")
A couple months ago, her sister Oreo died, and a week before that their cagemate Matilda. This leaves me without rats, and I know that I will miss the scratchy, loud noises at night and soft, chittery bruxing at day. It hurts so very much now, to be ending something that started when I was eleven, but at least for now I need to take a break from pets.
I am going to vet school soon, inspired by my rodent friends, and I hope that one day I can not only have more, but learn more and more about them to take part in the joy and care of other people's pets, too.
My first two babies were nicknamed Blackberry and Cinnamon. They were females that I got from my best friend, who got I think a total of 10 all at once from some crappy owner neighbors, and they started my rattie addiction. Looking back at these two babies, a milky-coffee girl and a black with white belly girl, I feel a lot of guilt. They had a large but wire cage, weren't fed proper food, and unfortunately died when I had to leave the US for a year. My mom took care of them of course, but I felt terrible for not being with them. They were my first babies, and I don't have any pictures of them as they were lost in an old, old cell phone. Rest in peace my first babies, momma's sorry and loves you. We had so many fun times together, learning tricks and using up all of the fun game and plaything ideas from dapperrat.com(and there's a lot on there).
My third rat was Charlotte. I was a bit older when I got her from a breeder, and I read up a lot on rats with her. I got a much better cage, began feeding good food, and learned a lot about rat health issues when she became extremely lethargic one day, just 3 months after I brought her home. I took her to my vet, who I would rely on with all of my next rats and whom I feel so grateful to have discovered, but unfortunately she died there. She is the all black one in the pictures.
To keep company for Charlotte, I purchased Matilda. She was such a sweet, white spotted skittish thing when I first brought her home! I couldn't touch her without her bitting and attacking me and squealing like a little rat-piglet. She was so sassy and stubborn, so determined and downright mean! Nothing could be kept away from her, and she couldn't settle down for a minute. When she was 2, she was diagnosed with a PT. It was heartbreaking, but this little miracle managed to live a FULL YEAR(till 3) with the terrible tumor, and it was a happy one. Just a couple weeks after her symptoms became in any way a problem to her, she passed away calmly and happily in her sleep, with Oreo and Ratatouille cuddled up.
When Charlotte passed Matilda was alone, so I got her NoName to keep company. NoName is the one with the giant sunflower and Matilda, and she looks almost entirely like Oreo and Ratatouille. She was the entire opposite of Matilda-- sweet, docile, friendly from the start, sleepy, and cuddly. They say that opposites attract, and that was true in their case, because they immediately became wonderful friends. They would do everything together, sticking side by side in and out of the cage. NoName had a lot of great times with Matilda and I, before she passed away in surgery due to a ginormous internal tumor that unfortunately couldn't be removed(although we gave it a shot anyways).
Well now Matilda was alone. On craigslist, I found that someone had to rehome two sisters- Oreo and Ratatouille. They came in friendly and cuddly from the start, and while I'm sure they missed their past family a bit, they were welcome with open arms by Matilda. Finally, there was a full cage again, and everyone was immediately happy. Oreo was the more outgoing of the two, and she is the one with more white on her back and belly. She was a little more like Matilda, outgoing and active, but more friendly I'd say! She loved her sister, blood and "step" dearly, and it was a heartbreaker to all of us when she passed away. A few months after a very successful surgery, exactly one week after Matilda, she simply became lethargic and slipped off-- we have no idea what happened.
This left my baby Ratatouille alone, and her life ended today. She was so sweet and cuddly, and we spent every single day together in her last couple lonely months. She didn't seem too heartbroken or saddened to be alone, without her sisters, but I'm sure that this was only because she was a trooper, and because she knew she would see her sisters soon again. It is very painful right now, to be without my little baby(who I keep wanting to reach into the cage and take out for our hours of daily cuddles), but I know that soon this will fade away and I'll be grateful for all the memories I have- both with Ratatouille, and with my other lovelies. Rest in peace sweetie, and have fun at the bridge with Blackberry, Cinnamon, Charlotte, NoName, Matilda, and your sister Oreo.
http://www.ratshackforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=28219
http://www.ratshackforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=26936
http://www.ratshackforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=21776
http://www.ratshackforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=21604
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