OUCH!

I can see I may not be welcome in this forum.

Sigh.

I am the previous owner of Jack, Bambi and Dumbo. I am the one who had to find new homes for them b/c my young daughters are allergic to them. I am the one totally embarrased at their lack of good health and if everyone here would like me to disappear I will.

I just want to say that I have had ratties for many years and have done more than my share of rescues and paid more than my share in Vet bills. When we had kids we stopped getting rats b/c we no longer had the time we used to for them. I missed them though and ended up with Jack and Dumbo and Bambi. My then 4 year old daughter named them.

My rats may not have had as much attention as other ratties over the last month or two, but they have been cleaned, fed and watered and snuggled when there was time. The cage was only stinky when it was picked up b/c the water bottle had been squeezed while the cage was at the front door b/c my hubby had forgotten to take it off the cage for the trip. The cage got very wet while I was at work apparently, and wet cages do not smell good. I'm sure there were some food scraps in there too from the cage being upstairs with kids who eat constantly. I CLEAN MY RATS' CAGES DILLEGENTLY!!!! I was most upset and am in tears now at some peoples' comments who don't even know me.

We had cats who we also had to find homes for b/c our daughters were allergic and the cats were fed in the basement. The kids liked to feed the rats with the cat food and no matter how often they were told not to, you can't be there 24/7. I was sure that was the problem with the ratties' skin b/c they were getting too much protein. I've had mites before and treated it and just didn't even consider mites b/c they hadn't been around other rats, nor had we, and we had a good year without rats before getting these.

The rats WERE NOT SNEEZING the week before they went to their new home!!! It must have been the stress of being moved upstairs and driving in a car that started the sneezing. I do feel sick about the tooth thing b/c Dumbo never stopped eating and was a fat rat. She never indicated she was in pain and I had no idea she was hurting.

I assure you, I have no intention of getting rats again, but only b/c my youngsters have Diabetes and allergies and I cannot expose them to anything that might compromise their already seriously compromised healths. When they are all grown up and I have the time and space I WILL have rats again. I have apologized profusely to LA and Mamrats and anyone else involved in my rat rescue and was so upset to join this forum to make some more rat friends and find this thread.

I cannot thank LA and Mamarat enough for doing everything they did, and for you guys for all your advice to LA. I feel as bad as she she wasn't able to take Jack after all this. I was honest about the Platinums being a bit nippy b/c when we got them I almost lost my newborn baby to something called RSV. I found her at home blue, eyes open and not breathing. My new platinums took a backseat during all this and I was at the hospital with my baby on a ventilator for 3 weeks after I got her breathing again and she was airlifted to Mac in Hamilton. I'm sorry the rats weren't handled, but I had another priority at the time. They were standoffish when I got them and I could not predict I would not be able to give them the handling they needed. Now I have 2 young daughters with Diabetes and that really reduced my rat cuddle time too.

There it is. I'm sad, I'm upset, I'm frustrated, I'm embarrased, I'm angry. Most of all though I'm grateful to LA and Mamarats.

 

[jorats]

I can see I may not be welcome in this forum.

Sigh.

Michelle, of course you are welcome here, this place is for learning and sharing, everyone is welcome.

I am the previous owner of Jack, Bambi and Dumbo. I am the one who had to find new homes for them b/c my young daughters are allergic to them. I am the one totally embarrased at their lack of good health and if everyone here would like me to disappear I will.

I'm sure nobody here wants you to disapear.

I just want to say that I have had ratties for many years and have done more than my share of rescues and paid more than my share in Vet bills. When we had kids we stopped getting rats b/c we no longer had the time we used to for them. I missed them though and ended up with Jack and Dumbo and Bambi. My then 4 year old daughter named them.
My rats may not have had as much attention as other ratties over the last month or two, but they have been cleaned, fed and watered and snuggled when there was time. The cage was only stinky when it was picked up b/c the water bottle had been squeezed while the cage was at the front door b/c my hubby had forgotten to take it off the cage for the trip. The cage got very wet while I was at work apparently, and wet cages do not smell good. I'm sure there were some food scraps in there too from the cage being upstairs with kids who eat constantly. I CLEAN MY RATS' CAGES DILLEGENTLY!!!! I was most upset and am in tears now at some peoples' comments who don't even know me.

Michelle, if you would have been part of this forum and this was someone else, you would have been appalled like the rest of us.

We had cats who we also had to find homes for b/c our daughters were allergic and the cats were fed in the basement. The kids liked to feed the rats with the cat food and no matter how often they were told not to, you can't be there 24/7. I was sure that was the problem with the ratties' skin b/c they were getting too much protein. I've had mites before and treated it and just didn't even consider mites b/c they hadn't been around other rats, nor had we, and we had a good year without rats before getting these.

Just an FYI, rats can get mites/lice from bedding.

The rats WERE NOT SNEEZING the week before they went to their new home!!! It must have been the stress of being moved upstairs and driving in a car that started the sneezing.

You are absolutely right there, the sneezing was never an issue.

I do feel sick about the tooth thing b/c Dumbo never stopped eating and was a fat rat. She never indicated she was in pain and I had no idea she was hurting.

I assure you, I have no intention of getting rats again, but only b/c my youngsters have Diabetes and allergies and I cannot expose them to anything that might compromise their already seriously compromised healths. When they are all grown up and I have the time and space I WILL have rats again. I have apologized profusely to LA and Mamrats and anyone else involved in my rat rescue and was so upset to join this forum to make some more rat friends and find this thread.

Come on Michelle, I know you didn't register to this forum for more rat friends... someone must have alerted you to the problems with your girls.

I cannot thank LA and Mamarat enough for doing everything they did, and for you guys for all your advice to LA. I feel as bad as she she wasn't able to take Jack after all this. I was honest about the Platinums being a bit nippy b/c when we got them I almost lost my newborn baby to something called RSV. I found her at home blue, eyes open and not breathing. My new platinums took a backseat during all this and I was at the hospital with my baby on a ventilator for 3 weeks after I got her breathing again and she was airlifted to Mac in Hamilton. I'm sorry the rats weren't handled, but I had another priority at the time. They were standoffish when I got them and I could not predict I would not be able to give them the handling they needed. Now I have 2 young daughters with Diabetes and that really reduced my rat cuddle time too.

Not being handled enough is not an issue either. Them being nippy is not a big deal and easily dealt with.

There it is. I'm sad, I'm upset, I'm frustrated, I'm embarrased, I'm angry. Most of all though I'm grateful to LA and Mamarats.

I can totally understand your roller coaster emotions, but try to see from our point of view. Those girls cost over $500... and we still lost one, my parents totally loved them, yes for only a few days but those girls meant the world to them. My dad is still crying over the one that died.

 

[LA]

((((((((((morats))))))))))

(((((((((((Michelle))))))))))

You are not unwelcome. We welcome you here whether you feel it or not. It's about learning and growing....

 

I had been told of this site ages ago but just hadn't had time to get to it. I did not come here to submit myself to this!! Trust me - I came here to meet all the great new rat friends my "friend" had told me about. I had no idea what was waiting for me. I did know my rats had some health issues, but had no idea they were what they were.

I DID come here simply for more rat contacts.

 

[jorats]

Well here we are, every thing's out on the table.

You can choose to walk away not owning up to the girls' state, or you can stick around, learn and grow with this new forum.

It's up to you Michelle.

 

[Fidget]

You spoke up to give the girls up. I respect that.
You came here and spoke. I respect that.

Michelle, you've obviously read my comments, so you know where I stand.
First & Foremost - Welcome! This is Jo's place and if I may be so bold - it's not about personal issues, it's about the kids (ratties). It's about healing, not neglecting or abusing.
I admire you coming here and saying your piece. As I've said, my heart goes out to you that you would see your human children suffering anything.

And I hear your excuses about the ratties, but Michelle, the problems these girls had weren't cause you had a rough weekend, these are cumulative over time and in all 3 kids. We're talking malnutrition Michelle! Those kids show too many signs of neglect. And you have so many excuses.

And even in your post you still you don't admit to being neglectful in all you wrote. It was the hubby with the water, the daughter with the catfood......So sad for what happened to them, all those unfortunate quirks - no acknowledgement that you were what happened to them

You'd do best to just say things just got too overwhelming for you and you should have rehomed these kids sooner so they could have lives while you focused on whatever it was that attracted your attention.

The ratties got deathly sick because you didn't have the time to monitor and look after them. That's all there is to it.

You're one of those people who think that they are entitled to 'own' animals, instead of one of those people who feel you get more than they give. You don't deserve a pet until they let you know that they approve of you.

And you still don't get it. You thank LA & mamarat. Not for saving the kids tho, but for saving you from the responsibility of the kids.

There's a big difference between "what I want" and "what I can provide"

Ok, I've emptied my angst. I would so rather you were here crying with us over a lost Summer..... and hearing what it's doing to others.....

Just try to be more honest with yourself or us, eh? I'm not sure who you think you're foolong.
I'd like you to stay (mostly to keep an eye on your present kids but honestly to try try to get thru to you. t'll take some doing to get thru that "I'm not responsible" armor tho.