well hiya!

[jennifervb]

Thanks for that banner of WELCOME jennifervb! That was nice! I love your little dancing bunnies! They are so excited! It's been a while since I read a post from you! How are you and your rats?

You can get the bunnies too by typing ":bunnydance:" (without the quote marks).

My last boy died last year in March. I have decided to take a break because I need time to recover. I had six rats in the course of 3 years and every boy I lost took a part of me with him. I really need to heal both emotionally and financially before I will adopt any more (no fear.... I will have rats again!!!!)

Until then, I still love to come here and share with my friends and fellow rat lovers. I still :bunnydance: , :thud: , :sad3: , :laugh4: , :redhot: , and :thumbup: over their rats, but it is easier for me than to be there panicking over every little ailment I physically see.

I need the Rat Shack. It helps to fill a void. :love6:

 

[rattyattie_14]

Thanks for that banner of WELCOME jennifervb! That was nice! I love your little dancing bunnies! They are so excited! It's been a while since I read a post from you! How are you and your rats?

You can get the bunnies too by typing ":bunnydance:" (without the quote marks).

My last boy died last year in March. I have decided to take a break because I need time to recover. I had six rats in the course of 3 years and every boy I lost took a part of me with him. I really need to heal both emotionally and financially before I will adopt any more (no fear.... I will have rats again!!!!)

Until then, I still love to come here and share with my friends and fellow rat lovers. I still :bunnydance: , :thud: , :sad3: , :laugh4: , :redhot: , and :thumbup: over their rats, but it is easier for me than to be there panicking over every little ailment I physically see.

I need the Rat Shack. It helps to fill a void. :love6:

I'm sorry to hear about your rats. Just know that they loved you very much and as long as you get more to share your love with you'll be ok! I've lost 7 girls to natural death and 1 from seizures and each on of them tried to hard not to go it was very sad because most of them died in my arms. I love them so much when they died that I would put them in a box or a container and put them in my freezer so I could visit them anytime I wanted. Since then I have actually burried all my of my rats in my backyard. I can visit them there just as well!

Crazy right? Most other people (kids from school) though so.

 

[jennifervb]

[quote="rattyattie_14":31aqe7y2]Thanks for that banner of WELCOME jennifervb! That was nice! I love your little dancing bunnies! They are so excited! It's been a while since I read a post from you! How are you and your rats?

You can get the bunnies too by typing ":bunnydance:" (without the quote marks).

My last boy died last year in March. I have decided to take a break because I need time to recover. I had six rats in the course of 3 years and every boy I lost took a part of me with him. I really need to heal both emotionally and financially before I will adopt any more (no fear.... I will have rats again!!!!)

Until then, I still love to come here and share with my friends and fellow rat lovers. I still :bunnydance: , :thud: , :sad3: , :laugh4: , :redhot: , and :thumbup: over their rats, but it is easier for me than to be there panicking over every little ailment I physically see.

I need the Rat Shack. It helps to fill a void. :love6:

I'm sorry to hear about your rats. Just know that they loved you very much and as long as you get more to share your love with you'll be ok! I've lost 7 girls to natural death and 1 from seizures and each on of them tried to hard not to go it was very sad because most of them died in my arms. I love them so much when they died that I would put them in a box or a container and put them in my freezer so I could visit them anytime I wanted. Since then I have actually burried all my of my rats in my backyard. I can visit them there just as well!

Crazy right? Most other people (kids from school) though so.[/quote:31aqe7y2]

Only an outsider looking in would think that your actions, with your rats, was crazy. Fact is.... many of us here do exactly that! We stick them in the freezer for safe keeping... we put them in boxes (and decorate the box with whatever reminds us of our rat)... we stick little gifts into the box (harlan teklad, treats, pennies, you name it) for the rat to take with to the Rainbow Bridge and we bury our rats, when possible, somewhere where we can go spend time with them.

Nope.... none of what you do is crazy Jordan.... its what rat lovers do and it is perfectly sane. :bunnydance:

My last three boys were the most affectionate. My first three (Ben, Jerry, and Basil) were very much their own little men. Basil was, however, one of the coolest rats. He ran the cage and was one of two boys who did not need neutering. He didn't cop a testosterone attitude problem so he got to keep his little gonads. :giggle:

Albert, Roquefort (avatar pic), and Buddy were my last three boys with Buddy passing last year in March. Roquefort was my heart boy and because he was very small and fragile, he got his food and meds outside the cage. He spent most of his time on my lap. He was not interested in his cagemates. Albert and Buddy were the two musketeers and were always getting into mischief. Buddy was the other boy who did not need to be neutered. He was just so happy to have friends that copping an attitude was not generally necessary. With the exception of Basil, all of my rats died in my arms. Basil died at home and was gone before I got home. Roquefort was tending to the body when I got there. Fortunately, the vet said that Basil died in his sleep and did not suffer at all. He had congestive heart failure.

Buddy was euthanized because his antibiotics were not helping him anymore. The vet said that he was living through sheer will power but that he was having a terrible time breathing. She could not establish any air passing through his lungs or chest. He died peacefully in my arms and then I went home and cried into the empty cage for the longest time. My champaign and rose colored boy was gone and, with him, a huge part of my soul. :tearful:

I am on the mend but I need time. There is nothing like a little face staring up at you from your shoulder and nibbling on your earlobes. Roque used to do that. He would always look to me for approval when he was defending himself against Albert. He loved his belly kisses and liked it when I would nuzzle his forehead with my nose. That rat had absolutely no fear of me from day one. He had been badly neglected by his previous owners and just relished his 2-3 hours of out time a day with yummy treats, fruit and fresh veggies. I can't help feeling that he would have lived longer if he had come to me sooner. Depression can significantly affect a rat's lifespan and Roque had a bad time of life before he came to me. I detest people who treat animals as display objects. They are ignorant and stupid. :redhot: Nevertheless, I am so happy to have had him. :love6: My little bug-a-boo. :rose: