I have loved and lost over 42 rats. Sadly I do not have photos of every single rat I have ever owned, but I do have some to share here with everyone so those of you can see some of my past wonderful rats that have brought me joy over the years and have also taught me so much about rats just from observation alone!
It all began in a little family owned Pet store. I was out planning on buying either gerbils or mice when I saw two big giant critters running around the pet store. They were up on the counter where the cash register sat. They came right over to me and wanted my attention. I remember one of the larger ones reached up and pawed at me almost like he was asking me to pet him. That was Patterson and Ferman, two rats that I came to adopt two years later when the pet store was closing down and they were getting rid of everything, including the two pet store rats! I had the pleasure of loving Ferman for a few months after I adopted them only to lose him to a cancerous tumor in his abdomen. Patterson continued to live on for another year, passing away a few months after his third birthday!
Here is Patterson. Sadly I do not have a photo of Ferman, but he was a large black berkshire.
Where it all started: My first two rats!
My precious Louie!
Louies cagemate, Mr. Jingles!!
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My Sweet tiny Charlotte March 2002- May 6th, 2005
Charlotte! She gave me a surprise litter a week after I rescued her and gave birth to 15 pups!
Charlotte earned her wings and halo at 3 years, 3 months of age. She was tiny but mighty and the boss of her cage!
Hairy, my FUGS boy! He has his own page here on Critter City.
Please refer to WHAT IS A FUGS?
Pitter and Patter, Oreo's babies!
Shadow and his cage mate, Patches!!!!!
My little wild hybrid, Holly. She was much smaller than any domestic I have ever had!
Holly again!
My sweet Peanut! He was a loud bruxer!!
Casper! Charlottes baby and one of the pups that I watched grow from birth till he earned his halo and wings.
Oreo! Lived to be well over 3 years old. I rescued her and she gave me a surprise litter of 7 babies!
Skittles! He was always sporting a porphyrin nose from day one! He was from a group of lab rats I rescued from a Vet school. He was pretty aggressive and was a biter, but I still loved him from a distance!
Bingo and Fermie! Two of Oreos pups all grown up!
Socrates!! Twin brother of Santana, my one eyed boy!
Socs left us with a broken heart in the spring of 2008!Several years ago I rescued a group of four lab rats that came from a Vet school. They were to be euthanized if they were not adopted out. There were at least 60 rodents in need of homes or they would face death. The four big boys I had were Mr.Magoo, Skittles, Twizzler and Clayton. Clayton was named after Clay Aiken (my daughter loved him, I am NOT a fan....LOL) so that tells you how long ago that was, which if my memory is right, about 2003 I think. I used non toxic colored marker on the base of their tail to identify who was who since they were all jumbo sized PEWS. They were all pretty skittish and did not like me much until they became ill and wanted comforting. I didnt mind that they were not real keen on being held etc...and even took a few good bites from them, because they had a pretty lousy first year of life being a lab rat !
Griffin, the white rex, and his beauty of a brother, Dodger, were my first rats that were from a hobby breeder. Sweet and tiny, they were the most wonderful boys ever and they never fought with each other, not even play fight. They would chase each other and tumble around but not once did they ever scrap, which is unusual to say when its regarding rat pups! When Dodger passed away, Griffin died shortly after from a broken heart. Yes, it really can happen, and in fact this was not my first rat to die from a broken herat. He was my third. Dying from a broken heart simply means the rat had become depressed to the point the immune system weakens and if the rat falls ill, they usually cannt fight off infection well and they pass away. Its very sad but very true.
