How we're doing.

Just thought i'd update everyone on how my lot are doing.

Girls:
Splinter- Russian blue doe. Black eyes, top-eared.

We got her with Schuster & have had them a year now (on Jan. 4th).
She's always been quite quiet and is definately more of a rat-rat than a people rat, but she's never bitten and doesn't mind being picked up. She'll happily climb over me during free-range, but she's the slowest to get out of bed when the cage door opens. She's also probably the chubbiest girl. I love her for being gentle and quiet.

Schuster- Roan doe. Black eyes, top-eared.

Schu has always been very lively. She's very person orientated. She loves to groom and lick me and she's happy to be picked up and cuddled. She's always desperate to be out of the cage and is really greedy when it comes to food.
I love her for being bouncy and cheeky.

Dumbo- British blue doe. Black eyes, dumbo.

Dumbo is Splinter & Albie's daughter & she'll be a year old on Feb. 5th.
I sometimes wonder if she's a little special needs or something. She doesn't like other rats touching her too much and she squeaks when I or they touch her back end, she always has, no matter how gently the touch. Despite being handled from birth she took a long time to get used to being held & it's only been the past 2-3 months that she's stopped squealing when I lift her. She's getting much better and is actually turning into a real cuddle bug. Despite being a bit vocal sometimes, she's very quiet.
I love her for her odd little cuddles and squeals.

Branflake- Agouti (I think) doe. Black eyes, top-eared. (pictured with Dumbo because she's still shy)

I've had Branflake now for about 2 months and she's about 3 months old.
Brany was a pet shop rescue as I term it, being housed alone in a bare cage in the p@h adoption centre I just couldn't resist. Bold, I know.
She was very skitty at first, I don't think she'd ever been held. She pretty much hated me for about a month, no matter what I did and would take any opportunity to bite me. When I first intro'd her to the other girls she humped them all constantly for about 5 hours & my sister remarked, 'gee not only is she a lesbian rat, but she's a horny lesbian rat' She still doesn't like being held much, but she will climb all over me during freerange and has recently started giving me the odd lick on her way past. She has limitless energy and is mad about climbing. She can climb pool cues and hoovers and has even started to climb the walls and door frames in our hall.
I love her for her energy and how mental she is.

Albie- himalayan buck. Pink-eyed, dumbo.

Albie was my first rat, along with his brother-from-another-mother, Chandler. He was 'about a year' when we rescued him and we've had him about a year & a half now, so he's about 30 months, roughly.
Albie is my very special boy and if I had a 'heart rat' it would be him. He's not really a people rat, but in his old age he's become prone to the odd cuddle & brux with me during freerange. He has pretty bad HLD now, but it seems to come and go, some days he runs, some days he cannot use his back legs at all. It's heartbreaking to watch, but he's a real trooper. Albie's always been known as the sick one and has been to the vets more times than the rest of them put together. He's always had respy problems, but recently he's been doing okay. He's blind in one eye and I doubt he can see very much out of the other, but his hearing is good and he still comes when I call him. A lot of my people I know aren't keen on rats, but they all know & love Albie. I've been really sad the past few weeks because I know I don't have long left with my little buddy, but as long as he keeps fighting, i'll fight for him. <3
I love him for being my miracle trooper boy.

Chandler- roan buck. Black eyed, top-eared.

Chandy came along with Al and is also about 30 months, though I suspect a little younger.
Chandler was, for a very long time, a very shy boy. He never liked being held or touched very much and wanted it to be just him & Albie against the world. In the past few months, with age, I suspect, he's become much friendlier and happily runs over for a cheeky lick or cuddle during freerange. He's even lay & slept on my lap on a few occassions, something I never thought I'd be able to say. He's also starting to show his age now & is looking old, but like Albie, he doesn't seem to actually slow down. He runs alongside the little boys & plays with them when Albie's can't keep up.
I love him for the cuddle bug he's become.

Rincewinde & Twoflower- both roan bucks. Black eyed, top-eared.

These guys are the babies of Schuster & Chandler & they'll be a year old on Feb. 4th.
They're here together because they are inseperable. I don't have a single photo of them apart, they are joined at the hip.
(Rincewinde top, Twoflower bottom) I really hope Twoflower is finished roaning because that's the only way I can tell the apart.
These guys have always been so playful and cuddly, since as soon as they opened their eyes. They're silly and cheeky boys and are always getting up to mischief. They have so much energy are always keen to get out and run about with mummy.
I love them for being silly brothers who are always stuck together.

It's now been about 2 months since I lost Monk ):
I still miss her an awful lot and wonder if i'll ever get over losing her :'(

Hope you're resting well little one.

ps. feel free to place updates here of how your lot are doing at the minute.

Your rats are so so beautiful. I particularly like Albie, as I have the doe version of him in my Blanche (display picture) He's so gorgeous, I love dumbos, they are so cute. And Monk was soooo gorgeous. I'm sure u must miss her so much. I lost Blanche's sister Stella 9 days ago. It's so heartbreaking to see them go, and that they can't be with us for very long.

I love this poem - Thought I'd share. :-)

The Chain Will Link Again

They say memories are golden
well maybe that is true.
I never wanted memories,
I only wanted you.

A million times I needed you,
a million times I cried.
If love alone could have saved you
you never would have died.

In life I loved you dearly,
In death I love you still.
In my heart you hold a place
no one could ever fill.

If tears could build a stairway
and heartache make a lane,
I'd walk the path to heaven
and bring you back again.

Our family chain is broken,
and nothing seems the same.
But as we are called one by one,
the chain will link again.

Thanks.
Albie's my little buddy <3
And yeah, i'm still gutted about Monk ): But we have lots of nice memories, as i'm sure you do of Stella. <3

Aww - some lovely posts!

Looks like Branflake is a Cinnamon

xx

Cinnamon ta laura.

Your ratties are so gorgeous and its very obvious that they are loved as individuals That poem is lovely x

They're very lovely. It's clear that there's a lot of love and attention devoted to them. I hope Albie keeps on fighting a good while yet, it's so sad to see them get old.

Thanks, I think he still has some fight in him yet. He has his good and bad days, but he seems happy for the most part, so fingers crossed.