Rattie Update!

Have been meaning to update on my lot for a while, but haven't had regular access to a computer and it's a nightmare to use the internet on my phone. But here goes!

All the vets in Carlow gave me the same opinion about his tumor, so I decided the best thing was PTS. And since Ludo was on his own I decided to rehome as I wasn't in a position to have any more boys. I got in contact with a man who rescued some rats from a testing laboratory in Cork, one boy and one girl. Since I had a lone boy and room for one more girl, we did a swap! He took Ludo and I took his girly who I called Minnie. She was a sweet little albino girl. Unfortunetly she came down with pnuemonia and didn't survive it. My vet said it was most likely because in testing facilities they're extremely sterile so she didn't have a strong immune system. I was totally devastated after just losing Bosco.
Bruiser was on his own, two and a half, rat and human aggressive and too old to neuter. I still wanted to go through with the op but talked it over with some well informed ratty owners and we came to the conclusion that I wouldn't be able to examine his wounds as I can't get near him so if anything were to go wrong it would've just been a disaster. He was miserable, losing weight etc, so I decided that I would give him two weeks of being absolutely spoiled, then get him PTS. Probably sounds harsh to some people, but seeing him like that was honestly breaking my heart. I gave him loads of treats and let him out for half the day everyday. Yesterday I said my last goodbyes and in the vets he actually let me pet him for the first time. He went into his little lunch box, then went asleep forever.
Losing three rats in the past few months was a real shock, I guess when it rains it pours eh...

Lastly, I had a serious rattie pregnancy scare a while ago, when Bruiser got out with all four of my females. I thought three of the four were pregnant. They gained weight, bled from their vaginas after exactly 22 days all within hours of eachother, and spent days nesting. At day 23, I started to worry since it was 24 hours since they all had their, what I thought was a 'bloody show', so off to the vet I went. She told me that none of them were pregnant, but one of them may have been experi and kidnapping treasures to decorate their cage with, but I love them to bits and I treasure every moment with them. <3 encing a hysterical pregnancy and since they're rely on eachother so much, and that they're such pack animals that the other two must've fed off the emotions of one and they all convinced themselves they were pregnant! PHEW!!! But because they all bled, she gave me some AB's to be on the safe side.

So now I've got four girlies left. Bee, Olive, Whiskey, and Dora. They're all little rascals, forever up to mischief and kidnapping treasures to bring back to their cage but I love them to pieces and treasure every moment I have with them. <3

Some photos:

Bee and Olive in their favorite sleeping place
https://i.servimg.com/u/f33/17/13/50/54/dsc_0010.jpg

"Go away! I'm tryna sleep here..."
https://i.servimg.com/u/f33/17/13/50/54/dsc_0012.jpg

Lastly, little Dora being gorgeous, as usual!
https://i.servimg.com/u/f33/17/13/50/54/dscf7710.jpg

They know how to scare you huh?
Sorry about the ones you lost

xx