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“Lookit what we caught!” hollered Linus as he and the other baby boys scampered up from their latest expedition. The four young boy rats were dragging a fish by a length of fishing line still attached to the hook in its mouth. Behind them waddled Zander and Dexter. Dexter wore an army helmet and a machete strapped to his curly-furred back. Those zombie hamsters weren’t going to catch him unprepared.
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Sitting round a table fashioned of a Q-Tip Box, the mother does enjoyed a late brunch, compliments of their offspring and indulgent owner. There were scrambled eggs, sliced fruit, and veggies with a little brown bread to round out the edges of the meal. As the hustle of snagging the best pieces of food died down, the does began to compare notes on Mother’s Day and how their individual sessions with their offspring had gone.
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It is seriously difficult to tell one white rat from another. Some owners trim their fur a little in patterns to try and tell them apart; others use food coloring, but I’ve largely given up. The White Babies don’t want individuality; I think of them as having a hive mind controlled by the Head White Baby.
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Old Man Rodent came to us as a rescue from another rescue that had become overwhelmed with animals and financial difficulties and had had to close its doors. He was described as “rat aggressive”, which meant that he could not be housed with any of our other male rats, but needed his own cage. Skinny, partially bald from a wicked case of mites, and so dirty that I couldn’t figure out what color to enter into our records, he joined the crew at Bec and Matt’s Rats around Halloween with twelve other ratties. His unfortunate name, was Ashtray.
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The two groups of does faced each other across the kitchen floor. Their beady little eyes narrowed as they squinted at each other nearsightedly. On one side, this was merely curiosity. On the other side, rage was building.
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After Bluey and his son passed, Spotty found himself in the unenviable position of raising four adolescent male rats without the aid of good teeth or superior body mass. The teenagers rampaged up and down the cage, tipping bowls, humping the indignant Spotty (“Ah have been violated”), and devouring every scrap of food before Spotty even saw the food bowl. He was especially put out when they ate his specially prepared baby food that, along with applesauce and soft bread, was the only thing his teeth could handle.
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Bluey: the alpha male of the Boys’ Cage and a new father. Overwhelmed by his new responsibilities.
El Dorado: a troublemaker but good at heart.
Spotty Boy: a neutered male rat with a mellow disposition. Loves his food bowl.
The Babies: Bluey’s unruly children, product of his relationship with the doe Willow.
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Rebecca shares with KRL another fun story from the perspective of her pet rats. This story takes place in the Boys Cage after Tommy and Captain Smudge have gone to the Rainbow Bridge.
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“I love dis show,” sighs Cuddles, “I mean, look at dose boxes everywhere an the sandwich sitting right where I can reach it! I fink I even saw a bag of chips open on da floor!”
The other does nod and Psyche reaches forward to turn the volume up with the remote.
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It is half-past two, and the rattery dozes in a repose most identifiable with graveyards and Florida without tourists. Not a creature is stirring, not even a rat replacing a mouse and doing his job much better for twice the pay in cashews.
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The Cast: Tommy: the senior member of the Boys Cage; a Siamese, mostly deaf
Spotty Boy: the famous 101 Spots the neutered rat
El Dorado: the handsome young PEW who will one day rule the Boys Cage
Captain Smudge: Tommy’s boyfriend
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Smudge came from humble beginnings. Born somewhere in Alberta (the supposedly “rat-free” province), he was presumably one of several in a mass-produced litter of Himalayan marked rats. Due to the ignominy of not having his testicles descend at five weeks, he was mistaken for a female and shipped along with his sisters and a similarly delayed brother to a pet store in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
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As the clock strikes seven, the crowd quiets and takes to their seats. It is a busy night, with only a couple chairs empty and the coffee pot is already half-drained. A portly male in a white and black polka dot outfit waddles up to the podium, clears his throat and begins.
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Walter is approximately 6 months old & currently 8 lbs. He is good with Dogs, Good with Kids, Good with Adults, Does Good in the Car, Requires a yard, Likes to play with toys, Likes to be in your lap, Playful and Affectionate. China is available through Animal Compassion Team.
Cheeto is a 7 month old male orange and white tabby. He gets along with cats and dogs and loves to just play and hang our. Cheeto is available through Cat House On The Kings.
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