There is no doubt about it--the hardest part of keeping pets is saying goodbye. It comes too soon for all of our furry friends, but especially so for our ratties. This is the story of the “hospice” months for my three ratties. Warning: it may be a bit of a tear-jerker.
Brittany contacted Rattie Ratz Rescue in October of 2015 after losing her last group of boys. While initially planning to take a break from owning rats, Brittany soon discovered that she missed having them in her life. Though their bodies are small and their time with us is short, the holes they leave in our lives are large.
Patrick was a lab rat, rescued in a group of 53 rats from a biomedical facility. All that the Rattie Ratz volunteers were told about his time there is that he “ran mazes.” Despite his rough beginning, Patrick found a loving home, became the “gentle giant” that he is today and even met his soulmate, thanks to the love and effort of many volunteers.
For those of us who had pet rats growing up, I think it’s safe to say the experience was a special one. From building mazes on our kitchen floors to shoulder rides and special trips to the pet store, rats have a way of making each day special and memorable. For those of us who have experienced this rattie love, it’s only natural to want to share it with our own families and children.
After upgrading my cage, I realized it was much too large for my two female rats, Peeka and Boo. But I had the perfect idea for them; more rats!
After doing considerable research, I chose to adopt. It’s not as easy to find a rescue group for rats as it is for cats or dogs, but I did find a couple of good places and Rattie Ratz was one of them. They had great reviews and were very quick to respond. I submitted my application and they recommended a trio of neutered males, and suggested that I go meet them in person before making a final decision.
When it comes to working within a rescue, giving animals a second chance at life takes the cake for feel-good vibes, and it’s just as special when the animals in question are rats. As a domestic pet rat rescue, Rattie Ratz volunteers see their fair share of animal neglect; it’s not just dogs and cats in need of rescuing from bad owners and bad situations.
As a rat rescue organization, Rattie Ratz takes pride in being a resource for both the general public and local shelters. Although it is not as common to find rats at shelters, it happens more often than most people think. Unfortunately, most shelters do not have the resources or the knowledge to properly care for rats. This is where Rattie Ratz Rescue steps in.
Meet Ollie and Jeffrey.
From there, it was only a matter of time before they started coming out of the cage and allowing us to pick them up.
The two brothers couldn’t be any more different. Ollie is the big squish. He does his share of exploring (at a leisurely pace!), but before long, he will sidle up next to you, tuck his face against you, and demand scratches. He’s bigger and heavier than his brother, so you won’t see him clambering in and out of the hammock. This boy is a cuddly one!
Not all rescued rats come from homes or pet shops. Every once in a while a stray will appear. Mortimer was one such stray. He was found near Woodland over the summer and was taken to the Yolo County SPCA, who quickly contacted Rattie Ratz Rescue. The distinction between wild and domestic pet rats is quite obvious as domestic rats have been bred in a variety of colors. If you ever happen to see a rat with white on its body running down the street, know that you have an escaped pet rat making a break for it.
I was still living with my parents when I got my first rats. It was only after months of wheedling that my mother finally caved. At the beginning, when I first broached the topic, my mom would jokingly threaten, “If a rat moves in, I’m moving out!” I’m not certain what it was that finally changed her mind; she once told me that she had thought to herself that if other people were not afraid of rats, then why was she? It didn’t make sense to her that she was so afraid of these tiny animals and other people weren’t!
