well, I've been looking to be part of a rat forum for some time now, I just hadn't gotten around to finding one that looked good. I am twenty-five years old, female, and am an artist and youtuber. I currently have two male rats, Sammy and Tommy. I've had them for a year.
my two previous rats, Rem and Ezio, died December before last. my poor little Rem got a urinary infection that we were too late to catch, and we found him dead one morning. Ezio, my albino, was torn to shreds. it breaks my heart to think about the fact that he had probably been nudging Rem to see what was wrong. I knew he understood that his best friend was gone. for three days, he wouldn't eat, drink, was lethargic, and the look on his face would take the happiness out of anybody. I brought home baby Tommy and Sammy, and tried the introduction ritual to get new rats acquainted, but Ezio was NOT having it. I think he felt I was trying to replace Rem, when all I wanted was to try and make Ezio feel better. Ezio passed away Christmas day, 2014. I know he hadn't been sick like Rem had because his peep wasn't inflamed like Rem's had been. my boyfriend took their footprints for me to keep, and we buried them with all of my past pets in my grandmother's yard, side by side so they'd have each other.
I've mainly been a hamster owner. I got my first hamster when I was ten, and he lived the longest out of any hamster I ever owned; four years. for over ten years, I owned hamsters, but briefly, in middle school, my parent bred rats for her snake, so we had lots of rats. the parents were Piccolo (daddy) and Sophia (mommy). eventually, we decided we needed a second mommy, and I chose a female when one was born without eyes. I named her Yoshi, and she was so great, not letting blindness get in her way. she was healthy, smart, playful... but one day, she was gone. my parent had fed Yoshi to her snake, saying Yoshi would make deformed babies. my thought process was, why would the snake care? then again, my parent was not intelligent, and she was the reason I had to take care of our massive number of pets, for she was an animal hoarder, and had substance issues.
after getting away from her, I continued to own hamsters. I've always preferred rodents, even though I love all animals. I had forgotten what it was like to own rats, and for those of you who know hamsters, you'll know the two are VERY different. it wasn't until I was twenty-two that I got rats again. I had a hamster named Pip, but I was having a hard time in life, so I needed some extra company. my boyfriend works forty hours a week, and I have social anxiety, and at the time, BAD agoraphobia. despite this, I left my house and bought two rats and extra supplies. that was Rem and Ezio, and my god, they were so amazing.
after Pip passed away, I decided I'd stick with rat ownership, which my boyfriend supported because he ended up liking them too, though he wasn't quite happy when I first brought them home. he's come to adore the ratties almost as much as me. and having four different rats has really shown me just how dynamic their personalities can be. each one has some similarities to another, but when it comes down to it, they are all quite different, just like people. some people will tell you that animals can't have emotions, or don't have personality, but those of us who think of our pets as our family know better.
I think I like rats because they're like dogs. they play, they learn, they love, and they're so very cute. smart too! well, except for my little Tommy, he's a bit of a derp, but I love him anyway. just another bit of his personality. even though I've had them for over a year, I don't actually know how old my boys are, so I hope they've got at least another year and a half to go. that's the downside to being a rodent lover; you have to say goodbye way too soon.
anyway, I'm looking forward to being on this forum, because even though I've done a LOT of research on rat care, I still have questions. also, seeing other rat owners is good, considering rats have such a bad reputation, and most people hate them. :(
Sammy and Tommy when they were young: http://reitanna-seishin.deviantart.c...on-2-501432022
the thumbnail is baby Rem and Ezio.
Attached Images
Ezio Laying on Rem.jpg
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