My Sweet Babies

2011-05-18T06:56:00.000-07:00

The boys are getting their little points.

2011-05-17T16:38:00.001-07:00

The boys are home!

2011-05-09T12:43:00.000-07:00

They are so sweet, curious and adorable! The one I named Loki is the more outwardly curious one, Oben is also very curious and sweet just not quite as quick to come running yet as Loki. But they are both wonderfully socialized and easygoing. Looks like they are both Siamese too, originally the breeder thought Oben was a Havana, but he is also getting points now. I was talking to another breeder friend of mine (Nicole at Rats Of keona) and she thinks since the litter had mink and black in it, that one of the boys is probably a mink point and the other a seal point. I think they are both beautiful! Oben is a little smaller and lighter shaded than Loki and has a darker nose smudge so far, but other than that they look just alike. :-)

Here is a pic in the temporary setup while they get used to me.

Loki

Oben

New pictures of the boys

2011-05-02T16:44:00.000-07:00

The boys are almost 5 weeks old now (will be on this Wed) and they are so cute! I am picking them up on soon and can hardly wait! I have been thinking of names for them and so far really like Loki and Oben, but will wait and see what their little personalities are like too before deciding for sure.

Loki

Oben

Images courtesy of Sarah Eastburn at queencityrattery

New babies!

2011-04-25T15:40:00.000-07:00

I have been missing having ratties around so much and finally decided the pain of loosing them really is worth all the joy, love and silliness they brought into my life.

I had a hard time finding a breeder with any available babies (and close enough, to feasibly go get them) With rodent fest coming up in the next few months many of the local breeders are having to put breedings on hold for the quarantine rule. I am also impatient and just did not want to have to wait 2-3 months. Then I found a new rattery very close to me, it is called Queencity Rattery and I like what I saw... Beautiful rats, a knowledgeable breeder, very quick to answer my emails, a nice website and she has a 3 week old litter which had only two baby boys still available!

They are now reserved for me. :-) Yay! I am so excited. They are both dumbo, standard coat Siamese. They are absolutely adorable and I cannot wait to bring them home!

Baby Loki

Baby Oben

Images courtesy of Sarah Eastburn at queencityrattery

My last post for awhile....

2010-12-31T16:53:00.000-08:00

Well I am now ratless for the first time in about three years.

I had a friend who had two younger girl ratties of his own and he just loved Chile. So I decided to let Chile go live with them. She was not as much of a people rattie as my Ember and Poppy were and was so sad and lonely. She really needed some rattie friends. I felt like it was a good opportunity for me to take a break a little while and come to terms with the loss of Ember and Poppy. :( I guess it gets better over time...

Chile

2010-12-18T05:22:00.000-08:00

Well now my Chile is alone. :( Not sure what I am going to do yet. She was younger than the other two and is almost 20 months old now. So I guess even though I think of her as the baby, she is getting up there too. I have been thinking I may try to find a neutered little boy for her. Not sure yet. Chile has always been a calm peaceful rat with the other rats, but she also has not met a new rat in probably a year and a half now... So what if she does not like a new friend?

Poppy 1/16/09 to 12/17/10

2010-12-18T05:15:00.001-08:00

Poppy went to sleep and just never woke up. She was 23 months and 1 day old. As hard as loosing one of my babies is, Poppy's death was the most peaceful I have yet to experience, although very much unexpected. She was fine the night before, playing and eating. She did have the rather large mammary tumor that had returned after being removed once, but it really did not seem to bother her that much. Poppy loved life and was excited about everything she encountered. She loved everything and was an extremely busy little girl and always looked like she had an actual smile on her face. Rest peacefully my sweet girl, you will always be my baby.

Poppy

2010-11-25T13:21:00.000-08:00

Poppy is still hanging in and doing ok. Her tumor has grown back completely and actually has two more tumors growing beside it now and they are getting bigger as well. :( Poor little girl, she has seemed a little depressed since we lost Ember and her tumor is making it harder for her to get around. I am still unsure what I am going to do. I worry about putting her through surgery again, but do not feel putting her to sleep is an option at this point either. She is almost 2 years old.

Ember 1/16/09 - 11/16/10

2010-11-17T19:13:00.000-08:00

Ember was put to sleep on November 16th. She was 22 months old. I am very sad and wrote this for her.

I will always remember your gentle nature, how you instantly accepted and comforted all ratties, how much you loved baby rats (even though you never had your own), how you snuggled baby Chile when she first came to live with you and Poppy, how you let the other ratties take your treats away even though you were the biggest, how you preferred your hammock over your wheel, how much you loved your sister Poppy, how you were my sweet baby girl, my Emberbember always...

:( Ember

2010-10-27T16:19:00.000-07:00

I think one of my girls, Ember (who is almost 22 months old) had a major stroke. :(

Last week she had some symptoms on her left side similar to what I have seen in people after a mild stroke, but was getting back limited use of her front paw. Well last night she must of had a major stoke bc today she cannot walk, seems disoriented and confused. She even feel off one of the shelves in the martin's cage when I found her.

:( My poor baby girl. I put her in one of my smaller, no level cages so she would be safer. But when I got home today she looks worse. She is just lying down and her legs seem useless out beside her, her eyes have porphyrin all over them and she does not want to eat or drink.

I do not know what is best for her, I realize she is dying and I am so sad for her. But I do not know if I should just keep her comfy and let her go on her own or do I take her to the vet to be put to sleep?

This is just awful and I am not sure I can handle it. I still have Chile (who so far is healthy) and Poppy (But Poppy has a large mammary tumor that is growing day by day) As much as I love my babies, I do not think I will be able to get anymore ratties any time soon.

A lifespan of two years is just too short and unfair.

Poppy's tumor is back.

2010-09-18T17:01:00.000-07:00

Well it has been 6 months since her tumor was removed and I had not seen any signs of regrowth until last weekend. :( It is coming back in the exact same place and growing fast. It is already about the size of a small grape. Poor Poppy, she is acting fine and is her normal self. But if it is going to be like last time, it will not take long for it to consume her... :(

The girls

2010-08-09T17:09:00.000-07:00

We are finally moved and settled in and the girls have adjusted fine. They are all doing well and as cute as always. Poppy has shown no signs of tumor regrowth and Ember and Chile are both big and healthy as always.

and then there were three...

2010-05-16T17:23:00.000-07:00

We are moving soon and our new apartment is not only smaller but not so happy with the idea of pet rats.:( I have worked it out so I can keep one medium cage and all the same sex (if not altered) So I decided to keep the girls, since Poppy has some health concerns, adopting her out just did not seem right. Which left my two boys...placing the boys into a new home was a very hard decision, but I was fortunate in that I was actually able to take them back to the original breeder, Carolina Blue Rattery. He was hoping to work with the unidentified mink Toby carries, so it worked out good. I know Keith will take care of them and Toby will get to have some girlfriend's again and still has his buddy Felix with him. :)

Some updated pics of all my sweet babies.

2010-04-18T13:08:00.000-07:00

Toby

Felix

Poppy

Ember

Chile

We are tumor free :)

2010-04-01T12:53:00.000-07:00

I was finally able to take Poppy in on March 17th to have her tumor evaluated. It had started to grow more rapidly and had tripled in less than 2 weeks by that point and was as big as a baseball, which really looks even bigger on such a tiny little body. It had started to interfere with her everyday life, was too heavy for her to run in the wheel and she started wanting me to give her treats in the hammock, instead of running down with her sisters. I felt so bad for her and used all my reserve money to take her to the Dr. She had surgery to remove it, which actually went very well. But she then tore open her incision and I had to decide whether to get another surgery to fix it or just manage it. I was so worried about her and thought I had once again made the wrong decision by getting surgery. I decided to wait and see, since I was afraid she would just tear it open again and really did not have another $200 to take her back in. So I gave her antibiotics longer, kept her on fleece (no bedding of any kind) and away from her sisters. It healed with no problem and she was back to her crazy, little hyper self within about 10 days. Here is a picture of her about 5 days after the surgery.

Poppy has a tumor.

2010-01-23T18:44:00.000-08:00

Well my babies are all around a year old now. So I fear this may be the start of age issues... But Poppy has a growth under one of her arms. I first noticed it around Christmas and it was about the size of a grape for a few weeks and then all of a sudden it is as big as a ping pong ball! It is very disturbing to me. She does not seem bothered by it at all, still runs in her wheel, eats and lets me touch it. I did some research and am pretty sure it is a mammary tumor (has all the classic symptoms) I want to take her to the vet, but with Blue's bill ending up being close to $450 and Christmas I am so broke right now. I hope it does not get any bigger for awhile and maybe I can take her in next month. I am also very worried about surgery of any kind on a rattie now, Blue was the first rat I took in for surgery and she ended up dying b/c of complications from the surgery. I still regret that choice and worry for Poppy.

Change of plans

2010-01-12T18:53:00.000-08:00

I have decided to close the rattery. It has just been too hard with everything else going on in my life. I love my rats so much and would rather just focus on a few special babies at a time. I very much enjoyed having newborn babies around and watching them grow is amazing, but it really is such a huge responsibility and I felt like the work involved was really taking away from the actual enjoyment of being a rattie owner. Also loosing Little Blue really made me think about things more and realize I could not be there for each rattie if I had so many. So I placed all of my last litter into adoptive homes and will be adopting two of my "older" girls (Camille and Drew) to Keith at Carolina Blue Rattery. Camille came from him in the first place and has never been breed and Drew is so he can continue the mink line that I uncovered within his lines. :) It was a hard decision, one I thought about for a few weeks. But now I am glad, relieved and at peace with it. This leaves me 5 special rats to spoil. My two boys Toby and Felix: who are absolutely wonderful and so sweet to each other and my three girls: Poppy, Ember and Chile. Poppy and Ember are biological sisters and have always been inseparable, but they instantly welcomed Chile right into their hammock when she was just a tiny baby. They both mothered and cleaned her from day one. This is more like the way it should be for me and my 5 babies.

For Little Blue

2009-11-16T16:29:00.000-08:00

I am sad to say we lost Little Blue today, she was spayed on 10/04/09 and ended up getting a terrible infection after she would not leave her incision alone, it left her weak and sick. She just could not fight anymore, so we had her put to sleep today. My heart is broken and she will be missed terribly. Here is something a friend of mine posted on my facebook after we lost her this evening:

May the tall grasses keep you safe. May the seeds be always plentiful. May you always find warm friends. May the rains fall soft upon the fields and until we meet again, May the Lord hold you in the palm of His hand.

altered Irish Blessing

The girls

2009-09-26T07:33:00.000-07:00

Sweet sisters: Poppy and Ember

Camille

Chile

I cannot believe it has almost been a year!

2009-09-18T14:16:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe my boys will be one year old soon. The time has really flown!

They are such great boys too. Last night I had them out while I watched TV and they explored the table and couch a bit, but kept coming back to me in the recliner for scritches and a snuggle. Toby even took a nap in my lap for awhile. Although, I love all my ratties very much, Toby is a very special boy and has stolen my heart so completely. I think he knows it too! When I put them up for the evening Toby reaches for me or puts his little hands in the way so I cannot close the door and then looks at me with such soulful little eyes that I have to take him back out for a bit. He is spoiled and I could eat him up.
Toby

Felix

The girls are in this blog now too.

2009-09-17T14:24:00.000-07:00

I decided to include the girls in this blog. I was going to start them a separate blog. But have had a hard enough time keeping up with one. So have decided to post any intersting/cute stuff about them along with the boys. They are Poppy and Ember two beautiful sweet sisters. Poppy is a black Berkshire rex and Ember is a black English Irish. I also have Little Blue, an American blue Berkshire that fit right in with Poppy and Ember. They are all three very sweet girls that love to get goodies and come out to play on my bed. Then I have three younger girls: Chile is a beautiful fawn Berkshire Dumbo, Camille is a Himalayan Dumbo Rex and lastly baby Drew, she is an American Mink Berkshire Rex.

Baby Drew

Too many boys...

2009-08-26T08:13:00.000-07:00

I have a friend that was also very in love with my boys and since I had so many of them and they were all getting so big for the Martin's (since the critter nation ended up not working out for us) I decided to let her take three of them: Dune, Casper and Miles. Which although , very hard at first ended up being a great choice for all of us. Now the boys are more comfortable and still get all the attention they deserve.

We are still here

2009-08-04T19:06:00.000-07:00

I have not posted in forever...sorry. I went back to work full time in April and with the Rattery and a 2 year old it has been kind of hectic. The boys are doing great, as well as the girls. I eneded up switching the boys to a large Martin's cage...I had the double unit critter nation for my boys since Feb and although it is a beautiful cage. I was frustrated with it for several reasons. First the pans were too shallow for bedding so I had to use fleece, which the boys peed all over and then destroyed. So I was having to change the fleece like every 2 days at least and always running out of it. Also b/c of the shallow pans they would throw out a ton of poops/food stuff all the time. I was constantly having to vacuum around their cage (to keep my 2 year old from playing in or eating it :0) Lastly and the real kicker for me, living in a top floor apt, I was not able to take it outside to hose down and it was way too big and heavy to get in the shower. So even with wiping it down I could never get it clean enough (since pee would get in the grooves)
Overall it really is a nice cage and If I did not have so many rats to clean up after, maybe the fleece and poops on the floor would not bother me as much. But I think you would definitely need a way to hose it down good regularly. Most people that have a CN love them, so maybe I am too picky :) or maybe my boys are complete slobs :)either way the Martin's works better for us.
I ended up selling it to Carolina Rescue really cheap to help them out. Rather than save it and maybe not use it for awhile.

My Review of Critter Nation Double Unit with Stand

2009-04-18T07:45:00.001-07:00

All Pet Furniture

Designed with critters and their owners in mind, style and comfort meets user friendly. The ultimate home for your little friends has arrived with the Critter Nation Double Unit by Midwest® Homes for Pets. Now your pets can eat, sleep, play and interact with one another in th...

My boys love their critter nation!

Casey Cary, NC 4/18/2009

Pros: Durable, Spacious, Attractive Design, Easy to Clean

Best Uses: Small Animals

Describe Yourself: Long-time Pet Owner

"I bought a double unit critter nation for my 5 rattie boys about 2 months ago and they love all the space they have now. I love how easy it is to clean and move (even though the cage is heavy) since it has casters, it glides along easily anywhere in my house. The doors open up the entire front of the cage, making it very easy to reach anywhere inside. My only small complaint is the pans, I wish they were a little bit deeper. I do use fleece and litter boxes with my boys, but they do not always use their little pans ;) and still throw quite a bit of stuff out every night and since they are constantly chewing up the fleece liners I wish I could use bedding. :) But compared to other cages on the market for rats, this is hands down the best choice. I also like that the shelves and bottom are solid, so safer for their little feet. It looks more like furniture than a cage. Ours is kept in the living room and looks very nice."

()

Another month birthday...

2009-04-03T06:49:00.000-07:00

Toby and Miles are now 6 months old!
That is Miles on the left and Toby on the right.

Miles

Toby

Casper and Felix are now 5 months old.
That is Felix on the left and Casper on the right.

Casper

Dune

2009-04-03T06:30:00.000-07:00

and here is our sweet Dunie, sporting his completed nose point and white body. :)

Dune is 2 months old today!

2009-03-18T13:43:00.000-07:00

He is so handsome and sweet. this pic does not show it well, but he has turned into a seal point Siamese and has a nice dark little nose. :)

Dune is changing...

2009-03-05T10:59:00.000-08:00

I thought I would share the latest news with everyone. Dune is turning out to be a Siamese! He may even be a blue point, since his coat color is so light and the points are coming in so late and they look more grey than brown. He would be considered a mismarked siamese b/c he is hooded. But eventually his hood will fade out completely and although he will still be hooded genetically, you would not be able to tell by looking at him. It is already much lighter. I think he is a beauty and the points are just starting to show. I actually noticed it last week, but thought it was my imagination. Then the breeder emailed me asking about him b/c his brother was changing too. :)

The boys are growing on up.

2009-03-03T06:55:00.000-08:00

Toby and Miles are 5 months old today and
Casper and Felix are 4 months old today.

I cannot believe how fast the time has gone. My boys are almost men. :)I was looking at some of their baby pics yesterday and they really were so tiny!
Here they are enjoying their most favorite snack...Yogurt!!!

All 5 boys are together now.

2009-03-02T10:37:00.000-08:00

I introduced Dune to the big boys Friday. I have to admit I was a little nervous.The boys are HUGE now and Dune is such a little guy. But my boys are awesome.They smelled him, groomed him and that was it. He was one of the gang. Nobody acted ugly at all. The first few days he did not sleep in the hammock with them, but Saturday I noticed Toby (who loves his hammock) had gone to the shelf to sleep near Dune. Not touching, but close. :)

We have a new little boy.

2009-02-24T07:11:00.000-08:00

He is a beige broken hooded little guy.
He was born on 1-18-09 and is super sweet.
Zoë LOVES him and thinks he is hers. :)

Here is Dune! :)

We got our new liners and hammocks from Javakittie :)

2009-02-22T08:50:00.000-08:00

I love color coordinated (and blue :))

Checking out the new setup

Casper and Miles chillin' in the tube hammock

Having some corn!

2009-02-18T09:45:00.000-08:00

I LOVE this picture...the boys all lined up and enjoying their corn.

2009-02-08T19:35:00.000-08:00

The boys patiently waiting while I clean their cage.
They are so adorable!

The boys are 4 & 3 months old today!

2009-02-03T11:12:00.000-08:00

My boys are growing up. I cannot believe how fast it is going!
They are all wonderfully sweet, cute, curious and lovable.
Here are some pics with their present...the critter nation :)

Here are Toby and Felix, eating peas in the new cage...
Just look at those little hands holding peas!

Impressive, isn't it...

2009-02-02T16:00:00.000-08:00

The new critter nation!

and here it is beside the boys current cage (Martin's R-680)

Look what came today!

2009-02-02T12:43:00.001-08:00

It is here already!!!

WOW!

2009-01-30T19:44:00.000-08:00

I checked my tracking number and our critter nation is in
Greensboro, NC already!

My two baby girls! :)

2009-01-30T05:30:00.000-08:00

Here are the two girls I am getting from Nicole soon.

Poppy
She is a black berkshire rex

Ember
She is a black irish

Photos courtesy of Nicole at Rats of Keona.

YAY!!!

2009-01-28T12:43:00.000-08:00

I ordered the double critter nation for the boys today!
I also ordered some custom liners and hammocks from Kat's Rat mats.
In just a few weeks the boys are going to be living in style.

I cannot wait to show it to them!

For some reason they love this chair!

2009-01-23T14:57:00.000-08:00

The kids left this little chair out and during last night's freeplay the boys were completely fascinated with it! It was so cute.
Casper was by far the bravest!

I am starting a rattery!

2009-01-22T05:20:00.000-08:00

I have been talking with Keith at Carolina Blue Rattery and Nicole at Rats of Keona and they are going to be my mentors, as I get my rattery started. I love animals of all kinds and always have. I also love science, especially genetics. Not a day goes by that I wish I had taken college more seriously, as I would very much love to be working in a lab researching genetics. So this is going to be perfect for me!

I am getting some cute little girls from Nicole in a few weeks.

The boys.

2009-01-13T19:24:00.001-08:00

The boys are so wonderful!
I cannot begin to express how glad I am that I got more than two.
They are so much fun! I am now actually hoping to get a few more,
maybe a "fuzzy" hairless (or two) and a rex (or two).
I know....I am completely and totally gone.;)
My oldest daughter (Dayne) does not want me to get a naked hairless,
she thinks they are just gross to look at. :)
But I actually prefer the fuzzy hairless anyway and as luck would have it, that is exactly the type Keith at Carolina Blue Rattery breeds.
I have been researching and have decided to get a critter nation for my boys. I should be able to order it in a couple of weeks.
Yeah!!!

Here are a few pictures from tonight's playtime.
Toby

Miles

Casper

Felix

wrestling

Casper and Felix are 2 months old today!

2009-01-03T08:30:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe my babies are growing so fast.
Casper and Felix are sweeties and have adjusted quickly to life with us.
They are so cute with their dumbo ears. They are both a slightly deeper blue than Toby and Miles and also quite beautiful.

Casper is a complete pig.
I thought Toby was an eater, until I got this guy.
He will literally eat anything and does not know when to stop. He even gets excited about the lab blocks, when I refill the bowl. He loves playtime and tends to follow Toby around when they are out. He also loves to wrestle with the others and I think drives them crazy at times.

Felix is laid back and curious, but also a little more timid. He can be somewhat reluctant to come out of the cage at first, but once he does he runs all over as well. He likes to eat too, I would compare him to Toby in this aspect. He loves a goodie and comes running for his share.

Casper

Felix

Toby and Miles are 3 months old today!

2009-01-03T07:55:00.000-08:00

We had a great holiday and things are finally settling down.
I cannot believe Toby and Miles are 3 months old already!
They have grown so much and are just beautiful boys.

Toby is fearless and a cuddle bug. He loves to get in my lap or in my shirt during playtime. He will pull at the bottom of my shirt until I let him in. He comes running to the cage door and usually falls out when I open it and when playtime is over, putting him back in the cage can be an ordeal. He explores the farthest and the longest during out time. He gets very excited if I rub the carpet and will wrestle my hand. He is such a cutie and will do anything for a goodie.

Miles is more of an observer and does not get into freeplay as much.
He seems more content to watch everyone else play. However he does love to run on the wheel in the cage and even when he does decide to venture out during playtime, it is not long before he goes back to the cage and runs in his wheel instead. I have noticed an interesting quirk about him, when he runs in the wheel he keeps his tail curled up and arched over his back. None of the others do this. It is very cute. He is a very sweet and gentle rat. He is polite when he takes a treat and keeps himself meticulously groomed.

Toby

Miles

The boys are all together now!

2008-12-16T19:23:00.000-08:00

I only waited a week, I just could not stand to wait any longer!
But I figured since they came from the same breeder within weeks of each other and Casper and Felix are so big already, it should be ok...
Actually it was perfect, like they had always known each other.
The younger ones were more interested in the bigger boys at first.

Toby and Miles were very nonchalant and acted like...
oh hey, it's you guys.
Then they all tried to get in the one small pouch...

They played in the free range area for a couple of hours. Running in and out of their tunnel, smelling and chasing each other.

Toby and Miles looking for Casper and felix.

Casper and Felix hiding in the tunnel, still not so sure about open spaces.

I totally cleaned and disinfected the cage.
Then put in all new/clean hammocks and toys, added all 4 boys and crossed my fingers.
That was 2 days ago and was completely uneventful.
They all sleep in the same hammock, wrestle, take each others food, groom each other, chase each other and get so much more excited when I bring them out, since there are more of them to chase each other. :)
I am so glad I got 2 more now, while everyone was still so young. I was not sure at first, but having 4 little boys has been amazing. They are so cute together and playing with 4 is much more exciting than just 2...for me and the boys! :)

Meet Casper and Felix!

2008-12-13T12:13:00.001-08:00

Here they are the first time in the pouch. So cute and sweet.
These boys are quite a bit bigger than Toby and Miles were
at the same age. Of course Toby and Miles came from a litter of 17,
and these two a litter of 7, so that may have something to do with it.
So far they seem much braver than Toby and Miles were in the beginning.

Casper is the big eater of the two. Last night he had all the lab blocks
from the food dish in the hammock and was sleeping on top of them.

Felix is more curious about everything. He already comes right over
to sniff my hand and see what is going on, when I open the cage.

They are both quite laid back and easy going.

Almost Naptime

Early Christmas presents....

2008-12-10T01:43:00.000-08:00

My husband is amazing!
Here are a couple pics of two of my Christmas presents.
Casper

Felix

These are their almost 3 week old pictures.
They are 5 weeks now and so adorable!
They are also from Carolina Blue Rattery in HighPoint NC.
Casper is a Russian blue hooded dumbo
Felix is a Russian blue Berkshire dumbo
I am so excited.

Images courtesy of Keith Worstell at Carolina Blue Rattery

The boys got their secret santa gift!

2008-12-04T07:07:00.000-08:00

I am a member of a Rattie forum, called The Rat Shack
and I signed us up for the secret Santa exchange.
Well Toby and Miles got their gifts yesterday.
Thank you so much Anita! We love all of it.

Happy 2 month Birthday!

2008-12-03T14:57:00.000-08:00

The boys are 2 months old today.
It really is going by fast and they are getting so big.
They fill the carry pouch up now. :)

Toby (always looking for a goodie) :)

Miles (always having a bath) :)

The boys are 8 weeks old!

2008-11-28T15:35:00.000-08:00

They have now been with me as long as they were old
when I got them, half their little lives.
They have grown so much and are the sweetest boys in the world.

I have GGMR.

2008-11-25T16:56:00.000-08:00

So I definitely have what I have heard other rat fanciers refer to as...GGMR.
I am not sure what causes it, but it is most likely a combination of rats being so freaking cute and me wanting to nurture something all the time. :)
But I am feeling a serious urge to get a couple more already and my boys are not even two months old.

Such cute tummies!

2008-11-17T18:38:00.001-08:00

The boys are doing great.
They know I bring goodies and come running over now.

The boys are 6 weeks old.

2008-11-14T21:18:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe I have had the boys for 2 weeks already!
They are now 6 weeks old and growing so fast.

Here they are eating one of their Favorites...PEAS!

You can also tell who the pig is in this picture,
Toby is thinking about taking the pea from Miles,
even though he has not even started eating his own.

Learning how to be held...

2008-11-12T21:21:00.000-08:00

We have started working on holding the boys without the trusty old pouch.They love that pouch so much, but it makes it harder to actually hold them, since they keep wanting to crawl down into it.

So if we want to hold them, the pouch cannot be anywhere in sight.
Here is a pic of my son (Ethan) holding Toby

Now Ethan and Miles

Free Play!

2008-11-10T15:11:00.000-08:00

We have been working on free play time with the boys.

At first they thought it was kind of scary and just wanted back in their cage.

So instead I have been using their pouch with a blanket on the table and each day they are getting a little braver.

Here my daughter (Zoë) assist.

If they get scared they run back to the pouch and get in, it is so cute!

The boys are 5 weeks old.

2008-11-07T06:46:00.001-08:00

The boys are doing wonderful.
They are growing so fast, they look bigger each day.
They are both so sweet and curious. They love to get in the carry pouch and know a treat is coming when they get in.
They are both so smart!

Toby is the piggy one, he is the first to try something new and when he is finished with his treat he usually tries to take what Miles has left.
Miles is a lot pickier about what he eats, but if it is something he likes, then he gets excited about it.

Last night I cleaned their cage and when I put them back in it, they were going crazy and running around at super speed, very excited.:)
Toby kept coming out onto my hand and wanting to explore.
Miles comes to the door and licks me, but does not try to come out yet.

I have not let them have free play yet, I wanted to spend the first
week getting to know them, so I held them and snuggled them in the pouch.
This weekend we are going to start free play and I am very excited.

Eating broccoli is tiring!

Happy 1 month birthday.

2008-11-03T07:20:00.000-08:00

The boys are one month old today.

Miles checks out the camera, while Toby snoozes in the background.

Sleepy Toby

Sleepy Miles

Getting to know the babies.

2008-11-02T08:06:00.000-08:00

The boys are adjusting well.
I had them out for a play session this morning and after awhile they both ended up falling asleep in the carry pouch, all snuggled together.
They let me pet them and are very curious about what is outside the pouch.
Toby kept trying to pull my ring off my finger and then he licked me several times and was so gentle.:)
Miles kept bringing me the rest of his treat and putting it in my hand.:)
I love them so much already!
They both seem to enjoy the dog's freeze dried beef liver treats.
I have not given them a lot of new stuff yet though, as I do not want to upset their tummies.
I am feeding them Harlan Teklad #2018 blocks and a rattie mix I made yesterday. I used Suebee's rat mix recipe and modified it a little.

My boys.

Tired boys.

The boys are home!

2008-11-01T08:24:00.000-07:00

The boys are finally here. I still cannot believe it. I feel like we waited forever.
My sister in law got two also, so they will still get to see two of their brothers.:)

Toby is a light Blue Berkshire. He is almost all blue grey, but has a little white belly and the tip of his tail is white.:)

Miles is a light Blue Veriberk. He is the same blue grey and has a white belly, but he also has white on his sides.:)

They are both absolutely gorgeous.
We got them a Martin's cage, the R-680 (Rat Lodge) and I have decorated it with lots of hammocks and fleece.

They are both a little timid right now, but so sweet and gentle.
Yesterday was a big day for them.

I am so excited!

My boys will be home soon.

2008-10-30T20:05:00.000-07:00

I am going to get my sweet rat babies tomorrow.
Their stuff is all set up and ready.
None of them ended up being dumbos, but that does not matter.
I cannot wait to get them.
Here they each are at 3 weeks old.

Toby

Miles

Images courtesy of Keith Worstell at Carolina Blue Rattery

I am getting two blue boys!

2008-10-15T20:15:00.000-07:00

I finally found a rat breeder close to me.
It is Carolina Blue Rattery in High Point NC
and he specializes in blues!
I have been on his waiting list and he had a
litter of babies born on Oct. 3.
She had 17 and some may be dumbos!:)
They are 12 days old now and all doing well.
Here are some pics of my two baby boys.

Toby

Miles

Images courtesy of Keith Worstell at Carolina Blue Rattery

New babies in the Harris household?

2008-09-18T11:46:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting a new "baby" for awhile.
We have been almost pet free for about 8 months now,
except for our dog (Jamie) and although she is a sweetheart,
I do miss my cuddly critters.:)

I thought about a kitty,
but have had trouble in the past with my allergies.
Plus I want something little and social.
So I decided a "pocket pet" is what I need,
and since rats are by far the best pocket pets.;)

I have been looking for a quality rat breeder in the area.
I hope to find one and maybe get a socialized, healthy baby.