ratty update
so im taking the 2 boys as a xmas gift for my sister
and the 2 girls for myself...
so yesterday i whent pre ratty shopping, picked up a new waterbottle (my old one was grimey) and then wallymart didnt have the labblocks or anythign but pine bedding so off to petco...i go in and look around, coon over the baby ratties, picked up a big bag of bedding and labblocks and headed out...
there by the door is this guy holding the petco cardboard boxes hes ranting over the phone and then said words that made my heart sink...
"if they wont take the thing back ill just leave it outside, itll learn to survive"
he hung up and i confronted him nicely with "im sorry but i couldnt help overhear your conversation"
he was VERY open and started going on abotu how stupid petco is...
he bought this female rat to put with his sons male so they could reproduce and hed have a free food source for his reps...(icky but thats nature so...) anywho he goes on to tell me "but my male tried to kill her and i find out today that its because shes too young and isnt ready yet...i asked them if she was old enough and they said yes" aparently hed had her for 24 hours his male had visiously attacked her and now petco wouldnt take her back...
so i asked if i could take alook at her...
shes a GORGEOUS black hooded, almost perfect markings, shes huddled in the corner of the cardboard box shaking in the cold and frightend...
but as soon as i put my finger on her back her little nose started twitching and she took hold of my finger in her lil hands...i took her out she was obviously unsure and frightend, obviulsy not handled in the first few weeks of her life...shes what petco consideres a medium...aka about 8-10 weeks old. but i picked her up, secured the base of her tial incase she bolted and she nuzzled down into the crook of my arm and cleaning her whiskers...
he then explained he didnt have space to keep "the thing" and because shes a "wild animal" he could just leave her on the side of the road and shed find a pack of wild rats to live with...
i explained that she wouldnt survive the cold (it was starting to SNOW) and the wild rats would likely kill her, shes a domesticated rodent not a wild rat...
he stared at me blankly and was like, well they wont take "the thing" back the male wont go neer her without trying to tear her apart and thats "its" only option.
i couldnt just leave her outside as the snowflakes started to fall...
so i told him i couldnt offer anything for her but id take her off his hands...
he happily agreed and i asked him about his other rat, his sons at least...turns out the other rat is a 2 year old FEMALE (i asked the obvious...and when i mentioned the large testicles hes like oh no my sons doesnt have anything...there "inside" him...*sigh* he showed me a picture of an albino female rat...*sigh* no wonder she tried to tear apart the baby...
so i checked her over...she has no visible injuries, im guessing the "fight" was a dominance snuffle...she does have a little bit of a sneeze but her eyes are clear and no runny nose and no rattle in the chest...he was keeping her on pine...*growls*
so i took her inside explained what had happend (remember im getting 2 girls i dont need a 3rd) and they tell me "well we cant take it..." and shuffled me off...i couldnt belive they were going to let this guy leave her out in the cold!
so back to walmart 10gal tupperware tote a cookie sheet and some cable ties later i made a hosptial tank for her...and got her settled in...
the cage i have for the girls is plenty big enough for 3 females (heck its big enough for up to 5) and the 2 girls are only about 10-12 weeks old so there not much in terms of an age difference and weight wise there only a tiny bit bigger than her...
so im hoping, assuming shes ok through teh quarrentein period i can introduce her to the blue girls so shell have friends...
poor little girls been through so much!
she found the hammock though and LOVES it lol, yay fleece! and shes a talker last night im in bed and hear her chattering away to herself...
we had 1 or 2 sneezes last night but nothing thus far today so im hoping shes one of those rare cases of actually no respitory lol.l
ill get pictures tonight of her...and we'll see what happens.
i guess im supposed to have ratties!
some people discust me though...what made this guy think such a tiny BABY creature whos obviously NEVER seen the outside would survive a connecticut winter? she would have frozen to death in no time...
