The life with rats- week 2 for the babes

I finally held the rat babies for the first time yesterday! Phoebe has been extremely protective of her offspring. When I returned all five to the nest, Phoebe jumped out of her tunnel and bit me twice in the pinkie. That makes 7 bites since she has given birth. I finally dug out my hide gloves to handle Phoebe but she didn't try to bite at all. I put her in with the other girls which she seemed to enjoy. I suppose moms of any species need a break. I am still amazed at how small Phoebe is; she is, after all, just 10 weeks old.

I was able to sex the babies this evening while Phoebe was enjoying time with non-infant rats. I'm 90% certain that there are 2 boys and 3 girls. This was just the ratio that I was hoping for! The girls all live together while the two boys will be in their own cage in a separate room. Blake talked me into keeping the boys and I assigned him the task of naming the pair. I am eager and a little nervous to learn his choice. Brainstorming for the girls' names has begun. What an exciting surprise the Universe has bestowed upon me!

The babies haven't open their eyes yet, but they have whiskers and peach fuzz covering their tiny bodies. Their ears are beginning to perk up and I expect them to be fully furred in a few days (day 12 of development). They should also open their eyes around the same time. The cuteness nearly chokes me. I really can't think of a better "gift" (if you will); this has been exciting and joyous. And there is more ahead!

The babies on day 6. The one with the black head is a boy. I'm excited to see what the other four look like; they will be blonde or white!

What an adventure.

Lessons from Life with Rats- The Surprise

As many people know, I have kept pet rats since November of 2007 when I got Maxine followed by Moo Moo. I added Matilda and Marley to the bunch following Moo Moo's death in December 2009. Maxine died in May 2010. I took Matilda and Marley to Texas last summer. The two of them are enjoying a life of bliss, now approaching 2 years old. I recently found out that Marley has a small uterine tumor and endometriosis. It's a bummer, but rats just don't live too long. Two or three years is all they get, even less in the wild. Dealing with their deaths is difficult; there are, after all, like any other pet. However, even the short time is worth spending with our sharp incisor-ed mammalian (and fellow Euarchontoglires) kin. 


I adopted all of the rats as juveniles; 7-10 weeks of age. I watched them grow from rambunctious juveniles to adults to senior rats. They are frisky and squirmy as youngsters but as they get older they are more likely to sleep in your lap. They enjoy being pet behind the ears and stroked on the head and neck. You can teach them their names and simple tricks. 


Under two weeks ago, I added two more rats to my family. I brought Io and Phoebe home to Matilda and Marley. The two new girls were only around 8 weeks of age. Both were skittish at first, but Io is comfortable with me and her new environment. Phoebe, on the other hand, is still unsure of me. Over the last week, Phoebe constructed a gigantic nest with all of the material from Marley's nest plus nearly a quarter of the bedding in the cage. When the little girls first came, Phoebe would sleep with Io and the other girls. Over the past few days, she started sleeping alone in her massive nest. The nest covered the small hut on the upper level. I really thought nothing of it; all of my rats in the past have been nest-builders. My girls love shredding newspaper and cloth to make comfy nests. 


A few days ago, I noticed that Phoebe looked really bloated. I asked Blake if she looked bloated. I thought, "hmmm, I didn't think she was a fat rat but I have had chunky rats (Moo and Marley)." Yesterday, Phoebe bit me (twice!) when I was trying to find and her and bring her out of the nest. This afternoon while I was petting Marley, I heard squeaking. A light bulb suddenly turned on in my head. 


It all makes sense. Rat babies! Phoebe, 10 weeks old, gave birth to 5 pups. Rats are prolific breeders; they live the "Jimmy Dean" lifestyle. Live (breed) fast and die young. That's they way the evolutionary cookie crumbles. 


Luckily, Phoebe had a small litter (rats can have up to 13 pups, and average 8-9), Io is not pregnant and I have only female rats. 


"Oh my gosh! What are you going to do with them, Erin??!!" my mom said to me over the phone. 


"I'll probably keep them, mom. Or maybe I'll give away the males when they are weaned." I replied. 


What a Sunday surprise! I am excited to watch rats grow up from birth. The life with rats continues with an exciting new twist. 

Don't need no credit card to ride this train

August 1st! Where does the time go?

On this day in 2007, the I35 bridge collapsed into the Mississippi River during rush hour. Hey Congress, let's invest in infrastructure!

Well Congress has reached a deal on our "debt crisis", but no matter who "won", America is the real loser. Check out any news outlet, except for "fixed noise" (aka Fox News), and you'll see what I mean. However, I stumbled upon this gem today. Give it a read. It was just what the doctor ordered.

My mom called me tonight to tell me that an old canine's life was over. This faithful friend was my aunt and uncle's dog. She was around 16 or 17. Molly, as we called her, had a good life. She spent copious amounts of time chasing after small rodents and patrolling the yard. She had a plethora of belly rubs and table treats. It's never easy to lose pets; I understand how much they mean, how great of friends they are. But, at least we had the joy of the time that they were alive, however brief it was. As Alec Baldwin, guest starring on "Friends", said about a dog long gone, "Bow wow, old friend, bow wow."

Speaking of our furry companions, the rats are visiting the vet tomorrow for respiratory infections (an easy fix) so once the rats are all better, I am going to get more rats! Probably just 2. But maybe 3. It will be great fun!

The Netflix movie viewing continues during my breaks from collecting data and playing around with Breeding Bird Survey data (google it if you want an explanation). I have been watching horror movies for the last week. I saw some good ones, including Let the Right One In, Dance of the Dead, and Warlock. The English remake  of the first movie, Let Me In, is also worth watching if you don't like subtitles (original is in Swedish). Warlock is an 80's flick and a little campy but it is one of the better films to come out of the late 80's. I also watched Altered and Trick r Treat. Altered didn't really do anything for me and Trick r Treat was decent, but there sure was a lot of child-killing in the latter. And by that I mean children being killed, and a little bit of children killing other people (but mostly the former).

Blake and I caught a matinee showing of Cowboys and Aliens yesterday. It was a fun summer action flick. I thought it was worth the $5.50 I paid.

A sleep study awaits me tomorrow evening. Sleeping attached to electrodes will be a first for me.