Ash, the rescue rat who started it all in 2006. In the first photo, Ash was busy working on thieving my ring. He was successful in pulling it off, and immediately scampered off to Rat HQ to stash his lovely ring. I recovered it later, after distracting Ash with Jaffa Wars (breaking out my precious supply of London Jaffa Cakes, and getting into a ferocious tug o’ Jaffa cake war with Ash.) The ring I still have. Wish I still had Ash.
© C. Ford.
Look how contented he is in that last photo… That is one of the sad things about rats, the short life span. They do seem to live very *intensely*, however.
They do live intensely, but still. Ash was a dedicated and serious cuddler. Every day, no matter what I was doing, he would walk across my desk, flop down in front of me, which signaled cuddle time. It was most always me, but one time, Rick was sitting at the desk too, reading a magazine. Ash came over, flopped down on the magazine, and awaited cuddles. Rick obliged, and started stroking him. After about an hour, he looks at me and says “how long does this last!?” I laughed and said “as long as Ash wants.” That session went 3 hours.
Ash was a highly skilled and talented thief and expert hoodie rider -- he frequently went on trips outside with me, he adored snow. Prior to Ash, it never had even occurred to me that people kept rats as pets. Ash was a rescue, at the behest of a friend, who was quite desperate to find him a home. In a very short space of time, he had stolen our hearts entirely.
:-) That’s a lovely story.
People are surprised when I suggest a rat as a pet but honestly, they are intelligent and really confiding and responsive. In addition they are easy to care for. I personally find them very charming and I’m always delighted to see pics of yours.
Rats are such wonderful pets, your pictures and stories are making me want them again. Its been 20 years since I had them… The short lifespan was one of the reasons I stopped, it was too hard to lose them when I was so depressed. They’re such individuals. A cuddlesome rat is a truly special companion!
These pictures of Ash make it obvious why you fell in love. He looks like a real sweetheart.
Stellatree, yes, it’s very difficult to lose them, and in a manner, doing this is heartbreak for me. My first reaction is the loss, but I quickly remember all their quirks and wondrousness, and it’s all right again. They should be remembered.
My way of dealing with the loss is to get another one (or three) almost immediately.
sez caine @5: “My way of dealing with the loss is to get another one (or three) almost immediately.”
You’ve invented perpetual motion!
Cubist:
Rat power! :D
Caine @ 2:
Great story, thanks for sharing it.
I too hadn’t thought of rats as pets, but your pics and stories have changed that.
I don’t think I would choose to have rats as pets, because I’d rather be friends with an animal possessing more longevity (but I can’t commit to that nowadays). But if someone came to me and said “I have rats who needs a home” I would take them on without hesitation, since I’ve learned some about them.
Oh ratties, their lives are too short. We had a rough weekend last -- one of our girls, Luna, that we got in March seemed fine. Friday she appeared to have a respiratory infection -- breathing hard. What really scared me is she did not eat or drink. We went to vet. She died Saturday. UGHH so awful. One of our other girls (19-20 or so months old) had a seizure. One paw if still not working well, but she is a toughie, and hung in there. She is getting around so much better now. We’ve been giving her lots of love
Aw, what a cutie!
I quit keeping fish because I found it too traumatic when they died.
Patricia:
Oh no. I’m so sorry about Luna. We’ve had those who died much too young, too. My Esme, she died at 10 months. I hope your other girl recovers fully, and does well!
Dunc:
My fishkeeping days are long behind me, but there’s a solution to that one -- keep koi. They live a long time!