© C. Ford, all rights reserved.
The photo is from when my beloved Chester was terminal, and all the other rats took turns caring for him, keeping him warm and letting him know he wasn’t alone. Phys.org has a couple of good articles up about rats:
Behaviour study shows rats know how to repay kindness.
Rats help each other out just as humans do.
Of course, none of this is news to those of us who are kept by rats.
What a very touching and sweet photo.
It really is a lovely pic.
What lovely creatures.
Thank you. Chester got very agitated at the vet, he would only calm down once he was back with his siblings. He wasn’t in pain, and the love and care shown by all the others was overwhelming. He was never left alone, and often surrounded by his brothers, who flanked him on all sides. Chester was groomed, kept warm, assisted in changing positions by all the crew.
That’s Artemis, who is glaring at me for daring to disturb Chester while he was sleeping. She guarded him with a particular ferocity.