My hair is pretty good.  It's relatively long, and it doesn't have too many split ends.  It's often unruly, but for the most part, I have no quarrels with it.

Why am I talking about my hair in a rat community?  

Because my rats have a bizarre and unnatural love for it.   If my hair is down when I open up their cage (Sometimes when I'm not letting them free-range but I just want to have some quick interactions with my babies, I will open the upper level cage door, they'll walk out on it and come visit with me.  And beg treats), they will both swarm my shoulders and attempt to bring chunks of my hair into the cage with them.  They can't seem to figure out why they fail at this task.  Is this normal?  Should I worry about this?  They've never actually successfully gotten any hair, so I don't think I need to worry about them getting my hair trapped in their stomach or whatever, do I?  I've gotten them some coconut fibres so they can pretend that they've succeeded, but nothing captivates them quite like hair.  Do other people's rats have this sort of bizarre hair fascination?

My beautiful baby Isabelle is gone. Nobody in my family seems to understand why this warrents tears. Apparently getting "emotional over a rodent" is immature and "ridiculous" and I need to "move on" because after all she was "just going to be snake food anyway." I am not sure what caused her death but she is gone. It's really depressing. I only had her since February and she couldn't have been more than a few months old when I got her then. I am moving into my own place in less than a month, and it feels so weird to think that Isabelle won't be there with me to help explore all the nooks and crannies of the apartment.

Poor Isabelle always got picked on by my other two rats Penelope and Olivia, but if you ask me she was the most intelligent. Nerds get bullied; nature mirrors life. I remember how she would always find places to hide and ways to climb when I took her out and played with her.

It's a pity and a sin
She never quite fit in
She really was a funny girl
A beauty but a funny girl
She really was a funny girl
My Belle


( An obituary picspam )

Where else could I ask this question but here?

My elderly rat is aging rapidly, and she was the first one I got. I love her to bits and she really rocked my world more then I ever thought possible. I want to get *her* paw prings tattooed on me, so I was wondering if anyone had any suggestion on a non-toxic way of getting her paw prints that won't drive her insane or poison her while she's grooming off whatever I used. Food colouring? Any suggestions? Time is running out for this rattie, but I want her to be part of me forever.

Today warmed me in all my little heart places =)

( Long story as to why )

so, willow went to the vet tuesday.

she doesn't have chronic myco (she was too young), nor any kind of respiratory virus. the vet thought she had a neurological disorder or tick by the way she was behaving, but wasn't absolutely sure. (she was sure that it wasn't something respiratory, however.) willow, after a fit of sneezing goes into a weird jumpy and shaking session (somewhat like the seizures people describe, but not nearly as bad). perhaps she acquired an injury or something that has affected her this way? something from birth?

i didn't even know this was possible, but it makes some sense, seeing as all rats she was ever housed with bullied her.

does this warrant a case of housing a "single rat", because neither the vet nor i knew what to give her that would actually help with this. and if it turns out to be infectious, i don't want her infecting any of my rats. one of my friends can take her and house her alone, but beyond this, i'm not sure what to do.

the vet hadn't seen behaviour in a rat like this, at all. she was experienced in rats. i told her that i had her for a week and basically her condition hadn't improved nor declined. she is still in the same situation presently. i just thought the first night, she was stressed from the move and adjusting to new bedding...

there is a female rat that needs housing that i've seen (she looks like my russell, but female) and she is perfectly healthy and a fine candidate for living with juniper age-wise, but i want to take care of the willow situation first. (since i have no other cages or room for quarantining at the moment.)