Our Furry Friends
Digit.
I was hanging around in a pet store one day with my friends sometime in September. Typically, this pet store only sold rats and mice as snake food. On this particular day, there were two female adult rats for sale as pets. One was albino, the other agouti. At this time, I'd never met anyone who had a rat as a pet. Nor had I ever considered keeping one. The albino quickly found a home within a couple days. The agouti, however, was extremely ill. A lady had bought her and brought her back like this. She had mites, a respiratory infection, and was extremely underwight and anemic. An employee at the pet store decided he wanted to take her home for his snake since she was already dying. I love snakes and all, but I just couldn't let her go like that. I brought her home that day. I wasn't exactly supposed to keep her for more than a day or two, since I wasn't allowed to have pets. However, I quickly fell in love with her and just couldn't give her up. We became attached to eachother rather quickly. I never closed her cage unless I was not home. She'd sleep with me some nights, and other nights she'd sleep in my old sweatshirt on top of her cage. I'd let her walk around my room and in the front yard whenever I had the chance; she loved playing in the garden. I could leave her outside by herself and know she wouldn't leave me. Although dying and probably mistreated, she was extremely loyal. The only problem I ever had with her was other rats. I tried several times to introduce her to new rats. She proceeded to kill each one. Even while separated, she still managed to kill them through the cage. In the end I gave up and left her alone, she seemed happy enough that way. I did, however, manage to keep two rats away from her and one of them continues to live with me, the one who'd soon become my best friend.
A few months later, I was asleep and she was curled up in my old sweatshirt on top of her cage. Around 2am, she jumped off of her cage a few feet onto the ground and then proceded to climb onto my bed. Keep in mind, she was extremely ill and could barely breath and walk- but she's jumping and climbing. This was completely unlike her. The first time she got onto my bed and woke me up, I thought I was dreaming. I couldn't imagine how she'd gotten out of her cage and onto my bed. I put her back on her cage and went back to sleep. Not 10 minutes later, I was disturbed again by a wet nose pressed against my cheek. Again, I put her back on her cage and thought nothing of it. She proceded to do this one more time, and I put her back on the cage one more time. By then I couldn't get back to sleep. I got up to check on her, and didn't see her. I looked down and she was at my feet. She could hardly move; worn out from trying so hard to get to me. I picked her up and let her lay next to me on my bed. I watcher her die, right there in my arms. She died on December 23, 2007 on a Sunday morning at 2:58am. She was burried in my back yard later that day under the trees. I believe she knew she was dying, and was doing everything she could to wake me up so that I could be with her even if she only had a few minutes left.
I cried for weeks after her death. Digit was the center of my world, and still holds a place in the center of my heart as she always will. I have not yet come accross any rat, or any animal for that matter, that could even compare to her and the bond we had. Having the two other rats in addition to her helped a little. I took care of them for a while and eventually decided to breed my albino girl. She had 16 adorable babies. I gave a few away, kept one, and the rest went to the pet store. (Don't worry. The pet store was under new management by now and took very good care of their rats.) I had to get rid of my other older female in order to keep the baby, as there was not enough room for 3 rats. She went to a good friend of mine who lost her 4-year-old boy and she is still alive now. I eventually ended up giving the baby away as well. So then I was stuck with Sara, my little fatty. She quickly became the love of my life and continues to be. At the moment I am blessed with 18 rats- 16 of them being babies. Sara, her cagemate Dumbo, and 2 of Dumbo's babies will stay with me.
I don't know what I'd do without these rats, really. I can't imagine my life without them. They calm me down when I'm mad, make me smile when I'm sad, and they're content sitting in my lap and going to sleep when I'm crying and just need someone there. People who've never owned these amazing little creatures have no idea why I care for them like I do. They have no idea why I go out of my way to spend money and so much time on them. They have no idea why I'd get so upset at the death of one. They have no idea why I put so much work into keeping them happy. They have no idea why anybody would ever obsess over such "vile creatures". They are very much a big part of my life though, and losing them would be like losing a child.
A few months later, I was asleep and she was curled up in my old sweatshirt on top of her cage. Around 2am, she jumped off of her cage a few feet onto the ground and then proceded to climb onto my bed. Keep in mind, she was extremely ill and could barely breath and walk- but she's jumping and climbing. This was completely unlike her. The first time she got onto my bed and woke me up, I thought I was dreaming. I couldn't imagine how she'd gotten out of her cage and onto my bed. I put her back on her cage and went back to sleep. Not 10 minutes later, I was disturbed again by a wet nose pressed against my cheek. Again, I put her back on her cage and thought nothing of it. She proceded to do this one more time, and I put her back on the cage one more time. By then I couldn't get back to sleep. I got up to check on her, and didn't see her. I looked down and she was at my feet. She could hardly move; worn out from trying so hard to get to me. I picked her up and let her lay next to me on my bed. I watcher her die, right there in my arms. She died on December 23, 2007 on a Sunday morning at 2:58am. She was burried in my back yard later that day under the trees. I believe she knew she was dying, and was doing everything she could to wake me up so that I could be with her even if she only had a few minutes left.
I cried for weeks after her death. Digit was the center of my world, and still holds a place in the center of my heart as she always will. I have not yet come accross any rat, or any animal for that matter, that could even compare to her and the bond we had. Having the two other rats in addition to her helped a little. I took care of them for a while and eventually decided to breed my albino girl. She had 16 adorable babies. I gave a few away, kept one, and the rest went to the pet store. (Don't worry. The pet store was under new management by now and took very good care of their rats.) I had to get rid of my other older female in order to keep the baby, as there was not enough room for 3 rats. She went to a good friend of mine who lost her 4-year-old boy and she is still alive now. I eventually ended up giving the baby away as well. So then I was stuck with Sara, my little fatty. She quickly became the love of my life and continues to be. At the moment I am blessed with 18 rats- 16 of them being babies. Sara, her cagemate Dumbo, and 2 of Dumbo's babies will stay with me.
I don't know what I'd do without these rats, really. I can't imagine my life without them. They calm me down when I'm mad, make me smile when I'm sad, and they're content sitting in my lap and going to sleep when I'm crying and just need someone there. People who've never owned these amazing little creatures have no idea why I care for them like I do. They have no idea why I go out of my way to spend money and so much time on them. They have no idea why I'd get so upset at the death of one. They have no idea why I put so much work into keeping them happy. They have no idea why anybody would ever obsess over such "vile creatures". They are very much a big part of my life though, and losing them would be like losing a child.
