I love rats
It all started when my brother got pet rats when he was 12. I was 9. His friend had a pet rat which left such a good impression on him that he asked our parents if he could have one. Our first was a white female rat who was unbelievably cheeky and if she could sink those little teeth into you, she would, no questions asked. Unbeknown to us at the time, she was pregnant with 5... mommy rats are naturally cheeky. My brother, actually wanted a chinese-hooded rat but they were hard to find back then but eventually he got what he wanted. Gemini, a black and white rat came into our lives. A while later, the cheeky mother rat had her 5 babies (4 boys and 1 girl) and they were adorable. We made sure the boys and girls did not mingle as they breed really quickly and have large litters.The whole family learned to love these creatures; rats are highly intelligent and very affectionate.
Rats live for approximately 3 years. We have a hard time when they go to heaven (of course they go there!). When my brother turned 16,his friend gave him a black and white rat whom he named 'Japie' - pronounced as 'Ya-pee'. It is an afrikaans name and it took me a while to get used to it. I was 12 and had more spare time than my brother who was busy studying and playing rugby. Japie became my baby and he spent lots of time running around in my room. When my brother was around, he'd come knocking on my door asking if he could have his rat back. I think Japie enjoyed his popularity. When Japie passed on, I was devastated.
When I was 14, I got a pet rat from a friend. I called her Geri, short for Gerildene. She was such a character and would store shiny things in the corner of her drawer (which was in my dressing table). Geri chewed a hole through 7 hot water bottles. I eventually wiseened up and used a bean bag instead. A bean bag contains dried wheat seeds, you heat it in the microwave and it kept you warm, just like a hot water bottle. Luckily Geri didn't take an interest in chewing a bean bag.
When I was about 17, I got Sebastian- a light brown rat, and Nimrod- a black and white rat. I was quite busy with studies and sport so we thought two would be a good idea. They looked after each other while I was out. Their cage was the most interesting of all the rats so far. We turned the cupboard into their home. Four cubicles were joined using ladders and tubes. They had many blankets to sleep in and I sometimes put a pot plant inside one of the cubicles. The pot plant would never last more than one day. Eventually I decided to let them do their digging outside.
Even though I was very busy at varsity I still found the time to have pet rats then. When I was about 20, I got two girls - Michaela and Jovi. They also snoozed in the cupboard but this time I moved them between two rooms. I'd clean the cubicles every 2nd day. Unfortunately, I have a slight allergy to furry animals and realised that they can't stay in my room indefinitely. As I have grown older, I have grown more sensitive to my allergy reactions. I think Michaela and Jovi liked to be moved between the rooms. Rats like change, cleanliness and stimulation.
At 24, as a working adult, I got 2 males - Hyde and Jekyll. Named after the characters Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Dr Jekyll was the good character and Mr Hyde is the bad character of the same person. Luckily both my rats were gorgeous and did not live up to their names. I didn't name them. My ex-boyfriend did. I think he was trying to tell me something... and I did eventually get it, the hard way, long after the break up. So girls out there, be very careful who you date - there are people that lie easily.
At 27, we adopted 6 rats from a family who could not keep them any more. A mommy, daddy and four tiny little ones. Two boys and two girls. I had fun watching them grow up and learned so much from mommy rat. She was amazing and an extremely cheeky and protective mom. I was searching on the internet to find out when to separate the babies and parents so we don't have more babies. Well I got the shock of my life to find out that a mother rat goes into heat 24 hours after giving birth. We separated them soon after. The babies were already 7 days old. Gestation for rats is 3 weeks and yes, mommy rat was expecting again. She managed to pop out 13 babies which is astounding because I have no idea how she could fit so many in that tiny body.
So I had 19 rats. We did not plan this. I decided to keep them all because I don't know anyone who likes rats as much as I do. We separated the boys and girls at 5 weeks. This time we made sure we would not have any unexpected babies. Watching baby rats grow up is fun, because each day they achieve a new developmental milestone. However, one of my little baby girls disappeared. She either got out of the window or found her way through the crack of our garage door. Down to 18 rats and so far none have managed to get themselves lost.
They are a joy to play with. I love the way they jump about like little lambs when they are happy. They snuggle next to me while a read in my bed. They play catchers on my floor and every now and again I hear them squeaking in protest, when their game gets a little too rough. If I am eating chocolate, they will suddenly appear on my lap and beg to have a piece. Trust me, you cannot say no when they act so cute.
I am wrapped around all their little fingers...and they know it :)
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