This is one of those "more than you ever wanted to know about my life" posts, but it's cute, so bear with me.
I have always, always, always had two animals at home: Fish and cats. My mom is a diehard cat lady, and my dad likes maintaining a fish tank. Never knew why, but I loved it too. When I moved to college, I never anticipated how hard it was going to be leaving my pets behind. At first I didn't really notice...but it slowly came to me that I'd never lived without pets before. I didn't know how to do it. What was I supposed to do when I wanted cuddles? I couldn't just be responsible for me, it was too weird. Unfortunately, I lived in a dorm room, so I had to make do with fish and potted cacti for two years.
Pippin comes over to say hello during playtime!
This year, I moved out of the dorms and into my own apartment with one of my friends, and was planning to save up to pay the pet deposit for a kitten.....but what would I do with it when I went home for the holidays? Mom's cats wouldn't tolerate a newcomer, and finding a kitty-sitter is harder than you think. No, I couldn't do that to a poor innocent furball. Don't get a pet if you can go all the way, I say. Look a few years ahead before you adopt. To me, that few years was looking pretty bleak and petless.
Then I remembered something my best friend used to say before she moved to another town for a fancy art school degree- her favorite musician/artist, Emilie Autumn, has rats. Now I'll be honest with you guys, I really don't have much respect for Emilie Autumn. I like one of her early albums quite a lot, but when all of her material started turning to subjects like suicide, insanity, and mental delusion, I stopped listening. Best Friend and I have had many debates on the subject, but we always come out at a stalemate. ANYWAY, the important part is, I remembered the rats. I looked them up on Google, and found that they were the perfect solution to my problem. They were cute, adorable, smart, loyal, low-maintenance, and I could take them home in a cage and keep them in my room when I needed to. It was perfect.
Merry, chillin' in his cage.
The day I went to PetSmart and bought my fuzzies was one of the happiest days of my life thusfar. I huddled with my roommate outside the aquarium of dumbo rats (which I had decided were definitely the cutest), trying to decide which one to pick. Most of them all looked the same- hooded rats, with white bodies and brown or black hoods. How was I going to pick?
"Oooh, look there's a light one! He looks sweet, you should get him!"
I had no idea how right my roommate was, but I went with it. He did look a bit cuter than the others with his white body and very pale tan hood, so I asked the saleslady to hand me that one. He was so soft, much softer than any rat I'd held previously. He was a keeper.
Next I went looking for the other rats, all of whom had tumbled inside their igloo to hide from my searching hands. Only one was brave enough to jump forward and sniff at my fingers. I decided he had some gumption, and he became my second rat. He was white with a black hood, like most of the others, but he seemed to have a winning personality. In the car I gave them the names I'd been brainstorming about all week: the light one became Merry, the dark one, Pippin. Perfect.
Pippin helping daddy (Severus) play video games!
When you have two or more rats of the same gender, they figure out their own hierarchy. In my rat cage, Pippin is definitely the dominant rat, the 'older brother' so to speak. He's braver, and much more willing to try new things. Right now he's learning how to answer to his name, as well as how to "stand up" on his hind legs on command. It's his first real trick (the first being that both rats know exactly what "gimme kisses" means).
I've tried a myriad of treats with them, and I must say, my rats are spoiled rotten. Only 20% of their diet is supposed to be treats, but I can't help it. They're so sweet! Still, my version of 'treats' are pieces of celery, carrots, and apples (apples are their favorite). The only non-produce treat I give them are mango-apricot flavored yogurt chips, and those are generally rewards when teaching tricks.
Merry on the couch!
Merry is definitely my sweet little baby brother rat. He's the first one to come to the cage door when I open it because he tends to stay on the first floor (they have a three-level cage). He's a scaredy-rat, always hiding from things that bother him, but he's too sweet to bite or anything. The only way you can tell if he's truly distressed is if he starts shrieking.
He's got the most interesting set of sound effects, Merry does. He does a lot of what rat-owners call 'peeping'- it's shorter than a squeak, and is usually done several times in succession. Several times? Merry can do it for five minutes straight. It sounds like he's just having a conversation with the cage wall. He never does it when Pippin's nearby, strangely enough. Merry also grinds his teeth a lot, which is like the rat equivalent of purring.
Pippin says peek-a-boo from his maze made of coke boxes!
Severus and I have really grown quite close since we adopted the rats. I say we- they're technically mine, but he loves them and cares for them as much as I do. He didn't question it too much when I said I wanted rats, and he's been supportive since day one. In fact, the rats love him just as much as they do me (which is weird for rats, they usually pick one human to focus on). Pippin is Sev's little buddy, they are a bonded pair. Merry is mine, good lil mama's boy. It's adorable.
Tonight I had the fuzzies out playing on the bed when Sev got home from work. Pippin dropped his piece of celery and raced to the edge of the bed to say hello. When Sev didn't acknowledge him immediately, he scampered up and down the edge of the bed, waiting for daddy to notice him. It was so sweet.
The fuzzies love to play video games. Skyrim is their favorite.
My babies are what keep me sane. They're smart enough to love me and snuggle with me, and so devoted to me it's hilarious. They've been climbing all over as I type up this post, I keep having to turn capslock off and erase the signs of Rats on Keyboard Syndrome. In fact, when let loose in a huge room like the living room of a house, they still come back to me every ten minutes or so to remind me that they are there and that they love me. Occasionally they bring me treasures from under the couch, which is always fun.
My babies are my life. They're like the children I want to have someday, except I have them now. They don't have to speak to tell me how they feel, we just understand each other most of the time. Who wouldn't love that?
To anyone considering future pets, I really do recommend rats. They're tough little buggers, so they'll do well with kids. They also handle high levels of attention really well, so if you have a kid who wants a pet he can cuddle, there you go. That said.......
I love my fuzzies.
Merry and Pippin love having their cage door open, even if they can't get out. It's like opening a window!
:D d'awwwww
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