The boys are getting big…

I took some photos of the boys the other day as they are now 5 months old and getting lovely and big. Farleigh especially is getting a real round lump! Here are some pics:

Curly wurly fatty Farleigh:

His brother Hew, troublemaker:

Lovely soft squishy Stanley:

And escapee Nedd:

Bye Bye Tinkerbell & Sugar

Had to make a trip to the vets with Tinkerbell & Sugar today. They had both started to get very old and were struggling to get around and had both got very skinny. Tinks in particular was in a very bad way, with a nasty scab on her tummy so I thought it kindest to send them on their final journey together.

Tinkerbell 14/02/07 – 13/01/10

My longest lived rat (so far) came from down in Falkirk from a breeder who had taken on a rescue litter. Tinkerbell and Doughnut were the 3rd and 4th rats I ever had. Steve named Tinkerbell and it was always too dainty a name for the sort of rat she was! She got called Tinks or Tinky for short.

She was a little hooligan, always out to play for the longest when she was younger and she could be a little bit arguementative with the other girls. She was never a cuddly rat when she was younger but after she got spayed she would sit still for longer on me and at one time actually got quite clingy. As she got older she preffered to sleep and would give me a little nip if she didn’t want to come out of bed at cleaning out time. She loved the company of other rats and would always be found snuggled up with Sugar.

Baby Tinky soon after she arrived

Posing during a photoshoot

and again

On her first birthday eating malt loaf with Pepper

And again on her first birthday.

Bye Bye Tinks, we’ll miss you loads, go find Doughnut and the other girlies.

Sugar – ?/2007 – 13/01/10

Sugar was a very special rat. She was the first rat that had babies here and gave me the perfect introduction to raising baby ratties. She arrived late September 2007 and 4 days later gave birth to 11 little ones. She was fine with me handling them from day 1. Her favourite thing while I was handling and weighing her babies was to stash food under my pillow! I would go to bed and find a little pile of (thankfully) dry rat food. She outlived all of the six of her children that stayed here.

Sugar loved food. She was always too fat but it just added to her cuddly charm. She was the perfect rat to introduce to those that didn’t like rats. She would have cuddles with anyone, just sitting quietly on your shoulder or in your arms, just loving being loved.

She was also great with other rats. She never picked a fight and was always gentle and loving. If a rat was ill Sugar would be put with them to keep them company. She would lie across an ill companion, protecting and grooming them and even did this to Tinks today on their last trip to the vets.

I know we’re not allowed favourites but she was one of mine and I shall miss her so much.

Bye Bye special girly, go find your kids and the other girlies. They’ll be waiting for a cuddle.

Sugar with her pregnant tum

In Jan 2008

Doing her favourite thing – eating!

and again, this time stealing corn on the cob with Doughnut

And one of the last pics taken of her, in Oct/Nov 2009

Losing these two is the end of an era. Between Jan 2007 and Jan 2008 my numbers grew from my first two rats (Charlotte and Treacle) to 17 rats, and then in 2008 I only got 3 new ones. Tinks and Sugar are the last two from this first year of rat keeping, my two very special old ladies.

Cheese and Onion

Finally got some photos of Cheese and Onion today. They are still living in the temporary cage until we move out to the Portacabin but they seem to be settling in fine and are happy to come out. Onion is quite cuddly once I can get her out of the cage but Cheese is just too busy to sit still for cuddles.

Here they are:

Cheese

and Onion.

They now have their own pages on the website too, Cheese and Onion.

Busy on the website

I have been busy updating the website today, finally uploading some articles to go on the Rats as Pets, Housing, Playtime and Choosing your Rats pages.

I have also created a Sitemap which is a list of all the pages and articles on the website, so people looking can see what information the site contains. The sitemap is here: http://www.northern-lights-rats.co.uk/sitemap.html

Rat shed photos

Just a couple of photos of the rat shed. It’s still empty but I’ve spent quite a bit of time stood in it trying to work out where to put everything! Can’t wait till it’s ready to be moved into.

The larger ‘half’ which I will use for my craft and drawing bits and also storage for mine and ratty bits. Their play pen will also be in this section.

And looking towards the door into the smaller half. The smaller bit has only one window so will be ideal for the rats’ cages to be in.

There will be more pictures as it starts to fill up!

Bye Bye Fogwatt – ?/2007 – 25/11/09

Fogwatt passed away peacefully at home with no signs of ill health at all, the way I wish for all of my babies to go when it’s their time.

Fogwatt arrived in September 2007 with Burmickity & Sugar. She was meant to be a foster but stayed when Steve fell in love with Burmickity.

Fogwatt was a character! She was a grumpy bum with other rats, it was always her picking a fight, either with current cage mates or new cage mates and it didn’t matter what size group she lived in. She was possessive of her bed and would bite me if she was in the cage during cleaning out time. But despite all that, I loved her and once she was out of the cage she enjoyed her cuddles and would seek me out to play with during free range time.

She slowed down and got grumpier as she got older and loved nothing more than snuggling in bed with Sugar and Tinkerbell.

Bye bye you little madam, the cage is quieter without you but I shall still miss you and love you lots:

Soon after she arrived

Posing during out time

Glaring at me from her bed when I was trying to remove her to clean out!

Taken during a potoshoot in Oct this year

During out time in Jan 2008 with Treacle, Doughnut and Burmickity

The Rat Shed

I have finally bought the ratties their own shed. We need to organise delivery which is turning into a bit of a nightmare but it’s mine and is hopefully going to be here soon.

It’s a Portacabin, 30ft x 10ft, with two separate rooms, all electrics wired in and complete with heaters and lights. We’ve put down the gravel base for it already and I can’t wait for it to be delivered, wired up and for me and rats to move into it. I’m most excited about them having a nice play area where they can’t get on each other’s cages and get under things or climb up the shelves and fall off!!

With all that space to fill I need to go cage shopping!

More new arrivals!

Well there wasn’t meant to be any new arrivals here until we had the rat shed up and running, but it was hubby who agreed to take on these two so I can’t be in trouble over them!

He has recently been down the road to visit family and got a text from a friend of his asking if we’d like two more girly rats, as his daughter was having to re home hers, so of course hubby says yes!

They are two girls, about a year old, both dumbos, who hubby re-named Cheese and Onion. Cheese is the smaller, cheekier one of the two and is cinnamon I think. Onion is bigger, quieter and paler with red eyes, so I’m not sure what her actual colour is. They are both a wee bit snotty, so I’m keeping an eye on them and they’ve been treated for mites but seem to be settling in quite well.

I will get some photos of them shortly and I also have exciting news about the rat shed that i will blog about later!

The three troublemakers!

Finally some photographs of Pets at Home adoptees Rosemary, Thyme and Jasmine. These guys were returned because apparently they smelled but they are the most fantastic girls. They are all full of mischief and are so confident and cheeky. They love people and are out saying hello whatever time of day it is. Jasmine is Steve’s rat. He takes her out and she trots straight up to his shoulder where she sits and has a yoghurt drop!

They are about 6 months old now but are so tiny, they just don’t grow! Keeley and Fearn are already heavier than them despite being only 3 months old!

Say hi to:

Jasmine:

Rosemary:

I love this photo, she just looks so cute and innocent! And she really isn’t!!

Thyme:

About half of my photos of Thyme had her head chopped off because she was moving about so quick!

So that’s all the ratties now introduced. I will put some of the photos up of my ‘older’ ladies that I took when I did the youngsters photo shoot shortly.

Cariad guys & girls

Oops I’d forgotten I was updating the blog with photos! Here are the Cariad guys and girls, collected at the same time as the Aquarius boys

Cariad Fearn (Agouti Rex):

Cariad Keeley (Chocolate Rex):

Cariad Farleigh (Chocolate Agouti Rex):

Cariad Hew (Black):