Species: Brown Rat Rattus norvegicus
Expected lifespan: 2-3 years
DOB: Around Febuary/March 08
Scrabble and Cluedo were our first ever show rats but were both retired in the summer of 2009. Scrabble enjoyed a year of retirement as did Cluedo before they died in the summer of 2010.
Although
many people have a dislike of rats they make fantastic pets
and can entertain for hours with their antics. The more time
you spend with them the more they'll come to accept you as
one of their rat pack.
Scrabble
was by far the more dominant of the two while Cluedo was very timid. Scrabble was a very sweet and loving
rat and looked after a grand total of 5 young rats in
her time with us. Marble and Domino came to us when they were
around 8 weeks of age and Scrabble took to a foster mum role
like a duck to water. She also made an excellent job of looking
after Jigsaw, Hidey and Silver. She lived the last of her weeks on her own in what we call the "comfort cage" which is smaller than the tower and filled with soft hammocks and beds.
Scrabble used to enjoy running around in her free range time and was never quite
as naughty as the twins Domino and Marble who tend to be a
bit destructive. Scrabble became a bit wobbly on her feet and prefered to simply sit somewhere comfy or be cuddled when she was older.
Cluedo
was the opposite in terms of personality though her and Scrabble
always got on well. She was a very timid rat who did not even
enjoy coming out of her cage. One or more of our rats managed
to chew their way out of their old cage and after finding three
quickly we were concerned at the fact we could not find Cluedo.
After searching around for half an hour we discovered that
she had not left the cage.
This
is where Marble, Domino, Jigsaw, Hidey and Silver live.
All
the rats are allowed free range time in the hallway and stairs
of the flat although used to be allowed this time in the lounge.
Unfortunately Scrabble kept finding her way inside the recliner
sofas so a new plan had to be thought of. The rats enjoy running
up and down the stairs and bouncing around in the hallway.
They get at least an hour free range time which is split
up during the day though as you can see they have a fantastic
cage with plenty of toys and places to snooze.
Along with our other rats Scrabble enjoyed spending time out of their cage in the company of other rats. On a Sunday they attend a "rat party" in which anything up to 16 female rats are allowed to play, snooze, cuddle and groom together. Scrabble and Cluedo were never involved in any scuffles although Marble can sometimes be a bit of a trouble maker.
Scrabble
and Cluedo at the vet
When
we got Cluedo we were concerned that her timidness meant she
was unwell, she seemed to suffer from a respiratory disease
which rats are prone to. A course of antibiotics cleared this
up.
7 months after retiring Cluedo developed a growth on her underside. As she still appeared well otherwise we decided to give her a chance and booked her in for surgery to have it removed. The surgery went very well and all traces of the lump were removed by our vet. The operation cost just over £70.
Sadly Cluedo caught an infection which caused scarring in her lungs when she reached 2 years and 4 months. She was unable to breathe properly without being in an oxygen tent and so we had to make the heartbreaking decision to have her put to sleep on the 31st July 2010. She did however enjoy a full year of retirement and was constantly spoiled with treats and new toys.
Scrabble
was taken to the vet when we were worried about the amount
of time she spent scratching one of her ears. Fearing an infection
or mites we took her into the vet who confirmed she did not
have mites but gave her antibiotics incase she did have an
infection.
Eventually Scrabble's back legs gave way in a condition referred to as "HLD" (hind leg deterioration) which is more often seen in male rats. While rats can manage as long as the condition is not too severe Scrabble deteriorated very quickly and she could no longer move around enough to eat and drink. She was put to sleep on the 13th August after a weeks worth of medication failed to significantly improve her condition.
