Missing little tails
by Dani
(Ireland )
I’m extremely sad at this moment. I became a rat owner in November last year after I first moved out of my parents house. It started with hou hou a male rat that was in the pet shop I worked in. He would magically get out of the viv he and the other young rats where in. He was the biggest of the rats a breeder brought in and was extremely over looked he would get out to play hide and seek so I got him as the manager was sure he wouldn’t sell and would have been sent back to the breeder. I then moved hou hous 3 foot cage to my bfs where he has his two dumbos in a four foot viv with the idea hou hou would join them if that didn’t work I was thinking a mate would if I could risk getting him neutered. Sadly hou didn’t get on with the boys so I got moo moo a female with the opposite markings from hou hous she was the smallest of the four females we got and quite happy in her own New tree foot cage just beside hou hous I then noticed that unlike most rats hou hou didn’t pay attention to the females not like the two dumbos did, either way I knew moo moo was too young to move in with him and she didn’t like being alone like hou did(even in the shop he would be a meanie to the others when he was put back in after he jumpers out to fallow me) so I got a second female called tails, tails was amazing she was a hooded dumbo cross like moo moo only she was white and a rich cream brown when moo moo suddenly came down with a respitory infection I quickly brought her and tails to a vet and was told moo moo needed antibiotics and seemed to have breathing issues I think it’s down to her breeding sadly. Anyway moo moo was ill so would sleep a lot an tails would play with her and wake her up when we wanted to treat them or play she would also bring moo moo food in the house or tunnels we had set up sadly to my heartbreak we ha a teddy which would pass around the cages(as we have two and a viv we switch items such as toys around to exchange scents and let everyone have a go) I am currently in my parents house and last night I got a call off my panicking but o the point bf who explain how he was checking waters when he noticed the teddy sticking oddly out of a tunnel he pulled it out and out drop a silica bag of balls and an open bag with some silica balls he quickly looked to the house and tunnels grappling them out calling to moo moo who he sad like at him down a tunnel and tails who he noticed dint come out he looke down the tunnel to see moo moo cuddling dying tails who had a broken tooth a bloody mouth and was passing urine and poo so he knew sadly he was too late she was warm to the touch so he tried clearing her air ways and warming her while talking to me on te phone. It was the sadist call of my life. Being trained as an animal care assistant of something’s happens anyone’s pet I’m the one getting a call and them asking question in this moment I could ony advise moving moo moo and trying to make sure there want a ball in tails throat which there was my bf tried to get it out but while on the phone he got upset and commented the balls out but she’s gone baby he was heartbroken too and neither of us where expecting this. It’s annoying and stressful to know silica passes through a system safely enough but sadly as our little rattle was still small she coughed. We think she may have bite down on it an it flew Ito her thraot and she had injested one or two other as my caring bf quickly after cleaning tails and putting her in a coffin. He cleaned the cage and opened the remaining bag of silica to check how many where eaten. It’s also annoying that the teddy that was in te cage was a pet hop bought one which is shocking as if my small terrier greyhound mix dog got it she could have chocked on the silica packs inside. 🙁 I’m also so aware now of how the balled litter for small animals can kill them as the balls are the same size. What makes it worse is I haven’t got a photo of tails as when I took photos of the cage and the girls playing she was hiding 🙁 thankfully my bf cleaned tails who wee bury today and explained”she looks ok now just asleep if you want a photo) which I really do. Tails will be missed even though she was a destroyer who madly managed to fra my bf hoodie and make holes in it as well as the curtains and I’m scared what will happen to moo moo without here. Anyway that’s my rat story proven even the littlest shortest life can bring so much good and leave so much space when they die.