aprilstarchild | A trip down memory lane, good news, bad news

I looked at the post I made the day after my first time doing any Pedalpalooza events: The first Bike Porn event (in 2007! I'd been riding the Raleigh here and there for about a year) and the Midnight Mystery Ride after:

All told, I think after the whole night, that I am suddenly a lot more fond of my bicycle and riding. Something that really got through during the Bike Porn stuff and the Mystery Ride, is that bicycles aren't just transportation, and they aren't just a non-polluting alternative to cars. There's something to just appreciating how awesome bikes are--the feeling of whooping downhill, the satisfaction of getting to the top of a hill. The feeling of getting from point A to point B all on your own assisted power. The glee of zipping by stopped car traffic. Bicycles are aesthetically pleasing all on their own (although no, I don't have the urge to make love to mine in any sense). And being around that many other people who are nuts about bikes too is mega-fun.

...

Oh, and most of all? I LOVE PORTLAND.

Good News: Job interview tomorrow in NW for a medical reception job at women's clinic, and then I have the rest of the day off from working. Oh god, I hope I get this. Also, I might get Wednesday off for Shawn's ride.

Bad News: I'm officially down to one rat. I had to take Sammy in to DoveLewis to get put down, as I noticed last night that her tumor had an abscess. I didn't notice it before because she was getting around just fine and didn't seem to be in any pain. There's no way that abscess didn't hurt, and now I feel really guilty.

The people at DoveLewis animal hospital were awesome, even if the guy who took my paperwork etc. was nice in that sugary kind of way that can be irritating. They have a separate room for people who are there to have animals euthanized, and you can leave through a side door if you don't want to walk through the lobby when you're upset. They also give you a little book/journal for people grieving for a pet, and a brochure for their pet grief group. I didn't really need those things, but maybe someone I know will...

I surprised myself by crying. I think it was a combination of a few things--knowing that Pippin is now alone, knowing I won't be adopting any more rats for a while (I'm just not home enough, and I can't afford the inevitable vet bills), guilt over knowing Sammy's been in pain, realizing that I might agree with the people who lost their first rats and decided they couldn't deal with loving animals who just don't live very long. I had the tissue near Sammy while we waited, and she tried to grab it for nesting, and it was so cute and sweet it was heartbreaking and I just sobbed for a minute.

I'm pretty convinced that Bluebell died of grief after her sister Pinky went--she just stopped eating. I worry the same will happen to Pippin. I gotta make sure I give her love as often as possible. The poor thing is probably confused right now. I think tomorrow I'll move her into the smaller cage...there's no reason for her to live in a cage meant for four rats.

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One of her sisters had a pituitary tumor. The vet said it came down to, does she still seem to enjoy life?

I'm not getting female rats again unless I can afford to have them spayed right off. I can't justify buying breeder rats (although many breeders are wonderful people who do a lot for rescues, don't get me wrong), so any rats I adopt are likely to get cancers. Sammy had had a mammary tumor removed once before, even.

Even when I believed in a god, even when I was Christian, I thought the Rainbow Bridge idea was kinda weird. It's even weirder when you think of people with short-lived animals like rats...I have this mental image of someone getting to heaven only to be greeted by dozens of rats, which for some reason makes me laugh. That, and it implies that only animals that people love, go to heaven.

I know what you mean, though. I think that if our rats could talk, they'd ask to not be in pain, but it's so hard to make that decision for them when you that's it, it's over.

It's hard to believe that just a couple years ago I had six rats. Six! I'm never having that many at once again, I just couldn't give any of them enough attention, especially since I'm out of the house a lot. When I get rats again, I'm only going to have two or three at a time.

I like the idea of being greeted by a rat swarm, m'self. ;)
But, I'd want to stay in animal heaven instead of people heaven. LOL. Then I could love on all the animals who never had a human on earth. This is all silliness, you realize of course. Heh.

I've only had two unspayed girls. One died at 18 months with PT, one died of old age at 2.5 years. No mammary tumors on either, luckily. I've actually never had a mammary tumor and I've done a couple later spays. I did have one girl develop cancer on her uterine stump (since they couldn't get all the uterus in her spay, of course) but that was a one in a million thing. I've lost four to PT.

I adopt from Huron Valley Rat Rescue in MI and have kiddos flown to me in MN. Kaia spays and neuters all rats old enough at the rescue and the adoption fee is $20. The flights are usually a bit over $100, but when I have to pay $100 for a neuter here or $150 for a spay, I'm still saving a lot of money. Plus HVRR rats are the best! Three of my current 6 are from HVRR and I'm having another pair flown in in a few months once the baby boy and his mum can be sterilized. So, I'm looking at about $150 with the fees and flight instead of $300+ for a neuter, a spay and adoption fees/vet visits.

I guess this long rant was if you do decide you want more rats, go to HVRR and get some pre-altered kiddos! There are also rat trains and maybe someone is going to Portland. I think MMR is the closest rescue to you (Mainely Rat Rescue in Maine) and they also spay/neuter and have trains, I believe.

Yeah, I keep saying I'm going to get my numbers down but I always come up with a reason to help when I see a rat in need. I have a three level FN that can hold like 20 rats(!) and only 6 in there right now. Most I've had at one time is 10. My two girls are both 18 months old and one has had CHF for months now. She's holding on and doing well but I know that heart stuff can take them quickly. It's so morbid to assume she won't be around super long, I know, but it helps me deal. Her sister is in better health but I've lost most of my ladies at around two, two and a half.

I got a little guy a few months ago and he's this little 4 month old firecracker in with all middle aged (1+ year) rats. Jack needs a friend more his age. So, I'm adopting a baby who is only two weeks old now and his young mum. Excuses excuses... heh.

Oh, all my kids have been rescues (save one of my first two girls) and I've still not seen a mammary tumor. Some of that is the spays, some is luck and I think some has to be diet. They eat organic, vegetarian (mostly vegan, there are eggs in their organic veg dog chow, sadly)and are all really healthy, save the genetically predisposed stuff.

The vegan dog food I give my rats (V-Dog) is labeled high protein...I wonder sometimes if that's part of my problem. I wonder if I should try to give'em more grains and veggies so they have less protein in their diet?

OMG I made the mistake once of asking on

ratties if anyone else had vegan rats, and people flipped out. Several insisted they were going to die. WTF.

:-(

People are so stupid. They don't realise that what animals need is particular nutrients, not nutrients from a particular type of source (e.g. an abattoir). But it's a pretty simple concept really!

I ended up pointing out that one of the reasons we know a vegan diet is healthy for humans, is because of nutrition studies....done on rats!!

Rats like us are omnivorous. Rats, like us, do fine on a balanced vegan diet.

Great point! I wouldn't have thought of that.

Oh, and GOOD FOR YOU for using vegan food.

Yeah, I can't find a vegan chow that is high quality/appropriate protein levels. I am anxious awaiting Onesta Organics vegan rat chow!

I refuse to feed them GMOs and most of the vegan food are, sorry to say, crap. Full of fillers and just not high quality enough. I wish the local vegan stuff (Evolution) was any good. I just won't feed my kids junky food just because it's vegan. Sigh.

They get Petguard Organic Veg.
The rat folks think I'm awful since the only animal protein they get is the little bit of egg in their kibbles. Vegans think I'm awful for feeding a food that is only veg, not vegan.

I can't win.
I just want to take good care of my ratkids and keep them healthy like I promised I would when I adopted them. :/

Your first priority is your rats' health, not adhering to someone else's ideals.

I have some friends who decided to try to raise their ferret as a vegan. So far it's been successful, but they went into it with the idea that if The Dude showed *any* signs of ill health, they would reconsider. The ferret's health was the priority.

LOL I live in Portland, Oregon; not Portland, Maine.

My first four came from the Oregon Humane Society at five weeks old. The other two were from a local rescue that did indeed involve a rattie train--all the way to Vancouver, Canada, where a vet would spay the already-pregnant rats for cheaper than in the USA.

I'd love to have an altered male at some point, knowing that boys are more likely to be affectionate. But I dunno, Bluebell (one of the rescue rats) was super affectionate. All I had to do was put her on my shoulder and coo a bit, and it was brux brux brux boggle boggle, and she'd tickle my ears with her whiskers. So awesome of a rat.

A trip down memory lane, good news, bad news

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