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It's okay. The rats and I are all right.
Charles Wallace, my agouti-hooded rat, had been ill for a long time, in ratty terms, with suspected kidney failure. He'd managed to rally a bit on the latest drug [prednisolone] but that was only temporary and I found him dead in a hammock on Tuesday night, surrounded by five of his six friends and brothers. For a rat who was definitely more for rat friendships than human, that was the way to go and two years, though it's not terrific, is not too bad for a rat.
He was completely determined not to leave his home; in fact, became distressed when I picked him up for a cuddle the previous night, because that meant he wasn't in the Ferret Kingdom. I had to put him back, apologise and fetch him some more soy formula.
It's been a rough year for rat losses; five have gone this year, so hopefully nothing will happen to anyone else over the next few months. CW's two litter brothers are in good shape; in fact, Oliver, the silver fawn hood, is the boss rat, meaning he has serious attitude.
That wasn't the best way to start my leave, I guess, but at least Charles Wallace isn't suffering any more and I may be able to write journal entries about things other than rats. I've just moved my comp into the living room/kitchen area of my house, where the air-conditioner and incidentally also the rats are. It'll be living in here for the next three months or so and probably I will too, certainly once the heatwaves start in earnest, which won't be long.
And I managed to hook everything up again correctly, which is a minor triumph.
Charles Wallace, my agouti-hooded rat, had been ill for a long time, in ratty terms, with suspected kidney failure. He'd managed to rally a bit on the latest drug [prednisolone] but that was only temporary and I found him dead in a hammock on Tuesday night, surrounded by five of his six friends and brothers. For a rat who was definitely more for rat friendships than human, that was the way to go and two years, though it's not terrific, is not too bad for a rat.
He was completely determined not to leave his home; in fact, became distressed when I picked him up for a cuddle the previous night, because that meant he wasn't in the Ferret Kingdom. I had to put him back, apologise and fetch him some more soy formula.
It's been a rough year for rat losses; five have gone this year, so hopefully nothing will happen to anyone else over the next few months. CW's two litter brothers are in good shape; in fact, Oliver, the silver fawn hood, is the boss rat, meaning he has serious attitude.
That wasn't the best way to start my leave, I guess, but at least Charles Wallace isn't suffering any more and I may be able to write journal entries about things other than rats. I've just moved my comp into the living room/kitchen area of my house, where the air-conditioner and incidentally also the rats are. It'll be living in here for the next three months or so and probably I will too, certainly once the heatwaves start in earnest, which won't be long.
And I managed to hook everything up again correctly, which is a minor triumph.