|
|
|||||||||
|
About my Rats: The Boys
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Back to Main Page
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Picture Gallery
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
How I returned to keeping rats
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Girl Rats
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Jerry
Born 5th September 2001
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Here is Jerry (foreground) with Silver. Jerry is unusual for most Banded Huskys (or Striped Roans as they are also known), as his stripe is very narrow. As he ages, his stripe will grow paler until he ends up a white rat with smudges of grey on his head. For further details concerning Huskys, follow the Pendragon link on my Links page.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Jerry is my first rat in over a year. Jerry is a Banded Husky, and slightly mismarked, so he is not really a "show" rat, except maybe in a pet class. He was very much an impulse buy on Monday 5th November 2001; he was bought from Palmers Pets in Camden at about 4:30pm. Buying a new rat on Guy Fawkes night was possibly not the smartest thing to do; but Jerry has settled in remarkably well. He has made friends to a certain extent with Tom, the cat (who seems to think Jerry needs washing, much to Jerry's discomfort). Jerry gets on well with Michael; if anything, he seems to love Michael even more than me! Jerry is very much a shoulder rat who loves to come out of his tank and will curl up under my hair and sleep - but if Michael comes close, he'll leap onto Michael and hide under his hair instead!
Jerry is the oldest of my boys, and is very fastidious in his habits. He has a particular corner of the cage that he has designated the litter area, and gets very cross with the other boys if they "go" elsewhere! For the most part the other boys are content to follow his leadership and none have contested his dominance - but Silver does like to tease Jerry every now and then by leaving a little "present" just where he knows Jerry will notice it!
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Silver, Mercury and Hex
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Photos courtesy of Estelle Sandford (copyright Estelle Sandford 2001)
Jerry was joined by Silver, Mercury and Hex on Saturday 17th November; here are some photos of the lads at 4 weeks! Don't they look cute!!
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Silver and Mercury:
Platinum dumbo carriers born 30th September 2001
Alpha Centauri Platy
(blue platinum dumbo carrier)
X
Tethys Polar
(platinum dumbo)
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Silver has a slightly warmer-toned coat than his brother Mercury, whose coat has definate blue overtones. Silver is a platinum agouti, whereas Mercury is a typical platinum self.He has bright, inquisitive ruby eyes.
Silver is the smallest of the rats, due to a bout of myco at 8 weeks. It was caught and treated very quickly and aggressively with doxycyclin; however, it did retard his growth slightly. This is not to say he is a runt-rat by any means; he only looks small compared with Hex, a.k.a. Fat Nipper!
Silver is most affectionate towards me, a result of a tense 24 hours spent being nursed and hand fed on my lap during the worst of the myco. Silver is always the first up at the cage door when I come to see the ratties.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Silver at 6 weeks. Photo courtesy of Estelle Sandford.
(Copyright Estelle Sandford 2001)
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Mercury and Silver's pedigree
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Mercury is a little more laid-back than his brother Silver. Whereas Silver will usually be found exploring, Mercury is content to work out where the food is then curl up on your lap or in your pocket. Mercury is the rat most likely to accept and eat treats when out of the cage - and is usually first at the bars when food is on offer! Mercury finds the occasional "boxing sessions" between Silver and Jerry amusing; he'll sit to one side watching (usually having brought along his snack!), and afterwards will commiserate with Silver over losing (again!); Silver and Mercury are very close, and usually curl up next to each other.
Mercury has only once indulged in a "boxing session" - with Hex. Much to Mercury's surprise, he found himself face-to-face with Jerry who came to Hex's defence; and on that occasion, Silver was the one doing the consoling!! On the whole though, Mercury tends to be the most laid-back of the rats. Of course, these days, Hex is quite capable of defending himself. Mercury is the plumpest of the rats.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Mercury at 6 weeks. Photo courtesy of Estelle Sandford.
(Copyright Estelle Sandford 2001)
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Hex
Silvered Black born 6th October 2001
Pendragon's Forgetmenot
(russian blue carrier)
X
Green Dragon Duncan
(black berkshire dumbo carrying russian blue)
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Hex at 5 weeks. Photo courtesy of Estelle Sandford.
(Copyright Estelle Sandford 2001)
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Hex's Pedigree
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Hex is the youngest of the four boys; there is a difference of 3 and a half weeks between Hex and Jerry. However, you wouldn't think it to look at him now; for Hex is now the largest of my rats. He has grown very rapidly into a big, well-muscled typey buck, and his silvering has come through most impressively.He's a definate cuddle rat, too, and loves nothing better than to curl up on my arm having his ears rubbed whilst the other boys race around playing "Tag". He was the most nervy of the boys, but since coming with me to the AGM in Baldock on the 24th November he's been far more relaxed. Hex is most likely to cuddle up next to Jerry, who despite Hex's size is still Alpha rat. Hex had his debut in the show world at Enfield on Saturday 2nd February 2002, where he took 2nd in the Silvered Adult class.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| page created with Easy Designer |