Mr. Wiggles Checks Out

Mr. Wiggles, the third brother of the Corvallis 6, passed away. He was always a gregarious gentle giant and was one of the first at the cage door. He was 26 months of age. He is survived by his brothers Crinkle, Brick and Brack. He has been prepared for private cremation at OHS.

Run and be free and attack all the veggies you want!

Mocha Passes

Mocha passed away in her cage comforted by her two sisters. She was 24 months and 25 days old. She suffered from respiratory illness. She came to Vermin Village from the same person that had Tweek. She lived with other girls but as these 3 got older, they were moved to their own cage because the younger ones would pick on them. She has been prepared for private cremation at the Oregon Humane Society. Rest in peace little Mocha.

Cages and Carriers

Picked up the last 6 remaining carriers that I had on order. Also placed an order for new hospital cages. The SuperPet cages I have been reduced to using are CRAP. I won't even sell them. If someone in rescue needs them they are theirs. If no rescue wants them, they're fair game.

Bo, Beau, Boe, Bau, Bow, Boh, Bou, and Booh

OHS released 8 boys to my care on December 10, 2009.   Their age stated 1.5 years however my friend and I are convinced that there is a greater age range in the group of 18 rats.  (She took 10.)

They have varying degrees of sociability, but I'll work with them on that.  All of the ones I adopted are black and white, I call them my checkerboard crew.  I do have many rats of this coloring but not in such a big group. :D

The live, all together, in one of the custom multi-level Quality Cages.  They seem to really like it.  There is a little squabbling but I'm sure they'll adjust.  I do have female rats in the room so I'm hoping there won't be a problem.  I normally have NEVER had a problem, but you never know.  They don't appear to be too sure as to what a hammock is but eventually ratties seem to get it.  I've only had a three ratties, ironically all boys, NOT like hammocks...or at least set to redecorate with them.  The really seem to like the shredded paper.  They are making rattie paper wakes. :D

They tend to hoard their food.  I'm sure that behavior will change as they find they are fed regular.  (They were fed regular at the shelter, no worries there, it was their previous home I am concerned about.)

I'd like to thank D for picking these boys up before they were euthanized!   I'm sure they'll be good little gentleman.  Unfortunately,  someone at the shelter was bit and a few of the boys aren't too sure about being picked up.  This makes it harder to adopt them out because they can only go to rat experienced homes.  And while there are several of us dedicated rattie lovers, sometimes we just don't have room for more.  In this case, both D and I made room.   There is nothing we can do about the girls though.  They aren't at the shelter and we don't know how to contact the person.  If there was a way, I'd drive them to Boise, ID or Chico, California to get them spayed, but not in December.

And their names are:  Bo, Beau, Boe, Bau, Bow, Boh, Bou, and Booh.  They look similar but there are actual differences, it's just easier calling them all the same name.  Their pictures and names got scrambled at OHS so they weren't too sure either.  Easy mistake.

Welcome to the checkerboard boys!

Minnie Passes

Last night, with all of the contretemps last night, I lost the little mouse,Minnie, I adopted at the Fall rat show from LMR. She was a taking little thing. The past few days she looked a little off. And while I went to get the little boys from OHS that Debbie, thankfully, picked up for me, Minnie passed.

Her favorite thing seemed to be racing Epi, the mouse I adopted from OHS a few weeks ago, in a side by side cage/wheel race. When one went to get on her wheel, so did the other one. (They did not share a habitat, but they were side by side.)

She's been wrapped and prepared for private cremation at OHS.

Rest in peace little one!

Ruby Was Lost and Found

The little stinker jumped out of my arms! Then she ran into a gap under the stupid cabinets in the kitchen. Of course it was the absolute coldest week in 2009. After 2 nights of setting food out for her, I borrowed a trap from a friend. On Tuesday morning, at 4am, I woke up and she wasn't in the trap. At 4:25am I heard the trap click....and went over. There she was twitching her whiskers at me. I think she was very happy to be put back in her nice warm house!

Pixie Leaves the Village

It is with great sadness that I had to help Pixie to the bridge tonight. She just had nothing left in her. She is one of the first girls I adopted. She actually was one scared girl when I first got her and inclined to nip. As she aged and got more used to me, she no longer did this. Tonight as I carried her downstairs she was bruxing and looking at me with sad eyes. She was 40 months old. She was preceded in death by her sister Pinkie. She has been prepared for private cremation at the Oregon Humane Society. Rest in peach little one.

Ruby joins Vermin Village

She, like so many others that have lived her, had a sad start in life. Some jackass tied her in a small white plastic bag with ashes and cigarette butts. She was rescued by a nice family that found her a good home. Here. She resides with Merriweather, another little girl with a bad start. They will both be spayed and eventually move in with Junior.

Welcome Ruby!

Vermin Village Donates some Supplies

Donated some much needed cages to the Oregon Humane Society. Also donated 6 water bottles, a water bottle kit for them to try, 3 igloos, some hammocks, and a 33# bag of Harlan. I also told them that if they liked the kits I'd buy enough for the small animal room kennels.

Betsy Leaves for the Bridge

Betsy was helped to the bridge today. Her tumors were just taking too much out of her. Betsy is a second chance little girl in that she was taken to the Washington County Animal Shelter with several other ratties. They do not keep rats there so thanks to a friend that stepped in, these ratties were saved from being put to sleep. It was unknown exactly how old Betsy was. She is survived by her two "sisters" that she came with, Gretta and Hannah. Be free little one.

Epi Joins Vermin Village

Little mouse girl Epi joins Vermin Village. She is a pink eyed white (PEW) mouse. And she is one chunky girl! She loves her wheel, her blocks and not being picked up.

Welcome to Vermin Village silly girl!

Dexter Comes to Vermin Village

Dexter, a gregarious rattie boy, has moved to Vermin Village. A nice lady on Craigslist adopted him from Petco. Apparently people go in stores all the time and just drop off animals in their cages and then leave. Total jerks. She's had him for a bit in the attempt to find him a new home. Right now he lives alone until I can find him a spayed girlfriend.

Welcome Dexter!

Top Slips Away

It is with great sadness I announce the passing of Top. He was one of the 6 Corvallis brothers adopted in November of 2007 from an accidental litter. He and his brothers spent the remainder of his life together. He was preceeded in death by his brother Tip. He is survived by his brothers Crinkle, Mr. Wiggles, Brick and Brack.

He has been prepared for private cremation at the Oregon Humane Society.

Rest in peace little giant.

Sadly, Billy had a stroke on 11/20/2009. He was alert and aware that day after his stroke. I moved him to a cage downstairs so I could keep an eye on him. On 11/21/2009, I was awakened by crying coming from his cage and he appeared to be having a second stroke. I picked him up to hold him and he stiffened and died. I'm glad I woke up so hopefully he knew he was not alone. He is survived by his cagemates Chupachup, Harold, and Rutherford. He was 20 months old.

He has been prepared for private cremation at the Oregon Humane Society.

Rest in peace little guy.

Tina and Pip Say Goodnight

Tina e is survived by 6 of her brothers and her mother. She was preceded in death by one brother. She was a spunky little girl that liked to pretend she was boss. She was adopted along with her mother and 7 brothers from a nice lady in St. Helens, Oregon that was given a rattie of the opposite gender to the one she had.

Pip passed too early for me. She was just over a year old. She was a beige self that was rescued with her brother. I had her spayed so she could continue to live with her brother. She is survived by her brother, Spot.

Both have been prepared for private cremation at the Oregon Humane Society.

Rest in peace little ones.

Mr. Snuggles Helped to the Bridge

Mr. Snuggles was helped to the bridge tonight. He was a platinum colored dumbo. He was such a timid squishy but usually relaxed once you had him in your lap. He is survived by his next door neighbor and son, Popeetka.

Be healthy and free Mr. Snuggles!

Versatile Large Deluxe Rat Cage

Why the Large Deluxe Rat Cage from Quality Cages (www.qualitycage.com)?

Please note:  They do carry fully powder coated versions of these collapsible cages in both black and white.

I use the Large Deluxe Rat Cage from Quality Cages because they are the most versatile cage. I use the powder coated ones for rats, I use the collapsible one with a powder coated shelf, ramp and tray for hamsters, gerbils and with some modification dwarf hamsters and mice, and of course rats.

This cage also has extension pieces that you can purchase to make it bigger. I suggest no more than 3 extension pieces unless you are exceptionally tall. :) For a pair of rats, you can just use the top piece as that does meet the size requirements for a pair of rats. If you are indeed worried about the initial cost, you can purchase one piece at a time.

You've seen how many people decorate their cage for rats. For these cages, I put a Wobust Wodent Wheel to the left of the cage. I then put a hammock up and put cardboard tunnels and hides all over.

When I set it up for other animals, I do it completely different. For any other animals I might house in this cage at different times, gerbils, a Syrian hamster, mice or a dwarf hamster. I pretty much set it up the same way.

As the base pan on this particular Large Deluxe Rat Cage is 3" deep, I put Good Mews in the base of the pan. This draws the moisture out of the paper AND it controls odors. Then I use Eco Bedding (or in my case 1/4" strip shredded newspaper since I have a commercial shredder)

I use this cage for my Syrian hamsters hamsters (they each have their own of coures. The base pan is 3 inches deep. I use eco bedding (which is great for burrowing) or strip shredded newspaper (1/4" strips). I put Good Mews (paper pelleted litter) on the bottom, cover with folded newspaper and then put the hides and cardboard tunnels (you can get tubes free from fabric stores that sell home decorating fabric). Then I cover all of that with shredded paper or eco bedding. On the balcony, I put their food, access to water bottles and their wheel. They love the cage and it is easy for me to clean. I put a chinchilla dust container in every week or so for them to "bathe."

The cage wire is galvanized (the pan balcony and ramp is powder coated), so they don't chip the powder coating off the wire. Since the cage is bigger than what they've been in before (I adopted all of my hammies and/or gerbil) they don't chew on it so much but still.

I had purchased a 6 1/2" silent spinner for my Syrian hamsters and gerbils, but for 4 of the hamsters, I had to change it to the 8 1/2" comfort wheel because the hammies were too big. :)

As for the plastic tubes sold with most cages, I've got 3 Syrians that are too big to fit through them. :) My vet said that sometimes people aren't paying attention, the hammie gets stuck in a tube and they died due to stress. :*( I've adopted gerbils that were degloved because of the crappy plastic cages. I also find them a pain to clean and kind of a waste of money. Those plastic cages can only be used for some animals.

The upside with this cage is that if you later decide you'd like gerbils, or rats, this cage works for them as well. And you don't ever have to worry about your hammie escaping--unless you leave the door open. :) My cages I can use for gerbils, large species of hamsters and rats. If I line the cage with 1/4" x 1/4" wire, I can also use them for dwarf hamsters and mice--so the cage is an "investment" and has a higher resale value.

This cage also exceeds the minimum requirements for a hammie cage http://exoticpets.about.com/od/hamsters/bb/hamstercage.htm

It ships flat and the only assembly needed is using a Phillips head screw driver to attach the balcony.

Good luck!

Neighbor Rats In Need

My next door neighbor has pet ratties. Unfortunately, she got them from a pet store. I tried to tell her but....too late now, she's had the little fuzzies since February.

They are all love bugs. 3 have upper respiratory infections and she hadn't gotten paid yet so I brought some of the medication over and we calculated the doses for them. I picked up one of her other ratties and he had an abscess. She had just spent $250 for another surgery and didn't have any more money so she put warm compresses on it to help bring it to a head. She's still working on that. Meanwhile, she has the oral antibiotic ready to go--but I told her to wait until the abscess burst (it is close to as it is now). Then I'll help her flush and pack it and she can start the antibiotics. Poor little guy. These 2 boys are double rexes but they have the sweetest personalities. I brought over some soda boxes because she didn't have any houses for them. I told her she needed to give them houses or boxes because they need to have a place to hide. They were tipping over the litter box (filled with paper) and making a house. (Ratties are so smart.)

So it has been a rattie filled evening!

Mimi Passes In the Night

I write this with a very heavy heart. Mimi, our little Siamese licky girl passed away. I walked in the room and she was dead in her cage. Words can not describe how upset this makes me. I told John and he was upset too. "Not my licky girl!"

Mimi was John's baby. She is survived by her cage mate, Junior. She didn't like other females so she needed a macho boy to live with. (She was spayed.)

Lee originally went to pick her up at my request in May 2008 (she was already 8-10 months old). Her family decided they no longer wanted her. Lee tried her living with Clive, but Clive was a push over and Mimi bossed him around. (Clive is neutered.)

I went to get Mimi. I tried to put her with girls and she attacked them all. I had her spayed and then when Junior came, he was introduced as her new buddy. They loved each other very much. Junior looked after his lady.

When Mimi was choking, he pulled a blanket out of the hammock and spread it on the floor for her to lay on. Then he laid right next to her, licking her face while she worked it out.

Mimi has been prepared for private cremation on the Oregon Humane Society.

Run free little Mimi. You can have as many treats as you want!

Worth Is Helped to the Bridge

Sadly I went in this morning to check on Worth, the last of the 4 baby boys in Vermin Village, he has needed extra help for some time now and it looks as if he finally was ready to go. He was helped to the bridge today at 12:30pm. He and his brothers were pretty spunky. They were the boys that gave me the idea of putting 2 cages together to make a bigger cage. They had 10 levels of fun. They used to take bits of paper and haul it around the cage and set them down and lay on it. Here is them with a paper plate. It was so cute. He was preceeded in death by his 3 brothers, Mosco, Baxter, and Rico. I have missed the group immensly and I know I'll miss Worth.

Have fun with your brothers little Worth!

Trixie Shocks Us

This death was a surprise. One day she was bouncing around the cage, the next she wasn't. She was a crabby little girl that calmed down with the presence of Boo, a neutered boy. Probably because he was so much bigger than her. And Pixie, an older rattie lady that started out life crabby but ended up a more loving rattie as she got older. Finally figured out people were no longer a bad thing.

Rest in Peace little one!

Cricket Leaves Vermin Village

Cricket was helped to the bridge tonight. I was so hoping the medication would help him but after changing it twice, he wasn't getting any better. I'm so heartbroken. I know you don't have favorites but he was incredibly sweet. Every time you held him or put your hand in, he'd run over and groom you. He loved to just sit and be pet. It was made doubly hard because he was a black and white hooded that looked like Tickle and Mr. Chuckles. He was 2 years old.

Run and be healthy little adventurer. You will be so missed.

Molly's Crappy Tumor

Sadly, Molly passed away while I was at the rat show. This was a bit unexpected because she'd been doing pretty good. The tumor near her eye was getting bigger but it didn't look to be causing her any trouble. She still was an active little girl and would run to the door to greet me. (Of course she'd run away when I reached in--little stinker. ) I'm so sorry little Molly! Rest in peace and be healthy at the bridge!

She is awaiting private cremation at OHS.

She is survived by her sister Mischa and her cage mate Remi. Luckily Mischa and Remi get along very well. Bit squishy boy and little Mischa curl up together in the hammock or inside their house. It is very cute.

Water Bottle Filling Mania!

I have 47 water bottles in use at a time. Yes, cleaning water bottles is a big affair here. lol I have 2 or more water bottles on each cage OR a water bottle on each level. Anyway, I was using a Brita filter but that takes forever. I wanted to put a water filter on my bathroom faucet so while at Home Depot today to get shelves, we went over to look at bathroom faucets. None really fit. Then I thought it would be nice to have something on the shower to switch back and forth. And do you know, they actually make water filters for showers! We got a Danco Diverta Valve, 86" shower hose and a shower filter. I couldn't wait to try it so I cleaned water bottles just to try it out. OMG it is so awesome. It took no time at all to refill them. I still use a pitcher because the hose shoots the water out too fast but just using the phrase "too fast" in a statement about water filters is awesome!

Lady Fu, Chip and Dip

3 hamsters have joined Vermin Village. Lady Fu is Chip and Dip's mother. A good friend adopted the other 2 children from her litter.

Lady Fu is a large fuzzy Teddy Bear hamster. She actually looks a combination of a teddy bear and a golden variety. The two children I have both look more like golden hammies. The other two that my friend adopted looked like their mother.

Lady Fu is so named because EVERY time you go to pick her up, even if awake, she adopts a defensive stance. I call it her Kung Fu pose; therefore she is Lady Fu.

Her children are still so tiny. While they all need more socialization, they are such adorable little syrians that it reminds me of the tea set in Beauty and the Beast film by Disney. Therefore they are Chip and Dip. They are VERY active. Right now they will continue to live together until the 22nd. Then they will be separated.

Welcome Lady Fu, Chip and Dip.

Merriweather Arrives at Vermin Village

Merriweather has finally arrived at the Village. She was staying with another friend for a bit until I could make room for her. She was a snake tank reject. (She was purchased for food, snake didn't eat her and she was placed on CL.) She is shy but very sweet. She tasted my hand yesterday but immediately let go. She is a bit anxious about being held so we will continue to work on socialization so that she can be the best rattie she can be.

Welcome Merriweather!

Luke Is Helped to the Bridge

Sadly, I had to help Luke to the bridge. I was cleaning the cages and noticed that Luke was having a really hard time. He's been battling respiratory illness on and off for some time now. His chest appeared to barely expand anymore. I am very upset over this. I knew Sherman, Luke's cage mate, was going to have a hard time with this.

I pet and talked to Luke as he slipped away. He was then prepared to be taken to OHS for private cremation.

Luke was adopted with his brother Owen. Owen was also about 6 months older than Luke. Owen passed not long after he came here due to respiratory issues. It all happened rather fast!

Eventually, Luke and Sherman were introduced. Both being intact males, I had to be very careful. They hit it off right away. I was amazed. Sherman didn't like anyone else I had tried to introduce him to before.

When I left, Sherman was huddling in the front corner of his cage. Sherman is actually considerably older than Luke--Sherman is almost 3 years old. He is still very spry and big and cuddly. It was hard leaving him home while I came to California on vacation. I'm hoping he is ok. There wasn't time to arrange for him to stay with someone else. My husband is taking care of the little guys but I know that it is hard to spread yourself so thin with only one person there. I don't have anyone to put with Sherman. Sherman was actually very hard to find a buddy for. I was amazed that he and Luke hit it off. Luke, half the size of Sherman, used sleep on top of Sherman like a rattie blanket.

Rest in peace little Luke! You will be missed.

Cage Parts for PC-1822

I had some custom cage parts made for Quality Cages PC-1822. I had them make a sheet metal powder coated shelf and a hooked ladder so the ratties could get up to it. The shelf is attached via screws. I actually picked this up on August 22nd, but I didn't put one together until now. They are awesome. I will only be using them for when I go on vacation for now. My 2 furkids that are housed downstairs will be housed upstairs in these cages to make it easier for John to feed and take care of everyone.

Drape Is Helped To the Bridge

Drape was helped to the bridge today. After a long bout of respiratory issues, it just became too much for the little guy. He was the last of his cage mates. His "wife" Sprite, passed earlier.

Drape was adopted when Chester came to Vermin Village. He and Chester were introduced and became best buddies. This was the first introduction I'd done with intact males. They did very well and I was most impressed. Particularly because they were both 6 months of age--not a good age to introduce intact males. I think they were both exceptional in that they wanted a friend.

They were soon joined by Eddie, Dumbo, Diego and Hades. All intact males. Eddie and Dumbo were a bonded pair as were Diego and Hades. Sadly Hades and Dumbo were the first of the group passed, Eddie followed and more recently Diego.

Rest in peace little one.

Collapsible Carriers Are Here

The news on here has been sooooooo bad that I needed to place a positive post! The new collapsible carriers by Quality Cages are HERE. I bought my first one. It has a 3 inch high pan, and is 10" high x 10" wide x 18" long. It has a full flip top and handles on each side. The best part, is that it folds into the tray for storage. Yeah! I'll be bringing some to the RatsPacNW Fall Show to sell. They have several in stock now! I hope they get it on the web soon but if it sounds like something you want, give the folks a call. Their website is www.qualitycage.com. Additional contact information can be found there.

As far as I'm concerned they make the best quality of cage. The coating lasts a LONG time, longer than others, and they like to have their cage be of a certain strength so they don't bend. They are really good about custom jobs and they are a manufacturer here in the US so quality control is great.

Diego Slips Away

Diego has sadly slipped away, leaving his cage mate Drape behind but joining his other cage mates at the bridge. Chester, Eddie, Dumbo and his brother Hades are already there to greet him at the bridge. He always looked at you as if deciding whether or not he wanted you to pick him up or if he wanted you to chase him--as a game. He was very gentle. I was crushed the day his brother Hades passed. I think it was made easier for Diego because
he had other friends to be with. He is survived by his last cage mate, Drape, who has also been very ill.

Rest in peace little one.

Libby Passes In My Arms

In a double whammy this morning, Libby, the bunny soft fur rattie girl, also taken from the Bonnie L Hayes animal shelter, was found this morning in great distress in her cage. Our house has central air so I know it wasn't the heat. She had bloated up at some point with some serious water retention so I can only think she had a heart attack sometime before I got in that morning. I picked her up and didn't take 10 steps to get to the top of the stairs in my house and she passed in my arms. I'm sad she has gone but glad that she waited for me, although I know she had to be in great pain. I pet and gave her a kiss as I was walking and kept telling her to wait and then she was gone.

She has been prepared and is awaiting transport to OHS for private cremation.

Colonel's Last Adventure :*(

It is with great sadness that after Colonel's adventure on Friday and Saturday appears to be his last one. Taken from the Bonnie L Hayes animal shelter in Washington County through a friend, he was brought to Vermin Village for his retirement. Apparently last week was not his only escape adventure and he was brought in to the shelter as a "stray." Given that he was pretty raggedy looking, it doesn't surprise me that he was wondering around although people often use that as an excuse when they are "tired" of a pet. (And given that hamsters have such a short lifespan, quite frankly I find that very appauling.) Anyway he had a great time here and he loved hanging out in my husband's pocket.

I found Colonel had passed in his cage sometime during the night as he had passed when I found him this morning.

Colonel's Adventure

It started sometime Friday after I left for work. (I frequently clean cages before I go to work.) Colonel was in his carrier while his cage dried. He apparently was not satisfied with this. I went in when I got home that night and OMG his carrier was OPEN--I mustn't have fastened it well. :/ I searched and searched but could not find him. I have 4 cats. Needless to say, I was freaking out. The ONLY other escapee I've had was the late Precious and she came when called (and she escaped because I failed to shut the door so basically she had an invitation too). My husband is in Texas, I had to go see the vet today (Crinkle, one of my boys has a UTI, Brick, my big boy and Crinkle's brother has a respiratory issue and Molly was going in for her eye check.) I had to do errands today as well since I'm housebound on Sunday. So I set my female hammie on the floor in a carrier and put some food and water out and blocked off the area with the Plexi Glas play pen. (The cats don't jump this, I don't know if they can distinguish that it is only so high.) Anyway, no luck. I headed up again about 30 minutes ago and was just "quiet". I hear a faint rustling in the computer room. (The cats are either downstairs or in our bedroom so I KNOW who it is--the computer room is also our storage room.) The rustling gets more pronounced. I head into the computer room and home in near my husband's computer. I look in his trash can, and there was Colonel. Apparently he smelled some food and drink in there and jumped in. I was never more glad in my life. I gave him kisses and of course he squirmed as if to say, "Just get me my house, my food, and my water save the affection for later lady!" He is now safe and sound. And each of my kitties will get a treat for leaving him alone. Ugh. I feel like I've been on a roller coaster.

Hope all is well with everyone!

Susie Joins the Group

Susie was adopted today from the Oregon Humane Society (OHS). She is about 18 months old. She is part of their second chance program and came from the Mt. Shasta area. She had just gotten placed on the "floor" when I happened in there. She was huddled in a corner. I asked where her paperwork was. Took her home today. Right now she is chilling in a carrier in the bathroom with some food and water and blankets. I'm cleaning cages tonight so she'll move in right away with her new friends. To make it really interesting, I'll be merging 2 cages together anyway. Luciano (neutered boy), Spot (neutered boy), Pip (spayed girl), Smudge, (spayed girl), and Gretta, Hannah, and Betsy, Sammie and Brixton and now Susie will be sharing a 4 level tower.

All is well!

Patches Says Goodnight

Patches passed away sometime this morning. He was about 2 years old and was adopted from a family off of CL. (Same family I got Nona and Sherman from.) He was a sweet little guy and lived with Pip, Spot, Smudge and Luciano.

He has been wrapped in a piece of blue fleece and prepared to go to OHS for private cremation.

Rest in peace little one.

Merriweather Hits the Lottery

A little rattie girl had made her way on to CL after a person had purchased her for their python. Python not interested. I hemmed and hawed and emailed a friend, that emailed a friend and she is now at that friend's house. My friends will keep a hold of her until I get back from the show before she moves here. This other friend does not have ratties.

Welcome to Vermin Village little one.

This picture was taken from CL.

Mischa and Molly, Remi and The Alberta Boys (Black and Blue)

Today is the 2nd day that Black had his "daily dose" of his heart medication. While he has dropped quite a bit of weight, I'm hoping he will start eating more. This afternoon he seemed more alert and moving around a bit more. I've been feeding them baby food to help stimulate his appetite and give him something he can swallow relatively fast. His brother Blue is just fine--and probably ate most of the baby food.

I asked Emily if they could stay with me so Black could be checked again by Dr. Surrency and to make sure the heart medication, now that it is daily, helps him. Otherwise, he may be too sick to travel. He gets stressed really easily and gets short of breath. :(

Molly appears to be doing better. She is very busy redecorating her half of the cage. She still has the opening on her face, but it hasn't gotten bigger and the edges of the wound appear to be finally healing, although whatever that tissue is has not disappeared. She is still taking oral antibiotics and getting topical cream.

Molly takes her medicine so well and she puts up with me kissing her belly and giving her scritches. I think she can't make up her mind as to whether or not she likes it.

Mischa, the little hussy, was sleeping on top of Remi in the hammock when I was getting Molly to give her her meds tonight. So cute. Remi was lying there in bliss now that he has a rattie girlfriend that cuddles with him. The pathetic ham.

So for Molly I'm cautiously optimistic. For Black, I'm waiting anxiously that he'll improve.

Vermin Village Update

The last 3 of the original concept cages have gone off to their new home. Some friends picked them up tonight and they'll make their way to Albany. Hopefully they'll be well used. :)

I'm keeping a hold of ratties Black and Blue right now in the hopes that Black will improve. He started the full dose of heart medicine today and he still isn't looking all that great so hopefully the daily dose will help. Poor little guy. Blue is doing wonderfully.

Molly is doing ok. She bounces all over her cage so she doesn't let her wound slow her down! Both Molly and Black will go to the vet next Saturday so they can get a recheck.

Update on Precious the Hammie

It appears no one wanted to adopt Precious except the 3rd party that expressed an interest but now my husband doesn't want her to leave. She is so soft and likes to hang out in his pocket. We ordered a wheel for her today. They should be here in a week or so.

Right now they are living in collapsible Large Deluxe Rat cages but as some of my other rat cages empty :*( they will move into them as they are even bigger and a bit easier for me to clean on my schedule. And they are easier for me to get into as the Large Deluxe Rat cages have to sit on TOP of the other cages. I can add balconies to the other cages so they can still tunnel through paper.

Tip Is Helped to the Bridge

Tip had to be helped to the bridge today. He is one of the Corvallis 6. He is survived by his 5 brothers. Crinkle, Brick, Braque, Top, and Mr. Wiggles.

Tip was a lovable little guy. He loved to be cuddled and kissed. He also loved hanging with his brothers. He will be greatly missed. :*(

Colonel and Precious the Hammies!

Someone surrendered 2 hamsters to the Washington County Humane Society. Sadly, this shelter does not keep any animals but cats or dogs, so the animals needed to be moved out quickly. A friend picked them up, another friend held them for me and I picked them up today. I was only going to foster them until they found a home, but the older boy, who I've named Colonel after the Little Colonel's character played by Lionel Barrymore will be staying here. He is older so is in need of a final home.

Both are very gregarious. I've named the little female Precious because she reminds me of those Precious Moments collectibles. Right now they are in carriers, but will move into their new cages tomorrow.

Precious may have a home, but I'm not quite sure yet. Someone else had contacted me first and they were checking on it. If she doesn't find a home, she is welcome to stay here. She is a very sweet little girl. I do have enough cages for her to live here too.

Alex Is Helped to the Bridge

His respiratory illness finally got the better of him. Despite medication it was finally time to help Alex to the bridge. He must have known release was coming because laying him in the box, he just laid down and closed his eyes.

Alex was one of 9 ratties I got from a lady in St. Helens. I got the 7 brothers and the mother and daughter.

Mando is the one that has been written about more because he suffers from heart issues.

Alex is survived by his six brothers, his sister, his mother and last time I checked, his father and another brother.

Rest in peace little Alex.

Eddie Passes in The Night

Eddie passed in the night. He joins his original cage mate Dumbo at the bridge. Eddie and Dumbo came to me from a family where a little boy became scared of the rats. Dumbo succumbed to respiratory illness quite some time ago. Eddie survived for about a year later.

Eddie was approximately over 2 years old.

While at Vermin Village he of course lived with Dumbo, but then moved in with Hades and Chester. He is survived by his cage mates Drape and Diego. They too are fairly frail as they are also over 2 years old.

Rest in peace little one.

Peepers and Poppers

Peepers and Poppers are Syrian hamsters that have joined Vermin Village. They arrived June 22nd. I adopted them from CL from a person that had them living in the same cage. I've since separated them. They are waiting to move into their new cages....http://qualitycage.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=129_231_240&products_id=1380. Right now they are living in smaller cages, their new cage will be ready Friday.

They are really sweet and I hope they really like it here!

Bella Is Helped to the Bridge

Bella had multiple tumors crop up not long after her first surgery for tumor removal. Given her age and the number of tumors that cropped up, the decision was made to keep her comfortable as long as she was comfortable. Sadly, that was until today. I picked her up to give her some cuddles and one of her tumors had ulcerated. She has been wrapped in her blanket and awaits private cremation.

Her favorite thing to do was stuff her hammock full of newspaper!

Rest in peace little one.

Rat-A-Rama 2009

The trip and show were TOTALLY AWESOME! Rattie friends united in Boise, Idaho this past weekend on June 20th for Rat-A-Rama 2009.

The start of my journey was taking the Max to NE 82nd Street to meet some friends for breakfast..the gathering for the exchange. We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast with the bestest (yes I know) company of friends, fellow rat enthusiasts!

Then it was off to Jantzen Beach to meet the fellow travelers from Vancouver, BC with stops in the greater Seattle area to us (in Portland, Oregon). In the parking lot at Target you saw a mad exchange, me for some ratties. lol

Bungeeed into the "POS" van (as termed by our fearless leader on this trek), we were off. I actually didn't know them very well but had met them before. But we are a group of people with a love for rats and the drive to Boise, Idaho was fast (at least to me). Little fuzzies all around and I probably talked everyones' ears off. lol

We were taken in by another fellow rat enthusiast and we mobbed her house, we had joked on the way there saying we were descending upon our hosts. Pretty much, "Hi, where do we put our ratties? Where is the bathroom? When do we eat? Can we see the ratties? Where are we sleeping? Oh and by the way, how are you? In the end it sort of worked out that way. lol Our hosts were very lovely. They had awesome pets too!

Those showing their ratties bathed them and I got to dry some of them. They were all so cute!

As we buttoned down for the night, rattie pairings were occurring. I asked my new friends if we had to listen to rat porn tonight. lol Frankly I was too tired to hear anything and passed out. This ended Friday night.

Saturday morning we were up bright and early. Showered, the van was loaded with ratties going to the show and supplies for tables. I wasn't showing ratties and didn't feel I helped very much, but I did iron the Rosette Award Ribbons. It was me against the satin! Resistance was futile! I had the iron. ;-)

Eventually we piled into the van and off to the show we went! I wasn't quite sure what to do so Little Mischief Rescue had me set up the table. I was sitting next to the Breakfast Bunch Rattery's table and babysat the table and made some sales. The judges gave me a job to run the calculations. Made a few mistakes but finally got it going at the end there. I eventually moved to the judges table to help with the calculations and asked a few questions while they judged. It was all very interesting. And of course the ratties were all very cute.

Of course I took a break a few times and ate some food from the wonderful vendor outside. Turns out they were from Hillsboro, Oregon. They were very nice. I ate way too much...yum Hawaiian Shaved Ice... I was interviewed by the Idaho Press Tribune. I ordered a copy of the paper today (turns out a co-worker had his father save it as well).

As the show winded down, the raffle was announced. I won a wooden hut and treats and a plushy toy to add to my collection at my desk at work. And then it was over.

We cleaned up after a very long few days and left for sanctuary.

We ended up at the Golden Corral for dinner. We see the commercials in here Oregon but have never been. It was VERY good. I think they could rival many casino buffets. I don't know if I could eat at Hometown Buffet again. To top it off, it was only a few dollars more than Hometown Buffet (because our drinks are separate), but they also refill them for you.

Then we headed back to the house and while rats were reorganized in preparation for the trip, I went into a food coma. I guess I talked a bit when I became semi-conscious at times, but I was very tired. lol

Then I woke up in time to go to bed. Again, more rattie porn occurred. And again we were too tired to hear them anyway. (Does this all just make you think Barry White should have been playing in the background. lol)

The next morning was kind of sad because we had to leave so soon. Although by this time I'm sure our hosts wanted their house back. lol We ferried stuff and ratties back out the van and the master packer packed them up again. We had breakfast and then went to the car rental place to add another driver so another could drive. Then we were off.

The trip back was fast too! Before I knew it we were at my house. We loaded up the food and supplies that I had picked up for them (some they purchased and other was donation) to head back up to Canada. And away they went. I walked in the door and pretty much passed out.

So that was the trip. I had so much fun and hope we can do it again next year! If you get the opportunity to go, I highly recommend it. It inspired me to train to become a judge.

I want to thank everyone that made the trip so enjoyable and the organizers that put the show on.

small note: You may all notice I never really identify anyone in this blog, if you happen to email me and say you don't mind, I do go through and change the story, but I feel there is enough invasion of privacy without adding to it here. :)

Revolution For Rats

Disclaimer: This is what I do for dosing my babies. Please consult a qualified vet before administering medication to your fuzzy babies.

Having so many fuzzy babies, administering Revolution can be expensive. I found that according to the product insert, the inactive ingredient is 70% Isopropyl alcohol aka rubbing alcohol. The dosing for rats shown on most sites is based on strength of medication given to kittens, which is 60mg/ml (15mg is in the package because it is 0.25ml).

Of course with the tubes that have 120mg/ml, you can just cut the dose in half, but I find the smaller ticks harder to read and since I have so many ratties, I like the fact that I can just use one tube to get through 2, possibly 3 administrations for all of my little ones.

Click on the image below to see the chart.



I store this in an Amber Boston Round Glass Bottle 1/2 oz w/cap. I found these bottles at a store based in Seattle, Washington, Specialty Bottles. I label the bottle, along with the medications expiration date and store it out of the light and in the temperature suggested by the packaging.

Note:  You need to call Specialty Bottles to order the bottle and ask for a poly seal cap so that the contents do not evaporate, the cap they sell with it on the website is NOT a poly seal cap.

Rat Guide information on dosing rats: http://ratguide.com/meds/anti-infectives/selamectin_revolution.php

References:
Efficacy and Safety of Selamectin
(Stronghold®/Revolution™) Used
Off-Label in Exotic Pets - http://jarvm.com/articles/Vol5Iss3/Beck%2087-96.pdf
Insert in Revolution package
Dosing Information - http://www.revolution4cats.com/docs/pdf/FullInfill.pdf
Additional Revolution Information provided by Pfizer. http://www.revolution4dogs.com/PAHimages/compliance_pdfs/US_EN_RV_compliance.pdf

A hamster, a mouse, and 2 wheels

Oreo is tooling around her new cage like nobody's business. She was running in her wheel. I think she likes it all! She has 3 balconies and a full floor on the bottom. She has a wheel, several cardboard tunnels and different "terrain" for her enjoyment. Good Mews to draw up the mousy smell, Ultra Care Fresh for softness (I don't normally buy this, it was given to me with O-Ren.) And Eco Paper bedding for burrowing. I put in her slice of cheese house and her tunnels and she is in her element. I've attached the two huge water bottles. A bit overkill, but the water bottles I use are easier to clean. I always put 2 in the event one fails.

O-Ren is mistress of all she surveys. I believe hamsters are rather short-sighted. lol She's already taken her wheel for a spin. And when I walked in the room she was running up and down her cage and balconies. Mine....all....mine....

Oreo Makes the Move to Vermin Village

Oreo is an old girlie mouse. She is of course, black and white. She lived in a classroom and now that school is over she needed a retirement home. Vermin Village has empty mouse cages so I contacted her current guardian about bringing her here.

She is a delightful little girl. I went to the storage unit to pull out the cage and will be moving her in it when the new water bottle hardware is attached.

I met the person at Quality Cages and spoke to QC about making me some custom mice cages. I have a good idea of what I would like and I want it as easy as possible to make. :)

I ended up taking Oreo to Home Depot with me because I couldn't find my staple gun staples. What a dork! lol But my husband needed stuff to smoke some brisket--hickory chips, mesquite chips and charcoal. Yum...brisket. People kept doing double takes on seeing a little white and black thing moving around the carrier I placed her in. Hey--she had places to go and people to see!

Welcome home Oreo!

O-Ren Relocates to the Village

Vermin Village has never had a hamster resident and this one was looking to need a new home. She needs more socialization. I picked her up for the first time just now and she was incredibly scared. She is incredibly soft!

I've renamed her O-Ren after one of the female assassin in Kill Bill. At her original home, she had originally been housed with her sister and she ended up killing her sister. :( The pet store had sold them to live together, knowing they were going to be living in the same cage. :(

She is hanging out in a smaller cage while her new cage is being prepared for her. She'll move in tonight. She is a very active little girl. My husband purchased a wheel for her so she'll probably be happy to get that.

I've prepared a cage 3 times the size of the cage she is in now. Lots of toilet paper rolls and lots of hides and treats. I use Good Mews on the bottom to draw any wetness and shredded newspaper on the top for her to tunnel through. I'm sure she'll have a great time.

Ratties Move....New Cage Purchase

Libby has been moved to the downstairs BC-6. She is living next store to Bella. Bella has been moved from the home with the 5 girls. They do ok, but Bella has 4 tumors and Libby needed a friend. Bella was ok with the other group of girls but she was not so bonded that she didn't like the change. She seems to love having a part of a cage to herself and still be able to visit with Libby.

Libby also has a small tumor and she is also pretty old. :( So they are two little old ladies that hang out side-by-side in their hammocks.

Mimi and Junior were moved back downstairs into a BC-6. Junior still gets a bit nervous around a lot of noise but he so enjoys hamming it up when he knows you're looking at him. These are the 2 I hope to put the 2 spayed girls with. Mimi is also spayed of course.

Sherman and Luke are in the lower BC-6. They have lots of fun. I've thrown in lots of newspaper in all of the cages and they've gone to town with making nests. It cracks me up to see the 2 boys in their hammocks with newspaper all around them. They have blankets too but it must be something about the paper. lol

Upstairs, the BC-7s are waiting to be cleaned. Remi is currently hanging out downstairs while this is happening. Remi will be moving into a split BC-7 with Cricket on the other side. Hopefully they will get used to each other so the divider can come out. Potter and Joey are also in a carrier waiting for the BC-7 (they used to live in a BC-6). I've downsized the room to 2 stacks of BC-7 and moved all of the BC-6 downstairs. Of course the 4 custom multi-leveled cages are still up there.

Trixie, Pixie and Boo have moved into Tickle Tower! (Remember Boo is neutered.) So far so good. Since Libby has moved downstairs, she was living in the upper level of the Tower, there was more room to move the 3 in. Boo doesn't know quite what to do. The tower has lots of stuff for them to play in and hammocks to sack out in. Sadly, the matriarch, Shäst, has really slowed down. I'm hesitent to move her though. I put everthing she needs on the level she stays on. Although water is available on all levels. She spends most of the time in the hammock. I don't want to move her out because her friends Lucy and Nona are good company for her and take care of their old friend.


I did purchase a used Quality Cage, BC-11 1/2 cage from a private party. I went to Quality Cages and purchased a stand, as shown in the picture. I also had extra doors made for easier cleaning. I also need to purchase 2 more doors to cover the nest box holes, but that is not a problem! Turns out they made a new product for the chinchilla cages. It is a powder coated metal shelf. So I got 3 of those to try out in this cage. I'll see how they work and might order more, maybe even wider shelves. It's so exciting. The cage is very big, but if I keep it downstairs, which is where it will eventually end up, I can just roll it out the front door to clean. Currently, this cage is in storage.

Anyway, it has been very busy at the village.

Mischa and Molly

I'm adopting two little girls from Little Mischief Rescue. www.littlemischiefrescue.org. I highly recommend if you are looking for rats, to consider this organization.

I'm having the little girls spayed before they come down. It is WAYYY cheaper to do under the deal with the rescue....$44 per rat vs. over $200. This opens up the groups they can join when they move here. I'm hoping to put them with Junior and Mimi. But we shall see.

These little girls were dumped near a pet store in Canada. :( What is freaking wrong with people?!?

Anyway, I'm loking forward to meeting these soulful little girls! They'll be here on June 19th!

Health Checks and First Penis Plug

I do health checks on my babies. I check for tumors, any abscesses or injuries. This week was no different, except they were also getting their Revolution doses.

Poor Bella has 5 tumors. She's already had one removed and then this "crop" came up. She is about 3 years old and since so many have come up, we've opted to NOT have surgery. She is being moved downstairs with Libby as her next door neighbor. Libby too has a tumor, although not as fast growing.

One of Betsy's tumors is slowly getting bigger too. :(

I have had my first experience with penis plugs. Poor Crinkle has to suffer the indignity of having his mama groom him. I noticed during his check his area was a bit dirty. So started to check and out pops a plug. Now this means if I go anywhere, I have to have someone that will clean this area for him twice a day. Don't know why he doesn't clean himself, he is NOT the biggest rat of the 6 brothers...that honor goes to Brick.



Weighed Brick, 800 grams. OMG! Big lump of squishy boy! But he can clean himself just fine!

I'm still doing health checks, but I'm hopeful the rest are all doing ok.

Libby, Bella, Sherman, Luke, Mimi and Joey will be moving downstairs this week.

Knick Departs

Sadly Knick had to be helped to the bridge today. Knick was one of the first few boys adopted from the Oregon Humane Society. He was also here last year when the great "illness" swept through Vermin Village, which is what his brother died during although Knick was the first one sick. That was a very sad time. Knick would have been 2 years old in July. He is survived by his cage mate Remi. He is preceded in death by his brother Knack who died during the Illness and his cage mate, Tank.

Go and play with your friends little one!

Seattle Trip Furkids To New Home!

Today I got up at 5am so I could scrub and change all of my water bottles and clean a cage before heading off to Seattle to escort a pair of rattie girls to their new home. One rattie from www.littlemischiefrescue.org and one from a breeder in Vancouver, BC. They came down on Friday night and stayed in Seattle with another rattie friend. John and I went up there to pick them up to escort them to their new home.

On our way up, a blue and white van with Washington plates, I believe the 1st 3 characters were 554. Persisted in cutting everyone off. There was less than an inch when he tried to squeeze in between every car. I need to get a camera phone, just to take pictures so I can post it on CL...in the rant section. Guy was a jerk.

Before we left with our charges, Lynn gave me the grand tour and I got to see all of the ratties! They were all so sweet. Then my husband braved the stairs (stairs are hard for him) because I was taking too long. (I mean sheesh, I have to see everybody!)

Finally we were on our way south again. My husband stopped at Dairy Queen so I could get ice cream and use the bathroom. He scoped out a BBQ place for next time we had to come up. Anyway, got in to the Dairy Queen and there was a line of 5 people with one person at the counter. I had to turn my license over to get the key to use the bathroom. I was pissed. I left and I didn't buy anything.

My husband stops at the Chevron to fill up. I went in to get the bathroom key and walked out to the door...out of order. ^%$%$#%$###@ So he took me to Burger King as he wanted a soda. I went to the bathroom. And OMG, it actually worked.

We stopped at my brother's in Rainier, Oregon on the way back home to drop off a rice cooker and some stuff my mother had shipped here in December. (The package included long underwear...it's now May. lol) He met the two little girls and thought they were very cute. (He is not a rodent fan as the house has mice....they live in the country and so they are frequently a problem.)

Our visit was too brief but John and I were extremely tired. But it was nice to sit with the little man. All 6'5" of him. hehehe We'll be going there again soon.

We then headed to our new rattie friend's house to drop off the two girls. They were ready to go and met their new mother and hopped into their temporary cage. So cute. They will have a great home with a really wonderful family.

On the way home I was hungry, John was hungry so we went to GoGos Mongolian Grill. It was pretty good. They even have it set up so you could do italian, texmex and asian dishes. It was really cool. I got full real fast!

Finally we got home and I spoke with my neighbor a bit and asked how her ratties are doing and they all appear to be doing well.

Now I'm sitting in my chair typing this entry, about ready to sign off. It was a rattie filled day. The next couple of days I'll spend doing homework, preparing for a midterm and cleaning rattie cages.

Other than the 3 parts were we made wrong turns (although it was more of a case of getting in the wrong lane when exiting a freeway) we made pretty good time.

Hope everyone had a great day!

This trip was in honor of Knick (that will be helped to the bridge Monday), Zeb that was helped to the bridge Saturday and Tank, that passed in the wee hours of the morning Saturday morning.

Zeb Leaves Us

Sadly Zeb had to be helped to the bridge. He was 2 years 7 months old.

Zeb and his pal Nemo came to us from a private party that due to health problems had to rehome them. They were really well loved and even got to go back for a visit. Due to my busy schedule, we never did get to get together again with the boys.

For the last few days of his life, I had him living downstairs in a tote I set up just with him in mind. He didn't have the use of his back legs so everything, including the water bottle were put low. He also got cold easier so while the top had the window in it I hung a piece of fleece over it so it would diffuse air coming into the tub. There was also a small window on the side for air flow and to hang the water bottle.

Having 2 little guys go the same day is very hard. I'm so upset right now.

Rest in Peace little one.

Tank

Tank passed sometime during the night. He had CHF and was on medication. He's been looking rather spry and moving around his cage, I don't know what happened last night but he was laying under the hammock this morning.

Tank is survived by his brothers Potter (who did not live with him as he was brought here separately) and his brother Remi, who did live with him. And his cage mate Knick.

Rest in peace little one.

Duke Passes

Duke passed away early this morning. I walked in and found him curled up right in front of his house. He was a spunky old guy. Poor little guy had a hidden pea pod tucked away in his cage. His brother passed earlier this year.

Rest in peace little one.

Vinyl Walls and such

It's been a while since I posted!

Tonight I stapled clear vinyl to the wall (purchased at JoAnn's). This is to make the walls easier to clean. I have 2 small sections to do. I had already done the opposite wall.

I have to clear up the last section and put their refrigerator on a different stand. Right now it sits on a cheap, wheeled tv stand and I want to put it on a metal rolling drawer set up.

I'm totally bummed because I have to send their medical grade filter (better than hepa) to the manufacturer to get a new cord. I'm going to check ebay out because I saw mine for way cheaper than I paid for it to have a backup.

Tomorrow morning I'll clean the trays on the 4 4-levels. Hopefully sometime this or next weekend I can take pictures of my new cage designs. Too much homework right now.

Libby Takes up Residence at Vermin Village

Libby was taken to the Bonnie L. Hayes Animal Shelter by a family that no longer wanted her. They weren't even nice enough to wait until the Oregon Humane Society had an opening. :( BLH does not keep exotics, except for maybe ferrets. (This policy was set in January 2008.) So exotics are euthanized by the close of business. Luckily, Libby had someone looking out for her because someone at BLH called a friend of a friend and said friend than emailed me. So here we are, chilling at the laptop watching CSI. She's bruxxing madly.

She's a black and white hooded rattie. She appears to have a mite issue, so she'll be treated with Revolution. But she has the SOFTEST fur I've ever felt on a rat. Bunny fur!

She sure does like to drink a lot of water! She is also over 2 years old. The people couldn't even commit to keeping her for life. :/

Anyway, she has some sneezing so she'll start antibiotics. Her life has recently been quite chaotic so a little stress is understandable. She appears to have a small tumor as well. Total bummer that.

She is also an AWESOME lap rat. She just totally flops out!

Nemo Laid to Rest

Nemo, a gregarious little boy, was put to sleep this evening. He came to vermin village with his buddy Zeb. They are both about 2 and a half years old! Nemo loved treats and always greeted visitors at the cage door. He had slowed down quite a bit this past month and he was to the point this week he was unable to really get around at all. :( After monitoring him, it was decided he would be better playing at the bridge and able to eat as many treats as he wanted without losing his boyish figure.

Rest in peace little one.

Starsky

Starsky was put to sleep this evening. She was a real sweet little girl that came to vermin village from a family in Camas, Washington. Sadly, her younger cage mate, Dottie, passed last year. Starsky was moved into the big girl's cage. She seemed to fit well with them. A few months ago I noticed she started to go blind. But for a rattie, that isn't too much of a handicap. This past week she appeared to have suffered a stroke and could not sit up without falling over. I tried a few days to see if she could get around. She had too much trouble.

Rest in peace little one.

Show and Our Ratties

Due to throwing too much in on Saturday, we missed the spring show RATS! :( We got there in time for dinner. ::sigh:: But we did get our Harlan, thanks 3GR! and we were able to help Little Mischief Rescue out by donating 3 3-levels of my prototype cages and 1 of the divided cages I modified for ratties. We also hauled 12 bags of food to another club member's parents' house for storage for LMR as well.

This is the last time I rent a van to go to the show for some time. I'll just have to see about carpooling instead because storage is at a premium in our house and it is just too much to haul all that food about. That is too bad because the food itself is a good price, it is everything else that pushes it up. That in conjunction with the time and energy expended to get the food here makes it cheaper to just go ahead and order it online.

Mimi Chokes

At about 9am, I gave my little girl Mimi a piece of homemade tortilla chip. She started to drool and fold her ears back and her mouth opened really wide. I have no car, but my husband works close. Finally at about 9:30, she cleared it. She is now grooming me. Her way of saying sorry for scaring the hell out of me. My husband was ready to fly home and take her to the vet. No more tortillas for her!

One of the touching parts of the event was that Junior dragged a blanket over to Mimi and spread it out so she could lay on it. Then he'd check her mouth and run to the cage door. He gets the hero award today!

Cricket's Great Adventure

When I came home last night, I gave Cricket, Worth and Tutu a nutball. They are currently in the smaller carrier cages in the kitchen so they can get used to each other. The carriers have a sliding door on one end as they are actually bird carriers that work great as rat carriers. Anyway, I went on my merry way.

The next morning I was moving the 2 bags of rat food on the kitchen table when I noticed something out of the corner of my eye. I turned and Cricket and was running across the top of the cage!

I scooped him up and put him back in the carrier and realized I left his slider door open!

Once he was back in his carrier, I went to move the food again and realized the bottom paper bag had a hole in it. It turns out Cricket had jumped from his carrier, onto the overhanging plastic tray, ran across that, jumped out onto the stack of food bags, and then made a hole in the food bag on the bottom, grabbed a lab block and ran back to his cage! He had apparently been at it ALL night. When I looked in his carrier, he had over a cup and a half of food tucked in his blankets! I thought he took his food out of his dish and had hidden it in his blankets.

The intrepid Cricket now has a clip across the slider door, just to make sure that he didn't push it open.

All 4 of the cats were good and left him alone during his night antics!

Tutu AKA Ratatouille

Tutu, joined the village last night, March 25, 2009. He is a black, dumbo berkshire boy. He is about 2.5 years old and very sweet. He also ate a bunch of lab blocks right when he got here! Crunch...crunch....crunch. Since he is older than I thought he was, I am going to try to place him with Worth and Cricket to see how he does. I'll do that tonight.

I just wanted to put down that he came here last night.

I change the names of ratties that come in with particularly long names. Ratatouille was the name of several ratties I've gotten in the past 2 years, due to the film, which refers to the "dish." Tutu is not for the skirt, it keeps 1 phonetic syllable of his original name AND it is the name of a Nobel Peace prize recipient.

Cricket has come to town

Cricket is a sweet little rattie boy, about 1 and half years old. When Mosco passed last week I was trying to think of who could be his brother Worth's new buddy. But I'd actually wanted a single male to introduce Worth too as he is a little reserved. Enter Cricket. Cricket was put on CL because his previous owner wasn't able to spend time with him. I knew he was the perfect age to get along with Worth. Worth and I headed over and visited and now Cricket is home with us. We took a little jaunt to my friend's house to say hi since it had been two weeks since I'd visited. She made the kids some veggie and fruit plates and gave them a nut ball. They really enjoyed their picnic. She sent me home with a "rattie" bag of nut balls for the other kiddos.

For the rest of the night, both Cricket and Worth will stay in the carriers tonight and move into their new home tomorrow after they are treated with Revolution. They'll be set up in a "split" cage so that they can get really used to each other before moving in together.

Losses at Vermin Village

Sadly, my population of ratties are getting older so I will be experiencing a lot of loss here at vermin village over the next few months I'm sure. I have several rats over 2 years of age and many getting closer. Some are not in good of shape as others due to breeding and others simply to how they were treated before they were adopted and brought here. :(

I make sure the ones here know they are loved, they have huge cages in which to play if I don't get them out everyday and they get cuddles--if they tolerate it (I have about 5 that while they tolerate being picked up and pet occasionally don't go for the hugs and kisses others do and rather than stress them out, they just get their scritches.)

Earl Says Goodnight

Earl (the rattie to the right) left us this morning. He was fighting respiratory illness and was not doing so well. He is survived by his brother Duke. Earl and Duke were the oldest boys in vermin village. They were 2 years old when they came here. Their original owner was going to dump them in the "wild". A co-worker of his took them in to try to find them a home. They came here. Earl, even when he was really ill, could be found walking 10 minutes a day in his wobust wodent wheel.

Breathe easy little one and play at the bridge.

Isabella's Scream

My husband came rushing down to get me at about 3:20am. He was woken up by screaming coming from the rat room. Half asleep I stumbled up to the room and found Isabella, with her front paw, caught in the water bottle stand. How she got there is completely beyond me. Her paw is a bit pinched. I gave her some pain medicine to help her. She was so sweet. As I was working her loose she was frantically licking my hand. Poor little girl. I'll have to keep an eye on her paw in case it needs to be amputated. My poor little love. Thank God my husband heard her. It happened between 10pm and 3:30. Her paw is a bit swollen so I'm hoping it wasn't so long. :(

Mosco Exits to the Bridge

Mosco was one of the original ratties adopted into Vermin Village. He would have been 2 in July of 2009. He was preceded in death by his brothers Rico and Baxter. He is survived by his brother Worth. He survived the illness that swept through Vermin Village in the Spring of 2008. He and his brother could be found cuddling together in their hammock or igloo. He was in the picture featured in Veggie vs. Rattie. which was actually about the Corvallis Crew, but the picture was so adorable, I had to include it in the story. The calm after the storm.

Rest in peace little one. You will be missed. My giant floppy rattie boy.

Precious Passes

My only little lovey hairless girl, Precious, passed sometime today. The girls in Tickle Tower covered her with all of the blankets in the cage except the one she was laying on. I'm glad she got to spend the last couple of days of her life in the brand new cage surrounded by her friends. I was thinking of moving her, Shäst, and Starsky into a single level cage as they have all slowed down a bit. But now I don't think that is a good idea because one would be alone. Their lives are just too short. I have to say I'm glad she lived as long as she did, she was one of the ratties affected by whatever had swept through Vermin Village in the spring of 2008. I am guessing she was around 22 months, but she could be a bit older. She was adopted from Craigslist from a little girl that bred her to sell the babies back to the pet store. Of course that never pans out well so she rehomed her. Precious was a great girl and she and Shäst hit it off really well. They were soon joined by many other girls in Tickle Tower. It was for Precious and Shäst that I got the idea for the original design of my Quality Cage cages. So while Tickle and Mr. Chuckles get credit for founding Vermin Village, the girls get credit for my quest for the best cage.

Rest in peace little one.

Our Tickers Need Help & Tank and Mando Hijack the blog!

Our skin parent is taking a break from writing so I had Tank hop on the keyboard with me so we could enter our thoughts on this visiting the doctor business.

Mommy took us to the doctor to get our tickers rechecked. First, the nurse came and weighed us. It is so embarrassing that everyone knows our weight! We are now on heart medication for life. :( But hopefully with the medication, it will be a nice long life, so that is ok. Mommy is going to get our medications from nw compounders, http://www.nwcompounders.com/. The pharmacist there has a reputation for making our rattie medications taste good! And the medications get sent right to our door. (Damn, that sounds like the contact lens commercials.) We also like the fact they are a local company as our mommy likes to use local first.

Anyway, back to this doctor business. Ok, what is with that big metal cold thing being pressed to us? Please. It is so cold! Blow on it first! Oh all right, maybe it isn't that cold, but can't you imagine us thinking that? ::sigh:: [This typing is hard work! Between our 8 paws and 2 noses and keeping ourselves from swatting each other with our tails...] I myself have to say the scritches are nice. And the doctor is very gentle with us so maybe it isn't such a bad thing.

It is good to be a rat in mommy's house. Me and my brothers finally moved into our multilevel cage. OMG!! It is 3 stories with hammocks and a wheel and an igloo and tunnels and balls and stuff stuff stuff! We are getting new chew toys soon too. Tank and his brother and friend Knick have been living in their new cage already. They have a single level divided cage. But I have 6 brothers in my family! The cool thing is my rattie Mom, Babs, and my sister, Tina, live in Tickle Tower which is just across the way, so we can call each other whenever we want. Mommy adopted me and my brothers (Mommy calls us snowballs), my sister and mother last year from a nice lady in St. Helens. We were an accidental litter due mistaken gender of Babs when "he" was purchased from a feed store as a friend to our rattie Papa. But no matter, we are ok.

Uh oh, Mommy, just came in. Humph! She thinks we are going to pee on her laptop.

Off we go...........

Gentle Rat Guardian Mocca Laid to Rest

It is with great sadness, Mocca, my 16 and a half year old Siamese/Himalayan kitty had to be put to sleep today. This picture shows him in the pink of health.

We had blood tests run a few months ago and nothing showed up. He was getting thin but he was still very active.

The last week he had really slowed down. He couldn't jump up on the bed and his muscle tone seemed to dissipate overnight. He essentially parked himself on the pillow and didn't move. By Monday, February, 23rd, he wasn't even coming downstairs.

I adopted Mocca from a private party that had an ad up at the vet's office in Rainier, Oregon. She had 2 kittens and a mother cat that needed a home. I was looking for a cat to adopt and I called her. When I got to her house, she asked me what I wanted to do with the cat. I told her I lived in a trailer on my parents' property and he would be an indoor only cat. Instead of picking from the mother and 2 kittens, she brought Mocca over and said he would be better suited because he liked being the top cat. He hissed at me. He cried all the way to my house. I popped him in my trailer and went to the main house while he explored. When I went back to my trailer, he had made himself at home and crawled into my lap and purred.

We lived in the trailer for about a year. He slept under the covers, often with his head on my pillows. Or he'd sleep on my pillow and I'd have to rotate pillows through the night as he'd take it over more and more. On really cold nights, when I put a hot water bottle under my feet, he'd sleep there.

There were a few events that happened while we lived in the trailer. During the winter that year it snowed. Luckily the wood pile was near my trailer because a tree came crashing down and that wood pile prevented it from going through my trailer. Scared the crap out of Mocca and I. I do have a scar on my face where he jumped from my arms in a panic and clawed me.

The other was when I fostering 2 puppies. They were 2 weeks old when I got them (their mother had passed). Initially both puppies lived in a 10 gallon aquarium for about the first 2 weeks. I had to put a hot water bottle in with them. I got them on an 8 hour feeding schedule. I must have done something right, the puppies lived to be adopted by 2 families. But Mocca used to sit on top of the aquarium lid as if he was trying to convey his warmth them. (In all honesty I think he was taking advantage of the radiant heat from the hot water bottle in with the puppies.)

After about a year, Mocca and I made our way to Portland, Oregon so I could continue school up there. I had found a position working for an adult foster care home where Mocca and I could live and I'd work 4 days and get 3 days off. Those 3 days is when I'd go to school. It worked out well and we did this for about 2 years. During which time I got Majah (shown on the cable box), a kitty that would become Mocca's best buddy.

The day Mocca and Majah met, it was NOT love at first sight. My cats had to live in my room with me. It was a fair size room so it was ok. Mocca was fine with the new guy, Majah was not having any part of it. After about 3 weeks of this nonsense, they were sitting at my desk which was in front of the window, which was open. My roommate's dog jumped up on the wall outside of the window and started barking. Mocca and Majah were sitting on opposite sides of the desk basking in the sun. They pulled back and then ran together and huddled together on the bed. They've been stuck together ever since.

Well, after the stint at the foster care home, we moved back home and I went to work at the local hospital. I did that about 10 months, but due to inconsistency of hours, I secured a position with a company in downtown Portland, where I still work today. I had also secured a part time home care position where I could work every other weekend and it would take care of my rent. We did this for almost a year and then my now husband and I moved in together.

Now here is one for the books. Mocca was very possessive of me. When my now husband moved in with me before we were married, Mocca had to tell him who was boss. My husband was lying on the couch in our apartment and Mocca essentially backed up right by the couch right under where my husband's face was and he peed right in front of him onto the sofa. We were upset, but it was so in keeping with Mocca's possessiveness that we laughed too.

Over the years, Mocca put up with Millie, a kitty that was with us a short time but had to be put to sleep because she had an intestinal blockage. Then Plamya, who was 5 years old and had to be euthanized due to cancer. To the addition of Gadget, Deemka and Pajar. To the building of Vermin Village. He was the most easy going cat ever.

I call him the rat guardian because of the first rattie boy I had, Mr. Chuckles. Mocca had jumped up on the arm chair sometime during the night. I had fallen asleep with a very ill Mr. Chuckles in my lap. I woke up just about the time my husband was walking from the stairs and Mr. Chuckles had decided to shift to my shoulder. He was walking up my chest, Mocca woke up, looked at Mr. Chuckles, my husband was ready to pounce, I was groggily coming awake. Mocca tucked his front legs under himself more and layed his head on his chest (I always say kitties look like boats when they lay like this) and went back to sleep. My husband relaxed his stance. I put Mr. Chuckles in the carrier. (And no, I don't put my ratties at risk like this again, I only hold them when I know I'm not going to fall asleep in my chair.)

I once took a personality test for Mocca. His results? Pooh bear kitty. It really fit.

I brought him to the vet on Friday, February 27th, 2009. I didn't want him put to sleep without my husband there too, so our doctor made room for him to come in on Saturday. He gave Mocca some subcutaneous fluids to perk him up.

Mocca and I waited for my husband to get off of work in his work's parking lot. I reclined the car seat back and cuddled Mocca in his blanket. We napped for a bit and I cuddled him for over an hour. I didn't want to go home because I didn't want the other kitties to make demands on me, it was Mocca's time.

When we got home, I tucked Mocca up in bed and took care of other stuff that I needed to do.

The next day I cuddled with Mocca some more. Everything was ready for the final trip to the vet. I had a box ready for his body to be transported to the Oregon Humane Society for private cremation.

It went very quick. He got his sedative shot and went limp. The doctor shaved his foreleg and administered the final injection. He was gone before the doctor got the stethoscope on him, I felt him pass.

I wrapped him in his blanket and we placed him in the box. His remains will be ready for pick up next weekend.

Mocca, thank you for choosing to stay with us for 15 years. You will never be forgotten, our big blue-eyed snowshoe kitty.

Update on Bella and Tank

Bella came through surgery just fine. She's on pain meds for the next few days. Right now she's kicking it in the carrier and she'll move back in with her roomies tomorrow.

Dr. S was able to hear Tank's heart and it is dropping some beats. His lungs sound a tad better. He'll go back in 2 weeks to get rechecked. Hopefully he'll respond well to treatment. His 2 cages mates, one his brother, take turns keeping Tank company as he snoozes. Poor little guy now has 2 antibiotics twice a day, lasix and a blood pressure medication. Yikes!

Sprite Slips Away

Sprite slipped away early this morning. She had been suffering from chronic respiratory illness for the past few months. I actually contemplated having her PTS but when I'd think about it, she'd start darting around the cage. So I would put it off.

Sprite (previously named Tinkerbell) had come to us because her previous owner kept 2 of the babies Sprite had had. (They had put Drape, previously named Hammy, in the cage with her and surprise, ended up with ratlets.) They the babies, keeping 2. I had already adopted Drape so when I saw Sprite up, I took her too. She lived with Ruthie, Tweek and Zelda, but as she got more frail, I moved her on her own. Ruthie, Tweek and Zelda are already at the bridge, so Sprite will not be lonely.

I said good night to her last night after her medicine. When I went in this morning to give her medicine, she had passed, curled up in her hammock. I wrapped her in a clean rattie blanket and tucked her in a box and placed her in the freezer to await transport. She is survived by her "husband" Drape.

Rest in peace little one.

Sammie's Surgery

Sammie's surgery went well. She is resting now in a carrier and will move back in with her cage mates tomorrow morning. She is on pain medication for the next week or so. The doctor was able to do internal stitches so no need for a collar! Yeah!

Joy and Holly Transport

We braved buffeting winds to get to get to The Dalles to transport 2 little rattie girls to their new home in Portland. It snowed in The Dalles this morning, but the roads were clear. It was a pretty drive and was only marred by our car's whistiling due to the wind. Luckly it didn't last the whole way otherwise I swear we would have returned to the Chevy dealership and demanded a car that didn't try to whistle...badly and out of tune. :-)

The 2 little girl ratties were so cute. They explored the tricked out carrier I had set up for the trip.

Our trip back seemed to go a lot faster than getting out there. We dropped the little girls at their new home in Portland and headed to the Oregon Humane Society to pick up Tweek and Zelda's remains. :*(

To The Vet We Go

Well, turns out I was right, Bella does have a small tumor. Sammie and Bella are going to the doctor. Sammie too has a tumor. Right now, Sammie's tumor is growing a lot faster. Her surgery is scheduled for Monday, February 16th. Bella's surgery has been scheduled for Friday, February 20th.

Tank is also going in on Friday. He appears to be having some heart trouble. :*(

Hopefully all will go well.

Bella and Her New Friends

Well, Betsy, Hannah, Gretta, Sammie, Brixton and Bella are getting along wonderfully. It appears I was incorrect with the lump on Bella. It disappeared by Thursday. This is very good news. The girls love their new cage set up and they are all very playful when I go in to visit with them. I don't know of a better group of rats where the introduction went so smoothly. I think it had to do with the age spread and how I worked up to the introduction.

Anyway just a quick note to let original parents know their kids are ok.

Yeah!

Bella News

I did Bella's health check on Friday when she came in. Poor little girl had to suffer the indignity of me pressing on her. But I noticed she had a small part of her belly that looked a bit puffy in part. I check again this morning and the area had gotten bigger. It isn't an abscess, unless she did something to herself. It looks like a mammary tumor. At over 2 1/2 years of age, that would definitely not be uncommon. I spoke with her original parents to give them an update on how she settled in and said I would bring her to the vet to check her out and discuss possible surgery. Although she is older and carrying quite a bit of extra weight, I worry about the anesthetic. But I want to try as she is such a sweet girl and deserves the best care.

Meanwhile, she has integrated WONDERFULLY with her 5 new female cage mates. I couldn't be more pleased with how well they have done. 2 of the girls, Sammie and Brixton came to me as single girls and have been living together for some time. Then 3 girls, Gretta, Betsy and Hannah came from a friend that actually rescues another species and took these girls in. She felt they might do better with me due to my working with ratties. I was glad to take them in. These 5 girls have been living side by side in a divided cage. The divider has now been removed and they were put in a new cage where Bella joined them. I've been really lucky with these girls. I swear by the divided cages, or putting cages right next to each other no space. This way they end up pulling each others blankets through and getting used to each others' sent.

I hope the news goes well with Bella.

Bella Moves to Vermin Village

Bella's family is moving to Alaska. A month ago, after seeing her ad on CL, I wanted to make sure the family didn't feel pressured into just sending her to any home. I made the offer that if they could not find a good home for her, that she was welcome here. This was over a month ago. Last Friday I got the call that they had been unable to find her a good home. So arrangements were made to pick her up Sunday, February 1st.

She is a big girl. Even bigger than Mimi. She is so sweet. Since she was coming from a single rat home, she was able to move right into the village. Currently she is in a smaller cage (smaller than one I actually house my babies in), alongside her soon to be new cage mates.

Bella is over 2 and a half years old and was adopted from the Oregon Humane Society, so she fits right in with the other residents here in that she was adopted!

Cocoa the Gerbil Passes

Cocoa, the last non-rattie vermin in Vermin Village has passed. I was getting her new clean cage all ready. Just had fastened her sand bath in....went to go and get her and she had passed. :*( This ends the last of non-rats in Vermin Village. I had so hoped we had more time with her! She was a real hoot to watch and came when you called. (Most likely because I always had treats for her.)

She is awaiting private cremation.

Rest in peace little Cocoa.

Moe the Mouse Passes

This week has not been good for Vermin Village. Moe, the last mouse has passed. He has joined his brothers and awaits transport for private cremation. :*(

Curly Passes

Curly, the 2nd of three male mice brothers, passed on 1/21/2009. They were adopted in July 2007 just over the age of 3 months. Curly was approximately 20 months old.

The three brothers started their life together at Vermin Village at 3 months of age. They were 3 of the 5 original founders. (Mr. Chuckles and Tickle being the rattie founders.) They originally lived in that plastic housing they sell with all of the tubes. CRAP. I say it again, CRAP. It was hard to clean, smelled within 5 minutes of them being placed in it and it was CRAP. I had the easiest one to clean. Then to top it off, they could escape, so I had to put wire over the door wire. I was so frustrated, I ended up making 2 cages. One for the 3 brothers and one for Pepe. I highly recommend never buying that plastic stuff for ANY animal. Either make your own or go and buy a real cage! They have awesome cages for gerbils and hamsters at Quality Cages, you can visit them at www.qualitycage.com. Mouse cages are another matter, but you can have them make one for you or you can make your own, having them cut the wire for you (because they have the tools to make each piece FLAT). If you do have them make you one, spend the extra money and get it powder coated! For the levels, I used the corner ledges you can get at petstores or online.

Anyway, Curly's remains have been placed with his other brother that has passed, in the freezer. When Moe passes, I'll take them to the Oregon Humane Society for private cremation. They can all be in the same urn together. It was only in the last 2 months upon doing their weekly health check, that I separated them. I noticed Moe had a small lump on him (he is not a candidate for surgery, he's too old). Larry was eaten after he passed so I didn't want the same fate to befall Moe so I put the two brothers side by side in separate cages.

Rest in peace Curly.