:: Obituaries ::
All of our rats have left their own special mark in our lives, and each one is commemorated after they pass on.
19th May 2004 - 22nd December 2004
Ostara had a heart condition that was revealed after moving house in November. She initially became ill through the stress of moving, which put a strain on her heart, but she did recover then (although we did not know the cause of the problem, we treated as a respiratory infection). She seemed to be permanently damaged from the 'infection', but a few weeks later she relapsed into a poor state of health very quickly, and we knew then that it was heart that was the problem. We did the best that we could for her, but it was clear she had given up. When she decided it was time to go, she went before the vet could even arrive. I'm sorry that I couldn't have ended your suffering early, Ostara, but you were just too young to be taken from me, at just 7 months old. I'll remember you always, my beautiful girl that deserved a better chance of life.
September 2003 - 14th November 2005
Silent Bob was one of two bucks I picked up as rescues back in the early part of last year. He and Jay were always quiet, unobtrusive, and didn't really seek out human company. However, they seemed to be very content with the company of any of my bucks - Bob lived with, at various points in his life, Jay, Jake, Frey, Loki, Vidar, Aegir and Frank.. Bob's favourite pastime was biting my hand when I refilled his food bowl. He seemed to find that very satisfying, and although I tried for months and months to persuade him not to bite, it seemed that this behaviour was already learned into him. In the end, it amused me, and it became one of the aspects of his quirky personality that I enjoyed most of all. It was all part of his character - he really did enjoy it, I could tell by the obvious smile on his face!
Bob never was a thoroughly healthy rat, and has at several times been treated with antibiotics for respiratory problems. The last couple of days this was different though, more severe, possibly his heart was giving up too. Last night I got him out of his cage, and held him for a long while, and that was when I knew he had given up the fight. At last, he seemed to agree a truce with me, as if he finally decided he needed my help. I booked an appointment with the vet this morning, but when I returned from work he was already gone. My only regret is that I couldn't help to ensure he crossed over peacefully.
Bob never asked for anything in his life, but gave a lot in his own way - company to his cagemates, whoever they may be, and a few smiles and memories to me. I'm glad you're at peace now Bob, I will miss you.
24th November 2003 - 26th November 2005
Nibbler was my first rat. We chose her from the pet shop, with her sister Lucy. She was a perfect companion, and sparked my desire to have more rats, and to learn so much more about them. She inspired me to pursue rat keeping and breeding.
She was always a bossy rat in her cage, being the most awkward with all of the introduced rats thereafter, as she was the alpha. She maintained her position of alpha through all of the cage groups she has been in, through her entire life.
With me, though, she was a perfect doe - cute, licky, cuddly (on her terms), and perhaps a little bit rounded in her later days. She used to groom my fingers when I poked them through the bars of the cage. Ever since she got traumatically caught up in a hammock one night, and I freed her, we have shared a very special bond.
She was never noticeably ill, throughout her life. She never made a trip to the vets, never touched anti-biotics, never even had a sniffle when the weather changed. To find her laying there, motionless and cold this morning was the biggest shock I have had in a long time. This is the most painful loss of a rat I have ever had.
So many memories, and no time to say thank you. Goodnight Nibbler.
31st August 2004 - 17th December 2005
Ragnarok developed a tumour in his oesophagus that restricted his airways, which was only identified after he passed away. Sadly, this tumour would not have been operable anyway.
Apparently as a kitten, Ragnarok was the naughty escape artist, always getting into trouble! But ever since he came home, he became a very soppy little boy, always licking everything. He could always cheer people up with his character, and as such he did very well at rat shows in the pet class.
He was also a very unusual colour, which nobody could ever decide upon a solution for! Russian dove agouti? Who knows!
It is a sad shame that Ragnarok could not live out a full life, and he leaves a hole in the rattery behind him that will not be filled for a long while.
18th July 2004 - 15th January 2006
Magni always had a strange character, which sometimes could easily be mistaken for illness. As a youngster he would often get aggravated by his cagemates, but he grew out of this by about 8 months old. For a while he was just a lovely, solid boy with the softest of rex curls. During this time, Magni sired a litter with Aredhel.
At about a year of age, Magni went through phases of being very lethargic and listless in his cage. He would continue to eat and drink, but rarely seemed excited about anything. These phases would last about 10 days, before his character came back again. During this time, he had no other symptoms of illness, so the cause of his behaviour were a mystery. It was during a phase like this that Magni was found dead in his cage.
Magni will be missed for the funny, butch, fluffy and complicated rat that he was. It is a shame that I could never truly work him out, but nevertheless, he had a decent, but short life.
9th April 2004 - 16th January 2006
Frey had a severe respiratory infection, that despite a strong course of antibiotics combined with Frey's clear attempt to fight it, couldn't be thrown off.
Out of all the bucks I have had, Frey was the softest, most docile, most cuddly rat. This made him an absolute favourite with people at shows, whether they were judges or spectators. I particularly remember taking him to the Halifax show in 2005, where he was promptly passed around spectators that had no prior experience with rats, and more than a few predispositions to what they thought rats would be like, and Frey dispelled them all. He was a true lap rat, and never behaved aggressively in any way at any age.
Frey was a pleasure to own, and everyone should have a soppy, chilled out buck like him. I'll miss him greatly.
28th November 2003 - 8th February 2006
Lucy developed 2 nasty mammary tumours that gradually took over her body, eventually making her unable to move. Her quality of life was negligible, so she was put to sleep peacefully.
Lucy was probably Nibbler's sister, as they were both collected together, my first rats. Over the time that I have owned her, things have changed dramatically for me and she has been there through all of it. She took a long time to truly come out of her shell, but soon became a bossy rat in her cage.
Seeing Lucy's deterioration was a sad ending to a good life, her stubbornness showed through as she coped for so long with such huge incumbent tumours. I'm sorry I didn't help you a little sooner, but am glad you are peaceful at rest now.
28th November 2003 - 8th February 2006
Willow also developed a nasty, but slow growing mammary tumour towards her back end. It began to split up, and this lead to infection, so she was put to sleep with Lucy.
For a while after getting Willow, she seemed to have a tendency to bite. After a few weeks of careful attention, Willow revealed herself to be a quiet, unobtrusive girl, who more than anything loved to be held and spoiled.
Another striking thing about Willow was her beautiful face. She really had eyes to die for, so big and round, and bright. It was obviously time to go when these eyes became lifeless.
The image of Willow looking at me before being put to sleep will stay with me, her bright eyes had come back. I know she's at peace now, with Lucy.
7th March 2004 - 9th February 2006
Vidar began to decline over the period of about a month, losing weight and condition, it is suspected that kidney damage might have caused this, which a post mortem may confirm.
No rat I've ever owned has been more special than Vidar. He was the first buck I really became attached to, although I already owned Frank and Jake, and Aegir his brother. His personality was entertaining and laid back at times, always seeking attention, which is how I love bucks to be.
Vidar was also special to my breeding plans. He won my first rosette at the NFRS Summer Cup show in Tendring in 2004, and I became aware of his potential as a lovely stud buck for my plans for a mink line. He became sire of my first litter, which is still one of my favourite litters, and also my second litter. He went on to gain 5 stars at NFRS shows, and won stud buck on a few occasions.
Vidar's personality and appearance live on through his son Beowulf, and almost all of the kittens I breed, ensuring that his memory is never lost.
24th November 2003 - 11th February 2006
Rattle's cagemates were both put to sleep 3 days previously, leaving Rattle to live alone. She had lived for many months previously severely underweight, but seemingly unaffected by it, but she decided that she couldn't carry on alone, and died peacefully in her sleep.
From the first day of bringing Rattle home, her poor immune system shone through, as the stress of moving brought on a severe respiratory problem caused by myco. She lived with noisy breathing her entire life, but neither this or the wasting illness she suffered later in her life could dampen her spirit and love of mischief.
Rattle managed to be the most destructive rat I've owned thus far! Among her list of conquests are a Ferplast Jenny and 2 Ferplast Furet XLs. She never liked to be confined!
Rattle has left me with some fond memories, and I'm glad she got to die peacefully on her own terms, unsurprising as she was always very stubborn and got her own way.
24th November 2003 - 25th February 2006
:: Valhalla Roly ::
:: Ripley ::
Ripley was the rat who changed it all for me. My first two rats who were from a petshop, Muffy and Molly, should have been enough to put me off ever keeping rats as pets again as they were so vicious. Somehow, I ended up succumbing to taking Ripley home from a rescue who advertised on the free ads. I was told she was a friendly girl, about 6 months old. When I got her home I was so scared of handling her that I would only pick her up with a glove, which is highly embarrassing now I think back on it as she couldn't have been any more docile and friendly! I soon realised I didn't need the glove and we went on to form an incredibly strong bond. She lived in a Ferplast Jenny cage next to my bed, and I would often wake up in the night to find her asleep on the shelf nearest to me, or sometimes just sat watching over me. She ignored her comfy hammocks just so she could be as close as possible to me. I had her out of her cage all the time and I spent so much time with her, but after researching on the internet I soon realised that Ripley would be better off with some company of her own kind. I contacted Janet and Helen of Artworks Rattery and brought home two little kittens, Megan and Ash, to keep Ripley company. She absolutely doted on the new babies, mothered them completely, but it didn't affect the special bond we had in the slightest - in fact I think she loved me even more for bringing her these special little girls who could keep her company when I was at college/work, not home or asleep. Ripley welcomed many more girls into her gang throughout her long life, she was a wonderful alpha and I nicknamed her momma rat because of the way she mothered her group. When she was around 2 and a half years old, a mammary lump began to form near her back leg. Being less experienced back then, I assumed that she would not be able to go through an operation to remove it so I made the decision to leave it and have her put to sleep when it got too bad. Looking back now, she was in such wonderful health and condition for her age that she would have breezed through the op. Ripley thankfully took the decision of having her put to sleep out of my hands, as she died in her sleep, in the log cabin, surrounded by her cagemates, at nearly 3 years old.
Thank you Ripley, without you my life would be so different. I'd never have had rats as pets again, I'd never have met my fiancé Matt, my best friend Kyra or any of my other wonderful friends. You changed everything for the better, I love you always and not a day goes by where I don't miss you.
:: Nemo ::
:: Valhalla Saffy ::
:: Artworks Ash ::
Ashy was my first proper "licky" rat. She was a very chilled out kitten, and grew into a lovely big adult who was the perfect pet! She lived a really long, healthy life with no problems other than two very tiny, slow growing mammary lumps. When she was around 2 years and 3 months old, I really found that she had become quite baggy and had really slowed down. Her behaviour became quite confused and she often doubled up on herself a bit. The vet spent ages trying to work out what it was but he was just as stumped as me! He presumed it was something to do with the brain, but we treated it as an infection anyway as we didn't know what else we could do. She had a steroid injection and was put on a course of antibiotics and didn't seem to get any better or any worse, but I woke up one morning to find she had passed away in her cuddle cup with both of her cagemates snuggled up to her.
:: Valhalla Molly ::
Molly grew to be a very lovely girl in her older days, although she spent the majority of her time as a youngster being the most nervous rat in existence! When the treats came out, her cagemates would all run to the bars and she would run and hide in a tube! I found Molly had a swelling or lump on her face, and presuming it was a facial abscess I took her to the vets. The vet put Molly under anasthetic to investigate the lump and they found it was actually an aggressive cancerous tumour. It had started to corrode the bone in her face so the incredibly hard decision was made to let her go while she was still under anasthetic. Her beautiful face and gentle eyes are greatly missed.
:: Valhalla Rodreigo ::
:: Valhalla Tessa ::
:: Valhalla Simon ::
:: Lexi ::
Lexi was diagnosed with a pituitary tumour and we were able to stabilise her condition for a few months with steroids. I eventually found that she had passed away in her igloo.
Lexi and Ember were rats I took from a friend’s younger sister. They were originally from Pets at Home and she had gotten bored of them. They came to me in a small hamster cage, bedded on pine cat litter pellets that had turned to dust.
Lexi was very much a “rats rat”. She absolutely adored it when I introduced her into a huge cage with other girls and she completely mothered any new comers. She was never involved in any scuffles or fights and preferred the quiet life of cuddling and grooming with the other girls.
I was very fond of Lexi and her gentle nature, even though I could never really handle her. I am grateful that I had the opportunity to take her in and turn her life around. She had vet care when she was sick, a huge cage, a proper diet, free range time and lots of ratty company, and I like to think that she died knowing that people aren’t so bad, and that she was very much loved and cared for.
:: Artworks Megan ::
Meg was an absolute darling of a rat. As a kitten she was so fast and pingy that I was actually a touch overwhelmed by her, but as an adult she was a big dumpling who behaved more like a buck than a doe and loved to sit with her mum! Meg lived to a fantastic old age and had a very healthy life until she developed a cancerous tumour inside her intestines. The vet investigated and told me that there was nothing they could do and she would eventually have to be put to sleep because once it got too big it would prevent her from eating and going to the toilet properly. She lived with that tumour for many months more with absolutely no negative health effects, and I eventually found that she had died in her cage with no signs of suffering. I miss her absolutely loads and I always think fondly upon the times she used to lie flat out on my lap in the garden, basking in the sun and just being a general teddy!
:: Ember ::
Ember came to me alongside Lexi and she was Lexi's polar opposite! Whereas Lexi was a gentle, nervous little soul who adored the company of other rats, Ember was an absolute nightmare who would beat up little kittens and lunge at your hand whenever it was near the cage! Despite Ember's behaviour I never once for a second regretted taking her in, it wasn't her her fault she was indiscriminantly bred and sold to a child who neglected her! Ember was eventually taken from me by a pituitary tumour, which I managed to control with medication for a while but eventually made her so frail and weak. I hope she is at peace at the rainbow bridge, has lots of ratty friends and doesn't have to feel such anger and aggression.
7th March 2004 - 3rd April 2006
September 2003 - 10th April 2006
18th September 2004 - 30th April 2006
26th November 2004 - 1st June 2006
20th December 2004 - 13th June 2006
7th April 2004 - 13th June 2006
24th June 2005 - 14th June 2006
24th November 2003 - 14th June 2006
9th April 2004 - 15th June 2006
21st May 2004 - 16th June 2006
20th December 2004 - 17th June 2006
6th June 2004 - 18th June 2006
Unknown - 25th June 2006
24th June 2005 - 27th June 2006
Bishop's death was incredibly unexpected. We had not had a death from the mystery infection for more than a week, no more rats were ill and we thought things were finally back to normal. Bishop had shown no signs of illness and had been absolutely fine on the day he died. We had spent lots of time with him that day and we checked on him on our way out to the chip shop at 9pm. At 11pm we went to check the food bowls/water bottles of all the rats before we went to bed and we found Bishop dead. His death was especially hard on Lucy, as he was one of her absolute favourite rats, and after Paris' death too, left her particularly heart broken.
15th June 2006 - 7th August 2006
Wisp was an incredibly precious little girl. When we had the infection in our rattery, a number of kittens from Chasca's very young litter died, and four others became absolutely tiny and skeletal in appearance - around a third the size of their healthy littermates. Wisp was one of these kittens. I battled so hard for these kittens to live, but for two of them, it sadly wasn't to be. Wisp and her brother Cruz were the only two "tinies" left alive, and I became so attached to them. Once they had reached the 6 week mark I started to feel more secure about their future, they were still incredibly small but they seemed to be past the worst. Wisp eventually came down with a very sudden, aggressive head tilt. I took her to the vets every day for over a week for injections, as the head tilt was so aggressive I did not want to risk trying to syringe medication into her in case she didn't swallow some/let it dribble out of her mouth. She seemed to be getting better and I was absolutely over the moon - the head tilt was almost gone! A day later for no apparent reason, we found her just flipping and rolling on the bottom of her cage, unable to co-ordinate herself at all and she looked absolutely awful. We had to make the most painful decision to have her put to sleep and it hit me so hard. My friend Kyra had Wisp's picture printed onto a pillow for me so I can be reminded of that special little girl at all times. No matter how many times I had to force her still so she could have injections, she still was the most trusting, loving little girl, as though she knew we were trying to help her. Rest in peace my forever baby.
Unknown - 13th August 2006
15th September 2004 - 8th December 2006
21st September 2005 - 13th January 2007
17th July 2005 - 26th February 2007
17th July 2005 - 3rd April 2007
24th June 2005 - 12th April 2007
B'Elanna was my little teddy bear lookalike and was a rat of many nicknames! B'El, B'Ella, Banana, Narna. When people at shows asked me her name, they would almost always mishear me and think her name was Banana! Narna always had such a cute, cheeky face. She was a really happy, friendly girl with typical "bad hair day" girly rexing! She was a perfectly healthy girl right up until we got the infection in our rattery, back in 2006. She survived, but she was very snuffley. She was one of the rats we chose to have blood tests on because although she wasn't dying, she was very obviously affected. She was never the same after that and she became very frail and had scarred lungs. We were surprised she lived as long as she did really, although her condition was always very stable and did not seem to worsen before she passed away. She lives on through her wonderful sons and daughters, who have brought nothing but delight to their owners - I very much regret not keeping one of them. I was so sad to have her taken from me at such a young age, but grateful that I at least got to hold on to her for longer than her precious brothers, Bishop and Paris, who were snatched away from me much earlier.
19th February 2005 - 28th June 2007
Maedhros was probably the sexiest buck in existence. In his prime he was around 900g of solid muscle, with the broadest shoulders and head - he was stunning. When he was around 8 months old, he developed cataracts in both of his eyes, leaving him blind. Despite this, he got around just fine and you could hardly tell he couldn't see. He lived with his best friend Fenris for most of his life until Fenris passed away. Maedhros missed his "pillow" and never happily accepted another rat when Fenris was gone. Maedhros gave us a good few giggles with the silly things he did - he loved to "starfish" up the bars at us, relying on his hearing, we presume, to know where to climb. Sometimes, we'd come into the room to find him "starfishing" up the wrong side of the cage, facing the wall! Maedhros knew his name and our voices really well and would always come when he was called. Other than his cataracts he lived an incredibly healthy life until at around 27 months old, hind leg degeneration began to set in. Still, he dragged himself about just fine and was in otherwise good health and condition so it seemed like he would be with us for a long time yet. Sadly, at 28 months of age, we unexpectedly found him dead at the bottom of his cage.
18th September 2005 - 30th July 2007
Unknown - 17th August 2007
19th February 2005 - 22nd August 2007
18th September 2005 - 7th September 2007
9th June 2005 - 10th September 2007
22nd March 2006 - 18th September 2007
24th June 2005 - 18th September 2007
24th December 2005 - 18th September 2007
9th June 2005 - 9th October 2007
Unknown - 23rd October 2007
9th June 2005 - 16th November 2007
3rd July 2005 - 4th December 2007
22nd March 2006 - 4th December 2007
February 2006 - 15th December 2007
22nd March 2006 - 1st January 2008
15th March 2006 - 18th January 2008
1st September 2005 - 23rd January 2008
14th June 2006 - 30th January 2008
7th September 2005 - 4th February 2008
4th November 2006 - 8th February 2008
15th March 2006 - 9th March 2008
3rd May 2006 - 22nd March 2008
1st September 2006 - 30th March 2008
6th January 2006 - 8th April 2008
12th March 2006 - 11th April 2008
3rd May 2006 - 14th April 2008
15th December 2005 - 22nd April 2008
3rd December 2006 - 1st May 2008
28th March 2006 - 3rd May 2008
13th June 2006 - 4th May 2008
