# Bradley â€“ August 2006 to May 29/08



## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

I am trying to figure out why I am sooo upset, and I realized that Bradley was only with me since mid-January, only with me for 4 months! 8O 

Bradley actually lived with my niece for a year (he was part of a joke for a friend of her bf's), I kept trying to get him but my sister kept insisting they knew how to take care of a rat. I never met him until this past Christmas (my niece had him at school). They told me that he â€œdidnâ€™t like to be out of his cage and would bite to let you know thatâ€ . He was alone, on a bad diet, in the same small cage I gave them when he was much younger (they had him in a hagen hamster cage).
My sister got quite offended the first few times I said I would take him or gave them adviceâ€¦sigh. Family are the hardest to deal with. :undecided:
But at Christmas I decided that as soon as I got there I was _going _to hold Bradley. I went up and found him in his cage. I opened one door and he ran to it, then I opened the other door and pushed his butt out. Boy was he surprised!!
At first the claws dug into my arm, but about 10 mins later he was lying draped over my arm, legs dangling, eyes closed as I gently scratched him and stroked him. I came down to the kitchen where the family had gathered and my sister said â€œIs that your rat?â€ (I had brought Dolci and Mattie up with meâ€¦ and Dolci was a pearl merle just like Bradley).

I told her no, and got the inevitableâ€¦â€Thatâ€™s not our rat!â€ â€œYou can hold him! What did you do?â€ â€œHe has never acted like that with us!â€ LOLOL

Within 2 weeks Bradley came home with me. He was a happy dude, and even happier when I introâ€™d him to Rennie right after his neuter (she is spayed but has never really bonded with any other rats). Until Bradley. He put up with her weird behaviour and put her down on her back when she became too much. She obviously needed a real man to keep her happy. 
The first time I saw them cuddled and grooming in a hammock I cried. Bradley who had never had a friend and Rennie who wouldnâ€™t let another rat near her. 

Heâ€™s always been a bit of a chronic with crackles but last week he got very quiet and cuddly and I popped him on baytril and zithro, but his crackles didnâ€™t go away like they used to. Tonight I came home to a very sick boy and by 8:45 he passed in my hands.

I wish he couldâ€™ve stayed a lot longer, he was only 21 months old and a complete surprise to lose him. But he was soo happy while he was here. My poor Rennie is alone once again...sigh.

He had this wonderful habit of freezing with his head down so I could scratch and stroke him...he would be immobile. As soon as you stopped his big athletic body would be bouncing and humming with energy again 

Just home
What are these smells??? They smell like me?

















Intro's with Rennie
WHAT the heck are you?









Câ€™mon with me Ikea Rat!









The best things in life...

Hammies









And especially Friends









I will miss you Bradley.


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## mongoosedog1 (Mar 8, 2008)

I'm sorry for your loss. I know its really hard losing your little ones..


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## crapola (Feb 12, 2007)

i'm so sorry for your loss


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## Skitza (May 18, 2008)

aww he was so cute! i am so sorry for your loss! i lost a rat about a month ago aswell. she was very young too, i only had her for 2 months and she died. (she was only about 4 months old.)


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## phaidraft (Apr 9, 2008)

I am sorry for your loss... 

You always have the most adorable pictures of your babes.


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