# My Baby



## mis.kay (May 29, 2015)

PIC HEAVY AND LONG…it had to be for her. I apologize in advance. I needed this more than I thought.

This post is long overdue, but for the past few days I’ve been looking at old pictures and reading the Rainbow Bridge stories and I feel that I need to give my heart rat a goodbye she deserves. I adopted my first pair, Baby and Ghost from my local shelter back in February of 2014. To make a long story short, Ghost passed away soon after we settled at home. So Baby became my lone rat, but she also became my best friend.

Before I continue, I need to explain that I never imagined a rat could have such an impact on my life. I never really paid attention to the stories on RatForum, just used it to help me with her basic health needs and fun toy ideas. I thought that she was just going to be a little pet in the corner that I would adore but who wouldn’t really want anything to do with me. I couldn’t have been more wrong.



Baby became my world when I was home. The second I started walking up the stairs I would hear her wheel stop turning and by the time I reached the top I would always find her perched on the top shelf waiting for me to open the door for her to welcome me home with lots of kisses and snuggles. She would free range and not only would she play with me, but she loved chasing my fat cat around the room. When my cat got tired he would flop over and purr while she dug up under his belly or climbed all over him just bugging him for more playtime. When Baby got bored with him, she would run right back to me and make me her jungle gym. We would literally play for hours and then relax on the couch to watch some television with the family. Or, I would. She would just use my sweater as a tunneling system.



What really amazed me was that she was incredible with everyone she met. She even got along with my squealing nephew. The first time they met she immediately made a game out of it. Every time he squealed, she would run back under my arm. When he was silent and put his chin on my knees, she would peek out before running back out to him. They did this over and over again and afterwards I had him give her some treats and lovin’s which she accepted graciously.



On November 11, 2014. My world literally flipped. I found a lump just under Baby’s arm while we were waiting in the vet’s office to take care of another flare up. The vet informed me that since rats have such a short lifespan, “There is no point in getting it removed because chances are she will pass naturally before it becomes an issue.” The moment I got home I started my research. I sought out advice here, reading other peoples stories and finding out their decisions. I made the decision to wait it out, because even though nearly every post I read on here pointed towards getting it removed, I listened to the vet (later I found out she wasn’t the ‘pocket pet’ vet for that clinic but was only a stand in while the original was on vacation). I plan on becoming a vet after college so my instincts told me to listen to her. 3 months later the tumor had grown to nearly half her body weight. She stopped running on her wheel because it was just too difficult for her, she slept most of the time, and even when I took her out to play, she chose to cuddle because the tumor weighed her down.

Every day for about a week I called nearly every vet within 100 miles of my home. Trying to find the right doctor and right price to take care of my baby. Finally after finding one, I drove an hour and a half to only be told that it was too late and with how weak she was, she almost surely wouldn’t make it through the surgery. So I went home, called off work and cuddled with her all night. She groomed my hands and arms, and even my cheeks while I cried and I gave her kisses, body scratches, and belly rubs in return. This was my last night with her.



February 27, 2015. I made the painful decision to get Baby pts. She was no longer enjoying her life and I couldn’t put her through that any longer. I may have made some mistakes while she was with me, but every decision I made was what I thought was right for her. No matter what though, she loved me and let me know in the end that it was alright. I miss her dearly every day. As I said before, I never knew what a heart rat was, or what kind of impact they make on our lives. I just knew at the time, that she was a love in my life that I will forever remember, and forever cherish.



My heart rat. My Baby. RIP.


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## MousE190 (Oct 7, 2014)

I know the feeling, I loss my heart rat in June," Mouse" was 18 months old,,,he was my first rat. We give them love,,, lots af chin and belly rubs,,they return that to us,,,rats are really short changed to their life spans,,,I stll had Helix,,and decided to re-home 2 other boys,that their owner could not keep,,best thing I did,,,I feel for your loss, I understand that it takes some time to heal.. Baby looks so sweet,,,,we all miss our little friends,,,stay strong


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## Mojojuju (Nov 15, 2014)

So sorry for your loss. What a sweet girl!


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## DustyRat (Jul 9, 2012)

Such sad news


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## Marilynx (Jun 1, 2015)

"I have sent you on a journey to a land free from pain. Not because I did not love you, but because I loved you too much to ask you to stay."

Just lost a little girl of my own.


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