# Twix due to be PTS at 7pm tonight



## twitch

maybe its a bit morbid writing this up now, where twix is still with us for at least a little bit more, but next week (likely monday) i will be taking twix in to be PTS. she has inoperable tumors that are growing fast and seriously impeding on her quality of life. i would take her today but the vets are closed. this will give us the weekend to say our goodbyes to our resident queen who ruled with an iron paw. i don't think she is in pain, just very uncomfortable but if the tumors keep growing at this pace it won't be long before she will be in pain. i don't want to wait that long. 

i got twix and tween in a bit of a panic attack. snicketts had to be put down that day and she was the 4th rat that i lost in a course of 2 weeks. i couldn't stand it. i knew about rescues and other sources to get rats at that time but something went snap in me and i HAD to have some babies to cuddle and hold and love RIGHT THEN. dad understood and took me to a pet store. i'm not proud of my actions but i am proud of the babies i brought home that day. 

the pet store worker brought out these tiny little babies. they couldn't have been more then 4 weeks, they still looked mouse-like. i asked to hold them and he pulls out a little aqouti by her tail! i snatch the baby from him (twix) and rail him about the dangers of picking up rats by their tails and how painful it is for them. he said sorry and excused himself to help another customer. i was a bit on the fuming side (not being in a normal frame of mind to begin with) then dad came over and redirected me to the babies in the cage that were scurrying around. soothed, and still holding onto to twix who is sitting still in my hand, i put my other hand into the cage. the only one to come towards my hand was little tiny tween. we paid for them and i went to the car while dad did something else (i don't remember what). 

when dad got to the car i had already named twix (it was around lunch time and i was hungry so named her after the candy bar because her aqouti baby fur reminded me of it) but i was having troubles thinking up a matching name for tween. i told dad my problem and he suggested BeTwixt and BeTween, Twix and Tween for short. i loved it! and the names stuck. 

it was a long time before i was able to take pictures of my new babies and they weren't much of babies by then, but young teenagers! both were still rather shy, twix moreso then tween but they were both still perfect little angels. the first pictures i was able to take of them were when we introduced baby sweetipie. 









such a pretty colored coat. so sleek and shiny it felt like satin to the touch









and that beautiful berky belly! though she was not all that pleased with the dangle... 









Kakushi is the hooded being hounded... Sweetipie is the baby hairless, the black berk is Tween and the aqouti hanging back is Twix. Twix and Tween stayed very small and trim, for tween, all her life, for twix, until she hit the 20mth mile stone or so... though she is still small in compared to some of the other residents she has filled into her age. 









sweetipie was into everyone's face but twix wasn't too concerned. she's wasn't queen yet so she didn't care so long as the guy was ok with the resident queen (at this time it was spider-the big fat black rat to the side, also not caring). 









we were teaching little chittery about rats (my mother's cat had kittens and we were thinking about keeping this one, but the perfect family came along instead) and twix was right up there making sure the cat was on the up and up. 









a month later our family grew include Violet. Twix and Tween had each other and again, didn't care who the noob was. in this picture, Twix, Tween, Kakushi, Iedani holding Tween's butt, Sweetipie front and center, big Spider once again not caring that there's a new family member and the wet rat is Violet









she was always a bit more suspicious then the rest and on alert for those scary cats (though she was always around thme from day one, other then her brave moment with chittery she kept a healthy fear of them).









but she knew how to let her hair down and relax for a camera shoot too. :wink2: 









she was always very close to her sister, tween and when tween passed on twix got angry. she threw my expectations and took queenship right from under violet's nose when Kakushi died. 









back then though, when tween and kakushi were still with us, you may have been able to tell who the quiet ringleader actually was. a good example would be here in their henchmen pose 









months later and she's grown into a fine adult, though she's still not pleased with dangles... if looks could kill eh... 









twix and kakushi both surprised me when they took their queenship. never would i have thought that quiet timid kakushi would want leadership from spider and her mom, iedani. and neither would i have thought that tiny little twix would ever make a move for it. they both ruled very differently though, while kakushi ruled with her presence alone twix ruled the cage with an iron paw. she would often take on stewart, smeag and whimpy bribery. often they would not have done anything but she would kick their butts anyway. with bribes though all she would have to so is look at him and he would squeak his submission... 









that doesn't mean she was not friends with her subordinates though. when stew had to leave the cage while his broken foot healed nothing much seemed different in the cage. but when stew came back twix was among the first to greet him and welcome him home but of course in her own way, she shoved her head right under his for some nice groomings as soon as he was back home.









this was taken just in may, shortly before her first small lump was discovered. as you can see she has finally grown into herself and though still small statured not nearly as trim. 









Twix, though you ruled rough, you were a great ruler. you let the noobs know who was boss from the get go but never let anyone else shove around any weight and welcomed the noobs into the ranks quickly. the loss of your sister i know was hard on you and it changed you but through it all you were always loved and you will remain a dear part of this family even as you reunite with your sister and start your new journey. be happy and be free.


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## phaidraft

*Re: Twix due to be PTS*

Goodbye, beautiful Twix.


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## SamAnthrax

*Re: Twix due to be PTS*

Aw i hope you enjoy your next couple days with her!


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## junior_j

*Re: Twix due to be PTS*

Aw its so sad , when i new i had to get three of my pts it was so hard and i still cant listen to leona lewises footprints in the sand , as that was the last song i heard whilst they were cuddling me
Jess x


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## begoodtoanimals

*Re: Twix due to be PTS*

Wishing you strength. Thanks for the beautiful pictures. I love your large group of rats; makes me think that I have only four rats, mmm.... big cage, four rats, maybe some more?


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## Marysmuse

*Re: Twix due to be PTS*

<Hugs> Twitch. I know you miss her.

-Mary


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## mishasmom

*Re: Twix due to be PTS*

Hugs to you.


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## twitch

*Re: Twix due to be PTS*



begoodtoanimals said:


> Wishing you strength. Thanks for the beautiful pictures. I love your large group of rats; makes me think that I have only four rats, mmm.... big cage, four rats, maybe some more?


you can never go wrong with more to love! the dynamics watching them... well you'll never need tv again.... 

thank you everyone for reading about twix and sending your condolances

the cage is already changing. twix has relinquished her queenship and now magi and ink are vying for it. they know enough not to bother twix but poor stew has been woken up a couple times now with someone trying push their weight around. he's an old man that just wants to sleep in his hut... the poor guy... oddly enough they are also mostly leaving violet alone. i don't know if this is because they KNOW she won't put up with it or if she's just not caught their notice. it would be nice if she took command though. i don't see ink as a good leader and magi would be too gruff. violet has mellowed a lot since hitting old age, i think she would be a fair leader. 

i had everyone out with last night. and while chancey was being a snot pulling on everyone's ears violet, twix, stew and tasche were cuddled together under my pillow. twix came out a couple times to check on things but seemed quite happy to just cuddle. you can tell from her walking that she's having difficulties and that she is sore though. i'm sure she's not ready to let go but as i've told others, if i wait for her to be ready she will already have been dead at least a week. she's stubborn to a fault my twix, nothing is going to defeat her. i feel bad on the one hand for taking that fight from her but still confident i'm doing the right thing, its not going to be much longer until discomfort turns to pain and there's no need for her to have to go through that. 

regardless its been a nice last couple of days. she's not nearly as grouchy anymore, just sore and tired. not the greatest of ways to be but it does have her slowing down to enjoy some scritches and cuddles like she never used to before. last night everyone shared a plate of ensure and rasberries, tonight they get cake.


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## twitch

i've just gotten off the phone with the vet, i've made the appointment for tonight at 7. i'll be bringing magi in to get his neck abscess lanced and eyes in to get better medication for ear infection at the same time so twix won't be alone for the drive either. and of course, i will be with her the entire time.

last night i spoiled them with a slice of chocolate cake, but twix didn't seem too interested. she tucked right into the ensure though and lapped that up like there was no tomorrow!  in a few minutes i'm going to take her out to the bed and offer her some cake again, she used to love chocolate, so maybe she just didn't want to get jostled in the cage with everyone fighting over the cake in a more confined space. and now that we have the camera back here i will also bring the others out for a photo op that i didn't have at their monthday celebration too. a final shoot for twix but at least one last happy time. once i have the pictures loaded i will post them here


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## lilspaz68

Enjoy your last bittersweet time together. I try desperately not to cry at these times just in case they sense it and get upset, but you do what you need to.

We are all here for you, and wish sweet Twix a peaceful passing and a nice hale healthy body on the other side.


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