# Alban - January 21st 2011 - July 29th 2012 - Ode to a Feeder Rat



## ILoveMyMonsters (May 25, 2012)

Not too many "feeder" rats are given the choice to live or die when they want to. Even fewer are well cared for in the short time they have before being carelessly thrown into a hungry serpent's tank. These rats are often born into large scale "mills" where they receive barely enough food or water to survive as they are forced to eat, sleep, and breathe in dirty, tiny, waste-caked tanks where it is not unheard for them to be force to live in tiny 5-10 gallon tanks in groups of 6, 10, 20, sometimes more. Feeders are often passed over by potential owners, rescuers, who either fear poor genetics or don't think they are pretty enough for a better life. Eventually, the day comes when some faceless human either freezes them alive, breaks their neck, or tosses them into some reptile's habitat, where these rats cower in terror, with zero chance of escape, for hours or even days before their unavoidable death sinks its fangs into them. 

This was the fate that Alban faced. I stumbled across him in Feburary 2011 at a mom-and-pop pet store near my university. Havoc, who was five months old at the time, had finally been cleared after fighting off a mild, but persistent URI for a few months, and I was shopping for a new companion. I was watching the baby ("small") rats and asked to see them. The 10 gallon tank (with 8-9 rats!) was urine stained and the smell nearly knocked me over. Most of the babies were feral and flung themselves around when I tried handling them. Immediately, a black and white baby with a high white blaze caught my attention. He was a variegated blaze, something I had never seen before or since. He cowered and shivered violently when I took him out, but allowed me to hold him. He was tiny and at just a month old, fit easily into my hands. Despite his paralyzing fear of humans, something about him struck me fancy, and I took him home. 

"I've been watching that one since he came in with our last shipment," I remember the clerk telling me as he rang the fur baby up, "I was rooting for him; he's too good for this," He pointed back at the filthy cage. I named the little hairball Alban, after the Christian saint/martyer and the patron saint of the converts and victims of cruelty and torture. His namesake was patient and kind. The name suited him. 
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He was loved instantly. I kept him with me every chance I got when I wasn't studying, and soon introduced him to his big hairless "brother." Havoc, having been alone for six months, was none too pleased to have a new cagemate. He was a bit of a bully and it was not unusual to awake in the middle of the night to them scrapping. Despite their rough start, I pushed through and kept them together.

I took my boys everywhere with me. They went on road trips to and from home and I paraded them around many a rural gas station. They adored their naps in the car and baby Alban was always a charmer. His sweet face and passive demeanor attracted flocks of people. 

As he aged, he became more introverted. Soon, the same trips to the pet store that once delighted him scared him. He was a bit of an agoraphobic and clung to Havoc whenever we went out. If he was alone, he would relieve himself all over me and refuse to socialize with anyone. Havoc slowly became his everything. They ate together, played together, and slept together. 
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Alban would curl his body around Havoc's during the winter to keep him warm. His loyality was something beyond comphrehension. Havoc was a bit of a bully at times - pushing him, biting him, pinning him on his back for no reason, but Alban remained steadfast
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and patient - never fighting back, as if trying to keep the peace. 
He continued to follow his older cagemate everywhere, hiding whenever he needed some alone time or if Havoc was being uber cranky. His only downfall was that he never fully tamed. He was extremely shy during his entire life and startled easily. He was a sweetie once he calmed down after being on my shoulder or my arms for a while but I could never quite convince him that the world wasn't that dangerous to him anymore.
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Sadly, because of his rough beginning, Alban had scarring of the lungs. His living conditions before coming to me must have been horrendous to mess up a young baby's lungs like that. He would often have brief bouts of wheezing and cough for a few days every for months or so, but it always cleared up on its own. It came off and on as they boys got older...

And Alban got chunkier. ;D

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In May of this year, Havoc, who was 22 months old at the time and otherwise perfectly healthy, contracted a severe respiratory virus and left us within a week and a half. While he was ill, Alban refused to leave his side, trying to keep him warm and even bringing him food. He was devastated when Havoc died and grieved terribly. 

A few weeks later, Axl joined the family. I unintentionally did a 'down and dirty' intro when Axl got into Alban's cage one day while exploring my room. I cringed that Alban might hurt him, but instead, welcomed him warmly. There was no fighting, no squealing except for an occasional protesting 'peep' from Axl when Alban would scold him for misbehaving. 

Not too long after introducing them, the virus that killed Havoc raised it's ugly head again. I was about to leave once day when I saw his face smeared in porphiyn and he couldn't breathe. I raced him to the vet with a muddy diagnosis and a very poor prognosis.
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He was put on a heavy 24/7 nursing regime and required IV fluids every 2-3 days in addition to isolation and drug cabinet of meds. Amazingly, he began to improve...
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And fully recovered in less than two weeks. 

He was reintroduced a week later to Axl, who was more than enthusiastic to see his old adoptive uncle. For the next few weeks, they were happy. 
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Alban had bounced back from the brink of death and shocked even his vet by surviving. The celebration was short-lived.
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On Thursday, he seemed lethargic again. Friday, he was wheezing and slowing down, and his appetite was going as he became weaker. He had relapsed, and I restarted him on the Doxycycline again that night, and picked up refills of the rest of his antibotics on Saturday, starting him immediately on the Baytril-Doxy cycle again. He didn't seem to be responding as quickly as he had before, and this morning, his nose and lip were turning blue. I raced him to the vet again (he had thankfully pinked up by that time), who neuibilized him and gave him more IV fluids and medicated shot. He kept getting weaker, and by this evening I couldn't give him the Doxy and Baytil at once without him going into respiratory distress. He passed away quietly at around 9:45pm. I only wish he had been with Axl and I longer, and that he could have beaten this a second time. 
*R.I.P. *My little boy. You truly had the heart and patience of a saint. <3​


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## sarah<3rats (Jun 27, 2012)

Wow that was so heartwarming and sad at the same time im crying, It breaks my heart knowing that one day time will come that i will have to say goodbye to my sweet girls, im soo sorry for your lost my prayers go out to you Yougive alban a great and wonderful life, a life he would of never had if you never walked in that pet store that day and im sure he is very thankful for that


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## tok (Jul 16, 2012)

I was touched by your story.. I had to do something for you.
I hope this is alright.. if you need any changes do let me know.


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## Raturday (May 26, 2012)

That's so sweet, tok. 
So sorry for Alban. I feel like I knew the little guy from all your posts about him.


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## RatzRUs (Feb 5, 2012)

I'm so sorry , it's hard when you have too say goodbye.


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## RatzRUs (Feb 5, 2012)

But remember you gave him the best life he may have not gotten if someone else were too take him. I'm sure he was grateful the poor little guy. May you R.I.P Alban...


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## echoskybound (Apr 24, 2012)

tok said:


> I was touched by your story.. I had to do something for you.
> I hope this is alright.. if you need any changes do let me know.


That is so sweet of you! What a beautiful tribute!


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## ILoveMyMonsters (May 25, 2012)

tok said:


> I was touched by your story.. I had to do something for you.
> I hope this is alright.. if you need any changes do let me know.


I know this is long overdue, but thank you. It looks a lot like him. I love Tanto and Axl to bits now but my heart still can't help but sink when I look over the old posts I have about Alban and Havoc along with their old pictures. I think it's partially because they both left me too soon. 18 and 22 months seems young for a rat to me.  *hugs Tanto and Axl*


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