# Ambassador to all Rat Kind!



## ration1802 (Sep 25, 2007)

Well, I just wanted to say how proud I was of one of my little girls, Lily.

This morning she woke up with a really wet sounding crackly chest, so, as today is my last day on holiday from work, I decided to take a morning trip to the vets. It was PACKED so we stood outside (it was warm in the sunshine) with Lily being a very good girl sleeping on my shoulder.

(It was, by the way, the first trip to the vet that she's had with me, even *I* was impressed)

Anyway, firstly, she made a huge impression on the two vetinary nurses who were working this morning, climbing all over them giving kisses and getting a lot of 'You're my favourite rat' remarks!

Next, while standing outside, this man comes up to me and asks me why she's not running away (She's just laying on my shoulder). I, of course, explain that she doesn't run away because she doesn't WANT to run away, rats are very tame etc etc etc. And he then says he's absolutely petrified of rats. Needless to say, at that, Lily pokes her head up and gives an adorable air-sniff which prompts this guy to give her a stroke. 2 minutes later, he was holding her in his hands THEN allowing her on his shoulder! He was laughing and really seemed to be enjoying it. (Of course, I did ask if he wanted to hold her first etc etc)

If that wasn't enough, Lily was quite obviously on a roll. Inside the vets, we met an old lady who was also really scared of rats. Her daughters used to have them when they were young and she said she couldn't even go in the room with the rats! Well, Lily wasn't having any of that! The lady started stroking Lily, so Lily decided to show off her hand-grooming techniques, lots of licking! And then the lady let Lily climb onto her shoulder and give her ear kisses! By the time we left, she was asking Lily for nose kisses and telling all the nurses that next time her daughter came in, they should tell them she held a rat. Lol.

Two converts in one day! Hoo-Rah!

Go Lily!


----------



## A1APassion (Jul 29, 2007)

Way to go Lily!!!


----------



## DFW_Rat_Luvr (Aug 29, 2007)

What a great story! too cute! :lol:


----------



## BlueSkyy (Sep 27, 2007)

excellent! my ratties have converted my boyfriend, but haven't conquered the imposing mother (yet)  she sounds like a sweetheart, is she feeling better after the vet's?


----------



## Phobie (Jun 3, 2007)

Addo converted my father, but my stepmother is anti-all-living-things apparently. 

On the tube (subway) to the vet last week a lot of people said "ooo what's in the carrier??" I was like "a little rat!" and the response I got probably offended Ed quite a bit, to be honest. Something along the lines of "Eurgh".


----------



## ration1802 (Sep 25, 2007)

BlueSkyy said:


> she sounds like a sweetheart, is she feeling better after the vet's?


She is a super sweetheart and yes, thank you, she's feeling better. No more clucky frothy chest for her! Oh the miracles of anti-inflamatories (sp?)


----------



## ration1802 (Sep 25, 2007)

Phobie said:


> On the tube (subway) to the vet last week a lot of people said "ooo what's in the carrier??" I was like "a little rat!" and the response I got probably offended Ed quite a bit, to be honest. Something along the lines of "Eurgh".


People like that really get my back up sometimes. They wouldn't expect that sort of reaction if they had a cat or dog with them would they? Ugh, rat-ist pigs.

I've only really had one nasty encounter with a rat-hating person, and that was, ironically, at the vets (I say ironically because usually that's where they make most their friends!) This b**** with two dobermans walk in and as usual, I'm standing up away from the rest of the animals in there with a rat on my shoulder (they've been spoilt too much and can't stand being in a carry cage - and none of the nurses have ever complained, the opposite in fact, they praise how well behaved they are!). Anyway, I'm chatting away to another lady in there about the rats, and the evil cow - after a couple of dirty looks - turns around and says 'You know, I can't restrain my dogs. If they go after those vermin I can't be held accountable!'

Do you know what? I have never been so LIVID in my life! It was just the pure tone of disgust in her voice and the fact she thought she could threaten me with her dogs. It was all I could do to keep the anger in, you know? Mind you, the lady I was talking to did turn around and say 'If you don't feel you can keep hold of your dogs, maybe you should take them outside'

HA!

As you can tell, I'm very protected over my babies


----------



## Phobie (Jun 3, 2007)

There was actually a girl in the vet, bless her, her cat had a problem with its legs and suddenly couldn't move . Anyway, her boyfriend heard me say "rat" and went "eurgh", but the girl told him she had always wanted a rat, so obviously I smiled at her. 

After a while, their cat was fine, dunno what was wrong with it, but the boy came over to have a little look at Edgar and was surprised to see an actual cute animal , not some kind of monster!


----------



## Phobie (Jun 3, 2007)

Also I think Lily might have had the same problem as Ed is having now, I will mention it on Wednesday. I'm sure it's respiratory, the vet thought it might be kidneys but everything points to something lung related.


----------



## ration1802 (Sep 25, 2007)

If you can hear him breath i.e. clucking, clicking, grunting, sneezing then chances very high it's respiratory. Likewise, laboured breathing is another sign - but that is rather ambiguous because it could be caused by other things too. Usually, if a dose of anti-biotics (good ole baytril) doesn't do it, then I take them in for a anti-inflammatory injection or an anti-b injection. (I don't know why my vet injects baytril, because it can cause nasty sores - but he does and it works!)

But yeah, I'd jus say be prepared to banter with your vet. My vet is a good, caring man, but if something just doesn't feel right, he's happy for me to question it. At the end of the day, they have the medical degree, but you have more better qualifications in knowing your rat  Good luck


----------



## glindella (Sep 9, 2007)

Thats a sweet story  the best converters to rat-ism are rats


----------



## ration1802 (Sep 25, 2007)

glindella said:


> the best converters to rat-ism are rats


Yes! Exactly! After all, doesn't the cute, melt-your-heart adorableness of them when they give you 'the eyes' just scream out 'LOVE MEEEEEE!'

Much like these;


















-This was my little baby Oz, by the way. He died, unforunately, but boy, was he a charmer!


----------



## Phobie (Jun 3, 2007)

What a beautiful baby boy, such a shame


----------



## ration1802 (Sep 25, 2007)

He was a great little guy. When Oz and his sister Max were together they would jump around like two pieces of popcorn! LOL. ALL over the place!

(This was before he was old enough to jump her bones by the way lol)


----------



## Holly (Dec 31, 2006)

Oz was a gorgeous boy!


----------



## AlexzRose (Aug 15, 2007)

Thats so sweet!


----------



## AustinXAPMX3 (Oct 23, 2007)

Awwww Rats are so cute how could people be scared of them? I guess its cause of the thought of sewer rats and all the myths.


----------



## Sparker (Jun 17, 2007)

I understand the anger towards those who are somewhat anti rat... 

I wouldn't judge their pets.

A woman once told me (also at the vet's office, only I was the one working behind the counter...) *"Only disgusting slobs would live with rodents. You should be ashamed." * after I'd told her that I have 4 rats that I love very much.

I wanted to jump over the counter.


----------



## rat_ratscal (Sep 23, 2007)

where'd you get oz's name from???? its cute


----------



## ration1802 (Sep 25, 2007)

rat_ratscal said:


> where'd you get oz's name from???? its cute


Max and Oz came from James Patterson's books When the Wind Blows and The Lake House (because I'd just finished reading The Lake House) Ironically, Oz dies in those books too! Doh! I think I Jinxed him.

Anyway - I needed reasonably unisex names - because when I named them I still wasn't 100% on whether they were boys or girls. It was either calling them Max and Oz or continue calling them Fat Face and Thin Face lol



Sparker said:


> A woman once told me (also at the vet's office, only I was the one working behind the counter...) *"Only disgusting slobs would live with rodents. You should be ashamed." * after I'd told her that I have 4 rats that I love very much.
> 
> I wanted to jump over the counter.


I can think of a couple of things to say to that particular witch - none of which are acceptable in this forum


----------



## rat_ratscal (Sep 23, 2007)

i got ozzy from ozzy osbourne


----------



## ration1802 (Sep 25, 2007)

I think I remember possibly an old signature of yours saying that. Lol, I hope she doesn't have Ozzy's (Osbourne) wild streak! Lol


----------



## jellybeanqueen (Sep 6, 2007)

hurray for lily!
i'm glad some more people were converted into liking rats. <3


----------



## rat_ratscal (Sep 23, 2007)

im actually being him for halloween too


----------



## allynpsych (Sep 12, 2007)

I've managed to "convert" my husband. Well, the rats have really. Not that he needed much conversion. He LOVES animals, but get very, very attached so it always hits him harder than he expects when they get sick or die. We had the best hamster in the world, and after he lived his two full, happy years and we had to have him put down, it took 2 years for us to agree that we needed more fuzzies.

SO I got Dax and her sister Kira in May. When Kira couldn't recover from some difficulties as a result of her spay, we had to put her down. It was hard for me, but I think it hurt him more. He said he felt like he didn't spend enough time getting to know them. Now we have had Nip and Tuck, my sweet little boys for a month, and despite the fact that he tells everyone that he is trying not to like them (ha!), he still talks to them and laughs at their antics. But he's become very fond of Dax. He calls her his favorite, and wrestles with her and gives her the best treats. It's so sweet.

I think that ratties got short changed when they were handing out lifespans. They are much more interesting than turtles and they live a LONG time.

I LOVE my ratties... too bad I have to work or I'd be home with them all the time.


----------

