No, I didn't mean to cook a Rat, that was her name

I only had her for about 2 years but I will never forget her. She was very smart.. actually potty trained!
She had no cage, just a table with a house, food & water dish and a litter box. There was a ladder to the floor and she free-roamed my room, which was also the bird room at the time. It worked out well she never climbed on or in the cages and got a little fat cleaning up after them.
She slept tucked under my chin and sometimes the blanket every night. If she needed to go potty she got up, jumped off the bed, ran along the wall.. up the ladder.. into her box. Did her business and then all the way back to me and to bed. With no accidents! A rat!
She was really something. I remember one day getting home late from work and I'd brought home a piece of cherry pie. I left it sitting out on my desk and went to the bathroom. When I came back, 5 minutes later, the entire paper plate was gone. I found her trying to stuff the entire plate, pie and all into her little house. I don't know how the heck she got it, intact, all the way off my desk across the room and up her ladder to her house, and in only 5 minutes! lol. She was MAD when I took it away.
I really wish they lived longer, those 2 years went WAY too fast.

Here she is with her best friend, Lucky the Bunny. The two of them used to run around with Brew hanging onto Lucky's back like a rodeo. (Lucky was a baby in this picture, the rat isn't THAT fat.. lol)

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Sarah

Brew is way to cute. I love rats I think they make amazing pets. Unfortunatly you are not allowed to have Rats in the province I live. So you should post more pictures if you have them!!!

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Ok!Ok!That clears up something!When I first saw this picture I thought that either this bunny was really small or this rat was that HUGE!!!! She is nice though never had a rat as a pet, and not sure I want one...I once had a hamster when I was too young which my mum gave back to the petshop...

I'll admit she was rather fat.. it took me awhile to catch onto the fact that the bird room was so much cleaner all of a sudden.. yet I hadn't been cleaning up any dropped food.
Man she was fast.. I swear she was ready to catch the food before they even thought about tossing it on the ground!

I've had lots of other rodents but she was just really smart. She was even college trained! Well not really.. She only attended one day of classes.
She liked to nap in my backpack and one day, on the way to college, I noticed the backpack moving. It was WAY too late to turn around so I just brought her with me.
I asked each Professor before class started if it was ok for her to be in there and no one had a problem. Most were delighted. My Biology teacher even incorporated her into the lesson.. We were learning something about the human skull and he had one on his desk. He came over, scooped her up out of my backpack and placed her in his skull. He said he figured no one would be able to forget the Skull parts because of the huge Rat sitting in it. Er.. I can't remember what we learned so it obviously didn't work.
Brew was very well behaved. I told her to stay in the backpack and she did, sleeping most of the day away and occasionally peeking out
I'll try and find more pictures.

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Sarah

Very cute rat...Last year after I moved up to Mass, both of my rats died, within a few months of each other...They were both around 2 as well. The female had a mammary tumor which I was going to have removed, but then she developed pneumonia...it was really sad, I had to have her put to sleep the night before a huge exam, I was crying all night and went to the test eyes all puffy and sad...The male didn't last much longer, but that's pretty old for a rat. I got them at a class at UConn (lab animals) when they were babies and I neutered Archimedes (the male) myself!! Sappho, my female, was OBESE, they laughed at her when they took her X rays But I must admit, they were not at all potty trained and I didn't spend as much time with them as I should have...Rats are very cool pets though, especially if you take the time with them.

I must ask, when Brew didn't have his table while he was in your backpack all day, did he relieve himself on your books in your backpack?? That would be bad!

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- Yellow Crowned Amazon, Iggy

No, actually she waited to go potty. When I was in between class I put her down outside on the grass and she pooped and peed.
Lol thats so funny how you got your rats.. thats how I told my mom I got mine but I actually bought her as an unweaned baby from the pet store by my college to save her from a snake. I know we all need to eat but I wanted to help her.
I think the bottle feedings helped us get a closer relationship.
The potty training was easy. They actually make this hamster litter that is supposed to smell like the rodent toilet or something. I smelled it and it didn't make me wanna pee so I assume it's either something only they smell or a lie
I used that in a small corner cat litter box and just put her droppings and soiled litter in it. She looked at it and sniffed it a few times as a little baby and only had maybe 1 or 2 accidents before becoming trained.
Rats seem to be SO prone to tumors and cancers. It's so sad that we only have them for a short amount of time. I was happy for Brew though, she passed away in her sleep in her favorite place.. my underwear drawer. lol.
Now everyone here thinks I'm so dirty that I have rats in my drawers.

btw, the rabbit was also a wonderful pet. I actually found her in a box on the side of a road. Someone had dumped a box of babies and most had been killed by cars. I had to kill one that was suffering and near death, was very very difficult to do but there was no other option, she wouldn't have lived long enough to make it to a vet. I don't understand people.. these were such tiny babies they would fit in my pocket.
My bunny was the only one that stayed in the box safe and sound.. so I named her Lucky
She was a lot like a puppy, very playful, chasing me and my cats and dogs around. Obviously she was best friends with the rat. They were all with her from when she was a baby and got along great.
Only problem with rabbits is they want to commit suicide 24/7. Well.. they love to chew on live wires anyways. (as many rodents do.. Brew never did though) I replaced SO many gosh darn stereo wires for my 5.1 surround sound I must have kept that radio shack in business.
She was never able to be fully potty trained, I think maybe they just can't control the poop flow. Rabbit poop isn't that bad though, excellent to put in your plants.. doesn't smell bad.
I started letting her play outside with my chickens and she slowly started to refuse to come inside. We finally reached an agreement: She would live free outside, doing the wild thang' with no litter box but would report daily for treats and lovings. anytime there was bad weather she usually came inside and stayed the night. I know this seems a little crazy but she had 3 cats there protecting her.
It was the strangest thing.. my Cat, Jack, would see her and go into stalk mode.. when he got close he'd stand up, run over and start cleaning her. Then the two of them would pop around the yard like kittens. No other cats came near as my boys had the area staked out.
Lucky ran up onto the deck every morning and scratched at the glass. We would then bring her some food/treats and give her hugs and she'd eat and be on her way. Sometimes if the door was left open she'd come inside and come find me.
My rooster trained her about the road.. he was VERY protective of his flock and they were not allowed anywhere near the road. I really think someone must have been aiming for her, as the kids do around here, because she was hit and killed by a car I felt really guilty about it but honestly, she had such a wonderful life and got to live like a real rabbit.
Wow I always go on and on.. lol.

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Sarah

Wow, you've had some really cool pets Flyte. I'm sorry that the bunny met such an unfortunate end, but she truly was lucky during her life and it's so nice that she got to live the way she wanted to

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- Yellow Crowned Amazon, Iggy

Yah I've been lucky with my pets.. and also lucky that my mom was willing to go along with it when I found an iguana.. in my driveway in winter in New Jersey (lied) and found the dog in the woods (lied again).. I was a real liar about animals growing up but I couldn't help it. The baby iguana was horribly unhealthy and being fed a whole, uncut apple. (????) and the dog was on his last few days at the pound. they both ended up being wonderful friends. Still have the dog, Mickie
I was constantly either bringing home injured/abandoned birds and small mammals or having folks bring them to me. I really wanted to go to vet school but I just wasn't healthy enough. I am soooo jealous of you, lol. I mean REALLY jealous. *pokes you in the eye and runs away crying*

I'm going to be living on a farm soon though and my boyfriend promised to get me my own horse. (Promised right after surgery last week)
Aren't I bad? I waited until they got me to my room right after post-op room and he came in all concerned and I was like, "Honey?" "Yes?" "Will you buy me a horse?" He was stuck!

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Sarah

::holding watering eye:: Hey get back here! or maybe hahaha, I crack me up...

Yea, I wasn't allowed to bring anything home, regardless of the reason, but my parents were pretty cool with most of the animals I wanted. I cried and cried to get a kitten I really wanted in 4th grade for my very own, he still lives with my mom, he's a great cat. Then when my dad moved out when I was in 5th grade, I looked at my mom all wide-eyed and said "Can I get a hamster to replace him?" Hahaha, worked! (I still saw my dad very frequently). My mother never let me get a dog though...but now that I'm living up in Ma with Chase, I bring things home a lot...he can't say no! I convinced him we wanted a persian kitten, then I brought home a stray cat from the vet I worked at who was going to be euthanized, then I brought home a "found-by" from Tufts at the same time I brought home 2 foster rabbits...hehehe, I know how to manipulate the boy!

You're so lucky to be getting a horse! I really want one, but don't have any money or space for one...I guess I'll keep dreaming. And you have a genuine love for animals and have already saved a ton of them, that's what vets do anyway!!

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- Yellow Crowned Amazon, Iggy

Thanks for the stories Flyte. I think most people don't realize how amazing animals can be. They just say "oh, they're just animals" and leave it. We have a lot more to learn about what animals are able to do, understand, feel etc. You are very sweet to be treating these animals in such a way. I have to admit, I am not fond of rodents myself and probably won't ever have one as a pet, but I said that about birds before we got Hamie. Always learning.