Babies and Babysitting!

...Another rattie arrived today.

Last night Ricky and I picked up a friend's rat for me to babysit over the winter break. She's having surgery over the break and already has an ornery old himmy to look after, so I said I could babysit (since Ricky has the other 6 girls...). She came into my friend's care based on my suggestion - someone had dropped off a poor older female rat at the pet store because her cagemate had died and the owner decided that they didn't want to take care of her anymore. I decided to tell my friend about the white rat in the pet store, and, sure enough, three days later she was roaming around her room. When she asked me to take care of Trill, I couldn't stay no.

For all of the rat nerds out there, Trill is a beige capped girl with a white blaze. She's maybe a year a half old and has some hair loss on her tummy (I think from overgrooming) and around her ears. She spent a good amount of time curled up on my lap while I scritched her ears. Having a rat that is, for five weeks, mine, is ridiculously exciting to me. Having a lone rat (especially a girl) is hard work since females have the tendency to get bored easily. That means lots of toys and playtime every day. As a bored college student on winter break, this is perfect for me. I plan on spending most of my time playing with Trill and the meeces along with lots of reading and relaxing.

Besides Trill, I soon might have some more babies in my life. The pet store also breeds sweet fancy mice, and they currently have a pile of already-spotted pinkies. I've already gone over a few times this week to hold the babies, and hinted to Ricky that maybe a larger cage and some more babies for Christmas would be nice...

My Rodent Wish List:
- more blue berkshires...
- some adorable meeces
- a new mouse cage
- rattie and mousie toys
- a maze for playtime
- lots and lots of Carefresh and Regal Rat!

A Meece Story

Before I begin on the long story that is my relationship with rats, I thought I should comment on my 3 mice, Lehanne, Sweet P, and Chloe (all Project Runway designers, yes...). I ended up aquiring these "mini rats" when my boyfriend and I traveled to Rising Sun, MD, a hour or so drive from Chestertown, for our first ever rodent show. Having never been to a rodent convention, I had no idea what to expect. What ended up happening, however, was an insane cuteness overload of chincillas, rats, ferrets, and, of course, hundreds of little mice. Even though Ricky had sold me on the cuteness of rats, I was still hesistant about the cuddle-factor of a two-inch long fluffball.

To my great surprise, I received a refreshing welcome and introductory lesson on mice from Mike Chiodo of Mikiodo Mice, who let me hold a miniscule fuzzy male mouse who decided to "purr" while I pet his head and giggled to myself, much to Ricky's amusement and horror. After holding another Siamese female (yes, there are Siamese rats and mice) and resisting the pull of two half-sister ratties, Ricky and I decided the best course of action was to purchase three mice, two from Mike and one from Whiskers N Tails Mousery.

While I can say I did have a momentary pang of regret for implusively buying three little mice, a travel cage, and many, many treats, today I am extremely grateful for my little fuzzballs. Rats can be fun, but they tend to be much more moody than the mice, who will gladly be held and pet at whatever time for however long a time.

Another plus is that mice have personalities too. Lehanne, a tiny variegated grey and white rex, always runs up to people first and loves sitting still in the palm of your hand. Chloe (aka Spike), a satin blue tan, obsessively runs in her wheel like no other rodent I've seen before, and almost always never sits still. Sweet P, an imperfect tricolor (it's why she was sold) is the largest of the three and thinks everything is food. Luckily, mice nibbles don't hurt at all. Back in October a friend came over and took lovely pictures of all of the girls, and when I get some pictures back I will be sure to post them.

If you are thinking of purchasing a mouse, please do your research. Although I used to be terrified of rodents, I still had experience taking care of hamsters, gerbils, and rats for many years. Go to Google and type "mousery listings" and you'll find some great websites which list all of the mouseries in your area. I recommend the Mousery Database. Or, check PetFinder to see if there are any rescues in your immediate area. If you know your local pet store breeds nice mice (mine does), then talk to the owner and see if you can reserve some babies.

Some more tips: If you want more than one mouse, I highly recommend females. Male mouse are fine by themselves, but females should be purchased in pairs or in threes (in case something happens). Think about the cage you want: many wire cages are inappropriate for mice. If their head can get through, so can the rest of them. Think about the plastic cages, or better, glass aquariums with mesh lids. Provide one or two wheels for your babies and places for them to hide. Also, NEVER use pine or cedar shavings. While mice do have small noses, some still react negatively to these kinds of bedding. Only use hard wood, such as aspen. Personally, I used either EcoBedding, Carefresh, or Softsorbent for my babies. And, when it comes to food, get some high quality grains and cereals to make a mix as well as a nice quality dog food. Those seed mixes at Petco are not what your rodent needs.

Alyse and Ricky's Rat/Meece Mix:
- One cup of puffed wheat
- One cup of puffed rice
- Two cups dry oats
- Two cups Total cereal
- One cup muesli
- 1/2 cup sunflower seeds - my mice loooove them
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries (or any other dried fruit)
- One cup of any other yummy cereal we find at the store
- Equal to previous amounts dry dog food

Snacks for Ratties and Meeces:
- grapes (every day!)
- yoggies
- brocolli
- dog biscuits
- carrots
- fresh yoghurt
- apples
- dried banana chips (Healthy Toppings)
- any other whole food that looks yummy...

Most people may think the above lists are a bit much, but I've learned by following these healthy food guidelines that in return you have happier, healthier rodents. Trust me.

- End of the mouse story (for now)

And the saga begins...

After having experienced the joy of little rodents running around for about a year now, I've decided to write about the many little girl ratties and meeces that have somehow crept into my life. I never really decided to start the venture into rodent land, I just somehow ended up in the middle of it. Here I intend to record my history with the tiny poofballs and how they have changed my outlook on little furry things.

Before I begin, I thought I'd introduce my favorite girl, Princess Peach. She came to me and my boyfriend by the chance of making adorable faces at us while we were making our occasional petstore visit. Ricky, my boyfriend, already owned two ratties, but the sight of her ridiculous face made him (and me) pace around the apartment all weekend and decide to snatch her up the following Monday. She is the friendliest rodent I've ever met and never ceases to do ridiculous things every day. Here she is in all her glory:

And now, our story can begin.