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Coloring: Hooded rat with brown/gold coloring
Personality: Very active and rawdy.
Died: 10/21/2007
The story of Cinder is the story of Fawn, Esther and Daphne as well.
We went to the pet store for some supplies for the other five. While we were
there, I went and looked at the ratties. There were these four, cute baby
ratties of all different colors. When I asked Jennifer to look at them, she
fell in love with them, especially one that reminded her of her first rat.
She eventually decided we had to have them all, because we couldn't break them up.
I have to admit, I didn't like Cinder at first. Cinder was very aggressive
when she was younger. She would go after the others and seemed to start fights.
This was very new to me. I only knew Beauty and Bella up to that point, and
both of them were so passive. So, to have a more aggressive rat was strange.
However, I have warmed up to her. She was just doing what she knew and I couldn't
fault her for that.
She was the one who was usually involved in the fights in that first year.
If we heard any fighting, we figured she was one of the ones involved. She
has calmed down, or the other's have caught up in aggressiveness, as it isn't always
her now.
***
She is quite the groomer with us. She will come around and check out our ears
and our forehead and hair and everything! And if it isn't right, she will
groom us! However, it can hurt! She is a bit rough as she does it.
Further, she has become our little flesh eater. For some reason, she took
to gnawing on our callouses on our feet! I wouldn't mind it, and I tried to
let her, but it always hurt! So, we have been trying to stop this.
***
7/11/2007 - She has calmed down with her grooming. She still bites my wife's
feet occassionally but not mine as much. And if my wife wears socks, she won't
try it. It's nice, though, because now she does forehead kisses (licks).
I like that so much!
***
10/22/2007
I knew she wasn't doing well for the past few weeks. Her walking was "off"
in a way I can't completely explain. And she wasn't the same.
Friday night (10/19) she took a turn for the worse. When I went up to play
with them, she wasn't doing very well. She couldn't move very much because
her front paws weren't responding as well. Even her back paws weren't moving
as well. And, it was obvious she couldn't eat very well. We had to give
her soft foods so she could like them.
I did all I could for her Friday and was worried about her. She was already
in the small cage and I took that in with me to sleep. I was surprised she
made it through the night but she did. So, around 8:30 Saturday morning, I
started holding her. I kept her close. I talked to her. I told
her what a good little rattie she had been and that we were proud of her but she
could go now. I didn't want to see her suffer and if she had to go, that was
fine.
I held her all day Saturday. I watched TV, catching up on some shows and watching
movies. I went to sleep holding her that night. I couldn't let go of
her. I did everything one handed. I went to sleep with her on me, to
comfort her and probably myself as well. Except for a three hour break, when
I put her in the cage with the heating pad so she would be warm, I held her.
Sunday, I did it again. I held her until my wife came home that afternoon.
Then she held her. We didn't want to see her this way but we weren't necessarily
ready for her to be gone. I had just gone to bed, my wife was going to sleep
with her downstairs, when she woke me up. Cinder was gone. It was sad
and a relief at the same time. We both cried. A lot. Then we laid
our baby to rest with the other babies.
This is so hard, saying good bye to our babies. I love you, Cinder.
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