I have to do it: RAT THREAD!

I have a new rat, a sweet little six-week-old fawn agouti named Ting (short for Huntington).

He's getting used to living inside my shirt. Tomorrow I'm taking him to the vet for an establishing appointment and to get antibiotics to clear up the sniffles. (It's mycoplasma, a respiritory disorder common in rats--not serious if treated promptly.)

Ting is the first rat I've ever seen refuse fresh salad greens, but he loves cantaloupe. I think he's got a sweet tooth!

Tucker

My rat loved cheese, especially cheddar! Also apples. My mouse loved fruit, especially melon and blueberries! You are a good person for giving him such great care! I'm so glad to know another animal lover who has room in her heart for a little rat!:-)

Most of my rats have liked salty food. Chuckie, my rat who went to live with my friend C-C, loves nori to an insane degree! He prefers it dry, but he'll steal it out of sushi rolls if he has the chance.

Tucker

He had been my lab rat in experimental psych in college. I am an animal lover, but especially couldn't stand the thought of his being ``recycled'' to the biology lab, which was his destiny, since his calm personality and intelligence made all my graphs turn out so well that he earned me a B in a very tough course. He spent the rest of his life being fed pretty much whatever he liked, including fruit and cheese, but I made a huge mistake. Instead of putting all food in his dish, I would sometimes hand it to him through the bars of his cage. So he thought anything coming in that way could possibly be CHEESE! Twice classmates stopped by and stupidly stuck their fingers into his cage. Why? Both times he immediately tried to take this offering into his mouth and both guys were bitten. These guys both went to the campus infirmary for treatment and I acquired quite a reputation on campus. I just can't believe anyone could be so stupid! He was not mean, just loved cheese and apples, and never bit me!:shrug: