Monday, September 01,2003: SBR Ratties have come
> into
> my life.
>
> Tuesday, September 02,2003: The babies have had 24
> hours to settle in and they've done so very well.
> Though Babs was a little standoffish at first, she
> just needed a few more hours to get to know me. Now
> she climbs into my hand without hesitation.
>
> Only Laite, at 5 weeks old, can jump to the top of
> the
> hut by herself. The 4 babies can only glance up with
> awe in their expressions.
>
> I chose Melita to be the babies' mentor and
> surrogate
> mother. Of all of Hindi's girls Melita is the
> smallest
> and meekest one of the bunch. Melita was mobbed by
> the
> babies, but took it all in stride. She stood there
> with this blank expression on her face while the
> youngsters gave her the royal sniff over. Well,
> Laite
> thought this young lady was the rat's whiskers,
> climbed onto Melita's back and holding on with
> clenched fists began to powergroom the back of
> Melita's neck. It was hilarious, just like in a
> cartoon where the little guy is trying to pin the
> big
> guy down.
>
> Wednesday, September 03,2003: I'm impressed with
> Melita. When I take the lid off the cage she has no
> intentions of leaping out....
>
> This isn't going to work. Greedy Melita is gobbling
> down the baby food and I can't be sure if the babies
> are getting enough. I've been watching Laite as she
> eagerly tries anything new in the way of food that I
> put into the cage. The babies check out what it is
> that she is eating and they follow suit. I think it
> would be safe to remove Melita and put her back with
> her family.
>
> Thursday, September 04,2003: I received a partial
> pedigree from Nathalie and it's awesome to see the
> lineage of these babies. I made one error in my
> introduction letter. Laite too, is a Satin, not a
> Standard, and to prove this to myself I took her
> into
> the bathroom and dampened her coat. A glistening wet
> top coat was made into vertical stripes over a
> creamy
> white undercoat, cool!
>
> Friday, September 05,2003: Well, from day one when
> they couldn't even leap to the top of the hut, they
> are not only hut leapers, but they are now
> rim-of-the-cage leapers.
>
> Doodle started it first. After climbing into my
> hand,
> he would get a grip on the back of my arm with front
> and back feet, flatten out in a desperate attempt to
> hang on, and shimmy up my arm to my neck. Not to be
> outdone by a boy, Natty was soon performing the same
> trick.
>
> THE GREAT GRAPE INTRO! After putting 5 grapes into
> the
> cage I got these weird looks like, "What's a
> grape????"
>
> Saturday, September 06,2003: So, from smallest to
> biggest we have Sunny, Natty, Doodle, Babs, and
> Laite.
> Sunny is the tiniest baby I've ever seen. I can't
> recall my own babies being this small. Although he
> and
> his sister are the same age (3 weeks old), Natty
> seems
> far more mature then he is. There's nothing wrong
> with
> the little guy. He popcorns and wrestles with the
> best
> of them. He has a healthy appetite. He's just as
> cute
> as a button.
>
> Melita and Haley went in with the babies for a day
> visit. Haley wanted out out of the babies' cage real
> bad so she didn't stay long. Gosh darn but those
> kids
> love Melita. Laite contues to power groom her, but
> begs for melita to groom her as well. Other babies
> also went underneath Melita is a plea for
> acceptance.
>
> The babies' main diet is baby formula mixed with
> Medivit water during the day and then the same
> thing,
> only with baby cereal mixed in at night. They get
> baby
> teething biscuits, and every day I add something new
> to the menu: Dog biscuits, grapes, banana, corn,
> peas,
> apple.
>
> Sunday, September 07,2003: Tonight Doodle, Natty,
> and
> Laite are playing follow the leader around the rim
> of
> the cage. They haven't got the nerve yet to jump
> down
> from the rim of the cage. They climb up my
> arm...every
> once in a while Doodle takes a break and runs around
> on my back.
>
> I can't get over how tiny these kids are. Except for
> Laite who is much bigger then the 4 babies, I feel
> like I'm holding mice.
>
> I'm starting to think of these rats as the Rugrats
> children. Laite is Angelica, always saying to the
> youngsters, "Stupid babies". Sunny and Natty are Lil
> and Dil, Babs is Chuckie, and Doodle is Tommy. Fits
> em
> to a T.
>
> Monday, September 08,2003: Well, I've had these
> babies
> for a whole week now, and knock on wood, I haven't
> heard a sneeze or a wheeze out of the lot. They are
> *incredibly* friendly and outgoing, and yes, they
> look
> like they are growing. They certainly are getting
> more
> confident and maturing day by day.
>
> Got my film developed today. Will post pictures
> tomorrow.


=====
Sandra Beasley and the Spaz Rats
Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada
RC(0.1) 20m24f26+r B- C+ D++ F+ N+ S! O4c1d1f OC(ali)a++
RIP: Willow, Belle, Tar-ra, her Babies, Starr, Marjorie, Chey, Carri, Cori,
Sage, Jazmyn, Curry, N'aani, S'oli, Nog, Baeli, E'lain, Taratoo, S'lar, C'iyou,
Diva, B'bet, K'eanu, S'gel, Jordi, Bhryn, T'tianna
Website: http://spazrats.tripod.com
E-group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/holistarat
<:3 )~~~~~~ + <:3 )3~~~~~~ = <:3)~~~<:3)~~~<:3)~~~

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