A few months ago I adopted a male hairless rat that had been kept in bad conditions . He had the runs and just seemed to not trust people and when I got home with him I figured out why. He was blind . I got the poo problem in order by feeding him a proper diet and took him to the vet who said his blindness was genetic and he had always been blind . I named him Ed and he was special so he became special Ed . I gave Ed a lone level home where water and food was always placed in the same spot so that he would always know where it was and I even had Ed a special friend named One eye . I have had One Eye since he was born and he only has One Eye . So it made sense to put them together and they got along so very well.
It took me a while to gain Ed's trust . I spent hours by the cage just talking to him so he would get used to my voice . When ever I would need to pick him up I would talk to him first so He would know it was me . Eventually I got him to not panic and to not pee on me everytime I picked him up and He ended up being one of the sweethearts that loved to be held and pet . Well a few weeks ago on a tuesday I go to clean Ed's and One Eye's cage and I get them out and of corse love on Ed a while. There was no problems with him I always check him real good and He was fine . Wednesday He wouldnt come out for a treat but I didnt want to force him SO I figured I would take him out the next day and give him a good look over .
Wednesday came and he was bad sick . Weezing hard and he had mucus coming from his eyes and nose . Rat mucus is red and looks like blood which just looked horrible on Eds pale hairless face . My husband called the vet and we got an emergency appointment for 2:45. I held Ed and just willed him to hang in there . At 2:10 I put him down so I could brush my hair and get ready to go . At 2:15 he died. I was devistated it was so sudden . He went from fine and happy to sick and dead in the matter of 2 days.
I will always miss my special Ed . We had him cremated and I will always have him with me.
My first make hairless was Churchill . He is the father of my last litter of babies who mostly have homes now I still have 3 little girls that need homes but well if no one wants him I will keep them . Churchill was a hairless dumbo eared rat . The sweetest guy when he wasnt being reclusive . About a week after I got him he started singing. Yes I had a singing rat . He would only do it for me . He would sing to me from the top level of the cage . He would sing when I held him and the husband finally got to hear him one day when I was holding him and finally believed me about the little ratty songs of love.
At the begining of June he started to act weird . Then the heavy hard breathing started and we took him to the vet who took x rays to discover pneumonia . We did shots and oxygen and antibotics and he started to get better and act more himself . He lost alot of weight so we started him on baby food to give him more nutrition and it was easier for him to eat while weakened. He didnt give up so we didn't either . When the weezing began we rushed him to the vet again . More xrays revealed it had not gotten much better . So more shots new antibitoics and he kept fighting and we fought along with him .
Saturday we had to take his cage mate out because he began to pick on him and Churchill doesnt like to be alone so we started taking shifts on holding him to keep him warm and he soaked up the attention . We would put him down to eat and get water and he was eating and drinking thoughout the day . The hubby works nights so on the weekends he still keeps his schedule and was up in the wee A.M.s with him . I was sleeping and at 4 am He woke me up . Churchill was dieing . I held him for his last few breaths and then he was gone . His little heart just couldnt take anymore .
My little singer is gone now . We have had a necropsy done to find out just what it was that killed him so that if I need to I can take measures with my other ratties but he assures me whatever it was wont hurt the chinchilla . Churchill will be cremated as well and he will sit next to Ed .
I don't know why I love rodents so much . I just do . Rats and Chinchillas they are all so sweet and smart .
Author
Topic: The loss of special Ed and Churchill (Read 4570 times)