runlikejoy

Displaced Stay At Home Californian in rural N. Carolina

The Many Faces of Joy

The Many Faces of Joy

Saturday, September 7, 2013

Rats

The girls have been begging for a new pet.  I have been hoping that they will forget they want new pets and find a new hobby or be too busy with homework but with all the stuff we have going on  and all the dancing and piano lessons, they still want pets.  We already have enough cats and dogs and we have been the fish route but they want something interactive that they can play with and enjoy and name and feed.  So we have agreed to becoming the parents to a set of rats.

When Fiona was in preschool she went to a Parent Participation Coop and they had two rats named Cocoa and Pablo.  I was one of the few parents that enjoyed letting a few kids in, closing the doors, setting up a small maze and taking out the rats to play.  They were so fun.  Their little paws so soft. And they were so good interacting with the kids.  But like any other animal they require a certain amount of care and I already feel like I have a lot of mammals under my care.

So this morning we were talking about rats and what it would cost us and how much we are expecting each girl to pitch in towards the purchasing of rats and where they will live and how we will keep the elderly cat from snacking on them and it occurred to me that should these rats procreate and have more rats what will we do with a litter of rats?  Do people adopt rats?  Do we give them away?  Are the litters small?  So I mentioned my concern to my husband who willingly offered up, "Babe, don't worry, I know how to sex a rat". 

Standby for pictures of sexed up rats.

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