And So...

[greenstorm]

Helen goes in to get her lump looked at Satudrday at 4pm. Upside to having rats is they're wonderful. Downside is this part. It seems like I just got her as a tiny bouncing baby who was harassing my older ones, now she's sedate, retiring, and definitely the matriarch of the cage. She keeps even Bandita in line. That was a year and a half ago, though.

Comments

[estrellada.livejournal.com]

gah. time flies, especially for rats.

I thought cats were bad enough. Bringing my sister's "baby boy" Gavin into the vet, we realised all the cats in the family are 'seniors' now.

Maybe parrots next?

[greenstorm.livejournal.com]

Now that I'm dipping a toe into breeding, I'm very slightly glad there's not a longer lifespan, but also happy to try to extend it (only breed lines that produce long-lived babies). Hairless rats tend to have shorter lifespans, especially hairless 'mutts', while the ones I'm acquiring now, all carefully-bred, have longer ones. Still, when the crash comes, the fact that they're all about the same age is gonna suck.

Problem with parrots is exactly the opposite-- when you die, who's gonna take care of it?

[estrellada.livejournal.com]

how long is long, for rats?

It's true. That's why RIGHT NOW is the best time to get them, I thinks. Then they can die with us.

[greenstorm.livejournal.com]

Well, 1 1/2 years is on the short side, 3 is longish, 5 is not unheard-of.

Don't parrots live a century or more? Or should we just have them burnt on our grave?

[estrellada.livejournal.com]

So you're trying to breed rats who can live to 4+ years?

Some only live 40ish. Or we could just have a memorial aviary, filled with parrots who dirty-talk and do puns.

[greenstorm.livejournal.com]

Well, 3 years reliably would be a good start

I guess old-parrot rescues aren't a terrible idea

[estrellada.livejournal.com]

so short-lived.

Yeah, I think there are parrot hospitals already. Poor things go crazy if you don't stimulate them enough.

[greenstorm.livejournal.com]

I know, I stopped at a bird shelter once where they had a 'permanent guest' who'd plucked out all his feathers so many times they wouldn't grow back ever.

[eva00.livejournal.com]

Oh, I only read about this now, after I posted about her sister dying tonight.
How is she? Poor baby.