thelibraryrat? What's the Deal?

Hey y'all! So, in case you're wondering why I'm called thelibraryrat, especially since this is supposed to be a blog solely about rats; It's because I also love books! In fact, I am actually a Teen Librarian at a major library system in/near Salt Lake City, Utah.

Why is this important? Well, first, I owe my love of rats to a library I worked at a few years ago. There they had two 'library pets' named Roxie and Luna. These two adorable ratties led me to buy my first two rats, Annie and Lulu; and later adopt Roxie and Luna when a co-worker had allergies to them and we had to find them a new home. Second, books and rats are really the only two things I'm passionate enough to write about and research...so, it only makes sense that those are the very things that I blog about. Especially since the likelihood that anyone will really read this blog is slim to none. lol. At least not for a while. So really, this is all just a lesson in futility...but, who cares? Maybe I'll meet some peeps out there who like the same things I do! and I'm hoping you're out there and that you will comment so that I know when you're out there.

So, even though ratties will take up most of the posting content, you will notice various 'gadgets' related to books and authors...so if you have any questions, comments, or recommendations (either for me, or if you'd like some from me) please do not hesitate to bring it up!

Ok...until next time, Toodles!

Annie's Last Day

Hello there... Well, today was Annie's last day on earth. :( She's now off to Rattie Heaven and I'm hoping she's up there playing with all her little rattie buddies that have passed before her. I hate to start off this blog on such a somber note, but alas, timing is what it is. I haven't posted all week because I've been taking care of her. So here's a rundown of how her diagnosis and treatment went. I'm learning that with the little ratties, things go SO fast. It's almost always done within a week or so.

She was diagnosed with cancer in her liver last Tuesday. We new the situation was dire, but we wanted to take her home so that we could say goodbye and so that she could see all her bros and sisters one last time. A day or so turned into a whole week! Which isn't long, but it gave us sufficient time to get used to her leaving us.

The first few days the doctor prescribed her some steroids (progesterone, I think...or some form of that) in the hopes that that might slow the cell growth and give her some extra energy. Then, on Friday we got our doctor to give us some narcotics to give her to aleave any pain she might have. Really, we wanted to alleviate and mental pain she might be in. I know that sounds weird, but I just wanted her last few days to be stress free. And boy did those help! So for the next three days we just gave her one serving of Buprenex and that was enough to keep her happy and active. Since we were letting her free range, I was relying on her to come back to me several times during the day for dosing and for food and drink. She did these things like a champ until Monday morning. She missed her dose and since we were at work, we didn't see her until Monday night. It was obvious that she had had a rough day and that our time of propping her up was through. So, we gave her our last three doses of pain meds over the next 12 or so hours until we could get her into the doctor. Even with those she wouldn't eat and she just slept under a blanket on my lap for most of the day. After the last dose she really wanted to go exploring, but I was afraid I wouldn't be able to get her back, so I confined her to her cage instead. A sad way to spend your last hours, but it was better than putting her through another day of pain.

When I finally got her to the doctor she was alert for a few minutes and I nearly lost my nerve for letting her go...but after talking to her in the doctors office for a few minutes, she had calmed down after the excitement of the car ride and had reverted back to her sad self. If any of you have ever had a rat trying to tell you it was 'their time' you know what I mean....sort of dead behind the eyes and looking a bit desperate. So, we told her we loved her about a billion times and sent her off to heaven. The doctor said she didn't fight it a bit and was gone in seconds. :(

So, with that in mind, I'm sad and missing on her tons. She was the best rat ever in my book. In addition to the pics in this post, here is a video or two that remind me of happier times with my precious Annie girl. (Ok, maybe no pics since the video upload is taking FOREVER!! I just hope it works!!)

Welcome to my very Rattie Blog...

Hello all ya'll rattie lovers!! Well, at least I hope you are after you start reading this blog! ;) You see, this is a blog about all things rat. You see, we love rats so much, we want to share the love with as many people as possible!!!



My husband and I currently have 5 rats: 2 boys and 3 girls. One of our girls, the oldest and most precious (of course!), is Annie and she is currently losing a battle with liver cancer. :( She is only 2.5 years old...way too short a life for such a great animal. Because of her, we've decided to create this blog...a place where we can share past and current stories about our wonderful rattie boys and girls for all the world to see!



To be fair, its not just because of Annie that we wanted to do this blog...we have already lost 4 (I can hardly believe we've lost this many already!) other ratties due to various illnesses and tragedies; and wanted to have a place to share our experiences--both good and bad. To share what medicines and procedures have worked well for us and which ones haven't. Also, I would love to hear from anyone else out there about their own experiences. We can all learn from each other to create a better life for our precious rattie friends. :)


So, I think the way I will handle blog posts is to share a picture and then let you know the circumstances surrounding that pic. Most of them are fun pics associated with fun memories...but when I was looking through them, I did find some from he rats that have undergone surgeries...and I'd like to share some of those too.

So please, read, comment & enjoy!

Oh, but before I go here is some picture information so you know who is who. :)

*Pic #1: Me and Luna (aka Tuna Fish) before she had her 'big eye' removed. Luna died of natural causes in October 2010.

*Pic #2: Annie and Lulu sleeping under a blanket. These were our first two rattie girls...Annie is the one battling cancer now. She lost her sister to a spinal tumor the day before my husband and my wedding, September 8, 2010.

*Pic #3: Roxie in the tissue box. This was Tuna's partner in crime. ;) They were sisters we adopted from my library when we had to get rid of them due to a coworker complaining about allergies. Roxie died of a spinal tumor about two weeks after Luna...end of October 2010.

*Pic # 4: The Boys! There are actually 3 male rats on my shoulders in this picture. Winson, Maximus (Max), and Petey. We adopted these three after they were abandoned outside the Human Society in a cardboard box. And it was cold!! People are such jerks!! Anyhow, we had to neuter them so they could live with the girls...unfortunately, we lost Winston due to complications incurred after the surgery. Max and Petey are still with us!

*Pic # 5: Mollie! Mollie is an awesome little rattie girl. She's one we adopted from Animal Services. She was all by herself and fit in with the other super fast.

*Pic #6: Sweet Pea, aka New Ears was an impulse adoption from the pet store. I went in for food and left with a Lulu look-a-like. She's a super cute little girl....and I look forward to telling you all about her. She's the most hyper of the bunch now, so she can get on your nerves a lot!!