new friends

After we lost Janus, Ben and I decided that it was time to build a proper cage for our rats. We had actually tried to do this once before but they didn't like it, so they were living in a 30 gallon glass aquarium--much too small, and tanks are notoriously bad for their sensitive little respiratory systems because airflow is so poor.

Because what we were planning on building was going to be so much bigger, and because Bandit and Appa seemed forlorn after the loss of their cagemate, we decided to buy some new rats. Now, everything you'll ever read on the internet about rats says to always buy from breeders, but of course there are no ratteries on the Island. I also find it rewarding to rescue a feeder rat from its terrible fate. Bandit, Appa, and Janus were all originally going to be snake food. No, such rats will not always live as long, but the life that you give them is so much longer and fuller than anything else they could have had.

So, we ventured up to this weird little pet store in West Tisbury called Little Leona's. We had no idea what we were going to find there. It wasn't too bad, really--very small, but I've seen much worse. And they had rats for sale!



We found the two loveliest little rats. One chocolatey black with white feet and a white tummy, the other white with black head and shoulders. They were a little older than we were hoping for, but still definitely babies. Skinny but fairly healthy looking. But very, very skittish.

It was difficult to get them out of their cage. They were extremely nervous of all the new attention, and I don't think they were used to being handled at all. We let them climb on us and tunnel through our jackets and get used to our smell. Another customer laughed at the whole scene and commented on how she couldn't quite believe how at ease we were with these rodents--the pet store employees had similar reactions. I still have to get used to the idea that we are "rat people."

In a sort of homage to Janus, whose name we took from Greco-Roman mythology, we named the black rat Erebus--the Greek god of shadows and darkness. The black and white rat we named Quiz, or The Grand Inquisitor--after one of the cats from Patricia C. Wrede's Enchanted Forest Chronicles. We're pretty dorky about names, I know.




I don't think they were handled well at all prior to us adopting them. They are still extremely skittish and mistrusting. But they're slowly coming around. They seem to be getting along with our other rats--so far, nobody had tried to be the alpha, and they all just snuggle together in a pile. I can't wait to watch them grow and flourish the way Appa and Bandit have, now that they're a part of our lives.