I guess I'm only 15

[flutterby]

I told my mom today that difficult child is getting rats. I had to. The cage arrived yesterday, today we are getting the bedding and other stuff, and tomorrow we are get the rats from a rescue.

difficult child is doing all of this with her own money.

And my mom totally freaked out. She went on and on and on - she can't believe I'm allowing this, the mess they're going to make, she can't believe I'm allowing this (repeatedly), etc. And there's just no way she's telling step-dad about it. From her reaction, you would think that...I don't know. It was just over the top.

I just let her go on and didn't say a word. She finally - after about 10 minutes into her tirade - asked if I was still there or if I'd hung up. I told her I was still there. I told her that I'm grasping at straws for things that can bring some happiness for difficult child, and that I'm just trying to survive here, and I don't need to be beaten up about it.

She said she's not trying to beat me up, and that she just doesn't want to know anything else about it, and "that's the end of that conversation".

I am really struggling to keep my head above water emotionally. I'm an adult. I can make decisions and shouldn't have to be beaten up about them. It's not like I'm letting difficult child do drugs, or anything else that is way worse than a couple of rats.

 

[crazymama30]

Wow. All that over rats? And you are an adult and your mother does not live with you? I have to wonder if she was already upset over something else and that just sent her over the edge.

 

[muttmeister]

I have had rats as pets. They make wonderful pets. They are cute, smart, and each one has his/her unique personality. They become very loving and after awhile, they even like to be cuddled.
Now, the rat I married is another story....

 

[Shari]

Like you need some additional stress...yeah, ok.

hugs

 

[Star*]

MESS? Um....NO. Pet rats are among the cleanest pets I've ever had. They will litter box train themselves. I highly recommend Yesterdays News, unscented for the maximum no smell product in product out sensitive nose. Shavings? Aspen only. Pine will cause tumors and kill them. Cedar - same t hing.

My girls were WAY neater than my boys. My boys? Sprayed. Do over? Plastic shields in the corner where the litter box was - BUT? They are territorial and spray unanimously. Girls kept their houses clean, neat, organized. Boys were piggish just like in real life. Jwi was Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)...Noodles was kind of a slob, but Jwi kept her in line. Mannie? He was a Man-Rat - and Albert? OMG 3lbs rats just don't care about housekeeping.

Congratulations. OH and get FROZEN PEAS - Sunday only treat - don't defrost - they will LOVE you. Also hull-less popcorn? It's like rat-crack, and Yogi's from Walmart (cheapest place) the mixed berry kind, once a day? You will be a QUEEN. Mine also loved to swim in the tub, and I made them snuggies out of fleece....Noodles loved her WODENT wheel...well worth the investment. (It's a solid exercise wheel).

CON-RAT-ULATIONS!!!! I miss mine so badly....but no more. They're so precious and intelligent. One of the best pets I ever had. DF even bought the girls a little pink wind chime for their cage. I still have that in my window to remind me of them. I really miss the bruxing and purring too.

 

[flutterby]

CM - Oh no. I expected this reaction from her. It's why I haven't told her until i had to.

 

[nvts]

Hey! I've got a little time on my hands...

ROAD TRIP!!!!

I'll drive you to mom's...

you sneak in...

I have flve words to say to you...

c'mon, you know what they are!...




FLASHLIGHTS and LOOK OUT! TRUCK!



Mooooohahaha!

Beth

 

[KTMom91]

Cadence rat LOVED cantaloupe. She'd hang on the side of the cage and make little noises till someone shared a piece with her. She also enjoyed tipping over her food dish, which sent food flying...so we zip tied her food dish down, and bought a second dish for fruits, veggies, and throwing.

I miss the little rodenta girl. She was a really good pet.

 

[flutterby]

As far as "that" being the end of the conversation....

My mom sent me an email tonight with the subject "Guinness and Natty". The only thing in the body of the email was, "So....are those that rats difficult child adopted?"



I have no idea what she's talking about or where that came from. I responded, "What are you talking about?"

difficult child is adopting babies from a small animal rescue. They don't have names yet. I'm really quite puzzled, but by the time I got the email it was too late to call her.

(by the way, I have talked to my mom twice since the aforementioned conversation and we're ok. I just knew what was coming when I told her, but was/am still shocked at how she can treat me like a teenager at times.)


You should see their "home". It's a 4 level cage, and is stocked with a wooden 'house', a snuggly thing for them to crawl through and snuggle in, a hammock, another little thing for them to hole up in, a rope difficult child made out of a cut up shirt, the things they chew on hanging in one place, some more lying on the different levels, cat-toy balls, and a paper towel ring thing cut into 3 pieces (the cardboard). Oh, and a food dish and water bottle. Plus, difficult child got a playpen so she can have them out in her room without them escaping - or hiding under her bed that is the blackhole. She got what looks to be a well-rounded food for them. She's already planning on the frozen peas.

They're going to be some very happy rats.

The cage came yesterday and, while sick, difficult child took it upon herself to clean her room from top to bottom - including her bedding, organizing her closet (she had to bring the step ladder in to do that - shelves are high), dusted, and she put the cage together all by herself. She didn't ask for any help. I'm quite proud of her for that. You might expect that as a normal day for a easy child, but it's HUGE for difficult child. She always needs help cleaning and organizing. And she set up the cage with the things she got today all by herself. She keeps asking me if I think it's enough (I don't think you could get much more in there and them still have room to run around), and she's worried they're going to get bored.

Star, I told her about the "rat-crack" and she thought that was hilarious. I also told her how your rats like to swim in the tub, so as they get bigger I'm sure she'll be seeing how they like that.

Beth - That still makes me laugh every time. I never did do that to easy child, although I certainly should have. That would be a great idea, except that my mom is the lightest sleeper ever. Her alarm clock makes a barely audible click a minute or two before it goes off, and it's the click that wakes her up. She never needs the actual alarm. No way we'd be able to sneak in.

Thanks for being here, ladies. (And yes, I'm doing the emotional thing tonight, but I still really appreciate each and every one of you every day.)

 

[flutterby]

Ohhhhh....Guinness and Natty are two rats at our local humane society. (I just checked their website. For not wanting to know anything about it, she did some looking around.)

Nope, we're not getting them. We're adopting from an individual rescuer who takes in unwanted small animals, and who will rescue some out of 'feeder bins' (like the pregnant rat she rescued out of a feeder bin).

 

[Mattsmom277]

Sorry your mom is being a PITA.

Congrats on difficult child's new pets! I think its great she prepped her room and did it all without help. YAY!!

easy child got a rat last year. He got sick and we might have lost him but for hand feedings and waterings umpteen times a day. He is now a FAT rat with a crooked head that makes him tip sideways often but its so darn cute! Its just "Him" now lol.

He can make a mess in his cage to a degree, normally only in the process of building a nest/house for himself. He LOVES his cage being cleaned. He gets a new handmade cardboard box/house each time with new building materials (cotton, tissue etc) and he goes NUTS when he gets in and sees I've taken away his castle. He usually chatters angrily at me (hes so vocal, you know where he stands, always lol) and then gets busy rebuilding and is a happy camper. he's all bark lol.

He's a cuddler. it became quickly easy to decipher his "talk" and know what he's on about. He greets us each morning, we have a "routine" lol. He is a total sucker for human food treats, he's a beggar really. He has entitlement issues perhaps lol. he is the cats best friend and they spend hours a day together, through the bars or even together on my lap.

Your daughter is going to be in her glory

 

[Shari]

Beer rats...for the 15 year old.
Yup mom, that's them.

Silver Bullet and Stag are coming in a couple weeks.

Sorry, Heather.

We love you. And a rodent is a cheap price to pay for a few goods days with a difficult child.

 

[flutterby]

Beer rats...for the 15 year old.
Yup mom, that's them.

Silver Bullet and Stag are coming in a couple weeks.

Thank you, Shari. I needed that.

 

[GoingNorth]

I LIKE pet rats but can't have them because I'm allergic to rodent dander. My niece kept pet rats for many years, and they were wonderful little creatures. Extremely intelligent, cuddly, all that stuff and clean besides.

The only downside to pet rats is that they live so quickly and die of old age so young. It gets heartbreaking.

husband had a true rat phobia that I think was kicked off by seeing a horror movie when too young. He knew all about them being great pets and rationally was fine with that, but he couldn't bear to touch one. I found it kind of funny as when we first met he had snakes (and fed them FROZEN rats) and two tarantulas.