Percy came to me through the terrible Rats Town Rattery Rescue where I ended up taking in 28 boys, from the worst conditions imaginable. Percy was an unlucky one as he was sick when I got him, and has never shaken his URI. Later on like a lot of the RTR boys he developed tumours. He had a nasty little wart-like one on his shoulders but the worst one was a firmly attached and fast-growing one over his hip/back. A bunch of lovely people banded together and had a raffle for poor Percy to have surgery and remove those nasty things. The surgery was a success, even with a respy rat, and we all rejoiced. Sadly that nasty tumour came back, but not with so much vengeance. Instead he gained a mammary tumour on his belly that ended up being huge and a problem.
Percy used to live with RTR Huron, who also was sick, but Huron was very nasty to my timid Percy so one day I split the pair. They lived alone which made me sad but Percy was happier by far. Still terrified of people, he knew they could do horrible things to him, and he never truly let go of that fear for a long time. He had to be handled very carefully due to his stress, and also if I wasn’t thinking he could bite in fear.
Once Percy got really old and feeble, I tried him with my oldies, and at first there was Frida who followed the Scary Stranger around, and who prevented his complete integration into the group. At first Percy was happy that he was in with a family, even if it was slightly on the outskirts, but eventually it wasn’t enough, and he wanted IN, and especially to gain acceptance with Frida, who he seemed to adore from afar. Percy was persistent and finally won. :D
Percy is 29 months old, and I never even thought he would make it to 2 years, we had tried so many combo’s of meds on him, but nothing cured him for long. He has become a very happy boy with his new friends, and even with the addition of the other RTR oldie boys he never lost his place. But now his tumour, his HED, and especially his resp issues have taken a real toll on his spirit. His eyes are quieter and accepting now, so I took him in to be put to sleep. Sleep well my timid lovely boy.
After his surgery
Letting me touch him, or letting himself touch me J
The he joined his new family.
He sooo wanted to be in the sputnik with his girls…his tumour was too big, and his hind legs too weak, so he compromised by resting his front half in with them :)
Winning over Frida was his lifelong accomplishment. She might even miss him. :P
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