I got an email from a department head from our local humane society. She asked if I wanted to adopt 2 older ladies. One was having surgery for a lump on her side but after that I could have them before they went up for adoption. I love the oldies, and they can be so hard to adopt out to a good home. She sent me a pic, and I realized why they didn’t want to try to adopt them out.
Nakies are often adopted or bought because they are different and freaky, without any real thought of their care and needs. I had never ever wanted a nakie, I thought they were not my thing, and everyone else in rescue wanted them, so they could have them
So I went to meet my 2 new girls at the HS. The bigger girl was always protecting her sister and bit me hard enough to bleed when I touched them.
I found out that they had been surrendered by their owner of 2 years, as males with the names of Anubis and Absinthe. doh They of course had lived in a hamster cage and fed seed mix and had been “adopted” from a pet store. I could tell when I got them home they had been handled very little and both girls were biters/nippers. These poor little confused girls had been thought of as males for their entire lives so I thought they deserved pretty girly names, and the protective biter I named Bella and her timid passive sister was Lisbet.
After some work, Lisbet decided I was great, but Bella kept biting. She thought it was her between the world and her beloved sister. It took her a long time to be a wonderful handleable girl outside of the cage but until the very end, as soon as she was back in the cage, my flesh was fair game. LOL.
Bella would run and climb and explore like no other rat her age…she was entertaining to watch and a real character. I would often find myself thinking “No one’s told you that you are old! How did you get up there??”
Lisbet and Bella had an unfortunate scuffle many months ago and Lisbet scratched Bella’s eye and burst the eyeball. We fought to save her eye and it worked. Bella was blind but came through like the trooper she was. Nothing brought this little spunky, feisty and sometimes a bit obnoxious girl down.
Well nothing until age finally came along. In 3 days she became very old. :( Senility set in and her clock finally ticked to a stop tonight in my arms at 11:45 pm.
I will be watching sweet Lisbet carefully, since she is incredibly bonded to her sister and has chronic URI on top of it. I will not be surprised if she gives up and goes soon. :sad-p:
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