I am trying to figure out why I am sooo upset, and I realized that Bradley was only with me since mid-January, only with me for 4 months! :shock:
Bradley actually lived with my niece for a year (he was part of a joke for a friend of her bf's), I kept trying to get him but my sister kept insisting they knew how to take care of a rat. I never met him until this past Christmas (my niece had him at school). They told me that he “didn’t like to be out of his cage and would bite to let you know that” . He was alone, on a bad diet, in the same small cage I gave them when he was much younger (they had him in a hagen hamster cage).
My sister got quite offended the first few times I said I would take him or gave them advice…sigh. Family are the hardest to deal with.
But at Christmas I decided that as soon as I got there I was going to hold Bradley. I went up and found him in his cage. I opened one door and he ran to it, then I opened the other door and pushed his butt out. Boy was he surprised!!
At first the claws dug into my arm, but about 10 mins later he was lying draped over my arm, legs dangling, eyes closed as I gently scratched him and stroked him. I came down to the kitchen where the family had gathered and my sister said “Is that your rat?” (I had brought Dolci and Mattie up with me… and Dolci was a pearl merle just like Bradley).
I told her no, and got the inevitable…”That’s not our rat!” “You can hold him! What did you do?” “He has never acted like that with us!” LOLOL
Within 2 weeks Bradley came home with me. He was a happy dude, and even happier when I intro’d him to Rennie right after his neuter (she is spayed but has never really bonded with any other rats). Until Bradley. He put up with her weird behaviour and put her down on her back when she became too much. She obviously needed a real man to keep her happy.
The first time I saw them cuddled and grooming in a hammock I cried. Bradley who had never had a friend and Rennie who wouldn’t let another rat near her. :heart: :heart:
He’s always been a bit of a chronic with crackles but last week he got very quiet and cuddly and I popped him on baytril and zithro, but his crackles didn’t go away like they used to. Tonight I came home to a very sick boy and by 8:45 he passed in my hands.
I wish he could’ve stayed a lot longer, he was only 21 months old and a complete surprise to lose him. But he was soo happy while he was here. My poor Rennie is alone once again...sigh.
He had this wonderful habit of freezing with his head down so I could scratch and stroke him...he would be immobile. As soon as you stopped his big athletic body would be bouncing and humming with energy again :)
The best things in life...
Hammies
And especially Friends to share them with.
I will miss you Bradley. :sad3:
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