Sunday, August 1, 2010

We Hear Someone Drinking

Suspiciously we watched as Momma cleaned up the small adventureland. Normally this means cabin time but we're still in the manor. Then we hear the familiar sound of someone drinking but everyone is in the house so who could it be? Now we're hearing the name Justine.

I have a feeling we're going to have an announcement in a short time.

Stay tuned!

Love and Peas,
Ellie

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Pretty Sure Momma Hates Me. . .


I think the picture says it all. Thanks a lot Momma. Oh, and Poppa~you're not out of the rat-cage on this one either. You both laughed far too hard.

love and peas to our friends (still mad at momma & poppa),
Magill

Monday, May 10, 2010

Happy Barkday Suki!

Ellie here,

The ladies and I thought we'd take some time to wish our wonderful pal, Suki Sumo, a VERRRRY HAPPY BARKDAY! We wish you the best treats and stuffies money can buy.

Love and Peas,

Ellie, Lil, Prudy, and Lucy

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Updates of the Rat Race

MaGill here,

Sorry for the delay in posts but nothing much is going on around here until this week. Momma & Poppa went to see the Twinkies play in their new outdoor ballpark:

Poppa accepted a new job which I think should mean double the yogies and bananas for us but I don't think it will happen. Also Momma & Poppa went out for Record Store Day yesterdays and got a bunch of sweet vinyl tunes that we listned to when they got back.

But the real reason for my post:

Momma has been prowling around the house sick the past couple days and, oh my paws, thinks she's sneeky with camera in hand. The stinker actually caught me being still and was able to capture it on camera.

I suppose this means she thinks this is going to be a regular thing. . .

Peas and Naps
Love, Lil

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Save the Haitian Rats!

Magill here,

Now that I've settled into Rat Manor, I'm spearheading my latest campaign.



Like most rats, I've have been very concerned about the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti. While I know what's happened to the people has been terrible, I'm also worried that no one is helping out the thousands of animals that have suffered because of this disaster.

To attempt to spur interest and do everything we can, the ladies and I have put together a care package of food and money to help Haitian animals (except the cats).

We sent Momma and Poppa to the store with a very specific list for our care package. They were nice enough to bring back some treats for us, but since we're volunteers, I don't think you can consider that a bribe.

Here we are inspecting the donations.




You can donate directly through the International Association for Animal Welfare

Or the World Society For the Protection of Animals

Both organizations allow donors to give directly to animal welfare in Haiti.

My sisters and I would like to dedicate our efforts to the memory of PennyLane & Thelma. We encourage all of our friends, furry and otherwise, to at least take a look at what you can do for Haiti in this time of need.

Love and Peas,

The Dumbolinas

Monday, February 1, 2010

We Have a Fourth

Eleanor here,

Rat Manor is back up to full capacity now that Mama and Papa brought home our newest sister, Magill (but she calls herself Lil).



She came to our home on January 23rd, 2010(from the same breeder as my older sisters Thelma and Penny) and got a private cage to herself the first two weeks after arriving, just to make sure she was healthy. Lucy, Prudence and I were left waiting and wondering about this new creature living in the other room, but eventually we all moved in together.

We've noticed that Magill reminds us a lot of her older sister Thelma... at least when she's sitting still. Not only to they have similar coloring (they may actually be real sisters since they came from the same breeder), but she also enjoys her quiet time snuggling with mama and papa, which is much different than most young rats.

Magill is pretty mellow when she's on her own, but this relaxed state ends when her sisters Lucy and Prudence are around to encourage crazy behavior. Lucy, Prudence and Magill now spend a large portion of their days running up and down rat manor and wrestling with each other. Being the oldest, I frown on this type of behavior now that I am a young adult, but we still end the days cuddled up together in our cardboard box.



As you can see, it's a pretty tight knit family.

It's a crazy family, but what can I say, it's my family. There's been some loss, a lot of new additions and a ton of adjustment, but in the end, we're just a bunch of crazy rats.



Welcome Magill!

(Peas Out!)
~Ellie

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Sad, Sad News

Poppa (& Momma) here. . .
It deeply saddens me that we lost our Thelma unexpectedly on Thursday, less than two weeks after PennyLane passed away.

It had been a rough couple of weeks for poor Thelma; the craziness of visiting family over the holidays, losing her sister and cage-mate Penny, moving into a new cage and suddenly sharing her life with 3 energetic children.

She was so lethargic and uninterested in anything after Penny died that we introduced her new cage-mates in hopes that it would give her someone to play and cuddle with. The introduction of her new sisters went very well. There was no fighting (albeit a little wrestling and dry humping amongst the 3 youngsters) and the four of them took to cuddling together from the very start.

Unfortunately, Thelma's labored breathing that had started right around the time we lost Penny kept getting worse, so we took her into the vet at Camden. The vet noticed that she was pale (you can see this in the nose, lips and feet of rats) and that she was wheezing, but didn't find any physical problems and said that her lungs didn't sound terribly congested. Thelma was given two medications to be taken twice a day and moved into her own private cage to recuperate. During the visit, she also got put in a mini oxygen tent while the vet prepared the medications, just to help her get her oxygen levels up.

Thelma came home, took her medications and rested up in a separate cage for what we hoped would be a speedy recovery. She wanted to come out, but when we brought her out, her bottom lip was very blue and she was stumbling all over, almost as if she was drunk. We didn't want her to get hurt, so we put her back in her private cage and gave her attention as she rested in her hammock.

Throughout the night, we heard her moving around and the last time I checked on her at 3am, she was moving around getting a drink of water. Unfortunately, when mama checked on her at 6am, Thelma had gone to be with Penny.

Don't tell Penny this, but Thelma was the favorite child and this loss was absolutely heartbreaking for everyone in the family. Putting Penny down was one of the hardest things we've had to do and we were hoping Thelma would be with us for just a little while longer. Losing Thelma while we were still fragile after Penny's death was an unexpected and draining blow that we weren't ready to deal with for at least a few more months (but to be honest, I don't think we could ever be in a strong enough place to say goodbye to Thelma.)

Looking back, it's pretty easy to say that Thelma died of a broken heart after losing her sister. We'd done some research and learned that like swans, rats partner for life and sometimes after losing this special friend, the other isn't long for this world. After Penny died, Thelma just stopped thriving and although it was wonderful having a lethargic, elder rat to have resting in your lap, there was a deep sadness in her that could never be filled (despite attempts by her new sisters Eleanor, Prudence and Lucy). We gave her all the love and attention we could and I'm sure she enjoyed the time with her momma and poppa during this sad time, I think she had just gotten worn out.

Queen Thelma had a wonderful send off on Thursday. Wrapped in her favorite cut-up portion of one of my old robes, Thelma was placed in a beautifully festive Christmas gift box that was covered in Sharpie-written messages of love from her family. She even had a note from Momma and a few of her favorite flavor of Yogi's placed inside, but we like to believe that there was a mountain of those waiting for her in rat heaven anyway. Her grand-papa was nice enough to dig through the frozen ground on a cold, January night so she could have a final resting place close to the ones she loved.

A cinder block currently marks the grave of a wonderful little critter that dug her way deep into our hearts. We will miss her terribly, but I've already begun to see traces of her personality in Lucy, as she sits on the food-dish, carefully selecting her next morsel of food. I'll keep readers posted if I notice a ghost-rat stealing any food.

Rest in Peas, our beloved little girl


.....
Life goes on, even for rats, and although I miss having my Thelma-bear nestled in my lap or hood as I sit on the computer, her sisters are quickly learning the joy of nesting their way into my sweatshirt. At this moment, Prudence has found a warm place to nap on my tummy, in between my t-shirt and sweatshirt, and Lucy has become a huge fan of digging deep into my hood, then watching over my shoulder as I type. Eleanor gets upset if she's not brought out as much as her two younger sisters and seems to prefer relaxing in the crook of my arm.

It's funny how such small, little souls can crawl their way into yours. I grew up with a variety of hamsters as a child, but have never seen such personality and life in such a tiny package. It's hard to say goodbye to Thelma and Penny, who shared as much of themselves with us as we gave to them, but it warms my heart when I see their three young sisters cuddling up, the same way as their two older sisters did, on the top level of the cage, nestled in one of my old t-shirts.

Friday, January 15, 2010

New Sisters!

First I have this to say:

Thelma, I didn't terrorize you this much when I first met you:



Okay that being said, let me introduce our two newest(and almost twin)troublemakers!



This little gal is our dear Miss Prudence. She likes to be a monkeyrat just like me:



And this is little Miss Lucy:



It didn't take long for us all to cuddle up together



Momma & Poppa giggled about how we took up so little of our big home



Yes, that is all of us up on our top level.

I have a feeling we're going to make a great family of ladies. We've all fallen in love already.

Love from us all,

Eleanor (and Thelma and Prudence and Lucy)

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Momma, Poppa & Me

I just wanted to share a couple photos of Poppa showing me some extra lovins:



He gave me some bananut bread for breakfast today while telling me about our sisters-to-be.

Here is a picture of me cuddling with tuckered out Momma after she put together our manor and made our hammock:



I love my Momma & Poppa!

Peas!
Thelma

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Our New Manor

Holy Rats!!

Momma & Poppa told us that we were getting a new home but seri, this thing is huge!

We ran around inside checking it out, digging in bedding, moving the cozy extras our pawrents put in the cage, and making sure we had it decorated the way we wanted while Momma was crocheting us a new hammock.




Did I mention that Eleanor was a bit of a monkey-rat?

Here is a picture of the whole thing. It's blurry but you can see how big this place is compared to tiny us (even though I've gained holiday weight)



We still have some work to do on it but we love this place! What do you think?

Peas!
Thelma

Saturday, January 9, 2010

Eleanor Rigby

So Momma and Poppa were feeling down and my sadness wasn't helping. We all got up on Saturday morning missing PennyLane so very much but I was taking it very hard. I didn't have anyone to steal treats from, the hammock was empty, and the worst part: no long-tailed friend to cuddle with me. Total Bummer.

As a disclaimer from Momma & Poppa, it wasn't adoption therapy. From me: I practically begged them to help me find a new pal.

This is where Miss Eleanor Rigby joined our ranks. On January 9th, Eleanor was adopted by my pawrents. Here is my new three-month-young pal:



Here is where I get brutally honest about my new pal. She has all kinds of energy and apparently doesn't realize that this rat needs her beauty sleep. Lady just doesn't stay still! Every time we move slightly she's sniffing the air a bit more. I had to "give the look" more than once on Saturday AND today to get it across to mom that I just might kick her out. Okay, I love her and her energy and she's all kinds of youth-filled fun but this picture may speak volumes of my frustration. Just look at the pleasent smile on my face:



At least she stayed still for just a little while for Momma to take a couple pictures for me to post.

On two other exciting notes, Momma & Poppa had a talk with us today about:

1. They got us a RatManor. It should get here any day now and it's HUGE!
2. Momma & Poppa are going to adopt two little girls to join us. They're rescuing them so they don't have to go to a shelter.

Stay Tuned!

Love & Peas
Thelma (and Eleanor)

Thursday, January 7, 2010

My Last Post

Penny here. . .

Life has been full of cuddles, treats, and fun times with family and friends. I've been full of happies to have ratnasiums, couches to run on, hammocks to cuddle. . . Basically Thelma and I have all but crowns and thrones. Unless you count that one time I rode around on my pal Suki Sumo's back.

I've also been very luckies to have all kinds of lovins from Thelma, Momma, Poppa, family, and all of my Aunties and Uncles. You all take such good care of me and I love you all very much.

My tumor has gotten a bit bigger and while I'm still walking, it's harder. I just don't have the energy I used to and think it might be time.

I've shed my little rat tears and just when I thought I was brave, I was having a hard time leaving my favorite places: the hammock with T, Poppa's shoulder as a Pirat(e), and Momma's tummy for ear scratches. At least I got my favorite places in before I leave. Saying goodbye is hard, but I must. Plus my pawrents keep telling me there will be a mound of peas and yogies when I get where I'm going to feel much better.

Be good to eachother. I love you and I'll miss you all tons.
Lots of Love & Peas, PennyLane

Friday, January 1, 2010

Random Stuff for New Years

We forgot to share some funny moments so this is more about Mom & Dad catching us in the act for a few crazy things:

This is when we got in a fight and sat on opposite sides of the couch:



This one should be our album cover:



Check out how awesome we are with our tails:




Okay, we just thought we'd share some of the love. Hope your days are ratriffic!

Love & Peas,
T&P