Dynamic Dumbo Duo and Friends

We Hear Someone Drinking

2010-08-01T14:58:00.002-05:00

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

Pretty Sure Momma Hates Me. . .

2010-07-17T15:10:00.002-05:00

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

Happy Barkday Suki!

2010-05-10T20:48:00.000-05:00

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

Updates of the Rat Race

2010-04-18T17:32:00.000-05:00

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

Save the Haitian Rats!

2010-02-13T11:08:00.000-06:00

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

We Have a Fourth

2010-02-01T10:57:00.000-06:00

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

Sad, Sad News

2010-01-24T09:32:00.000-06:00

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.

New Sisters!

2010-01-15T17:05:00.000-06:00

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)

Momma, Poppa & Me

2010-01-13T20:00:00.000-06:00

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

Our New Manor

2010-01-12T21:05:00.000-06:00

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

Eleanor Rigby

2010-01-09T19:46:00.000-06:00

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)

My Last Post

2010-01-07T15:05:00.000-06:00

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

Random Stuff for New Years

2010-01-01T19:00:00.000-06:00

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

Happy Holidays Furry Friends!

2009-12-26T15:00:00.000-06:00

We celebrate Christmas and went to visit the grandmamas & grandpapa and all of our family. (a note from Momma: We were happy to stay lower key so we could look after any changes with Penny's health)

MamaB & PapaJ were first. Auntie Jessie flew in from New York and we all hung out around the Christmas tree singing carols. Dad played the guitar and banjo while we ran around on Momma&Auntie. Okay, so we mostly chilled and cuddled. Here are some pictures:

Then we opened pressies and ran through the tree looking for the pickle.

Then it was off on the crazy roads to MamaK's. She was nervous about us being out of our cage long especially because our cousins like to help us get in troubles. We did get out a bit to play on each of our cousin's shoulders, say hello to the gang, and find the pickle on MamaK's tree but none of us took any pictures while we were out.
(Thelma here with a side note: we didn't want to play too much because Penny started to get really tired and we made a little cuddle nest out of one of dad's shirts to chill out in and rest.)

We hope your holidays with pawrents were wonderful too!

Sad News

2009-12-23T21:30:00.000-06:00

I had an appointment at the vet today after Mom & Dad found a big lump on my belly by my back leg. It came up really quickly. I didn't have it on the weekend but was feeling yucky enough to curl up right away on Momma's lap for a nap on Sunday afternoon to watch Ratatouille with Thelma.

I've been progressively more tired and taking more naps and it has been harder to get enough air in my lungs. Thelma and I have spent more one-on-one time nervous about my to-be visit to Dr. Cynthia.

Today Dr. Cynthia discovered that my lump was a mammary tumor. She also thinks that it might be helping along a problem with my heart and making me take my quick breaths. Momma & Poppa decided to take me home and let me continue my queen-like lifestyle and cuddle with Thelma until the tumor effected the quality of my life.

I just thought it was right to let my bloggy pals know what was going on.

Keep me in your thoughts,
Penny Lane

Blog Absense Excuse: Momma & Poppa Marry

2009-11-26T14:26:00.000-06:00

Okay, things have been rather crazy. We've been helping Mom like mad getting ready for the wedding which happened on September 4). Dad took a second job to help pay for it (if you're interested you can read the adventures of working at a human novelty store at www.jizzmopper.blogspot.com) so we had been keeping Momma company in the evenings when she was home. Other nights Auntie JenPee, Auntie JenTea, and Auntie Kimber-ee had been helping her with the craziness that leads to do-it-yourself wedding projects. All the while we were curious if we were actually going to be able to attend the big event.

Unfortunatly Momma & Poppa didn't think that the reception venue would be too excited about having us "RODENTS" around the food. L-A-M-E. They just don't realize how awesome we are. Momma & Poppa filled us with all kinds of treats on the big day. This is what we missed, Dad Singing to Mom as she walked down the aisle:

They followed it up with allowing an adventure to Auntie Jane's house for over a WEEK to hang out and play while they went to Aruba. She took such good care of us, cuddled with us, and created a rat-nasium of all kinds of things. We were climbing, burrowing, and having fun cuddling with her. She didn't take any pictures so we can't really share all that much. Momma & Poppa said that Aruba was great but we think they would've had more fun playing with us.

More Later,
Thelma & PennyLane

Momma & Poppa

2009-05-18T20:11:00.000-05:00

Hi blogger buddies!

I thought it would be fun to share a little picture of Momma & Poppa from their engagement photos:

Ratriffic!

Also we're heading with Momma & Poppa to the cabin this weekend. Hopefully we'll have some fun pictures to share from our misadventures. They have some great couches to run on up there. Last time we even went down to the lake and hung out on the dock. I'll keep you posted!

Love and Peas,
Thelma (and Penny)

FINALLY!

2009-02-25T11:54:00.000-06:00

Momma and Poppa have been neglecting helping us with posts! Please enjoy the new ones posted from the date that they were actually created but not published! :)

Sorry for such a delay. Trust us, Momma and Poppa were punished.

Trying To Blog By Ourselves

2009-01-31T12:23:00.000-06:00

We thought it may work to type the blog ourselves, one paw per letter at a time.

First I thought if I just wedged myself in a little I could open the computer more

Penny pushed it open a bit more while I proceeded with caution. I was so glad to see Momma didn't have a mouse, those things stink.

Notice how in this next picture Penny is hiding behind me. As she duckedd behind my behind I think her words were, "RATS! Momma caught us!"

Momma made us close the computer again. . .

She told us we'd write soon enough.
Hey, we at least we tried to get in touch earlier. Maybe this is why we spend time as jail rats instead of ruling the condo on days like this one.

Peas!
Thelma & PennyLane

The Holiday Cards That Never Were

2009-01-04T12:10:00.000-06:00

Sorry they didn't come out sooner! We thought they were ratteriffic but Momma and Poppa didn't get the pictures taken until after the holidays. We really liked the stocking!

Love & Peas
T&P

Momma and Poppa Are Getting Married!

2008-11-01T22:00:00.000-05:00

Poppa proposed to Momma in a very special place for them. He sang her the song he wrote for her on the Stone Arch Bridge in Minneapolis during a carriage ride. Poppa told us the entire story and we listened with anticipation:

They are still in search of a good harness leash for us so we can't go rat wild but if we're lucky we'll be able to see it someday. We're hoping to scurry down the aisle with them but Momma thinks that some people might get creeped out. We think our tails are lovely.

Peas!
Thelma&Penny

Sorry Pals

2008-09-09T09:59:00.000-05:00

Momma and Poppa have been taking too much time elsewhere to give updates on us! Our home is in shambles and they're slowly putting it back together. They're sure that our camera is somewhere packed away in a box but haven't found that yet either!

In the meantime we're enjoying our new wood floors and cuddling in the big papasan chair in the sun. We'll give you a real update sometime soon . . . if Momma gets her act together!

Ratnasiums!

2008-07-20T10:29:00.000-05:00

Thelma again!

Just wanting to tell you that Poppa is great!! He has been creating great setups for us to climb, crawl, hide, and come out for treats! It started when Momma brought a banana box home and he let us run around in that. He keeps mentioning all these great additions he is going to work on, but Poppa is a busy guy.

I tried the easy way out

Penny was trying to climb over the top

Remember, this box is just the beginning.... Stay tuned!

Love and Peas

Thelma (and the Pen-ster)

2008-07-13T12:15:00.000-05:00

Hey-o! Thelma here to tell you about a fun new accessory in our home!

So Poppa went out and got us this great hammock. We were so used to cuddling up with eachother that we were confused at how this whole operation would work. From the moment I braved stepping in I have been a huge fan. Penny, however still was iffy but eventually she developed love for it too. Over the past couple weeks of having this thing we've managed to munch a lot of it apart so Momma took our original one out. We now (since we love so much to cuddle in Momma and Poppa's things) get old shirts for hammocks so we can keep munching away!

Momma took a picture for me to share. I think we look like JailRats, what do you think??

Meeting Suki!! :)

2008-07-07T23:34:00.000-05:00

Okay so this blog is a long time coming! Momma helped us write some and then saved it. Little did she know at the time it would be a couple weeks before she was able to help us again so we're sorry this took so long! We're dating it the day we started it!

So as it says above, we have finally had the pleasure of meeting Suki, her parents Jen and Leo, as well as Aunties Jen(yes, there is another one!) and Kim. We bonded quickly to Auntie JenT and she warmed up to us pretty easily as well. Auntie Kim on the other hand is still a little nervous around us but she managed to get close enough to give our heads a scratch or two. She and Suki's mommy are a little creeped out by our tails. . . personally we think they're darn cute!

Okay now to the good stuff~ Meeting SUKI SUMO!

First Momma opened our door. As you can see we're huddled in the corner while Suki is sniffing around

Then she decided to introduce us one by one. I(Thelma) was the first taker and Suki anxiously awaited me to get closer.

I think she started to get nervous that I was going to munch some of her goodies but Momma had peas for Penny and me to gobble up.

Momma thinks this next picture is hilarious because Suki is obviously thinking, "What the heck are you doing??"

Then Momma coaxed Penny and I out of our home onto her lap (which typically doesn't take much) and Suki came close to make us feel welcome

Just two last pictures of each of us nose-to-nose with Suki:

A big thanks to Auntie Jen and Uncle Leo for letting us come over to meet Suki several days in a row and not being mad for leaving a couple pea shells behind!! We had tons of fun getting to know you!

(On a side note, everyone should ask Suki about the song that Poppa wrote for her!!)

Thanks for reading!

Love and Peas
Thelma&Penny

Cuddles with Momma and Poppa

2008-06-30T19:39:00.000-05:00

So we've mentioned our love of cuddling~ some of which comes by pretending we're parrots (hanging out on shoulders) and in Poppa's pockets. These pictures are from the night before the weekend they spent away from us. They were too busy cuddling with us to take pictures of it yesterday afternoon when they returned!

Enjoy the photos!

Thelma & Penny

Hooray for New Blog Friends!

2008-06-23T20:14:00.000-05:00

So our Momma and Suki Sumo's Mommy are pretty darn good pals (though we haven't gotten to meet her yet). . . Suki's Mommy kinda had to talk her into helping us get to know others and we're so glad she did!!

Already today while Momma was at work we had some visitors. Momma helped learn more about Clover, Ruby Bleu, and Nevis. We're so excited to get to know you and become inter-species friends!

Thanks for visiting!

Thelma&Penny

Penny Joins the Family

2008-06-22T21:37:00.000-05:00

Thelma here again! Penny will be taking over in a bit but I thought I'd start out the story of Momma's birthday yesterday!

June 21st rolled around and Momma turned 27! After the excitement of some birthday presents Momma and Poppa started talking about going to pick up one of my sisters to come live with us in Minneapolis. They talked to me and I promised not to be jealous but rather excited instead!! I wanted to go along but I can get a little fiesty so they decided to leave me at home while they drove North.

Penny taking over! :)

Momma and Poppa came in and I was a little shy but very calm. When Poppa got his hands on me I scurried up to his shoulders and hung out there(the people watching me remembered him picking up Thelma!). Momma picked me up from his shoulder, gave me a little cuddle, and then it was back home with them to see Thelma again and join the family.

Here is a picture from the ride home:

Momma and Poppa let Thelma and I reconnect and hang out in the bathtub for a while. That was sure crazy times! (Thelma was chasing me! It was fun!!)

Then Momma let me into my new home to explore for a little while. It worked out well because I had a little alone time before Thelma and I played again.

As you can see, I'm still not so sure about peas. Thelma on the other hand comes running any time Momma has some in her hands.

Anyways, then Thelma joined me and we curled up together. It's fun being here with Momma, Poppa, and my sister!

A Littly Grumpy at Momma....

2008-06-19T22:00:00.000-05:00

Thelma here! I did something today when I was a little grumpy that made Momma grumpy too.
Poppa bought me some fun toys and treats yesterday that I finally got to see today. One of the things he picked up was a running ball. I just wanted to cuddle and Momma wanted to have me try it out. I got a bit grumpy because it seemed a bit scarry to me. I was really nervous of it at first so I cuddled far into her lap... and kinda peed a little.

That made Momma grumpy at me. . . but she still gave me some almonds when she put me back in my home!!

Thelma Joins the Family

2008-06-16T22:00:00.000-05:00

Momma and Poppa had been talking for some time about adopting someone special like me to join the family... as my luck has it, I got to join the family on June 16th, 2008 :).

It was a crazy evening. I was a complete suprise to Momma and I know she fell in love with me the second she saw me. I was really nervous to meet her though so I decided to try to hide for a bit. It took me only a little while to feel at home. On my big day joining the family I had treats and a few toys to play with in my new home AND a little house to hide out in that I can munch on too! I also got to spend a lot of time on Momma's lap and cuddling. Poppa seemed unsure of how to act with me right away but I won him over pretty quickly too.

Here are some pictures:

Snackin on some peas

Hanging out and sniffin' around on Momma's lap:

This picture below is of me peeking out of the cool house I was talking about! Should I decide to have a little nibble, it won't even make me feel sick to my belly!