66. Charlie

The story begins one chilly fall day (in Michigan) about two years ago. There were a few flurries in the air and all of life was great. We were visiting the pet store, a place I loved to go. We needed food for "the girls", a bright, happy, and fun trio of female rats. While checking out the "feeder rats" (those there to feed to snakes) I found an adorable little tiny rat in the corner. He was the smallest rat in the bin and seemed to say, "protect me" since all of the other rats would climb on top of him when I started poking around. Charlie was unusual because he was a rex and a dumbo among a dozen and a half normal gray and whites. Being a rex he had very scruffy fur, and curly whiskers. Being a dumbo he had his ears on the side of his head, lower and larger then normal rats. Wish his white fur, tiny size, and interesting features he reminded me of a little sheep. A little sheep who I thought was a girl. So, through the chilly air we cuddled his little box, trying to help him stay warm (after all he had been on the bottom of a rat pile), and brought him home, but first not without stopping at my mom's (who lived in the neighboring apartment complex). She seemed to fall in love with "her" and started calling "her" Charlie. I kept the then nameless rat to itself for a couple of days, just in case. It didn't seem to have any health issues, and so I added a rat to its cage. Normally quarinteen of a new rat goes on thirty to sixty days, but it was so small that it couldn't stay warm. My girl Althea liked the baby well enough and cuddled with him to keep warm. It was about two, to three weeks later that his balls dropped. Even before they had done so, and calling him a girl was definitely out, we had started calling him Charlie, but now it became official.

Charlie then got a new cage, and was separated from the girls. I called around and found out that getting him "fixed" so he could move in with my girls was going to be about $125. I paid three dollars for the rat, and we didn't have enough to spend that much on him. My mom took him. Charlie became her rat.

So, why are we talking about him now? He is here, in our living room. He is one of the sweetest rats I have ever met. Loving and calm. He loves my fifteen month old son, is gentle and sweet with him (even when he pulls the treats away). I have tried to avoid becoming attached to him. After all he isn't my rat anymore. But she hasn't been taking care of him regularly. She has been allowing him to be passed over on days that she doesn't feel well. She has been skipping feeding, changing his bedding, and even spending time with him! I don't want to do it, him becoming attached to me and me to him only to have him move out, but what choice do I have?