# 5 male rats, 4 months, southampton



## ceretrea (Jan 24, 2011)

Solo, Mace, Obi, Jin and Luke and 5 brothers that came to us yesterday. Part of a litter resulting from a mis sexing. These boys are roughly 4 months old and nervous of handling, although they are coming around quickly. They are a mix of Siamese and Champagne hooded, the Champagnes being so faint that they may fade totally to white with age.

Can be homed as a group of 5 or a pair and a trio. Available to leave us after the 10th August.


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## ceretrea (Jan 24, 2011)

Updated pictures

These boys are in intro with our boys Leo and Hex in the hopes that their presence will help bring these boys round.

Solo:










Jin










Luke










Mace










Obi


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## ceretrea (Jan 24, 2011)

These boys have made some progress, although they have a way to go. My lads are having an effect on them, we didn't need the glove to handle any of them during the last cleanout. They all came quietly and were weighed without fuss 

Sadly they have had no interest at all. With time, these lads will make lovely pets.


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## ceretrea (Jan 24, 2011)

This is now a group of 4 boys 

Mace was pts today, it seems he was still so terrified of people he hid a small wound on his leg until it became infected. This is common in rodents who are not so tame. Its a survival instinct to avoid looking weak to predators, and humans classed as such to this boy.

Only when the infection cut off circulation to his foot did he even start to limp. By this stage is was already through his pelvic region and down into his other leg. Within a few hours he'd lost the use of that foot too. The act of seperating him from the group was enough to put him in immense distress and he spent the night in a carrier in a dark, quiet place.

Sadly, because he refused any food we tried to give him laced with medication and syringing meds straight into his mouth was too distressing for him, treatment would have been a problem. Because he was not yet tame enough to cope with proper handling, the vet and I agreed that cleaning of the wound would be an horrendous experience from his point of view. It was likely that he would have lost his left foot, especially as he had started to chew it himself. Possibly also his right foot. He, as a rat who needs to 'flee' when afraid would not cope as an amputee. The treatment and recovery overall being too invasive and too intense.

Given all the factors involved, the likelihood of recovery, the stress...we made the decision to euthanise. It was not an easy one to make but this lad's options regarding medical treatment were limited. This is a situation I have been most afraid of facing as we have many scared rats, but in this case there wasn't anything we could have done for him that would not have made things worse. If it had been a month down the line he may have been at a stage whereby this could have had a positive outcome.

As this is a rescue animal I feel the need to fully disclose and justify our decision. I am sure they'll be those who disagree but we are about alleviating suffering not causing more.

Run free Mace, now in a better place with no fear xx


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## ceretrea (Jan 24, 2011)

These boys are still looking!

Jin is being treated for a bite wound that has abcessed on his back. The vet dated the wound back to the same time as Mace's injury so they must have been fighting. Jin is coping very well and this has now almost healed. Considering his treatment he has not become averse to handling and we have been very pleased with his progress.

Luke remains the most confident, and he and Obi are now running to the door at feeding time. Solo is still the most nervous but he is making progress.

They are tolerating some handling, and we are building on that slowly. These boys will benefit from finding a home and recieving one to one attention that only an owner can give 

Solo:-










Jin:-










Luke:-










Obi


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## ceretrea (Jan 24, 2011)

These boys have been homed x


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