Merry Christmas!

A Busy Mama!

A New World

Pretend you are blind. You long to see the world around you. And one day the very thing which you have hoped for happens. You open your eyes and...wow! There is so much to see and take in!

Well, that is how it has been for Peppermint's and Patty's babies. They have been blind since the day they were born. They have depended on their sense of smell for almost everything. And then, yesterday evening, it happened... their little eyes opened!

This is a big and exciting change for these little rats. There are so many new and interesting things for them to see. In other words, their once small world has gotten a whole lot bigger!



Exploring is so much fun now!

Misc. Pictures




This is Patty and I. She loves to sit on my shoulder!



The little babies get cuter every day!
 




Growing Fast!

The little pinkies are getting bigger every day! It is so neat to watch them as they grow and change. :-)



 

 

 

 

 

Litter Number Two

Well, I was wrong! Patty ended up having a bigger litter than Peppermint. She gave birth to sixteen healthy pinkies yesterday evening. They all have milk bands and are doing very well! I will post pictures of them soon. :-)




The mamas look great! Even though they have lots of babies to care for they still enjoy their play time. :-)

 

 

This is Peppermint's whole crew. They are a very active bunch!


*A quick side note* Between both litters there are fourteen girls and thirteen boys. 

A Quick Update

Peppermint and her babies are still doing great! She takes such good care of her little ones.

Patty is next in line! Her pinkies should be arriving in the  next two days. She is very round and has been doing a lot of nest building yesterday and today.

Litter Number One

Exciting news! Peppermint went into labor this evening and gave birth to eleven beautiful babies. She and the babies are doing great!

 

 

 

Quite The Nest Builders

The girls are preparing for the arrival of their babies...

  

Any Day Now

Peppermint and Patty are getting bigger every day! It won't be long until the little pinkies (babies) arrive...

 

Patty is anywhere from sixteen to twenty days along in her pregnancy (a rat's gestation period is eighteen to twenty-three days long). She is doing very well!

 

  

 

Peppermint is absolutely huge! After tomorrow, she will be nineteen days along. I think she will have a bigger litter than Patty. She, too, is doing very well!

Shopping For Supplies

I went shopping today and bought most of the supplies I will need to build my rat cage. My dad was a big help! He came along and showed me what materials would be best for the cage. I am so glad he was there to assist me! Actually, he wasn't the only helper...

 

Lowes is definitely a great place to buy materials for projects like this!

 

 

 

My dad leading the way!  :-)

 

 

 

My little sisters and brother came along and really wanted to help their big sister. They did such a good job!  :-)

 

A Neat Idea

About two months ago I purchased an old TV entertainment center. It was a big one, four feet by four feet. Without a doubt I knew it would work perfectly for what I needed it for. And no, I did not need it for a TV. I had a much better idea in mind...

You may not know what I am getting at so I will give you some clues. The TV entertainment center I bought has two storage compartments at the bottom. Hmmm... what are those compartments for? Well, for supplies of course! But what kind of supplies? I don't want to give it away yet so I'll just have to keep going. The entertainment center is water resistant, which is definitely a plus. Not only that, but it is not too shallow. It is actually pretty deep. Have any clue yet? Just in case the answer is no I will give you one more hint. Like every entertainment center, this one has levels. Some are big and some are small.

Still not sure? Well, let me enlighten you. The TV entertainment center I bought is going to be converted into a rat cage. I have been planning this for quite some time and will be starting the building process sometime next week.

To some, this may sound a bit strange. But in reality, it is a very good idea! And I am not the first to come up with an idea like this. Many people convert bookshelves, cabinets, and entertainment centers into comfortable homes for their furry friends. Believe it or not, it is not very hard to build your own cage and it is very cost efficient. If you have rats of your own you may want to look into this. It is definitely worth a shot.

Well, I hope my lengthy post has sparked your interest! I will be sure to keep everyone updated as I move forward with building my cage. I will definitely give step by step instructions with the pictures that I post.


Meghan

Counting Down The Days...

I did have my doubts, but not anymore! Peppermint and Patty are definitely pregnant! Their stomachs have really 'popped' over the past few days. If all goes well they should have their babies within the next ten days. I will post pictures of Patty as soon as I get the chance. She is big, but not quite as big as Peppermint. :-)

 

 

 

* By the way, I hope everyone has a happy Thanksgiving! *

Too Cute!

I was looking through my pictures today and found these...





 

Atto relaxing in his hammock. He was so comfortable!

 

 

This is Patty as a baby. Her very first picture!




 

I took this quick shot of Atto a few months ago. He is very photogenic when he is exploring! ;-)




*A quick side note*  It appears as if Peppermint and Patty are both pregnant. If this is the case, their due dates would be sometime in early December. They are both doing great! I really am hoping they will be mamas soon! I will continue to keep everyone posted. :-)

 

A Naughty Rat!

Every day I let my big, old rat explore the bedroom. For the most part he is well behaved, but sometimes he can be a very naughty boy!  :-)




 

 

My Rattery!

Hi, everyone! Welcome to my blog.  :-)

Today is the official opening of Riverside Rattery!

I currently own three rats, one male and two females. I am hoping to have my first litter sometime after Thanksgiving.

I will keep you posted!

Meghan