Things come in 3's, (pet rat related)

I'm well pissed of with pets at the moment, not with them themselves, but
for being so damn fragile.

<This post refers to my fancy rats, and as usual goes round the houses a few
times>


Few weeks ago one of my rats (Nugget, a black and white hoodie) got
pneumonia like symptoms leading to an inner ear infection (the boiler being
fucking broken for 2 months doesn't help, bastard landlords.. we have 3
apparently, part of a management company and they all chipped in to buy this
place, one of the fuckers in in oz at the mo)

Anyway, tried to get Nugget seen at the local pdsa vet which im registered
with, i explained that i knew what was happening and he needed a cortisone
injection asap, the sooner he gets it the less damage will be done, 'bring
him in tomorrow afternoon' was the best they could do,

So found a normal pay a fuckin fortune type vet, who got me in straight away
and he got his injection just as his eyes began to flick about indicating
his inner ear was swelling and pressing on nerves.

He's got a permanent head tilt now (wry neck is the technical term), he
literally tilts his head to one side, his balance is all fucked up so
apparently he's trying to judge horizontal lines to tell him which way up he
is, and when he cant figure out which way is up, he sways about like a
drunk,
but rats being rats, he is adapting and can scoot about almost as fast as
before, he just cant do his death defying 4 foot leaps from the cage to the
sofa anymore.


Then 2 nights ago Lionheart (a 700 gram silver mink berkshire) was squealing
like hell when ever any of his cage mates went near his back, culminating in
a massive fight between the lot of them before we got the cage door open,
10 seconds later they separated to lick their wounds (Nugget and Tatyana
both got bit through their bottom lips, and Honey got a toe nail pulled out)
Lionheart was visibly shaking and all puffed up (his fur sticking out like a
puffer fish making him look twice his normal size)... as if saying 'come on
ya bastards, who wants some more'

Well, my dozy girlfriend decided then was the time to pick him up and
comfort him, if you heard a scream Tuesday at 4am, that was her,
he went right to the bone on her finger, and her whole hand has swollen up
to twice it's size, just got back from casualty as instructed to do so by
her docs, chipped bone, causing a lot more swelling that there should be...
i got bitten 2 minutes later when i had to pick him up to check him out, and
i just have puncture wounds,
mind the amount of grease, oil, metal filings etc i drive into my hands when
ever i work on anything mechanical must mean I'm immune to most f.o.d.

Seems Lionheart has done something to the joint between his pelvis and back
bone, given 3 days of a yicky smelling and i guess by the face he pulls foul
tasting pain killer and anti inflammatory, and will get an x-ray if no
better on Friday, and take it from there, but warned that if it is a
fracture, there aint a lot to be done.


Today, went and collected a bike trailer, so was out all day, got back home
about 10pm, and Tatyana (a very fat Russian blue) was laying on her side in
the bottom of the cage,
first thought was another fight, but absolutely no blood or wounds to be
seen on her except the lip wound she got the other day, then she tried to
walk, and she's totally lame on her left rear leg,

fucksake,
No idea what she's done, cant feel any broken bones, but she cant extend or
retract it, it's just sort of hanging there,
she's trying to carry on as normal, but being a bit of a porker, she needs
all 4 legs to carry her weight,
and as a result she cant sit on her haunches to have a wash, both sad and
funny to see a rat try to wash with only one paw, as the other front paw was
supporting her to stop her from toppling over onto the gammy leg.

So looks like I'll need 2 x-rays done, and hope it shows up what Tatyana has
done to her leg, can only think she fell or was pushed from the top of the
cage and landed badly, rats are usually light footed, but there's nothing
light about Tatyana, wouldn't believe she was the runt of the litter half
the size of the others, now she's the largest rat produced by her breeder.

So all i have left is Honey, (a pink eyed Siamese) as a fully functioning
rat, i found her running away from a reptile shop, so some snake had just
lost it's meal, but as she was bred for food, she's very small, and as a
result is fast as ****, bounces everywhere, can scale anything, even smooth
walls, she can be up your trouser leg and making a nest in your boxers
before you've realized she's in the room,
basically anywhere there's trouble, honey isn't far away... when the dog
comes tearing into the living room, we just know honey is hanging onto the
dogs tail with her teeth, she seems to enjoy the ride the mad fucker.

Sorry about yet another off topic and crappy post, i just had to rant, i
know not everyone gets this pet thing, but i prefer my pets to some people
I've had the misfortune to meet.

 

Fucks sake, I post about things with engines in and I get flamed for
it.

alt.fan.rodents is over ----->

Paul.

 

Easily solved - just pop the bear in your killfile and get a thicker skin
for the rest.

 

Na luck big man .......

 

Na luck big man ......

 

Get a sig sep you ****.

 

Indeed.

 

Get a blog. That way no-one would have to read your rat-ranting.

 

Our experience of injuries like Tatyanas is that they heal up after a
few days, ours typically sprain legs twisting as they jump off the cage
bars, or misjudging a jump and falling awkwardly. They manage fine on 3
legs (obviously not as fat as yours) for a few days, and so far we've
not had to resort to the vets at all.

 

Step away from the Stella ... ;-)

Paul.

 

You would have, only a few short years ago. Now we have a more caring,
sharing Bear, to go with the new fluffy rounded-corner newbie safe
UKRM.

heh

Paul.

 

Zymurgy works for the CIA?

 

I too must admit to looking down at my keyboard in confusion as to just
how it happened. I too find it to be a most pleasing word. It trips
gently yet satisfyingly off the tongue though.

So what's the definition? Pleasantly Flamed? Pleasingly Flamed?

"I posted some stuff on the internet the other day and was plamed for no
sig sep."

 

tar, tatty is using her leg slightly this morning, so prolly just a sprain,
bigger thay are the harder the fall and all that, and she is a fat fucker,
should i get her a harley?

lionheart is the worrying one, still painfull as **** at his pelvis joint,
will find out tommorow, but keep it to my self unless i dont come home with
him, then i'll be whinging and moaning for weeks

 

I'm about to attack it with a vengeance because I've had the day from
hell and if I don't do something about it I'll worry all night.

 

Don't worry about those stress fractures in the reactor vessel. Bit of
chemical metal and they'll be right as rain

P.

 

I'm nowhere near anything nuclear until the end of June so the World
is a relatively safe place for a few more weeks.

I've got a nightshift full of mechanical incompetents and a boss
that's telling me to just use the men I've got and if that means more
direct supervision then get on with it.

I'm not really that bothered because the people we're working for
keep telling me it's not my fault and why don't I defect and work
directly for them.

 

Ah, cool. Ker-ching then.

Wouldn't that mean you were more tied away from home though ?

Pretty crappy all round ..

It's only work anyway, I don't miss the sleepless nights, the grey
hairs, the heart arrhythmia ...

Paul.

Paul.

 

And there you have the reason for not going. Even though I'm away all
year I'm home every weekend when the power stations aren't shut and
even when we're on the stations I'm home every 2nd weekend. If I went
working for this lot I'd be back to globetrotting and coming home
every couple of months.

I'd be bored in a normal working environment. I had a better day today
because one of our directors came to collect something from me and I
conned him into going where the project manager would catch him then
stood and watched as he got a verbal kicking while I was told I was
doing an excellent job under difficult conditions.