a Mulciber update

[mousapelli]

The rat has been kind of mopey the last few days. I think he's lonely because i've been spending so much time at school. tonight he's spent the whole evening curled up right beside me, and looking up at me balefully if i stop petting him.

Much like this:



He's limping again too. It's not serious, it comes and goes once in a while. He'll just stop using his one back foot for a day or two. It doesn't look any different from his other foot, and he doesn't act like it hurts when i poke it.

I've been thinking about getting him a hetero life partner to ease the boredom of his days alone, and to curl up with during the long Vermont winters. Anybody successfully introduce new rats to a spoiled male rat of roughly 1 year of age?

I can just see me at the petstore: "excuse me, my rat needs to snorfle your rats to see if there is a potential hetero life partner among them."

Comments

[florahart]

The worst they (the pet store) can do is say no and think you're a freak...

*imagines Sara, in disguise, haring off to various pet stores around the state because she does want the locals to think she's a freak.* :DD

[fantomeq.livejournal.com]

Oh my goodness, he's huge. Mine are still only 6 inches, but they're girls.

If you get him a hetero partner, he'll have to be neutered. Oh-no, not his pride and joy! (Unless you want a new litter every month.)

All I know about introducing rats is that you need at least a 2 week quarantine first to check for health, then put some vanilla on them so that their scents are masked when you introduce them. But then again, I haven't actually tried that yet.

*Dies at globochicken's squirrel comment!*

[mousapelli.livejournal.com]

he is indeed huge. the bigger and floppier my rats are, the better, that's why I always get male ones. Six inches, wow. Mulciber's body alone is nearly a foot.

No no, i meant another male rat. Hetero life partner is what my friends call it if you plan to live with somebody of the same gender long term because you're best friends and get along really well, but you aren't having a relationship because you aren't gay. You're hetero, you see. This phrase is apparently not as universal as I had imagined, judging from the comments here.

Re: limping sadness

[mousapelli.livejournal.com]

haha, no, i meant another male rat. we call it having a hetero life partner when you're living with someone of the same gender longterm because you get along really well, but aren't having a relationship. Because you aren't gay, you see, you are hetero.

not that he wouldn't appreciate the porn, really.

[fantomeq.livejournal.com]

Yep, these girls have 6 inch bodies. They were only 4 1/2 inches and skinny when I got them. I expect they'll get to be about 9. They're much easier to handle as they get bigger anyway.

Did he ever chew hair? Any ideas on how to discourage that?

LOL, duh to me. Anyway, you might be able to get him a young friend and it may be instant love. Perhaps even less hetero than you think, given what I've heard some people say. :)