by Colleen Mart

Created on: December 27, 2009

Reflections:  You adopted what? 

Bring the mother of three sons I never knew what I would find when emptying jeans pockets on wash day or what kind of critter I would find in their rooms any time I had the nerve to enter unannounced.  We had the usual puppies and kittens that were brought home on a regular basis with the plea, "Can we keep it?"   Puppies and kittens are cute and cuddly, so were the hamsters, so naturally they were pretty hard to say no to.  I even tolerated the box turtle, the tarantula and various lizards, but set my foot down on snakes.  

I will never forget the day when my youngest son came into the kitchen with a large box and the plea that nearly every mother has heard, "Can I keep them?"   Now what has he dragged home?   Before opening the box he assured me that they were so cute and friendly. I apprehensively watched  him open the box which revealed four fully grown rats.  True they were domestic rats, one was a blonde color, one had blonde and white spots while the remaining two were black and white spotted.  After my initial shock, I ordered the newest members of the family to the garage.  My son and his best friend, who had given him the rats, unloaded the cage that they had on a wagon in the driveway and brought it into the garage where they set up the home for the rats. 

After a couple of weeks of buying food and the constant begging from my son to "just touch one or hold it for a minute and you'll see how friendly they are" I finally gave in.  I gingerly reached in and picked up the blonde one and was shocked at how soft the fur was and that was the beginning of me becoming the adopted mother of four rats.  

Naturally after a period of time I ended up as the primary care taker of the rats, but it really wasn't awful as some might imagine.  Their cage was easier to clean that the multiple litter boxes and scooping the yard after the dogs.  They didn't jump up and almost knock me down when I fed them like the dogs did.  The rats were smart and they would cuddle up next to my cheek or neck and as long as their tail didn't brush across my face I rather enjoyed it.  They would perch on my shoulder if I was puttering around in the garage.  

After nearly a year, my son decided he would trade "his" rats for a cockatiel and I rather missed them until the bird started yelling at my son for me.

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