An American Tale - Somewhere Out There

As some of you may have read on Facebook, Lola had an amazing adventure the other day. Lola is our inquisitive Fancy rat that joined our family shortly after I started working as a veterinarian two years ago. Craig was less than thrilled that I had brought home yet another animal to add to our menagerie, but did not put up much of a fight because well, resistance was futile. He learned early on that we would/will add to our family with or without permission at any given time.

Lola is a lovable little rat. She resides in her three story condo that sits in the middle of the living room downstairs. We once discussed moving her home to the office where the other little critters live, but quickly decided that this would not be in her best interest as she loves to be around us as much as possible. She usually comes out of her little blue igloo (where she likes to sleep) when we are in the living room and will just “hang out” with us.

    

Now, I know what you are probably thinking. Who on Earth would want a pet rat? Well, let me just tell you. You have no idea what you are missing. Lola is more or less like a tiny version of a dog. She knows her name and comes when she is called. She is completely housebroken, as in she will not use the bathroom outside of one corner of her cage. She does tricks for treats, sit, stand, follow, etc. And, she gives kisses and makes sweet squeaks when you are loving on her. Now again, ask me why I wouldn’t want one of these?

It all began on a dreary summer night… no, actually it what pretty clear that evening. Anyways, I came home from visiting the coast (and when I say coast, it always means Ocean Springs in South Mississippi). It was a short trip, one and a half days. Prior to leaving, I checked on all of the animals as I normally do, making sure that they have food and water and a clean area. Everyone was good to go, so I left thinking that Craig had it under control. All was well.

I returned shortly after and made the rounds checking on everyone. I was particularly interested in Lola. See, the average life expectancy of a Fancy rat is only 2 -3 years. I know, probably not a good idea for me to own one as I get super attached to my pets. But, Lola has been exhibiting some signs of old age. She doesn’t hear nearly as well. She seems to get somewhat short winded when exercising. And, her little body doesn’t move as quickly as it used to. Well, needless to say, every time I leave, I worry about her. So, I go to her cage and call for her. No response. That’s ok, sometimes she doesn’t hear me. I call for her louder, still no movement. I shake the cage and strum the wires. Still, nothing. Oh God. Lola. I burst into her cage and vigorously shake the blue igloo. Still, nothing. I lower my head as my heart just completely sinks into my stomach. Craig, all the while watching, runs over and tells me to go sit down. Trying to hold back the tears as Craig separates the cage, he lifts the igloo and says, “um, she’s not in there.” What? “Move out of the way!” I rustle through all of the bedding. Where in the hell is she?

Panic mode ensues. Trying to think of what happened prior to leaving. I lifted her out and gave her kisses then fed her a piece of cheese prior to leaving for my trip. Craig couldn’t remember the last time he had seen her. Surely, everything was latched properly. We usually only go into her cage through the top. She is somewhere in this house. For two and a half hours, Craig and I tore up the entire house. I mean, every piece of furniture upstairs and downstairs had been moved, most of it on its side. We looked inside the furniture, inside the mattresses, inside of the drawers. No Lola. We looked inside of the laundry baskets, inside of the cabinets, inside of the garbage. No Lola. I called and called for her. No Lola. The only evidence we found was two little pellets by our bed upstairs, odd. She was in the mattress. Nope. If I was a rat where would I go? To food an water! Nope, she wasn’t in the pantry, wasn’t near any of the water sources. Oh God. What if one of the dogs or the cat got a hold of her? Surely, there would be something devastating found if that was the case. Nothing. I even thought that I may have to take the dogs to get an abdominal x-ray just to check. I was distraught. I wondered if she was stuck somewhere and that we wouldn’t find her until the end. The thought of that just killed me. How was I going to sleep that night.

After searching, we were exhausted. I went upstairs to change. I was taking my clothes to the hallway. Looked down, and there is little Lola running full speed towards me. Almost like she was screaming, “Hey! There you are, I’ve been looking for you. I’m famished!” A wave of relief rushed through me as I scooped her up and showered her with kisses. Thank you God! She was fine. I immediately rushed downstairs and put her in front of her water bottle. Nah, no thanks, where’s the good stuff. I gave her all of her favorite foods, checked her cage, and watched her for the next two hours to make sure Houdini didn’t try to escape again. I cleaned her cage completely out yesterday, checking all the hinges and doors. So far, so good. Who knows what happened. We won’t ever know. But, she must have had a blast. I still can’t believe the dogs and cat didn’t mess with her. I have found some shreds of fabric and little bite marks on my flip flops but other than that nothing. I hope she had a great adventure, but that little turd scared the hell out of me.

If you want to know more about Fancy rats as pets, check out this website http://www.fancypetrats.com/

Cheers!
Tara

                                       Lola getting her Christmas presents!