RIP Dangerous Beans
Jun. 19th, 2013 04:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
soc_puppet[Content Note: Animal death, rat picture]
I said good-bye to Dangerous Beans today. His quality of life had been on the decline, so I'm not terribly surprised, but I'm always sad to lose a companion. Phineas and Ferb are still with me and seem to be doing well, all things considered.
Beans was a surrender at the local PetCo; I picked him up because half of my previous young pair had died (the two I had gotten as companions for my previous "lone rat", who had himself died not long after meeting them), and rats are happier and healthier living in groups of at least two. Since he was available for adoption and my surviving youngster was, I estimated, still probably young enough not to be seen as much of a threat by him, I decided to take him home. I'd been wanting a pink-eyed white for a while, for the sole purpose of naming him after the Pratchett character.
He and the newly renamed Amazing Maurice got along about as well as could be expected; Beans ended up outliving his younger companion, and co-habitating with my next pair of boys, Phineas and Ferb. He made it through the basement flood, but was starting to lose mobility in his rear legs (not uncommon for older rats). With my room dry again and newly floored, I decided to move him and his cagemates back out of the travel cage to the larger cage they'd been inhabiting prior to the flood; it had more room for him to get around on the ground floor, and the food and water would be more easily accessible. Sadly, he didn't make it more than a week in his new-old accommodations. I made what I thought was the best decision, but in retrospect, the change may have been too much for him.
I love you, my darling Dangerous Beans, even if no one at the pet stores ever knew where I got your name. I'll miss you, my precious food-oriented PEW. I hope the Bone Rat takes you someplace dark and quiet and warm, with lots of treats and cardboard to chew on and some friends to cuddle with. Maybe someday I'll see you again, over the rainbow bridge.
Rest in peace, Dangerous Beans.
*goes to cuddle Phineas and Ferb*
I said good-bye to Dangerous Beans today. His quality of life had been on the decline, so I'm not terribly surprised, but I'm always sad to lose a companion. Phineas and Ferb are still with me and seem to be doing well, all things considered.
Beans was a surrender at the local PetCo; I picked him up because half of my previous young pair had died (the two I had gotten as companions for my previous "lone rat", who had himself died not long after meeting them), and rats are happier and healthier living in groups of at least two. Since he was available for adoption and my surviving youngster was, I estimated, still probably young enough not to be seen as much of a threat by him, I decided to take him home. I'd been wanting a pink-eyed white for a while, for the sole purpose of naming him after the Pratchett character.
He and the newly renamed Amazing Maurice got along about as well as could be expected; Beans ended up outliving his younger companion, and co-habitating with my next pair of boys, Phineas and Ferb. He made it through the basement flood, but was starting to lose mobility in his rear legs (not uncommon for older rats). With my room dry again and newly floored, I decided to move him and his cagemates back out of the travel cage to the larger cage they'd been inhabiting prior to the flood; it had more room for him to get around on the ground floor, and the food and water would be more easily accessible. Sadly, he didn't make it more than a week in his new-old accommodations. I made what I thought was the best decision, but in retrospect, the change may have been too much for him.
I love you, my darling Dangerous Beans, even if no one at the pet stores ever knew where I got your name. I'll miss you, my precious food-oriented PEW. I hope the Bone Rat takes you someplace dark and quiet and warm, with lots of treats and cardboard to chew on and some friends to cuddle with. Maybe someday I'll see you again, over the rainbow bridge.
Rest in peace, Dangerous Beans.
*goes to cuddle Phineas and Ferb*
