I adopted these 5 boys almost 1.5 years ago. These boys were made to be hawk food. But the hawk at the Science center died and the food went up for adoption. They were all going to be put to sleep but on person took pity on these helpless little souls. The boys were never really friendly from the start. It’s no wonder really since they were not bred to be pets. They lived in a shoe box not even big enough for them to stand up. Corn cob for bedding, water and pellets for food and nothing else. Instead of forcing them to be social and to bond with me, I decided to concentrate more on getting them buddies and a stable, secure life. Eventually, a couple of them warmed up to me. Rocher, especially, he even learned to fling himself in the air to grab hold of my shirt to climb up and get his veggies from me. Bug allows me to pet him as well. But Matou, Darcy and Echo were never approachable. They do enjoy their rat buds though. They live with 6 other very sweet pets, born into a loving home with a loving rat mom and a loving human mom too. These rats taught the Science North boys to be gentle and stable.
But much to my surprise, the last few weeks, the boys have come around. As I sat on the floor during their out time today, my heart warmed up as I was able to pick up each one, give them a kiss and some cuddles without a fuss, without any protest.
I always thought that forced socializing was the only way to bond with rats but giving them space and respect works as well… not as fast as the forced socializing but in the end, it paid off.
You have to know with each rat how to proceed, how to treat them… to respect their past and who they are and who they need to become. It’s always harder with rescues as they always carry baggage along with them.
Now, instead of just loving them from afar, I can actually rub their soft furry sides on my cheek and steal a kiss here and there. These boys make rescuing totally worth it if not wonderful.
Aug 24