October 19, 1998: It was a very RATTY weekend!October 19, 1998: It was a very RATTY weekend!
Early last week, I heard thru the grape vine that the Greene County (Pennsylvania) Humane Society had a rat that needed a home. I finally found a picture of Arnold, a PEW (pink-eyed white), on their web page. I was never a big fan of the PEW, but I kept the picture of Arnold around and kept popping it up and looking at it all week. By Friday, I was hooked.
I had called the Humane Society early in the week, and found out that they were being VERY protective of this rat. The lady I spoke with informed me in no uncertain terms that they were not going to give this rat to just anyone, and that their director, who had grown quite attached to Arnold, would certainly want to talk to me!
So I sent an e-mail to their director, explaining who I was, and I included a link to my website in case she wanted to "see what kind of a rat keeper I was". She wrote back and was very nice, explaining that they didn't know too much about rats (this being their first), and asked if it was okay that they had feed him pizza and butterscotch pie! I assured her that was fine.
Saturday we went down to Greene County to pick up Arnold. They had him in a nice roomy cage, with two floors and a box to hide in. I called him and he came out of the box, so I put my finger up to the cage so he could sniff it...and he BIT me! Now I was worried--I figured he was going to be wild and it would take forever to socialize him. But what could I do? I got the cage down, opened the top, and VERY CAREFULLY petted Arnold. No problem. Juli petted him, and still fine. I carefully picked him up.....and he was a little angel. And has been ever since.
I guess that first nip was probably due to him being BLIND AS A BAT, but ever since he is the sweetest, calmest boy I have ever met. He sat on Juli's lap the whole way home (no need for the travel cage we brought), and willingly sits on your shoulder by the hour.
The only problem: Arnold has no idea what to do with other rats. When we got home we gave Arnold a bath, wiped everyone down with vanilla, and did the introductions in the bath tub. Our other five boys are so used to being around lots of rats that they barely noticed Arnold. And Arnie didn't know quite what to do. The only squabble, a small one, was with Demetrus, who seems to be our alpha.
Saturday night we decided to put Arnold in with just two of our most mellow boys, Tristan and Ector. By morning they were all three in a box together, but Arnold still doesn't socialize very well with them. On Sunday I built a new addition to the big cage we have, connected the two together, and put everyone back together. As of this morning Demetrus and Arnold have had two good squabbles, and Arnold is still being a bit of a loner, but there have been no serious problems. I guess we just need to give them all time, and hopefully Sir Arnold will realize the joy of having brother rats. Meanwhile he's getting plenty of good food and plenty of human attention, so all in all, he should be happy.
We will never know what adventures (good or bad) Arnold had before he came to us. We do know that once here, he learned the joy of sleeping in a big pile of rats (the very best way for a rat to sleep!). He dined on yogurt drops and fresh fruit, rode many a warm shoulder, and impressed everyone he met with what a calm, sweet knight he was. In the short lifespan of a rat, this probably seemed the long retirement he had earned. But far too soon for us, Sir Arnold made his peace with the world and went to his final rest. Thank you, Arnold, for joining our Fellowship while you could.
Well, in truth, Arnold was so named while he was at the Humane Society, and we decided to keep the name. But behold! Research reveals that there was a reference to a Sir Arnold, a Knight of Cornwall:
And Sir Arnold and Sir Gauter, knights of the castle, encountered with Sir Brandiles and Sir Kay, and these four knights encountered mightily, and brake their spears to their hands.
Le Morte Darthur, Vol 1 Book VII Chapter XXXVIII, as quoted from "The Celtic Twilight"
On the first night that Sir Arnold lived in Camelot, he had a very special visitor--His Royal Highness Copernicus, King of All Rats and Supreme Ruler of the Universe. Here are two pictures from the party:
Copernicus Rex, King of All Rats
Copernicus and his favorite human slave, Michelle