Presenting: RDPY Cutie Pie

She is a nice rattie. This is the first inbreeding I've attempted. Her Mom and Mom's brother were put together to create her.

This was done in an attempt to save my wild Norwegian rattie line. The confirmation of this line is excellent. Perfect ears, short turned up noses and large wide set eyes. The natural beauty that nature has created has not been goofed up by breeding mistakes.

This Norwegian line will enhance my domestic lines and I'm blessed to have the opportunity to achieve this.

Cutie Pie is very active and adventurous. She is not showing the cautious instincts of her mother, but is so active you can hardly kept up with her. She is totally brave and monkeyminded. Checking out every nook and cranny. I've even nicknamed her "Columbus" because she seems like she is off to discover the world, and it is not flat, snicker. :>) Because she is not scared and timid like other offspring from this line, shows an improvement to this line. Inbreeding this pair may prove to have been an excellent choice.

Update: 07/15/07 Cutie Pie never had any offspring, which was sad, I tried several times. But she is very smart. She is the only rattie that learned how to say "Hi." Whenever I would say "Hi," she would squeak a little sound back at me like she was trying to copy the sound she was hearing me make. If I said "Hi," over and over, she'd squeak over and over in reply. Rat-a-touille (Remee), eat your heart out, all you could do is nod, Cutie Pie learned to speak, lol.

Update: 07/15/07 Cutie Pie is dying. I don't give her more than a couple of days. She had a tumor that was growing slowly on the outside of her body and the vet said they didn't want to risk removing it because of her age. They also said because she was losing hair on her back and going blind in one eye, that she might have cancer. They gave her three to six months to live. She is already past two and has lived a good life.

I took her to the vet a couple weeks ago, and they were wrong, she doesn't have much time left. The tumor has stopped growing on the outside of her body and is now growing inside it. She had been walking and getting around fine two days ago. Today I picked her up to let her free roam and she can hardly walk. I guess the tumor is pushing against things inside and making her uncomfortable. She also is refusing to eat so I'm wondering if it's pushing on her stomach too. I feel really bad for her. She is such a great rattie.

07/15/07 9:06 pm. Cutie Pie left me for the Rainbow Bridge a few minutes ago. I'm glad the end came quickly and she didn't suffer any longer. She was such a great rattie she didn't deserve to suffer. Her personality was very much like my favorite rattie of all time, Sweetheart. I had grown very attached to her. I don't know if I'll ever have ratties in the future that are so loving and affectionate, as these two were.

I've experienced so much sorrow the death of a rattie can bring, I'm almost numb inside. It never gets any easier. The hurt is always the same, unbearable sorrow. Days of tears, then just the fond memories to carry on.