Last Weigh in (June 2013)	Today's Weigh In (December 2013)
Sero	8.6 oz	12.2 oz
Atticus	11.4 oz	14.4 oz
Vaux	12.1 oz	15.2 oz
Pip	1 lb 9.3 oz	1 lb 6.2 oz
Beret	13.8 oz	14.2 oz
Molly	9.5 oz	9.6 oz
Nymeria	9.9oz	11.3 oz
Aniston	10.7 oz	14.9 oz
Paisley	11.1 oz	11.3 oz
Scarlett	11.0 oz	12.4 oz
Chelsea	13.8 oz	14.8 oz

Sero- given olive oil bath; minor scratches on body

Atticus- given olive oil bath; minor scratches on body; dry patch/scab on tail appears to be mostly healed

Vaux- given olive oil bath;  minor scratches on body

Pip- exfoliated tail gently (build up under scales); scab on side (appear to be bite wound); no other issues

Beret- some scabs along neck and sides of body other than that, looks good. Wheel tail is still present but does not affect her mobility or balance at all.

Molly- looks good, no issues!

Nymeria- scabs along neck, shoulders, and sides of body- this is typical of Nymeria- they appear more like bite marks

Aniston- lumps have become quite large and are just now starting to hinder her mobility but only slightly as she still walks in the wheel. Increase in weight due to tumor size

Paisley- looks good- cataract in eye still present but doesn't appear to have increased in size by too much, no other issues

Scarlett- left eye has hard lump directly below it, squinting. Flushed it out as best as I could with natural tears eye drops and wiped it gently with a cloth- will continue to monitor and wipe it daily

Chelsea-  marble sized lump on right side (mammary tumor); strange mass on groin area- appears to be like thick, raw skin- has  been there for weeks with no change in appearance or size. Doesn't seem to affect her even when I touch it gently

Chelsea's odd growth. No hole, just an indent in the center.

Today we said good-bye to Emerson. This morning, when I went to go feed the rats, I noticed that he did not peek out of his hammock to greet me. Lately he has spending the majority of his time in his hammock- he had loss about 80% mobility in his rear legs and would have to drag himself by his front legs, so I am sure that proved to be exhausting. When I didn't see him, I thought for sure he had passed, and was expecting it, given his age and his declining quality of life. It appears that he had suffered a stroke as he kept twisting and curling his body into a C-shape. He then became unresponsive- the only movement would be to straighten his front legs out and throw his head back. He would not even blink from one eye and did not appear to be able to close his mouth. Our initial plan was to end his suffering and assist in letting him go, however he passed on his own just prior.

Chelsea has a nasty burst abscess on her tummy. Flushed it with sterile saline. I also discovered two very small lumps forming- one on her right side and one on her left side just above her hindquarter. No surprise, her sister, Scarlett No-Haira had to have a lump removed not too long ago.

Discovered a cataract in Paisley's left eye.

Discovered a small lump on Atticus' right testicle. Monitoring.

Treated all the lady rats with ivermectin as they all seem to have scabs- I suspect a mites outbreak.

Discovered two lumps on Aniston. One is rather large and very squishy- right around her genitals. If I didn't know any better, and if I had not owned Aniston for as long as I have, I would almost think it was a testicle as it is about the size and density of one. The other lump is right above her right rear leg, very much in the same location as Scarlett's was (in the crease where the thigh meets the belly). I am hesitant to try to put her through another surgery at her age (she is approaching 2 years of age this November) since she has already been through one. I will be monitoring the tumors' growths.

Emerson has had increased decline in the mobility of his back legs. The muscle mass of this thighs is diminishing as is the hair on his back legs and tummy, but he still gets around! Wobbly and off balance, dragging his feet as he walks, but he still goes up and down the ramp of his cage, and in and out of the hammocks. Other looking like an old man rat, he appears to be in very good health.

All other ratties appear to be doing fine. They will all be treated with ivermectin soon as I have noticed more scabs on some of the rats and scratches on the hairless and would like to be sure we can rule out parasites.

Made the heartbreaking decision to put Cicero to sleep this evening. He was the first rat to enter our home and hearts as part of Aquarius Mischief after a long hiatus of rat ownership....and the first to leave it.

Since he was a "feeder" rat, I dont know his exact date of birth but based on the size and some other features he had when I got him, I estimated his birth to be sometime in July of 2011. I adopted him 8/22/11, exactly 2 years and 1 day ago. He has had respiratory problems on and off the entire time I have had him. I would treat him and it would go away but it always came back. This most recent flare up was the worse, he was having labored breathing, very lethargic, and got dehydrated pretty badly.The Baytril I had him on did not seem to be working any longer. Attempts to make him comfortable did not seem to be working and I could not see prolonging his suffering any longer. His health appeared to be failing at an alarming rate.

His eyes were very dull and have a strange, stretchy looking film over them which I assume is a result of dehydration. He was laying in his own urine, too weak to move although he is still able to walk (no rear leg paralysis). Ears and paws appeared quite pale. I attempted to rehydrate him with some pediatric electrolyte solution and assist in helping him breathe easier with some infant Vapor Rub on a corner of a blanket I was holding him in. He had a warm meal this evening, but I knew it was time to let him go when he was too weak to move away from it and laid with his head in his porridge.

Close up of the film over his eyes

As for my girls, Kaylyn, the youngest, doesn't really understand anything other than she knew he was sick. Shaylee, who is 7, was more upset leading up to it but prior to his euthanasia, she got to talk to him and pet him. She fell asleep while he was being put under but after he was put to rest, and was carefully in a box with a blanket and pillow, I woke her as I promised and reminded her that he was an angel now, that Jesus got a new pet rat today. She said he looked like he was smiling in his sleep and was she seemed content enough to go back to sleep. Euthanasia was done at home via CO2 as approved by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), peacefully and quickly. My children were able to say goodbye and while he will be missed greatly, we feel better knowing he won't have to suffer anymore.

Cicero really looks poorly. He continues to have more labored breathing than normal. There is now some wheezy sounds. He is lethargic and has no interest in food that I noticed. I am questioning whether or not he is dehydrated- pinch test resulted in slower than normal return. Coat and eyes have a dull appearance. I gave him some more Baytril but it seems whenever I handle him, he starts breathing heavier so I know whatever I am doing is stressing him out.

Sero's facial bite wound is looking much better. Still some bruising but the wound itself looks pretty good.
Vaux's lump is indeed a abscess.  It now is flat but has a blackish crusty scab over it. In my experience, its almost worse to mess with them at this point so I am leaving it alone but will continue to monitor it.
Cicero's breathing appears to look a bit labored. He isn't making any noise, but his sides move in and out much more than normal. Putting him on Baytril.

Rushed into rat room after hearing loud distress squeaking to discover that Sero got bit on the left side of his face. All the other males were laying about, looking at me innocently (go figure!) The skin surrounding the area appears to be bruised. Definitely going to have to keep an eye on this to make sure it doesn't become an abscess.  Speaking of which, while examining Sero, I noticed that Vaux, who was standing up with his front paws on the cage side, has a small pea sized lump on his abdomen. I suspect an abscess since he is male (likelihood of it being a mammary tumor is much more uncommon). Applied a warm compress.

Finally got the rescued boys (Sero, Atticus, and Vaux) into the cage with my other males. That makes 7 girls on top, and 6 boys on the bottom of my Double Critter Nation cage. This makes cleaning so much easier to have only one large cage to clean. Everyone seems to be getting along!

Scarlett is back in with her cage mates. They seemed pretty happy to see her!

Scarlett managed to open her incision site. It took several attempts with superglue to get it closed up. It barely bled either and didn't appear to be causing her any discomfort- it was just jarring to look at!