On February 15th Stella was adopted from a young mother who was re homing some of her rats. Stella was adopted along with a two 1.5 year olds named Pepper and Cinnamon. Stella was 2 years old when she came into my home, so I knew I would simply making her golden months comfortable, however after a healthcheck, I noticed a tumour growing under her arm, so I knew my time with her would be shorter.
Stella was a somewhat shy rat, I could tell that she was in charge due to her age. She didn't seem to care for coming out of the cage and was excited to go back in. While I always make the effort to have free roam time for the rats everyday, if there was a day that Stella did not want to come out, I did not feel to bad about it. During the times Stella was out of the cage, she loved being inside my fluffy robe and would boggle all the time. Because of her growing tumour, Stella was greedy with food, but I was able to train her to recognize the word 'gentle' regarding taking a treat, and she listened.
During May, Stella's tumour grew to a point that she was dragging it around and the skin was in the early stages of becoming irritated. She was still happy and loved to boggle, but rats are very good and hiding discomfort. On May 26th, I had Stella euthanized at the vet. Her time with me was short, but giving rats a good life even when they are in their final months is something I strive to do.
