PETS

We are limited as to what kind of pet we have, as Andrew is allergic to many animals. Friends of ours had 2 pet rats, and Andrew didnt seem to have any allergies to these rats. One day our friends called to say that we could have one of their rats.

She was about 18 months old when we got her. As we didnt like the name they had given her, so we re-named her Ratbag. She was a lovely pet, however she became sick and we had to have her 'put down'.

A short time later, we discovered a pet shop that sold rats, so we purchased a baby rat. We named her Luci. As rats need company, we went back 3 weeks later and bought another rat, from a new litter. We named her Toni. As they grew, Toni and Lucy became very close, usually sleeping huddled next to each other. They both had very different personalities and qualities - Luci being quiet and very relaxed, lazing about most of the time - while Toni was always on the go, and wanting to explore everything.

Unfortuneatly, rats are a very short-term pet, once they reach the age of 18 months they are prone to tumors etc, anywhere on the body. We recently lost both Toni and Luci, and miss them greatly. We are currently thinking about getting another 2 rats, and maybe a guinea pig.