Nappy's Story- My first rat!

Nappy's Story-The First Rat Ever to bless my Home!

I was in 6th grade at the time and had owned everything from cats to dogs, from birds to wild toads. One morning I woke up with a strong thought going through my head. For no rhyme of reason I wanted a pet rat. Now at this point I'd never even seen a rat talk about handled one or anything else! I asked my mother. "no way! You think I am crazy?"

6 months went by and I kept asking away. Every time we'd go to the pet shop I'd stop at the little tanks and ooo and awe. My mother would give me a disapproving look and we'd carry on to get the bird pellets.

Then we heard the word! A rat had been let loose only a few blocks away and the dog officer had caught him. The poor little creature was living off of bird seed and cat food he found outside and now he was living at the dog pound with no where to go. It looked pretty dreary for the little rat but I looked up at my mother and asked again!

"We can bring him back if he doesn't work out, right?" mother asked the dog officer.

"Sure, of course we'd be just bringing him up to the Humane Society if you didn't take him."

And so it was I got a rat and a cage! I looked into that old rusted rabbit cage and there was a big chocolate capped rat. I was really hoping for a female but I suspected this one was a boy. I was so uneducated then I couldn't tell!!

I brought this huge rat home. He was much bigger than the rats at the pet shop and I must admit he looked pretty intimidating!! I named him Neptune, no rhyme or reason for that. Later his name was shortened to Nappy (Neppy just sounded to funny!)

Now Nappy lived happily with us. He learned how to use the litter box, he learned how to be a perfect gentleman while in harness and I'd often walk him like a dog around the yard. The neighbors thought he was a kitten! What city folk! ;)

Nappy did everything with me. He went on walks, he stayed on my shoulder, he went on family trips. One time in Maine we stopped at a tole booth and had to stay there and show him to the woman working the booth!!

One time on a family trip to visit relatives my cousins had him out in excess of 3 hours. This rat NEVER peed on any one but not having a bathroom break for so long he totally DRENCHED my poor cousin! I had no idea a rat's bladder could hold such a massive amount of liquid!! Later we stuffed him until he could eat no more with Thanksgiving supper.

Male rats have incredibly prominent masculine features to say the least but to the unsuspecting they always thought something was wrong with him! One friend was utterly convinced he had a tumor under his tail! Another acquaintance asked "What's that hanging from his tail?" and I replied "Boy Parts..." She gave me a rather disgusted look and left. Hey if you can't take that then you should hang around the girl rats! I remember the woman at the pet shop before we got Nappy talked to us for a half an hour or so and said to us "Don't get a male though... there excess baggage is a little much to deal with!" Looking back at this I STILL crack myself up!

Now Nappy wasn't taken care of like any rat, he was taken care of like a royal rat! And he certainly deserved it! I fed Nappy nothing but fresh food and he GREW and GREW and GREW until he reached a massive 5 pounds! (maybe more!)

Nappy was the best little creature I could have hoped for, he changed my life completely! I haven't been ratless since Nappy! I even have video footage of him darting across the lawn at a party dragging behind him a neighbor's kid holding on as tight as he could to the lead!!

I loved Nappy so much, it was so heart breaking when he died a year later. This time I actually did research on rats before getting a second, so unlike him they'd have a cage mate a proper diet and proper care. The next rat I got was Callisto, AKA Babe 2 weeks after Nappy's death but that's another story!