Help save my rats!
Donation protected
Yesterday, I found one of my rats eating a block of mouse poison. A long time ago an exterminator came to our house and without my knowledge put down mouse poison. When I got my rats, I cleaned out a room for them and got rid of all the poison once I found out about it, since I have seen a mouse die from it in the past and would never wish that on any animal, "vermin" or otherwise.
Unfortunately, even though I removed poison from everywhere i was told it was put down, my rat, Pepperoni, brought me back a block of mouse poison yesterday with obvious bite marks in it. I called animal poison control immediately and then rushed them to the emergency vet. Since it was caught relatively quickly, there is a high chance they will all live with the proper medication.
HOWEVER, I am a high school student, I was saving for college and a year of travel before hand and I have completely emptied my bank account treating them. I also needed 2,000 dollars to go on a service trip this summer which I am no longer sure I will even be able to attend. I only had enough money to treat one of my rats and call animal poison control, having just spent an entire paycheck a few days prior on supplies. The total for just one rat and a phone call was $220, and I only have about 50 dollars left in my account, which will be going to treating the next rat as soon as possible.
Some of you may be wondering why I would ever spend almost $2,300 on some rats, what some people would consider vermin, but before you write me off let me tell you my story and why these rats mean the entire world and more to me, and why I owe them my whole life.
I have not had the greatest life. Parents are divorced, they fight a lot, school isn't great, I'm no longer bullied however I used to be almost constantly throughout elementary and middle school, just because I never learned to stay away from people that were mean to me, I kept trying to give them another chance and they would always take it as an opportunity to bully me again. I've been in therapy almost my whole life and I've been able to cope although nothing has really helped, until I got my rats.
Ink was my first rat, the one pictured above. She is my whole life and the only thing that has ever truly helped with my depression. I saw her and her family cramped into a 10 gallon tank together in a pet store, she was terrified of me when I first took her out, she was already 6 weeks old but had never left this tiny, cramped cage in her whole life. The first night I got her I had her out on my bed, and I had meant to put her away in her cage, but we ended up falling asleep together, and she has been my best friend ever since. I like to think of her as my unofficial service animal, although I have asked my therapist about getting her certified as an Emotional Support Animal, or an ESA.
The second rat I got was Pep, which is short for Pepperoni. The story behind how she got her name is even more ridiculous than her name itself. Ink was not doing so well on her own, and my friend who had always wanted a rat and I decided she needed a friend. We went to the store and she agreed to pay for the rat as long as I kept her. None of the rats being sold for pets really stood out to us, so we had them bring out a bin of feeders for us. I stuck my hand in the bin and this rat ran up to me, I half thought she was either mentally ill or about to bite me. Instead she grabbed my hand with her two tiny ones and started to lick my fingers all over, and proceeded to fearlessly climb up my arm and start to give me kisses all over my face. She instantly welcomed herself into my life, and I had no choice but to comply. We didn't have time to stop at home before my dad was taking us to see the Lego Movie, however, so we had no choice but to sneak Pep into the theater in my bonding pouch (She was secured the entire time, no worries folks.) After the movie, we went back to my friend's house and ordered a pizza. Expecting Pep (at that time, just called "Rattie") to be more fearful of us than anything, I just let her out to do her own thing. Instead of hiding or running away, Pep came right up to us and started trying to steal every single Pepperoni off of our pizza and stuff them all in her mouth at once. Finally it got to the point where we were yelling at her to "Stop stealing all the Peps!!!" And that's how Pepperoni got her name. She is by far the most gentle, intelligent, and friendly rat I have ever met. She has been used in animal shows by a friend to help educate children and adults on just how sweet and gentle rats can be, and losing her would not only be a personal loss, but would affect many people who knew her as well.
My third rat, Skidd, came into my life unexpectedly as well. Skidd, like Ink and Pep, was a rescue as well. My friend had gotten in a group of feeder rats for her snakes, but they were all very skittish and flighty, and also too big for any of her snakes. She was originally going to sell them all off, but I fell in love with the one black girl in the entire group of albinos. She may also have been the most fearful of the group, she would bite whenever I put my hand near her, but it was too late for both of us, because I was in love. I eventually moved her in with my girls, and I had been calling her Sweet Pea for a while, because if she ever chose to spend time with me she was always the kindest and most gentle of the three, despite her biting problem. After having her for almost a year, she is still terrified of new people, but will come and eat on me as well as spend quality cuddle time with me in the sleeves or hood of my sweatshirt. I eventually changed her name to Skidd (Skiddish) since she is still one of the most scared rats I have had. She is also very intelligent, a thing I never wouldve guessed of her. She comes when called every time, knows how to go up and down things on command, will jump on command, as well as heel, and open drawers. She is ever loyal and faithful and I would be lost without her as well. After almost 6 months of having her, Skidd finally let me hold her, which was one of the best, most emotional accomplishments of my career in rescuing rats and mice, since I knew that I had finally earned her trust.
Finally, my fourth and fifth rats, Domino and Jade. Domino came to me as a rescue as well. A friend and I were going through a local pet store that was closing, and was known throughout the area for its terrible care of animals (Also the same place I had gotten Ink.) Since it was closing, we wanted to buy up as many animals as possible in order to keep them from going into the wrong hands at such low prices. We had pooled our money and come up with 40 dollars. Originally we had come in with the intent of saving a snake or bird, but didn't have the money for either. So we changed our plan of action to save as many smaller animals as possible. When walking down the small animal isle, I saw a huge white rat in a cage with tons of weaned rats, and another huge male. She herself was dealing with a litter of what we later found out was 13 baby rats. With breeding rats, it is detrimental to their health to leave them in with a male after birth, since he will impregnate them right after and the strain can be too much on their tiny bodies, killing not only the mother but both litters of babies. We bargained with the store owner, and eventually got Domino and all of her 13 babies for $32. We took her first to the local comic book shop, since we didn't have time before dinner to bring her to our rescue building. She was very sweet to everyone that came in, and let my friend and I sit down and check over all of her babies to make sure everyone was nice and healthy. The babies themselves were about a week old, giving Domino plenty of time to have been impregnated a second time. We had noticed her getting increasingly plump over the time she was raising her litter, although she never did give birth again. I will never know if she was simply putting on weight or if she had a miscarrage, although I do believe the latter was more likely. Rats CAN greive, and she did go through a period of what I can only describe as depression after her litter was weaned.
Jade was one of Domino's litter. I watched her grow from a week old to months old, and eventually become one of the best, and most obnoxious, rats I have. I originally picked her out to train her as a service animal. My social anxiety and depression had been getting worse, and I wanted (or rather needed) an animal that I could carry around with me in case of an anxiety attack or other problem in which I couldn't go to another human being without making it worse. I trained Jade from a young age to climb into my sleeve on command, to my shoulder, to my hood, to my hand. She can sense when I am having a problem or a bad day and she will come to me to offer comfort and also a form of support, as I always feel like I can go to my rats for anything, and I know they will not judge or hurt me like I am afraid that people will do. Jade gives me confidance in social situations I may have avoided previously, and she makes it possible for me to live my life more fully than I previously thought possible.
So although you may see rats as Vermin, as things not worth saving or worrying over. My own family has said I am stupid for spending all of my money just to save animals that I bought for maybe $20 each, and that I can just get another. But for me, these aren't just rats, they aren't just vermin or pets or even family. They are my life. I saved them and they in turn saved me, and I have almost no doubt in my mind that I may not even be alive today without them. They have helped me and been with me through some of the best and worst times of my life. The days I wished my life would go on forever, and those when I wanted to end it all. They have always been there for me, and now it is my turn to do everything I can for them.
THE BUDGET:
I had enough money to take ONE rat, Pep, to the vet. She was the one that I found with the poison in her mouth, so she was the one I decided was most urgent, since I knew for sure she had eaten it. The bill for her was 160 dollars, and would be the same for the other 4 of my rats, each. Even with treatment, they could still need to be euthanized, which is $324 each. This includes ther return of their remains, which I hope most people will understand, although it is more expensive, I would like to have the choice to bury my rats in places I know they would've been happy. I have calculated them needing to be euthanized into this total. If any or all of them survive, the extra money will be donated to a rat rescue, to help other rats in need. This is a over a thousand dollars, which can really do well for a small rescue.
I also applied for a Care Credit card but like I said I am 18 and in high school so I may not be approved, and my parents will not pay. I have no credit built up because I never foresaw myself needing a card until College, but of course all of that has changed very rapidly.
WHAT I CAN OFFER:
I am an artist, I can offer you my art. I will draw for you, sculpt for you, paint, sew, anything you would need, I will take on any challenge. Any level of donation will get you SOMETHING, whether it be a sketch or a fully finished piece. If you have a special request feel free to message me or leave a comment. I am expecting the list to be long, so there could be up to a 6 month wait time for the art, but I will try my best to finish everything in a timely manner. Included are some examples of my most recent works. I can draw digitally, traditionally, paint, sculpt, sew, and almost everything else under the sun. I have won awards for both my 2D and 3D works and have also had numerous published works in various places from Church programs to Websites. If you need anything please don't hesitate to ask.
If you would like any more examples, or more specific examples, please let me know.
Again thank you so much if you decide to donate, and I will try to post daily updates on my girls. If there are no symptoms after 5 days, then they will be fine, but if they start to show symptoms then I will need to put them down. If you cannot donate then please keep them in your thoughts, every little thing helps.
Thank you again and thank you for considering helping me save my rats <3
Unfortunately, even though I removed poison from everywhere i was told it was put down, my rat, Pepperoni, brought me back a block of mouse poison yesterday with obvious bite marks in it. I called animal poison control immediately and then rushed them to the emergency vet. Since it was caught relatively quickly, there is a high chance they will all live with the proper medication.
HOWEVER, I am a high school student, I was saving for college and a year of travel before hand and I have completely emptied my bank account treating them. I also needed 2,000 dollars to go on a service trip this summer which I am no longer sure I will even be able to attend. I only had enough money to treat one of my rats and call animal poison control, having just spent an entire paycheck a few days prior on supplies. The total for just one rat and a phone call was $220, and I only have about 50 dollars left in my account, which will be going to treating the next rat as soon as possible.
Some of you may be wondering why I would ever spend almost $2,300 on some rats, what some people would consider vermin, but before you write me off let me tell you my story and why these rats mean the entire world and more to me, and why I owe them my whole life.
I have not had the greatest life. Parents are divorced, they fight a lot, school isn't great, I'm no longer bullied however I used to be almost constantly throughout elementary and middle school, just because I never learned to stay away from people that were mean to me, I kept trying to give them another chance and they would always take it as an opportunity to bully me again. I've been in therapy almost my whole life and I've been able to cope although nothing has really helped, until I got my rats.
Ink was my first rat, the one pictured above. She is my whole life and the only thing that has ever truly helped with my depression. I saw her and her family cramped into a 10 gallon tank together in a pet store, she was terrified of me when I first took her out, she was already 6 weeks old but had never left this tiny, cramped cage in her whole life. The first night I got her I had her out on my bed, and I had meant to put her away in her cage, but we ended up falling asleep together, and she has been my best friend ever since. I like to think of her as my unofficial service animal, although I have asked my therapist about getting her certified as an Emotional Support Animal, or an ESA.
The second rat I got was Pep, which is short for Pepperoni. The story behind how she got her name is even more ridiculous than her name itself. Ink was not doing so well on her own, and my friend who had always wanted a rat and I decided she needed a friend. We went to the store and she agreed to pay for the rat as long as I kept her. None of the rats being sold for pets really stood out to us, so we had them bring out a bin of feeders for us. I stuck my hand in the bin and this rat ran up to me, I half thought she was either mentally ill or about to bite me. Instead she grabbed my hand with her two tiny ones and started to lick my fingers all over, and proceeded to fearlessly climb up my arm and start to give me kisses all over my face. She instantly welcomed herself into my life, and I had no choice but to comply. We didn't have time to stop at home before my dad was taking us to see the Lego Movie, however, so we had no choice but to sneak Pep into the theater in my bonding pouch (She was secured the entire time, no worries folks.) After the movie, we went back to my friend's house and ordered a pizza. Expecting Pep (at that time, just called "Rattie") to be more fearful of us than anything, I just let her out to do her own thing. Instead of hiding or running away, Pep came right up to us and started trying to steal every single Pepperoni off of our pizza and stuff them all in her mouth at once. Finally it got to the point where we were yelling at her to "Stop stealing all the Peps!!!" And that's how Pepperoni got her name. She is by far the most gentle, intelligent, and friendly rat I have ever met. She has been used in animal shows by a friend to help educate children and adults on just how sweet and gentle rats can be, and losing her would not only be a personal loss, but would affect many people who knew her as well.
My third rat, Skidd, came into my life unexpectedly as well. Skidd, like Ink and Pep, was a rescue as well. My friend had gotten in a group of feeder rats for her snakes, but they were all very skittish and flighty, and also too big for any of her snakes. She was originally going to sell them all off, but I fell in love with the one black girl in the entire group of albinos. She may also have been the most fearful of the group, she would bite whenever I put my hand near her, but it was too late for both of us, because I was in love. I eventually moved her in with my girls, and I had been calling her Sweet Pea for a while, because if she ever chose to spend time with me she was always the kindest and most gentle of the three, despite her biting problem. After having her for almost a year, she is still terrified of new people, but will come and eat on me as well as spend quality cuddle time with me in the sleeves or hood of my sweatshirt. I eventually changed her name to Skidd (Skiddish) since she is still one of the most scared rats I have had. She is also very intelligent, a thing I never wouldve guessed of her. She comes when called every time, knows how to go up and down things on command, will jump on command, as well as heel, and open drawers. She is ever loyal and faithful and I would be lost without her as well. After almost 6 months of having her, Skidd finally let me hold her, which was one of the best, most emotional accomplishments of my career in rescuing rats and mice, since I knew that I had finally earned her trust.
Finally, my fourth and fifth rats, Domino and Jade. Domino came to me as a rescue as well. A friend and I were going through a local pet store that was closing, and was known throughout the area for its terrible care of animals (Also the same place I had gotten Ink.) Since it was closing, we wanted to buy up as many animals as possible in order to keep them from going into the wrong hands at such low prices. We had pooled our money and come up with 40 dollars. Originally we had come in with the intent of saving a snake or bird, but didn't have the money for either. So we changed our plan of action to save as many smaller animals as possible. When walking down the small animal isle, I saw a huge white rat in a cage with tons of weaned rats, and another huge male. She herself was dealing with a litter of what we later found out was 13 baby rats. With breeding rats, it is detrimental to their health to leave them in with a male after birth, since he will impregnate them right after and the strain can be too much on their tiny bodies, killing not only the mother but both litters of babies. We bargained with the store owner, and eventually got Domino and all of her 13 babies for $32. We took her first to the local comic book shop, since we didn't have time before dinner to bring her to our rescue building. She was very sweet to everyone that came in, and let my friend and I sit down and check over all of her babies to make sure everyone was nice and healthy. The babies themselves were about a week old, giving Domino plenty of time to have been impregnated a second time. We had noticed her getting increasingly plump over the time she was raising her litter, although she never did give birth again. I will never know if she was simply putting on weight or if she had a miscarrage, although I do believe the latter was more likely. Rats CAN greive, and she did go through a period of what I can only describe as depression after her litter was weaned.
Jade was one of Domino's litter. I watched her grow from a week old to months old, and eventually become one of the best, and most obnoxious, rats I have. I originally picked her out to train her as a service animal. My social anxiety and depression had been getting worse, and I wanted (or rather needed) an animal that I could carry around with me in case of an anxiety attack or other problem in which I couldn't go to another human being without making it worse. I trained Jade from a young age to climb into my sleeve on command, to my shoulder, to my hood, to my hand. She can sense when I am having a problem or a bad day and she will come to me to offer comfort and also a form of support, as I always feel like I can go to my rats for anything, and I know they will not judge or hurt me like I am afraid that people will do. Jade gives me confidance in social situations I may have avoided previously, and she makes it possible for me to live my life more fully than I previously thought possible.
So although you may see rats as Vermin, as things not worth saving or worrying over. My own family has said I am stupid for spending all of my money just to save animals that I bought for maybe $20 each, and that I can just get another. But for me, these aren't just rats, they aren't just vermin or pets or even family. They are my life. I saved them and they in turn saved me, and I have almost no doubt in my mind that I may not even be alive today without them. They have helped me and been with me through some of the best and worst times of my life. The days I wished my life would go on forever, and those when I wanted to end it all. They have always been there for me, and now it is my turn to do everything I can for them.
THE BUDGET:
I had enough money to take ONE rat, Pep, to the vet. She was the one that I found with the poison in her mouth, so she was the one I decided was most urgent, since I knew for sure she had eaten it. The bill for her was 160 dollars, and would be the same for the other 4 of my rats, each. Even with treatment, they could still need to be euthanized, which is $324 each. This includes ther return of their remains, which I hope most people will understand, although it is more expensive, I would like to have the choice to bury my rats in places I know they would've been happy. I have calculated them needing to be euthanized into this total. If any or all of them survive, the extra money will be donated to a rat rescue, to help other rats in need. This is a over a thousand dollars, which can really do well for a small rescue.
I also applied for a Care Credit card but like I said I am 18 and in high school so I may not be approved, and my parents will not pay. I have no credit built up because I never foresaw myself needing a card until College, but of course all of that has changed very rapidly.
WHAT I CAN OFFER:
I am an artist, I can offer you my art. I will draw for you, sculpt for you, paint, sew, anything you would need, I will take on any challenge. Any level of donation will get you SOMETHING, whether it be a sketch or a fully finished piece. If you have a special request feel free to message me or leave a comment. I am expecting the list to be long, so there could be up to a 6 month wait time for the art, but I will try my best to finish everything in a timely manner. Included are some examples of my most recent works. I can draw digitally, traditionally, paint, sculpt, sew, and almost everything else under the sun. I have won awards for both my 2D and 3D works and have also had numerous published works in various places from Church programs to Websites. If you need anything please don't hesitate to ask.
If you would like any more examples, or more specific examples, please let me know.
Again thank you so much if you decide to donate, and I will try to post daily updates on my girls. If there are no symptoms after 5 days, then they will be fine, but if they start to show symptoms then I will need to put them down. If you cannot donate then please keep them in your thoughts, every little thing helps.
Thank you again and thank you for considering helping me save my rats <3
Organizer
Rachel Grove
Organizer
Milwaukee, WI
