Some time ago, Bruce passed away. It was a hard loss on me, he was definitely a heart rat. No one knows where he originally came from because he was found living outside, then taken in by a rescue where he was paired with a young duo of boys. He had a bite history but it was an issue he slowly got over once he learned to trust me.
(Disco, (gray,) Dancer, (Beige/cream,) and Bruce, (White, Black mask.)
In the long run, once his health started to fail and Disco hit puberty, they had to be separated as they started to injure eachother because of the power switch. Bruce could no longer defend himself, became unsettled by the switch in leader and started to fight with Dancer who is a completely submissive rat, and Disco was done being bossed around and nipped or bit by Bruce. I watched to make sure he didn't become depressed in his retirement cage as a solo, incase I'd have to figure out my next steps, but he calmed down once he no longer had to compete, and his new set up and routine was adjusted for his available level of activity with his physical condition. He was on arthritis medicine which helped with the swelling in his joints. I started carrying him around everywhere more than before on solo trips, (I commonly brought all 3 places at the same time, but he was getting spoiled, and because of his age and his ever worsening hind leg degenerative disorder, I monitored his behavior.) He went from biting and "ok most of the time" to a bruxing, happy and social rat who loved meeting new people and could be trusted to be handled by kids. Once he trusted I would take care of him, he trusted that I'd never let harm come to him 100% of the time. He was snuggly, fluffy and an absolute character! He was both happily spoiled, but pretended to still be the tough, independent survivor he had to become in what ever life he'd lived before my care. He begrudgingly accepted what ever level of care he needed as his health declined, and still was happy, so i monitored his quality of life as his disorder took more and more of his mobility. I kept him and his environment clean and made sure the good days were still worth the bad. By the time he passed he could barely drag himself anymore. I could tell he was tired, his body was slowing down. Then one morning I check on him and to clean him up like always, but his whole face was swollen to the point his eye couldn't close. Just like that, he had a large lump in side his throat that was a masive infection. One day was retirement end of life treatment, the next was a medical emergency, likely because of his immune system weakening in his tired, deteriorating body. Now he was in pain, and it wasn't fair to force him to undergo treatment to his failing body to force him to live in pain while he can't even effectively drag himself around. The impossibly hard and heartbreaking decision to free my boy from the pain was now the kinder option, because of his low quality of life. I took him to my emergency vet, (sometimes, medical emergencies happen on the weekends or the middle of the night, so i have to use my back up, 24/7 vet that handles small animals.) I miss him so much. He was such a pressence in any room he was in, and would bask in the attention of curious people and children, knowing he was always going home with me at the end of the day. I remember every spot where he liked to be pet or groomed, and other parts that would over stimulate him. I miss him snuggling up with me and bruxing and boggling with his big, dark eyes hidden by his black mask. He use to get so excited when people saw him for the first time and gasped at how massive he was. At his largest, he was 1.7 lbs. He wasn't just chunky large, he was long and before HLD disorder he was quite muscular. His fur was so wavey and fluffy and long, and his whiskers curled that he was either a wavey, low presenting rex, a harley fur or a mix of the two. His fur would tangle and mat if not gently brushed out because of how long and wavey it was. He was so special in so many ways and I'm so happy to have had him in my life and that he felt safe in my care. I miss you, Bubba. So does the rest of your family. I love you Boosie.
I'm working on a portrait, as that is part of how I honor my pets.
