Venus

Pictures comming soon.

Venus was my first female rat. I got her from a nearby PetShop only a month or two after I lost my dear Nappy. She was around 5 weeks old then. I didn't want to get a rat from the petshop but when I looked into that tank and saw two beautiful black eyes staring up at me from the aquarium and two little pink paws begging to let her out I knew she must be mine!

Sleek and beautiful she was a gorgeous almost perfectly marked grey hooded rat with the biggest brightest black eyes I have ever seen. When the woman at the pet shop tried showing me the 'fancy blue pet rats' I didn't even look at them! I wanted this little girl! I brought her home in anticipation, already totally in love with her. I put her in a cage and named her Merlin. The lady at the petshop said she was a male. A few weeks later I was looking at her and noticing her tail hadn't dropped like the big boy rats I'd seen. It was deturmined then that she must be re-named! SO I named her Venus, keeping in the planetary/Roman mythology theme as I had done with Nappy (full name Neptune)

She was a couragious, outgoing little darling. She wasn't much for cuddling but she loved to run around and play! She was definately an alpha rat! With a little research I found out rats are really social and need a cage mate to be totally satisfied. So I found the Pack Rats Rattery and brought home Aphrodite. Tiny as she may have been she grew up to be Venus' best friend. As time went by I rescued a rat named Diddley allong with his pal Bo. After lots of fighting and one neutering session later Diddley was sent to live with Venus and Aphrodite. Aphrodite was heart broken when Venus got a new best friend but as the weeks went on all settled down and every one was happy again. Venus died a rather painful death when the vets weren't around. She died of an internal abscess that popped and she bled to death. She died in my arms and that was the worst feeling I have ever felt in my life. Up to this point three of my desceast rats have died in my arms- Nappy, Venus and Aphrodite and it's the hardest thing I have ever done.

Venus left behind Aphrodite in November of 2000 and Aphrodite soon came after her depressed and lonely she died of what I think to be a broken heart in June of 2001.

We'll miss you and your leadership Venus!
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To read more on Aphrodite and Venus please read my story "Aphrodite and Venus- my first female rats"