Vermin Brewing

Remy arrived on May 7, 2009. She had a large tumor by her left back leg and her owner was no longer able to take care of her. Darby was also living as a lone rat at the time with Amy (a fellow rat-lover), so it was decided she should become Remy's cagemate. She arrived the following Saturday. The initial intro went well although for safety reasons they were returned to their own cages at the end of playtime. Some scuffles ocurred in the following days, but mostly Remy just chased Darby around while Darby ignored her. Remy also love to chase string. Once she even chased her own tail, running round and round in circles until she actually caught it... realizing much to her dismay that it was just her tail.

Remy arrives at her new home.

Slowly venturing out

Remys tumor keeps growing and was eventually removed on May 22. The surgery went well, but recovery was difficult. Remy absolutely hated wearing the plastic collar that prevented her from pulling out her stitches.

The tumor before...

... and after.

Once she had healed a bit more, the two girls were moved into the big cage together. Darby became very protective of Remy whose health started to fail due to breathing problems. Eventually Remy passed away in June and Darby was left once again as a lone rat.

It took the girls a while to get used to the big cage.

Darby keeps a lookout while Remy sleeps.

Meanwhile Darby developed her own tumor. Over time, her playtimes grew shorter and smaller... until eventually the tumor became so large that it was hard for her to even pull herself out of her cozy cup. Because of her age, it was decided that surgery wasn't a good option, but that she should just live out her natural life as much as possible. She still thoroughly enjoyed her treats and being pet. Eventually she stopped eating her yogurt and peanuts (her favorite!) and seemed quite ready when she was put to sleep at the vet's with loving friends nearby.

Darby in her favorite place... her cozy cup. See her label!

A nice relaxing pet on the head

Pictures from Amy of Darby's younger days

Darby's first day home

Darby and Piglet lounge in their cozy cup.

Over time, Darby's white head stripe became less and less visible.

Piglet and Darby share a meal.