Three unexpected additions to the family

Mouse (front), Mole and Ferret exploring the sofa

We popped to the garden centre to top up on supplies for our other three rats and saw a trio of rats. They were big guys and had obviously been at the garden centre for a while. I felt really bad to them, they had obviously grown too big for the tank that they were kept in and because it had glass sides they had no where to climb. They were a very sad sight. As we already had three rats at home, we didn’t really feel we had the room for anymore, but I couldn’t just leave them all there. I asked Derek if we could take them and at first Derek said no, but he felt as bad for the rats as I did and in the end, after much pleading, he said I could go back and get just one.

I had already fallen in love with Mole, he had been lying on his back with his head propped against a wooden log and his chubby bottom pressed against the front of the glass tank. He looked so miserable, they all did. Mouse was stretched out over the top of the log, behind Mole, and he didn’t even lift his head up when we went to look in the rank. All we could see of Ferret was his bottom, as he was hidden away inside the log.

Derek made the mistake of waiting in the car while I went back inside the garden centre to get Mole. I did have every intention of just getting the one rat, we were both hoping that if there were only two rats it would increase their chances of someone else being able to take them.

I told the assistant that I just wanted to take one rat and she didn’t look very happy. They, correctly, have a policy of only selling rats in pairs and weren’t keen on selling me a lone rat. She obviously saw that I felt bad for the rats because she offered me the remaining two rats for free! How was I supposed to refuse?

Derek wasn’t very impressed with me, or the number of new comers, but he can’t deny they are a very cute bunch. So, we now have three extra rats.

Mole, Mouse and Ferret