I just got a call from a friend at Wash. College of MD, who just told me that she's dumping her roommates much abused rattie with me for the summer, and possibly permanantly! Milton Chaucer, but they just call him Chaucer, will be coming sometime in May, probably the 12th. I can't wait!

Ugh, he's got such a sad tale . The girl bought him out of the feeder tank feeling sorry for him, but because their dorm room is so tiny she had to find a cage she could 'hide' him in, which meant a little plastic hermit crab thing she got at the beach ages ago. Origionally it had held a hermit crab, which had met its untimely death due to campus life! So, poor Chaucer led most of his young, and mid-life in this little plastic tomb, on pine and cedar, definately not a healthy life for a big squishy ratty boy... To top it off he ate birdseed mix, and had a water bowl which he took to filling in, or sleeping in as he got bigger and bigger. When my friend ended up rooming with Chaucer's owner she immediately called me, noticing the rat seemed lethargic and wheezy... I set her up with the best I could at short notice, and long distance. We got him on paper towels until his respitory system could recover, and put him on a better mix  of lab blox and select fresh veggies, fruits, and a little meat. I convinced my friend to go out of her own pocket to invest at LEAST into a bigger caging, even if an aquarium was the best she could do, and a water bottle. Right now he is in a 10 gal, on shredded papertowels because he's still in a delicate breathing condition, but eating way better, and using a water bottle. I wonder what he'll think when he gets here and I put him into a 30 Gal. with a two story wire extension top? Hehe.  

My friend is going to try to convince her Roommate to turn him over to me... Then maybe I could find him a good home because I myself am looking into college soon. Anyone interested in a rattie in the somewhat near future (end of summer)?