2/00 - 2/25/02
It's been a pretty crappy week and a half for me. Thelma and Swirl celebrated their second birthday at the beginning of the month. Then a week later, Thelma passed. Ten days after that, Swirl passed. Two of the great ones.
Swirl was one of the complimented rats I've ever owned. People always emailed me about how pretty she was and how they loved her name. She was named Swirl because she looked like someone dipped her head in chocolate-vanilla swirl ice cream. Swirl was an amazing project. She was rescued from a horrible Petco (the one on Sepulveda blvd by LAX in Westchester, CA). She had just had babies and the idiots were selling her little day old babies for a buck a piece as snake food. I didn't find this out until there were only three left, at which I purchased the three and Swirl herself.
Swirl was very unfriendly at first, of course, since the only human interaction she had at that point was pimple-faced, spiked hair idiots pulled her babies off her and giving them to reptiles. When she first came to live with me, she wouldn't let me touch her at all. I handled the three babies right away which she seemed to be okay with, but wouldn't let me pet her at all. But as time went by, she got get friendlier and friendlier and soon, she loved to be scratched. She was always coming up for a quick rub down
Swirl was very much like Thelma in that she never started fights with the other rats. She was never confrontational in any way. She was just happy with the way things were. She took her treats, slept all over the place and never caused any problems. Her three remaining kids were eventually split up. The lone girl Lucky stayed with me and died last year of respiratory problems. The two boys went to live in a great home with Robert Cunningham in San Diego. One of the boys recently passed from cancer but as far as I know, the other is doing fine.
Swirl died in her sleep on 2/25/02. When I let the rats out for their daily playtime, I noticed Swirl was still in the hammock. To my surprise, she wasn't moving. She had passed about an hour earlier. She looked like she was sleeping. I never saw it coming. It's possible she was a lot older than I thought, since my birthday month for her was only an estimate (the buffoons at Petco don't know, of course). It's sad the girl died, but she had an amazingly great life, compared to what could have happened if I hadn't taken her from that hell hole. She was with me almost for two years (since May of 00) and I really enjoyed her and miss her already.
Swirl searches for treats.
Beautiful girl, she will be missed very much.