Sandra Beasley and the Spaz Rats

Used with permission
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Daria's SURPRISE! Litter
Born September 16,2006

Mom: P4P Daria
Russian Blue, Mis-marked Bareback, Standard-coated, Dumbo, Doe

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Father: Unknown
?????????

One of my newest rats, Wisteria, is an excessive chewer. So far she has chewed two holes in the rat room walls and a hole in the cage. I mended those holes and she hasn't chewed those areas since.

August 8,2006, the youngest boys are free-ranging over-night. I check on the rats the next morning to see that Wist has had a busy night. She had chewed a hole in another corner of the cage and this time it was big enough for the youngest girls to get through.

So, I breathed a sigh of relief when no one had babies on the expected due date of August 29.

Daria was one of the eight girls who got out and free-ranged with the boys. It's five weeks later, gestation is three weeks, so that means no one got pregnant during that free-range time. But somehow, and I can't remember when, the boys met the girls somewhere around the last week of August. Unless a female rat can retain sperm, known as "suspended implantation" or "embryonic diapause", until such a time that conditions become favorable for her to raise young?

It's the evening of September 15,2006 and Daria is looking very pregnant. I set her up in a hospital cage. Sure enough, while Alic and I were in Regina, Daria gave birth to 12 pups on September 16,2006.

I checked on the rats when we got home from the city and found that Daria had given birth to her pups without much difficulty. Unfortuneately the new mom had starting giving birth on top of the level-topped sleeping hut. The baby had been forgotten and was almost dead. Another baby had been forgotten in another corner of the cage. I put both babies back with mom, but sadly one pup has passed away. I suspect it was the one that was left on the hut. Daria consumed the body before I could remove it. This is a perfectly normal act on the mother's part. It prevents a stinking corpse from attracting predators and threatening the lives of her remaining babies.

Thinking that Daria would like some company, and some help to take care of her babies, I placed Zen in with the new mom. I discovered that Daria's beloved cage mate was also pregnant on the eve of September 16. They have been friends for months but Daria, in her hormonal excitement, decided that Zen did not belong in the cage with her and her new babies. Daria chased Zen, and pinned her. There was much squeaking and I decided to put Zen up in her own cage, otherwise there would be too much stress on both girls.

I have a strong suspicion of who the father(s)of these babies could be, judging from the ages of the males that were free-ranging that night, and a lineage that continues to produce these colors, coat, and ear-set. It comes from the DreamQuest Line, from P4P Blue Girl. The father(s) could only be Daria's brothers Evin and/or Goober, and maybe Albin.

Daria's babies, 1 week old on September 23
All Standard-coated, all Dumbo,
5 PEW males, 2 Black Berkshire males, 1 Charcoal Berkshire male,
1 PEW female, 1 Black Berkshire female, 1 Blue Berkshire female

Daria's babies, 2 weeks old on September 30
Not all Standard-coated, might be some Velveteens, all Dumbo,
5 Silver males, 3 Black Berkshire males
1 Silver female, 1 Black Berkshire female, 1 Blue Berkshire female

Daria's babies, 3 weeks old on October 07
Not all Standard-coated, might be some Velveteens, all Dumbo,
The 5 "Silver" males are 3 different shades of "off-white", 3 Black Berkshire males
1 Silver female, 1 Black Berkshire female, 1 Blue Berkshire female

Daria's babies, 4 weeks old on October 14
All Standard-coated, all Dumbo
The 5 "Silver" males are 3 different shades of "off-white", 3 Black Berkshire males
1 Silver female, 1 Black Berkshire female, 1 Blue Berkshire female

At 7 weeks of age the silvery-white babies began to show points. They are Himalayans. The girls were named representing stars, the boys were named after foods that represent their color.

	SPAZ Brightstar Her name means - nothing. Just a cute name for a white rat aka: Bright Born: September 16,2006 Himalayan, Standard-coated, Dumbo, Doe Personality: RIP Brightstar October 12,2008 Ravages of old age
	SPAZ Etoile de Nuit Her name means - "Night Star" in French aka: Nuit (pro. New'-ee) Born: September 16,2006 Black, Berkshire, Standard-coated, Dumbo Doe Personality: RIP Nuit April 01,2009 Benign Mammary Tumor
	SPAZ Stella Maris Her name means - "Star of the Sea" in Italian aka: Maris (pro. Ma'-ree) Born: September 16,2006 Mink, Berkshire, Standard-coated, Dumbo, Doe Personality: RIP Stella May 23,2008 Chronic Myco
	SPAZ Barley Barley is identified by having no color on his tail aka: Born: September 16,2006 Himalayan, Standard-coated, Dumbo, Buck Personality: RIP Barley August 07,2008 Chronic Myco
	SPAZ Cauli Short for cauliflower, Cauli is identified by having a brown color on his tail aka: Born: September 16,2006 Himalayan, Standard-coated, Dumbo, Buck Personality: RIP Cauli February 23,2008 Chronic Myco
	SPAZ Sugarbear Sugarbear is identified by having a blue color on his tail aka: Born: September 16,2006 Himalayan, Standard-coated, Dumbo, Buck Personality: RIP Sugarbear October 28,2008 Ravages of old age
	SPAZ Tater Slang for potato, Tater is identified by having a green color on his tail aka: Born: September 16,2006 Himalayan, Standard-coated, Dumbo, Buck Personality: RIP Tater May 26,2008 Chronic Myco
	SPAZ Cheezer Named after a white cheese, and the Ty Beani Baby, Cheezer is identified by having a purple color on his tail aka: Born: September 16,2006 Himalayan, Standard-coated, Dumbo, Buck Personality: RIP Cheezer December 11,2008 Ravages of old age
	SPAZ Niger (pro. Nie-jer, as in the wild bird seed) Niger has the most white on his tail aka: Born: September 16,2006 Black, Berkshire, Standard-coated, Dumbo, Buck Personality: RIP Niger December 03,2008 Ravages of old age
	SPAZ Nori Named after the seaweed that looks black when it is dried, Nori has less black on his tail aka: Born: September 16,2006 Black, Berkshire, Standard-coated, Dumbo, Buck Personality: RIP Nori February 01,2009 Ravages of old age
	SPAZ Cola Named after the familiar soft drink, Cola has the least amount of white on his tail aka: Born: September 16,2006 Black, Berkshire, Standard-coated, Dumbo, Buck Personality: RIP Cola October 15,2008 Ravages of old age

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