Sandra Beasley and the Spaz Rats

Used with permission
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Iniko's SURPRISE! Litter
Born October 18,2006

Mom: DDK Iniko
Himalayan, Standard-coated, Top-eared, 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.

Iniko 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?

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.

Iniko's babies, 1 week old on October 25

Iniko's babies, 2 weeks old on November 01

Iniko's babies, 3 weeks old on November 08
6 boys, 2 girls

Iniko continues to be a maternally aggressive mother and will attack and bite me when my hands are near, or in, the cage. So far she's nailed me, and drawn blood, 4 times. She and her babies free-ranged with Daria's group for the first time on November 11 and that seemed to settle her for awhile, but she went right back to biting once she and her kids were put back into their own cage. It's time to separate the sexes today, November 22, and hopefully Iniko will settle down. Iniko and her girls will go into live with Daria and Zen and their girls. Iniko's boys will go into living with Q and Zen's boys, while Daria's boys are living with Ratsami.

	SPAZ Chuffin A play on the word chuft, which in the UK means happy, or delighted. His eyes just opened at 2 weeks of age Chuffin met my finger at the cage bars, sniffed, and went into an eye-boggling/bruxing frenzy aka: Chuf Born: September 19,2006 Sky Blue, Berkshire, Standard-coated, Top-eared, Buck Personality: RIP Chuffin July 29,2008 Late-onset Myco
	SPAZ Tug Tug has also met my finger at the cage bars, only he grabbed my fingernail and pulled with all his might aka: Tugs Born: September 19,2006 Sky Blue, Mis-marked Hooded, Standard-coated, Top-eared, Buck Personality: RIP Tug September 25,2008 Chronic Myco
	SPAZ Bugweed Just a name I've wanted to use for ages, and this little guy suits it. aka: Bugs Born: September 19,2006 Black, Mis-marked Hooded, Standard-coated, Top-eared, Buck Personality: RIP Bugweed October 15,2007 Malignant bone cancer
	SPAZ Twohy (pronounced Too-ee) Just a name I made up to describe the two small black spots he has on his belly. One spot right across from the other on either side of his sheath. aka: Born: September 19,2006 Black, Mis-marked Hooded, Standard-coated, Top-eared, Buck Personality: RIP Twohy April 15,2007 Ravages of old age
	SPAZ Mutton He must have told me his name because that name just came into my head one night when I was watching the boys play aka: Mutt Born: September 19,2006 Black, Berkshire, Standard-coated, Top-eared, Buck Personality: RIP Mutton October 13,2008 A series of Strokes in between which he recovered
	SPAZ Muffin A name to match her black brother twin aka: Muffy Born: September 19,2006 Black, Berkshire, Standard-coated, Top-eared, Doe Personality: RIP Muffin December 01,2008 Benign Mammary Tumor
	SPAZ Dori Like the cartoon character, this one too, is an explorer aka: Born: September 19,2006 Black, Mis-marked Hooded, Standard-coated, Top-eared, Doe Personality: RIP Dori April 14,2007 Ravages of old age
	SPAZ Kerri Blue She's blue like the Kerri Blue Terrier dog breed aka: Born: September 19,2006 American Blue (Mink), Berkshire, Standard-coated, Top-eared, Doe Personality: RIP Kerri Blue February 17,2009 Benign Mammary Tummor

RIP ratties can be seen here

Their bodies held in storage in the freezer, awaiting this day,
Iniko's Surprise litter were cremated, their ashes mingled,
and returned to me,

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