Angel

Angel was a miracle rat, no doubt about it. When I was visiting a local pet shop that is exclusively a feeder store, I felt compelled to take a quick peek. Now, keep in mind, that in this particular store, I make it a practice to NEVER go in the ‘back room’, but I did this one time…must be fate. There was this little fuzzy rex smeeze rat cowering in the corner and I quickly looked away, commenting to the store clerk what a shame it was to see a beautiful marked rat like that in their feeder bin. The clerk said she had wished that someone would take her for a pet because she had been through enough. This is where Angel’s story began (not for the squeamish). A man had bought her for snake food, but the snake was too small to eat a rat her size. This was apparent as the snake tried to eat her and she was able to struggle away. Figuring that if she were unable to struggle, the snake would have a chance, he held her by the tail and clubbed her over a hard surface to knock her out. During this, part of her tail was degloved and broken off. The snake was more successful this time, even puncturing her eye with its tooth, but she managed to wake up while the snake tried to eat her, and yet again struggled away. The snake owner was just going to make another attempt at knocking her out, but when he reached for her, she bit him…hard! Well, duh! So, the man took the rat back to the pet store because she was a danger to his snake. And there she sat…waiting for the next snake owner to scoop her up and do it all over again. Makes you sick, doesn’t it? We got her out of there right away. I figured even if she was crippled or died, it was a better way to go for an animal that had been through so much.
Turns out, though, that Angel was a wonderful rat! She was sweet, mild tempered, trusting, and beautiful. She is a symbol of what so many rats are bred for and have to endure. It’s sad, but she had become a life that had inspired us to remember always to be amazed by these little creatures. They have so much to offer us and we can only hope to give to them as much as we can in return! Angel will always be remembered as the matriarch of the group and a symbol of patience, trust, in love. To view all of Angel's pictures, visit here. To view Angel's medical history, click here!

	Angel of MHRR
	November 2004 - July 3, 2007
	Seal Point Siamese Rex
	NARR Registration #: 050378/NF
Angel was a miracle rat, no doubt about it. When I was visiting a local pet shop that is exclusively a feeder store, I felt compelled to take a quick peek. Now, keep in mind, that in this particular store, I make it a practice to NEVER go in the ‘back room’, but I did this one time…must be fate. There was this little fuzzy rex smeeze rat cowering in the corner and I quickly looked away, commenting to the store clerk what a shame it was to see a beautiful marked rat like that in their feeder bin. The clerk said she had wished that someone would take her for a pet because she had been through enough. This is where Angel’s story began (not for the squeamish). A man had bought her for snake food, but the snake was too small to eat a rat her size. This was apparent as the snake tried to eat her and she was able to struggle away. Figuring that if she were unable to struggle, the snake would have a chance, he held her by the tail and clubbed her over a hard surface to knock her out. During this, part of her tail was degloved and broken off. The snake was more successful this time, even puncturing her eye with its tooth, but she managed to wake up while the snake tried to eat her, and yet again struggled away. The snake owner was just going to make another attempt at knocking her out, but when he reached for her, she bit him…hard! Well, duh! So, the man took the rat back to the pet store because she was a danger to his snake. And there she sat…waiting for the next snake owner to scoop her up and do it all over again. Makes you sick, doesn’t it? We got her out of there right away. I figured even if she was crippled or died, it was a better way to go for an animal that had been through so much. Turns out, though, that Angel was a wonderful rat! She was sweet, mild tempered, trusting, and beautiful. She is a symbol of what so many rats are bred for and have to endure. It’s sad, but she had become a life that had inspired us to remember always to be amazed by these little creatures. They have so much to offer us and we can only hope to give to them as much as we can in return! Angel will always be remembered as the matriarch of the group and a symbol of patience, trust, in love. To view all of Angel's pictures, visit here. To view Angel's medical history, click here!