Blue Moon Blog

Say hello to our new rats, Jasmine and Poppy!

Once Laura decided it was time for new pets, and we’d all settled on rats again, she did even more research to help with her choices in regards to color and type. She opted for one solid Russian Silver (Jasmine), and the other a Champagne color (Poppy). Rats do better if they have company, and we don’t want to get into the rat breeding business (well, maybe Laura does, but….), so these two are female.

Laura had both names picked out in advance being Poppy and Jazz, and I suggested Jasmine for the latter, so with both rats we have a few options and nicknames. Whether suggesting flowers or musical genre, the names still seemed to fit when we got them home, especially as Poppy started hopping and popping over Jasmine and all over the cage. It’s quite a sight! Poppy’s a dumbo rat, and Jasmine is probably a fancy dumbo, both about 4-6 weeks old, on the tiny side…for now. And, yes, Poppy has red eyes.

For Patches’ last few weeks of life, Laura and I had augmented and expanded his cage to be three levels (and a loft) adding flooring, a running wheel, ladders, a hammock and other toys and activities. All the work was worth it as Patches last days were spent in style, and Poppy and Jazz have plenty of room for fun and exercise. Of course, before they entered their new home, Laura had given a thorough bleaching and cleaning.

When we started down this rat path, we felt different and weird in the area of pets, but with the success and popularity of the Pixar movie, Ratatouille, pet rats are more common now, enjoying something of a Rat Boom (Boom Town Rats?), and we don’t feel quite so peculiar. With all the new research Laura’s done, and with a few years experience, she’s learned even more about care and diet of rats, so these two new additions to the Blue Moon Crew should have a healthy and happy little life.