ARITHMETIC

Gari with Bakersfield on the window seat

Do you remember when I introduced you to my new rat co-pet Bakersfield last month? Well, here he is again! We are learning to get along, which seems much easier for Bake than it is for me. Bake is like the bravest rodent that ever lived and I guess I might be the most fearful. See how relaxed he looks in the photo above? See how my hair is bristling on my neck to show how nervous I am? See how little he is? See how big I am?

To tell the truth, I am not ashamed of my fearfulness, it is what has kept us capybara alive for generation after generation in the wilds of South America. We are not domesticated like fancy hooded rats such as Bakersfield. My finely honed natural instincts tell me that even small things can be dangerous, although I don’t suppose Bake really is.

Getting to know Bakersfield

That’s a long video but well worth watching. If you get to the end, you get to see me and Bakersfield lie down to sleep together. There is a scary part but don’t worry, nothing terrible happens.

Most of the time, Bakersfield has to stay in his cage because he is too little to roam the house freely. Don’t worry, his cage is huge! It has three stories and includes lots of toys.

Bakersfield in his cage

The cage is in the living room where Melly, Rick, the rabbits and I all hang out so he gets lots of interaction with us even when Melly doesn’t get him out.

According to a recent blog poll, I am going to have to pose with Bake on my head one day. I’m not quite up to that yet but I can see it coming.

Getting to know you

Oh, you might be wondering about the title of this post, ARITHMETIC. I learned that is an acronym, a word made up of the first letters of other words. In this case it stands for A Rat In The House May Eat The Ice Cream. I hope Bake can eat other things because I haven’t seen any ice cream in this house since I moved here eight months ago. I don’t think Melly would let him starve, would she?