Here I am!
I hope you can guess by the above photo that Fresno is my new rat co-pet. He’s got his paw right on my nose in the photo above. That is very close to my giant teeth, as you can see, so it is lucky for him that I don’t bite. I am actually hoping that he will scratch my belly, but you’ll have to read the rest of the post to find out if he does.
Bakersfield
Some of you may remember that I had a really cute rat co-pet named Bakersfield. Sadly, rats do not live very long and Bakes died last winter of apparent old age. The pet store said he was 2 and he lived with us for 1.5 years, which would have made him about 3.5 years old, which is quite old for a rat.
After Bakersfield died, Melly said she wouldn’t get any more rats because of their short life expectancy. But Melly is not a woman of her word and so on June 4th, she came home with a new little rat.
Fresno at the pet store
The day before she bought Fresno, Melly took this photo of him at the pet store. I don’t know how she managed to leave him there but after she posted that on Facebook, everyone said she should go back for him. So she did.
Fresno's new home
This is Fresno’s new home at our house, directly under a poster of Caplin Rous! Fresno was only $10 but that cage makes him a pretty expensive pet. Still, both Melly and Fresno love the cage so it is worth every penny. And Melly filled it with lots of fun toys for Fresno that he mostly just ignores.
Fresno at the vet
Unfortunately, Fresno started sneezing a lot and so Melly had to take him to the vet. It turns out he has an upper respiratory infection. Luckily the vet said it is easy to treat and noncommunicable, except to other rats. The vet also said we caught it early and otherwise Frez is in good shape. That meant that Fresno was free to meet his new co-pets!
Fresno with Winston Bumblebee Barcode the 1st (WBB1)
We started out with WBB1 because they are closest to the same size. By himself, Fresno looks pretty big but it turns out he is very small because he is even dwarfed by a guinea pig!
Let's be friends!
Fresno tried really hard to be friends with WBB1 but WBB1 must be British or something because he is very dignified and aloof.
Climbing over the guinea pig
It is hard to remain dignified and aloof with a rat crawling over your back, but WBB1 did a pretty good job of it!
Hey, who are you?
Then it was my turn to meet Fresno. I was pretty surprised to see him and even more surprised that he doesn’t act at all like Bakersfield. Bakes was a calm, easy going rat, but Fresno is on the move all the time! He’s like that Energizer bunny, only a rat.
Climb on me and scratch my belly!
I used to love it when Bakersfield would crawl on me. Little rat paws are pretty good at scratching. I got all poofed up in the hope that Fresno would scratch me, maybe even better than Bakersfield. Maybe Fresno could scratch my belly!
Please scratch me!
Do you see how blurry Fresno is in this photo? That is because he is moving too fast. Sure, he crawled on me, and that is good, but all he did was run down my back and off one of my hind feet. It was so fast I hardly had time to appreciate it. Melly says he might slow down when he gets a little older. I sure hope so!
Sometimes I wish I had a tail
Melly took Frez into the family room and I followed along. I am a pretty social capybara and I really want to be friends.
Nose to nose
I think Fresno likes me, he even kissed me on the nose, but he just can’t hold still for very long.
Yes, I am following you.
Later, Frez was sitting on Melly’s lap and I came over to investigate. Also, Melly gives me treats sometimes when she is sitting in that chair.
Please scratch me!
I really want to be scratched, and I don’t mind begging. But it didn’t do me any good. Still, Fresno is new around here, if he slows down like Melly says he will, I think I can probably teach him to scratch me. And Melly says she might get him a friend so maybe I could have TWO rats scratch me!
Fresno looks awesome. R.I.P. Bakersfield. I agree with Melly, I won’t have another rat because they just are not around long enough. Breaks my heart!
Winston knows the rodent hierarchy! :)Fresno is so cute, and what a habitat!
Dear Gari! You have got so many rodent co-pets! Are you considering inviting a hamster into your nice company?
Wow Gari — Fresno has an awesome new place–all those cool toys. I think he’ll be up for scratching your belly eventually. Just give him some time.
Fresno will definitely slow down when he gets older. Actually, male rats are less active then female rats, in general, so Fresno was probably a good choice for you.
It’s true that rats have a short life-span, but they are still wonderful pets. They are very social, so it’s best to have at least two. I have four now and have had up to six in the past.
It’s great that Fresno isn’t afraid of you and has already crawled on you and kissed you. I’m sure he will play with you even more once he gets to know you better. Rats are very friendly and love to groom each other, people and other animals. My rat Patty grooms me all the time.
I look forward to hearing more about you and Fresno.
Gari,
Just come to Warwick, Rhode Island and I will be happy to scratch your belly.
Nancy
Hey Gari- Stop being racist! We British are very warm and friendly. You just have to make sure we have had a nice cuppa tea.
Aww Fresno looks like a nice buddy for you. I can tell you fromi experience that he will get much calmer as he grows up. I am so glad you have a new bestie around that likes you from the very beginning. I’m sure he will give you nice scratches the more he gets to know you.
Looks like Fresno WANTED to scratch your nose!
Bakersfield had such a CUTE face. Poor baby!
Thanks for introducing us to Fresno! He’s a cutie too — he probably moves SO fast because there is SO much for him to investigate in his new home!
I LUV Fresno draped over WBB1 — WBB1 is so cool about it.
Lovely to see Fresno exploring his new surroundings, and new pet companions. I think he will fit in very well. 🙂 xx
Wow Gari, June 4th is Moms Birthday! You got a great new buddy it looks like. My only copet is a very old cat who meows at me.
Aw, I hope he gets to scratching your tummy, and the WBB1 decides to like him. Nice to meet you, Fresno 🙂
I look forward to the day that Fresno scratches your belly and Melly posts the pictures. Also I hope WBB1 comes around and they are friends also. You have so many co-pets!!!! Lucky Gari. Maybe Fresno could ride around on your back. How do you like that???? Have a great weekend and keep cool.
oh my goodness! Fresno climbing all over WBB1 is just too cute!
I love this blog. Thank you for posting – I thoroughly enjoyed it. All your pets are so cute. Can I move in with you? LOL. This is awesome!! 🙂
* Great pics * !!
Rats make pretty nice pets! I’m still partial to my ducks and chickens, though!
Can Melly make a halter top to hold Frez so he can ride around on your back? And can you take a picture of Frez wearing a tiny Fez please? Thanks.
I have been on rat hiatus since my last Rat Pal died in October at age 3. The short lifespans are starting to get to me. Fresno looks adorable and very energetic. He will get calmer with age, but he seems like he has a great personality for being around a big, unusual co-pet like you.