MLAARE - Rex

He didn't look like the others when he came in.
The Dumbo Rat.
I noticed right off the bat that his fur seemed to have something wrong with it.
thin patches of hair.
Which had me thinking I would reject him, as I didn't know if I could sale him.
But the guy who brings us our new shipments of animals didn't share my same concern.

For, he explained.
This Dumbo Rat was considered to be a Rex.
Who knows why they settled on Rex.
But basically he's more genetically dispositioned to have thinner fur even hairlessness. (as breeding enough rexes together will result in the hairless rats some people adore.)
It was also easy to tell that he was a Rex because his whiskers curled instead of being straight out.

I held him in my hands.
Still debating.
Would I be able to sale him? Or should I send him back?
He took the decision away from me when he clambered up to my neck and curled up there, cuddling with me.
Oh yes,
My heart melted then.
Nearly I considered buying him myself. Nearly.
But I did accept him along with his two other brothers he came in with.
Hoping that he'd go to a loving home.

Which he did.
For a customer came into the store, wanting to have rats as pets again like he'd done as a kid. He'd convinced his wife to let him do so.
But went a little overboard. lol. He ended up buying all three of the Dumbo Rats (Rex included)
Which was great. I liked the thought that the three of them that came into our store would leave our store together.
And I made sure to inform them about the Rex Dumbo's looks, so they wouldn't be concerned over his thinner patches of fur.

I didn't expect to see them again.

But sadly, a weekish later.
All three were returned.
Why?
Because one of the children of the couple didn't like them, would refuse to go into the living room where they lived. Even though the rest of the family now loved the rats...
They decided to have life be easier on their one child, and brought them back.
Which was depressing.
But I'm glad they all three came back alive.
Still...now it was more likely that the three of them would be sold to separate people. :( Which was sad as they'd already been together for a while now.

I expected them to get sold.

But yesterday....
I noticed something wrong with the Rex. (As all three were still in the store a couple weeks later waiting to be bought again.)
He wasn't breathing right.
Quick.
Shallow.
And he seemed to have gotten thinner than the others.

I wondered if the others were hogging all the food.
That they were stressing him out.
And so I took him out and put him in our backroom, to give him a quieter space. To let him have access to all the food he wanted, let him be by himself so he could calm down again.
I thought that would help.
Truly I did.

...
....
.....
....
...

But.
When I came in this morning.
I immediately noticed that he'd gotten worse.
His mouth was opening and shutting (like a goldfish opens and shuts their mouths really)
Like he was trying to gasp for air, but wasn't getting any in to him.
Immediately I took him out, holding him in my hands, trying to soothe him. Trying to give him comfort.
It was obvious there was something majorly wrong.
Something that a vet definitely need to see so I could get him treatment, get him better.....
But it was too early in the morning.
The vet wouldn't open for a few more hours.
And he...
I held him....as he worked to breathe.
As he started convulsing and spasaming.
Gently placed him back in his cage, continuing to keep my hand on him as it got worse.
As he fell still...
As he died...

... All...within about five minutes of me discovering him.
My poor Rex.

It shouldn't have ended like this.
He hadn't even been full grown yet.
Still so small.

And so suddenly gone.

It hit me hard, I literally just sat there and cried.
Tears running down my cheeks. My heart bleeding for the loss of life.

I only found comfort in the fact that....I was able to be there with him. To let him know someone cared about him as he left. That he wasn't alone.....

-Sarnic Dirchi