Well that was a quick jump from two to three. Went to a local pet store (kind of a skeevy one, but the only one that sells hamster blocks in bulk..we have an elderly hamster and just don't need 5 lbs at a time if we want it to stay fresh) and were chatting about the ratties. The owner asked about them and I mentioned one was a double rex, and explained what one was since he didn't know. When I described one, he just stared at me with a blank expression, so I was getting ready to go about my business when he said "hold on" and dashed to the back. He emerged with a very cute adult double rex girl.
Their rats are kept in back in bins, since (aside from very rarely, if they have one with interesting markings) they're rarely displayed for pets. Adults are kept sparingly, and as far as anyone can tell they just keep a few females for breeding purposes. Mostly they keep smaller and baby rats to sell for nonpet purposes. As against pet stores that sell pets I am, we took her home and didn't feel a bit bad about it. I'm sure she's had many litters..she's thin and a bit haggard. She was quite thirsty and gobbled up an apple slice when she got home. They don't get fruits and veggies there, so she was very pleased to find such a lovely treat.
Yes, she's in a separate airspace for quarantine. Once that's done, she will hopefully peacefully integrate with the baby girls. We'll be ordering a large cage that should arrive by then, so hopefully everyone does well all at once.
Meet Tinea
