The Kingdom of Peas

Say Hello to Octavia!

 

Effie here. Mom and dad were worried about me because I was so sad when Millie went to get her wings. Rats are very friendly and like to cuddle a lot, you see, and we get lonely very quickly. So mom and dad rushed out and went all the way to Yeovil to adopt a sister for me. Her name is Octavia and she is very daft. She has a big brown mark on her nose, which I think she got from dunking it in chocolate pudding. I have tried licking it off, but it won't budge.

We have a lot in common, including an uncommon interest in baskets. And she is a very good climber. She loves nibbles as much as me... and she likes to lick my noggin. I think Millie would approve of her, so I am going to keep her. 

Millie Has Gone to Get Her Wings

 

Effie here. Beautiful little Millie was very brave after she had her lump removed. She didn't complain once and she carried on giving me lots of licks and cuddles. She became very poorly a fortnight ago; she had pneumonia and suffered a stroke and had to take lots of medicine. She was a little fighter and was soon back to hunting nibbles and enjoying lots of cuddles with me, and we all thought that she would soon be back to her old self, but she had a relapse on Sunday night. On Monday evening, asleep in mom's arms, she went to get her wings. We are all very sad here. Millie was the best sister a rat could wish for.

Noxious Poison All Round Here!

 

Millie here! I haven't been online for a while because there's been so much going on here. Mostly it's been really good stuff (often involving nibbles and adventures in the duvet), but there's also been some bad stuff. Dad was giving me a cuddle when he found a lump on my chest. I had to go to see the vet, who gave me some prods and pokes and a bit of a squeeze and concluded that I needed an operation. So, I went into hospital and the vet took my lumpy bit away and stitched me up. When I came out I felt like a darned sock. I had to have two types of noxious poison for a few days (mom calls it antibiotics and painkillers, but I know poison when I lick it!).

I was doing really well, and didn't nibble my stitches at all... much. Then one of them popped without any reason at all (which had nothing to do with my gnashers or any sort of pulling action). And a blister came up on the back of my neck, where the antibiotics were injected into me after the operation. So, I had a popped stitch and a sore neck... then my temperature went up and I started feeling all weak. My nibbles looked blurry! Mom and dad started giving me two types of noxious poison again and I've been on that ever since. Yuk! 

I have moved my den to the roly-basket, where mom tries to tempt me with bits of freshly-baked bread and other choice nibbles. I was feeling very poorly when mom took this photo of me. Though I do say so myself, I look very pretty for such a sick girl. I am feeling much better now, though.

This is how my wound looked a couple of days ago. The big crusty bit fell off the night before (which, again, had nothing to do with any sort of pulling action on my part).

But I am not the only one who has been a poorly girl. Effie had to go to see the vet too, because she's had a sore peeper. The vet said she's got meibomianitis ('sore peeper lids' to those of us who speak plain Rat-ese). Mom and dad bathe her peeper and give her eyedrops two or three times a day, and Effie quacks like a duck even though it doesn't hurt (and she told me that the warm water is nice).

So, as you can see, we are both a bit poorly. My best nibble stash hasn't been rearranged for two weeks, and Effie has been in and out of my second-best one all that time, so heaven knows what she's done with my half-chewed peanuts! I'm off for a nap, so cheerio for now.