The first are baby rats. Having had a litter of six recently, due to my not being able to tell the difference between the sexes of rats, and my wanting for the grown-up rats not to be lonely. They seemed happy together. No wonder why--they were on their honeymoon! Mom got big and fat, and as soon as I put her in her private cage, six wonderful babies came out!
I had hopes of keeping them as pets, by handling them frequently, and loving them. I wanted something cute and cuddly to hold. They were not much trouble at first. But the deeper you get into something, the more you learn, and the truth comes out.
Rats have a vicious reproductive cycle. Their fertility is so high that the mother can get pregnant after giving birth. The last pinkie pops out, and BANG! Papa gets her pregnant. If that does not work, she gets in heat every five days. And if Papa is persistent, she can go into heat because of his efforts. What I have learned is that the best of intentions isn't enough to raise a good pet. They are bred that way. For their personality. The ones that squirm a lot and try to get away just don't make good pets.
That way, the vicious cycle perpetuates itself: feeder rats beget feeder rats. I just dropped off three obese mice and six small rats (four weeks age, weanable) at the local pet shop. I just did not have the time to take care of them all. They are almost able to get each other pregnant, and mom too. It would have been an explosion of pets.
Did I try to give them away? Yes. I had no takers. Did I try to give them to a pet store that doesn't sell feeder rats? I did. They only accept them from the licensed breeder. They took my number in case someone who couldn't afford one wanted one. They also suggested Craig's List.
I took my pendulum out and working with it helped me to decide. I think I wrote a post on Pendulum 101 in the past. Pendulums are very accurate. And with a good conscience, I came to the conclusion that feeder pets are feeder pets, and at least they were loved and off to a good start in my house. Mom and dad are together again. I had to give them a little happiness, to take away the pain of the babies leaving their mom. When the next ones come, which I enjoy taking care of immensely, I will face a decision about all of the pets.
What are my options? Fix mom. Give them all away to the reptile store (no questions asked). Keep Dad and give mom with pinkies to pet store. Either way, I will use my pendulum to help me arrive at the decision that is of the greatest benefit to all.
Who benefits from the babies? The pet shop owner, who will make a profit on the six small rats and three mice. He will make thirty dollars in rats and about eight in mice. Do I want to negotiate a deal with him? No. He was kind enough to take them off my hands. He won't have to order from the breeder, so he will make pure profit on them.
The thought I am thinking is this: in Nature, without man's intervention, animals are in balance. Except in drought and famine, for example. But here in Southern California, we have encroachment. People get upset over wild animals. The coyotes eat their pets. All cats have to stay indoors. Life span for an outdoor cat is one year. The mountain lions frighten everybody. And the rabbits eat their gardens. At Casta Del Sol, the newspaper says they allow shooting of rabbits at sundown. Exterminators are hired for this purpose because the residents get angry that their gardens won't grow. And yet the natural balance for the rabbit, the coyote, is not allowed to do its thing?!? This is ludicrous. Absolutely ludicrous!
And here I am with too many rodents in captivity and a snake that won't eat! (it won't do frozen)
This brings me to the adult cats. They do not do well in another home. I was talking with an L&D nurse yesterday. They had adopted an adult cat, and it had weird habits. It used to jump into the tub all the time and drink the drips. Apparently it had not been given enough water in its prior home. It wasn't friendly and did not like the home environment. It clawed up the furniture, and was given back to the adoption place.
People give up their adult cats for adoption, without being informed about the truth: people only want kittens. There is good reason for this--adult cats do not do well in new homes. And consequently, many adult cats do not make it through the week at the shelter. They are euthanized because they do not make it to good homes. Perhaps a no-kill shelter will keep them for life, in crowded conditions that lead to stress and illness. This is true for dogs in shelters, too. They often have disease, and do not have the best dispositions. They live unloved in the kennel their whole life.
What I want to express is that Nature is in delicate balance. Man's intervention can help or hurt this balance. It is my hope that some of you reading this, will take healing and energy, as well as Divine Truth, to heart, and help find a solution for all these animals in need of balance.
Neuter or Spay, as Bob Barker says. Bob is getting up in years. Who is going to take up the fight?
Namaste,
Reiki Doc
