May

Kali continues to be well and there aren’t any signs of her symptoms returning. She has, however been acting a bit more stressed recently. She seems less relaxed and is a bit more jumpy than she had been. On a couple of occasions, after I’ve got her out for her evening playtime, I’ve noticed her right eye running with porphyrin (red tears). This is a classic stress reaction in rats so she’s obviously uncomfortable with something. This is more likely to happen if she’s been reluctant to come out to play and I’ve had to coax or bully her out of her nest. Now that she is better if seems that her natural timidity is becoming more pronounced.

Kali’s isn’t using her potty quite as reliably as she used to do. Thankfully she’s still pooing in it but she often wees anywhere. This is most likely to happen just after I’ve got her out for playtime. She even wees on me when I’m holding her. I’ve noticed a pattern in her behaviour at the beginning of her playtime. As soon as I put her down she runs into a corner and has a top-to-toe wash or just sits quietly. After about five minutes she gets up and has a wee in the nearest available corner. After that she’s off finding her treats and exploring.
 

I haven’t heard anything from the vet about the availability of Kali’s x-ray. I’ll ring them and see if I can collect it.

I have been following a story on the Small and Furries message board from another pouched rat owner in the UK who’s rats seemed to be pregnant. It was really exciting when the announcement came that three babies had been born. Unfortunately the babies didn’t survive more than a few days. I was hoping that there may be an opportunity to get Kali a playmate!