You know how I did a blog post where the Parakeets were escalating their mini war with me?
Well...the next day, my hand received another injury.
I was in the middle of work, still had hours left in my shift.
So I was meandering about looking for something to do without looking like I was looking for something to do.
As part of my habit I go to all the habitats and check to make sure they're all locked.
-As whenever I forget to lock it up that's when Cinres comes around and tells me I left one unlocked. Why is that? He tells me that I left one unlocked like it's the worst sin in the world and I'm like "Why don't you tell me I do a good job of keeping them locked. 19 out of 20 times I don't forget to lock the cage, why do you come at me like it's a bad thing the one time I'm super distracted by a customer and don't lock it right away?" yah yah...customers could steal the animals if the cages are unlocked yadda yadda...it's not like I don't go through and check them ten times a shift anyways out of boredom...
Back on topic.
I went through the locks making sure they all were locked.
When I reached the small pets.
And I noticed one of the Dumbo Rats was up next to the glass, lying on his side.
Crouching down, I saw his breathing was quick and shallow.
Never a good sign though I'd noticed that the mice and rats seem to breathe a bit quicker then the hamsters. So I opened up the cage, which woke him up. He got to his feet.
And I saw that he was too skinny. Where his stomach was supposed to be was indented, like he hadn't been eating recently and had lost wait. And then he moved...walking a bit hunched over.
Also not a good sign. If a rodent has a hunched walk...it usually means that they have wet tail -diarrhea, not a good thing for a rodent to have, it can kill them.
But, to make sure -as I'm no expert with rats- though I still planned to isolate him anyway.
I got Reth to get her opinion on him, as she's owned rats and has had waaaaay more experience then I have.
Yah. Not good. she agreed with what I saw. "He's definitely not doing good, we need to isolate him, give him a specific number of pellets and see if he eats any of them. We'll watch him for today just to make sure it's not that he's starving"
He was with three other rats, so it was entirely possible that he just hadn't been able to eat being smaller then the others, and rats being continuous eaters, they would continuously hog the food.
Okay. No problem I could set up a cage for him in our sick room.
So I reached into the cage to pick him up.
"Ah! Let GO PARAKEET!"
Seriously...first thought. The parakeet was biting me and I had to convince it to let go.
Then I was like "Wait...it's a rat cage. O.o THE RAT BIT ME!!"
Even Reth was shocked.
Rats don't bite.
Seriously, you would think they do, but they don't. They're not biters.
You know...unless they're seriously ill.
Apparently he was seriously ill.
And trying to pick him up probably hurt him or made him feel uncomfortable in some way because he wasn't feeling well.
So. He bit me.
YEOW!
Like I said. It was just like a parakeet pinch in feel. The one where it draws blood.
Yep. This one drew blood.
Lots of it.
Felt like I was going to soak through a couple of band aids as the blood went through the paper towel I put over it to cover the wound. You know...after I doused it in hand sanitizer -which I think caused it to bleed more- and proceeded to scrub the wound with soap and water, and finally wipe it thoroughly with an antiseptic towelette thingymababer before putting antibiotic cream and a bandaid on it. -Later Neosporin when I got home from work.
Yah. If he was sick, I didn't want to get infected lol.
Yep, I was very cautious getting him out to Iso after that. Using containers and such to scoop him out instead of picking him up.
-Though how was I suppose to know he'd bite. Rats Never bite.
-ah the one day I relax my guard and assume...is the day my assumptions go wrong. lol.
In any case I got him back into the sick room.
and here's the wound:
Yep, that's the rat bite.
I don't get how it's a vertical wound like that.
I would think it wouldn't be as narrow. I mean obviously those are top and bottom teeth wounds, yet they look more like paper cuts.
Since I couldn't see my hand when I got bit I don't know how he actually latched onto me.
What I do know...is that it went pretty deep.
As it hurt like crazy for three days afterwards. Especially if I brushed it against something...
and being left handed, and that being my pointer finger...yah...I brushed stuff against the wound a lot -Don't worry I wore protection, band aids, a finger glove -it's like the finger of a regular glove was cut off and you can just put it over the injured finger and not have to wear an entire glove all day. -I mean I work with animals. There are lots of things that could get into a wound. So to be safe I keep it covered at work as best as I can.
If you can't see that too well.
Here's it in...'rolling view'
Yep painful.
It doesn't end there though.
No, I didn't get bit again lol.
You must wonder how the quote at the beginning of this post connects to all this.
Well.
:( The next day after the attack, I came into the sick room and found that...
He'd died during the night.
Poor thing hadn't eaten at all.
So he was sicker then just not being able to get at the food. :(
So, like Goyle,
I too will probably have a scar on my finger as a memorial to a rat.
Until you next see these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!
-Sarnic Dirchi
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