Sushi's Terrible Teeth

I managed to get a picture of Sushi's teeth from the front last night which illustrates how sharply her teeth turn to the sides, as well as how far apart the top and bottom are from ever meeting.

This picture is fairly grainy, but you can see the dark orange upper incisors (pointing toward Sushi's left) and her lower incisors pointing into her right cheek. At no point do the upper and lower teeth touch.

She returns to the vet later this week and I'm curious what he will say about the color of the upper incisors. The pinkish hue has spread lower into them, and last month he said that the color indicated the teeth were dying. That could make it easier for her when it comes time to pull the teeth entirely, but it could complicate things until that time. Poor girl. I hate that she has to go through this.

Regardless of her teeth, Sushi still enjoys eating!

An Update on Sushi's Teeth

When I took pictures of the girls and their bag of treats the other night, I also managed to get a couple of shots of Sushi's teeth. She is at four weeks and needs her teeth trimmed soon.

Fun with Treats

The other night I wrapped a few Kix, Cheerios, and carrots in a napkin, tied it up, and hung it in the girls' cage. They've learned that these packages contain delicious surprises, and they wasted no time investigating.

Saké sees it first.

Sushi climbs up for a closer look.

Success!

It was the first time either of them had tried Kix. Not surprisingly, they ate all of the Kix first. The carrots were the last to disappear.

A Little Ray of Sunshine

Every single time I see Saké's adorable face, I smile.

Saké

Tube Rats

The girls never seem to tire of playing in/with their old packing tube.

I love how easily entertained they are.

We Interrupt the Regularly Scheduled Broadcast...

...to bring you Simon, in all his elegant glory:

Rat pictures will resume tomorrow.

Meal Time

I love the differences between Sushi and Saké's personalities. Sushi always rushes for food, whereas Saké never seems concerned. This is probably due to Sushi's near starvation when we first got her (you can read about her situation at bentorats.blogspot.com/2011/01/why-blog.html) but even months later, she doesn't take food lightly.

The advantage of her diligence is that when we fill their dish each night, she has first dibs on all of the fruit, nuts, and other things she prefers.

Sushi makes her selection.

She seems to prefer to eat the raisins and other fruit first. On the other hand, Saké prefers pumpkin and sunflower seeds.

Make Way for Saké

Last week I posted a couple of pictures of Sushi eating a cheerio.

This is how most of those pictures turned out:

Saké has never seen a camera she didn't like.

Cheerio!

Cheerios are definitely better for the girls than Apple Jacks, Lucky Charms, and some of their other breakfast related snacks. They don't seem to mind the switch to something less sugar coated.

Sushi

This next picture shows how awkwardly Sushi chews. Her incisors are really just a hinderance to her, so she tends to shove food way back in her mouth and use her molars. She often ends up with a bulge in one cheek or the other while this occurs.

Sushi chews carefully.

Saké on the Move

Saké is a bit portly, but I think she's isn't so much fat as extremely rat shaped. I love this picture of her because her shape is a bit exaggerated.

Saké

Saké - From All Angles

Saké was playing on the dresser last night, providing plenty of opportunities for photos.

Because she's in motion in this one, she doesn't look like such a fat rat.

Adorarat!

All good things must end...

Pausing

Saké takes a break for a bath before continuing her ascent of Mount Laundry.

Yum...

It is hard to beat an Apple Jack first thing in the morning.

Saké

Fridays...

...are far superior to Mondays.

Sushi

Farm Fresh

Last night the girls had broccoli straight from the local farmer's market. Saké approved, but true to form, wasn't too busy to pose for a quick picture.

Saké

Saké the Burrower

Saké is most active in the mornings, and as a result I am never sure what to expect when I wake up. Yesterday she completely pulled up the towel that lines the bottom of their cage and burrowed inside of it. She does this periodically. Generally she hides and then pokes her head out to surprise whoever might be near (usually Penelope).

Sushi the Explorer

I was laying on the bed the other day reading, while the rats were loose next to me. Saké spent most of her time hanging out in a cardboard tube, but Sushi took the opportunity to run all over. She raced from one end of the bed to the other, bouncing off the storage trunk that sits at the foot, and back onto the bed. Then I felt a bit of pressure on one of my lower legs, as Sushi used me as a trampoline to propel herself onto the dresser, about 15-18 inches away.

Once on the dresser, she happily raced around, sticking her face into every nook and cranny.

Saké seemed unimpressed with her sister's antics.

Saké

Mondays...

...can be rough.

Sushi.

Sushi's Teeth

Sushi went to the vet last week for another teeth trimming. One of her front incisors has turned a funny pink color, and it looks likely that the tooth is dying. That isn't a good sign overall, but it does mean it might be easier to remove when they pull all of her incisors.

We are definitely going ahead with surgery, as soon as we have the $400-600 that it is going to take. Even though it is expensive, it will not only improve the quality of her life, but also remove the current risk she faces each month when she goes under anesthetic. Poor girl.

Sushi at an earlier vet visit.

Never Take Your Eye Off a Good Tomato

The girls seem to take food from each other pretty equally. Sometimes it's Saké who does the stealing, and sometimes it is Sushi. Thus they both know that when they have something good, they can never put it down, let it go, etc., if they really want it.

They split a fresh cherry tomato the other night, right off the vine. Sushi grabbed her piece and then scoped out her surroundings.

One paw is wrapped firmly around that piece of tomato.

She eventually decided that the best place to eat was right where she was.

Delicious! (The tomato, not Sushi)

Hanging Out

Saké spends a lot of time sitting on the dresser, just watching.

Socks without matches make the best cushions.

Marty

It's rare that I see Marty near the rats, but every time I do, I cringe.

And the award for least trustworthy cat goes to...

He was removed immediately after this picture.

We're Back!

After an uneventful week's vacation, we are back!

Sushi checks to see if she's famous on the Internet.