Snaggletooth

I'd noticed late last week that Saké's face seemed a bit fatter than usual. Saturday night she was napping in a box with her head at just the right angle for me to glimpse what was going on - she had a really long bottom right incisor. We've noticed that as she's gotten older, her teeth don't line up quite as well as they used to. In this case the bottom incisor now was angling just enough to no longer get ground down by the incisor above it.

I figured she would have to wait until we could get her to the vet yesterday, but Dave had other ideas and pulled out a pair of nail clippers. Now, we both have read enough about malocclusion to know that you can trim a rat's tooth in a pinch but I didn't think that meant you actually should. Dave was pretty confident though and a few minutes later, after I finally managed to not only hold Saké still but also open her mouth, the tooth was snipped.

Saké after her trimming

We're keeping an eye on her, but so far she seems to be doing terrifically without that long, sharp tooth!

Happy Monday!

Saké

Happy Friday!

We talk about Sushi a lot on this blog, for obvious reasons. But since it's Friday, let's also remember that we're also lucky enough to have one very healthy, robust, and sweet rat.

Saké

Saké

Saké entertained herself this morning by playing in a towel. This picture was taken before she rolled herself up completely like a cocoon.

Saké

I also really love Sushi's little worm-like tail on the far right of the picture.

Making Up For Yesterday...

Dave pointed out to me that yesterday's blog post was depressing. That is true, but I pointed out that the entire situation with Sushi is depressing. However, in an attempt to provide more cheerful fare, we took some adorable pictures of Saké. Sadly, the camera batteries died before I was able to upload the pictures. So instead, I offer an adorable picture of Saké with a piece of banana from May, 2011.

Saké

Lazy

It has been a long week, so I'm recycling a picture from this fall. I'm incredibly jealous of Saké in this picture - right now I'd just like to curl up and watch the world pass by.

Saké

Saké

I think Saké is in desperate need of some quality time. We haven't had a lot of free time lately, yet it's easy to get Sushi out on a regular basis. She is happy to get held and it is easy to grab her out of the cage and tote her around the house while I do other things. On the other hand, Saké hates to be held and really only wants attention if you're going to pet her in the cage or hold her quietly outside. She especially likes to just lay next to me while I read if I pet her lightly. She certainly doesn't want to tour the house on a regular basis like her sister does.

Saké in January

As a result, she spends far too much time inside her cage these days. I'm hoping to rectify that tonight and spend a couple of hours reading while she sacks out asleep next to me.

An Old Favorite

I posted this about a year ago, and it is so cute I'm posting it again. Saké is such a photogenic rat.

Saké

Lazy

Some days are made for laying around.

Saké

Still Improving

Sushi surprised us by climbing into the pipe suspended from the ceiling of the cage yesterday. Several separate times I saw her up there, which is a good sign. Her strength is obviously coming back. She's eating pretty good, although her skin is still pale. This makes me a bit nervous and we're still watching her very closely. Her breathing also sounds a bit rougher, but this might be because of her increased activity level; all of that mucus might just be finally loosening up.

We're going to keep her separated from Saké for another day, as much as I (and they) hate it. We just need to make sure that Sushi is eating and drinking regularly before they are back together.

In lieu of new Sushi picture, here's an adorable Friday picture of Saké:

Saké

A Change of Pace

Saké has really taken a backseat the last couple of weeks to updates about Sushi. I guess that is what she gets for being such a robust and healthy fat rat.

She's a good way to start off the week though, so here she is:

Sisters Reunited

After two days apart, we were finally able to put the girls back together on Saturday night.

Which was good, because while Sushi was resting and looked like this:

a very bored Saké looked like this:

Saké destroyed the contents of her cage, jumped out at every person or cat who happened by, and even bit me during her time alone.

I'm not sure who was happier once the sisters were reunited - Saké or I.

More Melons

Since it's Friday, footage of a fat rat eating cantaloupe.

Friday!

Because it's Friday, a picture of Saké with banana hanging out of her mouth.

Saké Builds a Fort

Anyone who has studied history can tell you the importance of building your fort near a water supply. Evidently Saké has learned that lesson.

Saké

Saké taunted me with her adorableness over the weekend, yet when I grabbed the camera she retreated to the back of the cage.

Shy Saké

She's usually front and center when she sees the camera, so I'm not sure what the deal was.

The Nest Overfloweth

I noticed something peculiar the other day. The girls were asleep in their nest, yet Saké was sound asleep but also partially outside. Normally she tucks herself away, so this was unusual.

She gradually woke up as I took photos, but made no effort to move.

I'm pretty sure that if she could talk, Saké would report that I annoy her on a daily basis.

 

Saké

Saké cracks me up. The other night I walked into the bedroom, turned on the light, and found Saké wrapped up in a towel.

I had a bit of banana for each of the girls. Saké was interested but not enough to actually come out of her towel. She stuck her face out just far enough to grab the piece of banana and then settled back under her towel and ate.

An Odd Place to Nap

Why yes, that is Saké nesting in the litter tray. Note all the litter which has been removed from the tray, making room for her towel.

Fit Club

Ah, January. The time when stores have tons of workout equipment on sale and the area gyms are all stuffed with people trying to fulfill new year's resolutions.

Saké was happy to help me pack my running clothes so I too can stay in shape.

Looking demure...

That face!

She should be a rat model.