A sad #spoiledratupdate.
I am saddened to report that Old Man Barak left us very suddenly late last week. Less than five minutes elapsed between "wait, that's not a normal rat noise" and lights out. Ten minutes before that, he was bothering his brother and agitating for Cheerios. He spent his last moments cuddled in a blanket on my lap. You will all be glad to know that he did get dinner before he departed (beans and banana). Also a snack of pasta, and several yogies, plus some of my popcorn. Barak was a good rat. He received many pets, and ate many foods. He was a loving but solitary boy, who smashed his face into the front of my shirt to demand scritches, and then shamelessly turned his little ratty backside and trundled away when he decided he was done. His goal in life was to be as large as possible, and he succeeded by every possible measure, particularly body mass, holding the record for Largest Rat Yet Seen by our vet, at a whopping 840g. He has been lovingly laid to rest in one of their ...