Mr. Nibbles snuck under our partially open garage door this past Saturday night. He scared the skunk out of me cause that's what I thought he was at first.
When Mr. Nibbles started climbing for the box of cereal on our storage shelves, I gave him a swift sweep with the end of a broom.
Mr. Nibbles didn't like that at all, but he didn't react as I had expected. Instead of bolting out the garage door, he backed himself against the wall between two bags of recyclables.
His eyes stared back at me from the light of my cellphone when I got down to see where he went. It was then that I surmised he was someone's escaped pet.
Back & Forth About Keeping Him
Once we got this wandering Black & White Hooded Rat into a small cage, we posted on the neighborhood app. It has a lost and found section where people post pets all the time.
There were plenty of helpful remarks and a few derogatory ones as well. Some people don't like rats, no matter if they're the friendly kind.
My wife kept pushing to call the Wee Rescue Center who would come pick up the rat. I understood her points. Mr. Nibbles isn't a young rat and there's no telling how old he is. He might not have a lot of time left.
We already lost two pet Conures this past summer, which took more of an emotional toll than I would have expected. Losing another pet doesn't sound appealing.
My Wife's A Sucker For Animals
It wasn't hard to twist my wife's arm on this one. She was secretly wanting to keep him too. We could have given him to Wee Rescue, but who knows what they would do.
It didn't feel like a good reason to get rid of him just because he may be old. I told my wife I hope people don't treat me like that when all my hair turns grey.
Fate may have played a roll in Mr. Nibbles' salvation this past weekend. He sure picked the right garage to enter while seeking shelter.
All Set Up With Clutter In Our Old Bird Cage
Rats are very interesting creatures. They love climbing and sleeping up high in a basket. Mr. Nibbles was stuck in a small cage with nothing but a plastic Igloo to hide and sleep in.
He's huge! It wasn't enough room and it sat right on the floor. Now, Mr. Nibbles' cage is up high and he has baskets to climb to that are even higher.
He was so happy once we set up his new cage that he immediately climbed all over in exploration. Once he was satisfied, Mr. Nibbles climbed out into our hands to sniff and lick his appreciation.
His new cage is a good start until we get a real setup and we hope Mr. Nibbles stays for a while.
Thanks for reading and as always...
Images Courtesy Of My Galaxy S10+
Bottom Image Courtesy Of Hive.io Brand Assets
Want To Join The HIVE Community? Use My Referral Link To HiveOnboard.com
