~ September Skies ~  

Updates

10th October 2005: I am no longer going to be updating this website, as my baby boy is due very soon and I'm just not up to date with all the ratty things anymore! I hope this website is useful for all who need ratty information, or want to give their rats a little bit of a better life. Bye!

10th April 2005: I have been away from my website for a long time. I'm now teaching full-time, and am at last pregnant! Yay! Sadly this has affected my health, and my allergies to rats have become unendurable. I now get asthmatic being in the same room as them, and this has brought me to the final sad decision to re-home all my rats :-(   All my rattery-bred rats have returned happily to their original breeders, and Neena Mai has gone to live with the lovely Tracy, who is already family to three of Neena's babies! Last I heard, Neena was having a ball, and getting all the cuddles she was missing from me, as I can no longer snuggle my little ones at all. Lucky Neena. Skye and Bree are living with Allyson, they are very lucky old ladies!  I was sad to see them go, my house is very empty now.

6th January 2005: I added a new page, with photographs from the Hobart Show Rat and Mouse Event. I hope to follow this with a written report.   :-)

10th December 2004: I created a new page about what to do when you have a rat (or mouse) with itching problems. It is here: Itching/Scratching  

2nd December 2004: I just changed some of the photos of my boys and girls in the September Skies page. Planning to create a page from the Hobart Show soon.

23rd November 2004: I added some more info about making hammocks for your rats and mice (making things). I also removed the Events link, because we don't have any at the moment, and added a Rat Hammocks section, where I plan to advertise the hammocks I make for rats and mice. I haven't connected it yet, as it's not finished. I added information to the Rescues section listing the two pairs of older females we have available, and a new litter of young rats from an accidental mating at one of our foster carers' houses.

14th November 2004: Changed a few things around, and added a new section to the Links - Making Houses. I've included the best websites I have found with instructions for making both cupboard-style and wire mesh cages. Recently added a page about ways to try and get medicines into your rats! This is complied from my own experience and hints from other rat owners around Australia. I have yet to update the Hobart Show page with photos and results! Eventually it will happen :-)

15th October 2004: Lab rats in Australia urgently need new homes. They have a deadline of three weeks before being put down, and they are lovely animals. They are on the mainland, and so will need to be flown down, but they should make really lovely pets. The info is here.

15th September 2004: Finally updated the babies page with new pictures for the last two weeks! Sorry for the delay, I just got snowed under with essays, and it takes quite a while to alter all the photos I take so they are small enough and clear enough to go on the website! Also, Jane's girl Angelina had 14 pups, two didn't make it through the first night, as often happens, but the reaming 12 are thriving :-)

2nd September 2004: Added information about an upcoming litter at out sister-rattery, Under the Mountain. Jane is pairing Angelina, a sweet dove Berkshire, with her gorgeous black spotted DownUnder boy, Smudge, from Duxes 'n' Bruxes rattery QLD. Smudge is a cousin of Jesse, and is one of the most quiet rats I have ever met. Information is here

16th August 2004: I have made a new page to show the babies individually, for people to choose which pup they want to reserve : The Baby Gallery. I have also, with some regret, added my little mouse Mama Cass to the adoptions page, as she shouldn't be living on her own as she is. She doesn't have much of a life here, all by herself. I hope she finds a wonderful home.

9th August 2004: Neena had 14 beautiful babies in the early morning of the 7th of August. I have made a new page as an extension of Neena's pregnancy diary, which is a record of the growth and development of her babies,  Neena's Babies. 

18th July 2004:  Added a new page, "Ratty Recipes", which has the recipes I use to make my dry and "wet" foods for my rats and mice. I have also been recording Neena's pregnancy, I now suspect she is definitely pregnant :-)

13th July 2004:  Added a new page, "Breeding Diary", where I'll be recording both my practical experiences of breeding with Neena and Jesse, and the theoretical knowledge I have gathered through researching about becoming a rattery. This will record each day from mating to the pups leaving home, with photos along the way. Also added the "Upcoming Litters" page, with additional info about current and planned breedings. Added some new pics to the September Skies page.

10th July 2004: Our first litter is coming soon! Neena is now well-matured, and is ready to be paired with Jesse. They shoudl have a litter of black spotted/variegated DownUnder pups, with some black hooded pups. They will be paired in the next few weeks. Information about them and how to make a reservation is one the September Skies page, under "planned breedings". *Also* Our little cinnamon Berkshire arrived from Melbourne! She is a sweety, very bold and happy :-) Information about her is also on the September Skies page :-)

21st June 2004: Added some information to the genetics page, about the genetics of markings.

18th June 2004: Added pictures of the hammocks I will be making for the show, and updated some of the show information. Added new pics of Neena, and gave her her own page to store old and extra pictures on. In a week or so, people will be able to download and fill out entry forms for the upcoming Royal Hobart Show Rat and Mouse Event! Pics hopefully coming soon of the cinnamon Berkshire coming down from Tahl in the next week or so!

11th June 2004: Hobart Show Rat and Mouse Event updated! Classes and other information listed on Events page. Also added a new picture of Jesse, will be adding more as I play with my new digital camera! Also adding information about our sister rattery, Under the Mountain.

30th May 2004: Wombles has been adopted by Tracy, he's a very lucky little man! I also just fiddled a bit with the colour and writing on the website, for a bit of fun :-)

23rd May 2004: Updated rescues page with new rescues - rats this time! A litter of babies was dumped at a local vets, and these seven gorgeous babies need new homes. Also added pics of these rats and of the fawn and white mouse litter. The black and white babies are definitely longhaired! They're sweet balls of fluff!

17th May 2004: Updated rescues page, to show all the mice we have available, and added pics of some already listed.

15th May 2004: Well, just to change things around again, we're not going away anymore! We thought long and hard, and we decided it's not the right time. So, we will be going ahead with our original plans to have a rattery, but only two girls this time, since we also have Neena here with us now, and we don't want to be over-ratted! Our boys have arrived, and I have updated the September Skies page with new pictures and a bit of info about them :-)

Thanks to everyone who wrote to me about us going away, it's lovely! :-)

18th April 04: Added new pictures of Jasper and the spotty boy. Added link to Japer's photos page.

16th April 04: Added information about Natahl's (of Roving Sweethearts Rattery) litter, that is currently available, to the September Skies section. These pups could be brought down in the same flight as my boys and girls if anyone was interested in some excellent young rats.

15th April 04: Changed information about does in "September Skies" section, because the entire litter from Ace and Blaze, including my argente doe, was stillborn recently. My thoughts are with Ace and her owner Julie. I had to decide on a new doe, and I chose a black hooded blazed doe, from Bronwyn. And thus, the first litter I plan to have will be between my blazed girl and my black spotty boy, which should be pretty spectacular!

Removed boy and girl mice from the rescues page, as they have gone on to other homes now. I now have a rescued black female mouse who I suspect is pregnant, so I will update the page with her litter when it is born.

9th April 04: Changed layout and information about boys, as the spotty buck has now been confirmed. I just need to pick a name for him now! 

6th April 04: Created Updates page! Also created Events page, and posted info about the Million Paws Walk in Launceston, the Royal Hobart Show, and the Royal Launceston Show, to be updated later. Added genetic information for my two bucks in the September Skies section.

                                    Created on the 13th Feb 2004.      Last updated 10/4/05.