Jonah's Story

    In August 1998, I brought home a little black berkshire baby to be a companion for my lone rat of four months, Noah.  Jonah was named after a guy we'd been singing about in Bible School the previous week, but before long we were mostly calling him by his nickname, Jojo.
    Jojo was quite curious and loved people, but didn't really like to be picked up or held.  If I sat or lay still for a long enough time, he would always come and explore me, and his favorite thing was to climb up "Mommy" and sit on my head.
    Jojo and Noah became great friends immediately.  Baby Jojo followed his big buddy around constantly, just begging to be flipped over to have his belly groomed.  Noah wasn't quite sure what to make of this hyper little thing, but was extremely grateful for some rattie company.  At nap time, they could usually be found curled up together inside their roll-a-nest.
    Over the next couple of years, as more rats were gradually added to the family, poor Jojo became the whipping-boy of the colony.  He never backed down from a fight, but always lost, so it seemed like the other rats always took turns picking on him.  Noah, however, remained Jojo's best buddy, and sometimes would stand guard over him, daring the other rats to try to get by him.  Noah was the alpha rat at the time, and nobody cared to mess with him.
    Around people, Jojo continued to be kind of shy.  He wanted to know what we were doing, but just hated being handled in any way.  He was jumpy and quick to run, and continued to want affection on his own terms.
    In March  2000, I took Jojo and Noah  to their vet to check out suspicious-looking lumps.  The doctor thought both lumps needed to be removed, so Noah (who had just turned two) and Jojo were scheduled for surgery in early April.  I was terrified for them!  Luckily, the operations went without a hitch, and both of my old guys came through just fine.
    I rigged up a special "invalid" setup for them, pushing Noah's old baby cage up to a rabbit hutch that my sister had picked up for me at an auction.  They were to be separated from the other five rats for a few weeks until their incisions had healed.  However, Jojo started to get very territorial about his new home, and Noah's back legs were starting to get weaker, so I decided not to introduce them back to the original colony.  This is how they are still living:  two old guys in their "retirement complex".  The younger rats get the run of the room during the day, and then go into their cage at night so that Noah and Jojo can run loose while I sleep.
    As Jojo nears his second birthday, it is obvious that he's mellowed out a lot.  He doesn't struggle when I pick him up, and will let me hold him for a few seconds before he demands to be let down.  Lately, he shows more interest in me than ever before, and will even climb into my lap occasionally.  Once or twice a night, he will visit me in my bed, climbing around and sniffing at me like he did when he was a baby, but he only stays for a few minutes before moving on to his next project.
    Jojo seems to be in great health.  He eats well, moves around like a youngster, and still likes to climb up to his nest on the top shelf of the bookcase.  I love this sweet little guy, and hope to have him around for a good long time!