Yesterday the boys spent their last day in the only place they've ever known. We loaded the cage into the car and Kirby and Harmon, who were the last of the clan to see natural sunlight, were baffled that there was a world outside of the confined area that they had grown up in.

The rats were headed to two different homes in San Diego (amazingly, only two miles apart).  Tbone, who was supposed to stay with me, went so he could be with his brothers to the last minute.  The boys totally hated the car ride. They spent most of the time in the hammock although occasionally one would come out and kind of roam around.  Right around Oceanside, they all came out of the hammock and spread about the cage, falling asleep in their various usual rat positions.

We reached our first destination.  Barbara had a huge 50 gallon tank set up for them.  She wasn't sure which boys to take, so we put them on the counter and let them kind of run around. Eventually she ended up with Dunbar and Harmon.  We put them in their new home to see how they liked it. The poor little guys have only known one place they're whole lives so it was pretty scary for them.

I had meant to bring a pvc pipe I had for them to climb in, but I forgot it. But as time goes, they'll get more toys in their home and luckily since rats have short memories, they'll forget about me and their brothers. It was still sad to see the little guys away from their brothers. You could tell they were scared.  But after a few days when they see how much attention they're getting all to themselves and how they have that huge tank all to themselves and they don't have to share anything with any other rats, they'll be very happy.

Their fellow pet Sunshine was very happy to see them and really wanted to play.  Harmon and Dunbar had never seen a dog before, so they were kind of scared. They have heard them barking in my neighborhood, but that was the closest they'd ever been to one before.  As it got time to go, it was sad as the two little guys both gave me the "please don't leave" puppy dog eyes. I gave them a good scratch and a kiss and off we went. They moved around their new home and checked out the surroundings.   It'll be great hearing about how they've settled in and love their huge home.

Spot and Kirby were going to Shara's, who had taken previous rescuses Peanut and Gigi.  We arrived and she met her new boys.  She had a room for the pets, we put the cage there and let the boys come out and get used to their new home. I was worried about taking ol' Tbone who just loves his brothers, but also hated it when I had him in the cage with my other rats.  Shara was happy to keep him so he could be with his brothers.  So she took all three boys.  Now I didn't have to worry about the little guy leaving his beloved brothers behind and having to live in the cage with the bigger rats he didn't get along with too well. He could be where he wanted, right there with Spot and Kirby.  And since he's fixed, he could also be with Gigi and Peanut (although I'm not sure how excited those two are about the big lug messing with them all the time).

They ventured around the room, very happy to be out of the car with all the weird noises and smells that they've never had before.  They were in a stationary place and even though it wasn't the place they grew up in, they were just happy to get out and move around do some exploring.  There were the two rabbits in their cage on one side, and Gigi and Peanut (and another new arrival) in the other.  Since Kirby and Spot aren't neutered yet, we couldn't let them out the same time as the girls (although we did with Tbone who is neutered and knows both girls from before).

They all kind of wandered around, but of course Tbone is the most inquisitive of the bunch. He did the most exploring, although they were all interested in the girl's cage.  Spot found a nice chair to sit in and Tbone climbed around the window, the first time he's ever got to do anything like that (he could have done in my place but he was too afraid of the other rats to come out of the cage).  Although there was the unsureness for the boys being in a new place, they were starting to get comfortable.  And they had their cage (which I left for them) so that was a big plus for them too.  When I left, the three boys were in the hammock all nestled together.  We gave them some cheerios and mostly Kirby enjoyed his. The other two were too tired, it seemed, but it was a long day for them as they get used to their new surroundings.

So overall, here's the lowdown on who went where out of the 12 babies:

Two girls went to Karla in Mt. View, CA (Columbus & )
Two girls went to Scott in Menlo Park, CA
Two boys went to Laura in Phoenix, AZ (Cisco & Rorschach)
Two boys went to Barbara in San Diego, CA (Harmon & Dunbar)
Three boys went to Shara in San Diego, CA (Tbone, Kirby & Spot)
One girl stays with me in Los Angeles (Eppy)

Isn't it amazing how Samantha, in her own way, spread some joy all across the state!  The babies all turned out great and all ended up in great homes. I wish I could have kept them all, of course, but I'm overstocked as it is.  But it's comforting knowing that they are all in good homes and will be happy and are doing well.

So this is the end as far as the regular semi-daily updates go. But I will periodically be posting updated pictures and information on all the offspring.  So stay tuned for more tidbits of all of Samantha's kids as they grow up in their new homes and thanks again to all the great people who gave these super little creatures the fine homes you have.