It is with a very heavy heart that I announce the passing of Suki, who crossed over the bridge in the early morning of New Year's Eve, 2015. She was 2 years, 11 months, just shy of her third birthday. Aside from a cataract that had developed in her left eye this past year, Suki had been in fantastic health until November when I noticed a drop in her weight. I weigh all of my rats weekly and record the results so that I can monitor and immediately catch any potential health issues that may be arising. Suki was by no means a large rat, but she was generally plump and always maintained a healthy weight for her small size. I was alarmed by the weight loss, but especially so when porphyrin presented itself -- an immediate sign that something was wrong. I amended her diet to facilitate weight gain, and some time later I noticed the pupil of her right eye became fixed in a downward position. My suspicions were that something was growing directly behind her eye (possible tumour), and the pressure of it was causing the eye to turn in that position. My expectation was that the eye would eventually begin to protrude if it was left alone, thus I knew it would have been best for her to have the eye surgically removed to prevent discomfort. Unfortunately, given the sudden and rapid decline in her health, surgery was absolutely out of the question for her. Hind End Degeneration (HED) also hit her aggressively, and within about two weeks she was experiencing immense difficulty with using her hind legs. As if this wasn't enough for poor Suki, a tumour formed in her groin area almost overnight, and its delicate location meant that it did not have to grow to a large size before it would begin causing issues with her urination. Taking everything into account and putting her welfare and comfort first, I decided it was in Suki's best interest to have her euthanised.
With the holidays (Christmas & New Year's) in the midst of all of this, I was able to get Suki booked for January 4th, 2016 to be put to rest. At around 1:00 a.m. the night of December 30, all of the rats enjoyed their nightly playtime with me. Mortimer, Arrow, and Saoirse climbed onto my shoulders to lick my face and groom my hair, as they always do; London and Britain darted around the room with quick greetings for hand-wrestling; Cash plopped down on my lap for a snuggle; Famous lay curled up for a nap in another room; and Suki waddled over to me slowly and methodically, then pawed repeatedly at my leg. She could no longer climb onto my lap due to the severity of her HED, so she instead asked me to pick her up which I of course did for her. She was so content as I held her and she licked every part of my hands and fingers without pausing for a minute. Suki was clearly so happy and peaceful that night, despite everything that was going on with her, yet as I looked at her I knew that she had very little time left. I recall questioning in my head whether this might be my last night with her.... and unfortunately, it was.
Suki passed away in the early morning of December 31, 2015. When I opened the door to the rats' walk-in enclosure, everyone greeted me on the shelf next to the door. I immediately noticed Suki was missing, since she always waited for me on the floor by the door and would bolt out of the room to greet me before I even entered the room. As her HED progressed, these "door dashes" (as I called them) became slower and slower, but she never gave them up for a day in her life. When I opened the door that morning, there was no Suki instantly sitting on my feet. Alarmed, I ran into the enclosure and quickly found her curled comfortably in a sleeping position in one of the rats' huts. She had recently passed, and it appeared that she had passed very peacefully.
I am devastated at the loss of Suki, as she was so dear to me with her brassy personality and affectionate nature. She was Saoirse's role-model and Famous' best friend. She travelled on the road and participated in presentations educating the public on her species and reversed the negative opinions of so many people whom she met. And she has charmed millions of people across the globe with her YouTube videos and television appearances.
Farewell, Suki, my clever little show-off. You will live on in my heart until we meet again. And I'm certain you will have taught yourself all kinds of new tricks in the meantime that you'll want to show me when I see you again. You will make me proud, just as you had during your life here with me. You are perfect, and I love you. ♥
With the holidays (Christmas & New Year's) in the midst of all of this, I was able to get Suki booked for January 4th, 2016 to be put to rest. At around 1:00 a.m. the night of December 30, all of the rats enjoyed their nightly playtime with me. Mortimer, Arrow, and Saoirse climbed onto my shoulders to lick my face and groom my hair, as they always do; London and Britain darted around the room with quick greetings for hand-wrestling; Cash plopped down on my lap for a snuggle; Famous lay curled up for a nap in another room; and Suki waddled over to me slowly and methodically, then pawed repeatedly at my leg. She could no longer climb onto my lap due to the severity of her HED, so she instead asked me to pick her up which I of course did for her. She was so content as I held her and she licked every part of my hands and fingers without pausing for a minute. Suki was clearly so happy and peaceful that night, despite everything that was going on with her, yet as I looked at her I knew that she had very little time left. I recall questioning in my head whether this might be my last night with her.... and unfortunately, it was.
Suki passed away in the early morning of December 31, 2015. When I opened the door to the rats' walk-in enclosure, everyone greeted me on the shelf next to the door. I immediately noticed Suki was missing, since she always waited for me on the floor by the door and would bolt out of the room to greet me before I even entered the room. As her HED progressed, these "door dashes" (as I called them) became slower and slower, but she never gave them up for a day in her life. When I opened the door that morning, there was no Suki instantly sitting on my feet. Alarmed, I ran into the enclosure and quickly found her curled comfortably in a sleeping position in one of the rats' huts. She had recently passed, and it appeared that she had passed very peacefully.
I am devastated at the loss of Suki, as she was so dear to me with her brassy personality and affectionate nature. She was Saoirse's role-model and Famous' best friend. She travelled on the road and participated in presentations educating the public on her species and reversed the negative opinions of so many people whom she met. And she has charmed millions of people across the globe with her YouTube videos and television appearances.
Farewell, Suki, my clever little show-off. You will live on in my heart until we meet again. And I'm certain you will have taught yourself all kinds of new tricks in the meantime that you'll want to show me when I see you again. You will make me proud, just as you had during your life here with me. You are perfect, and I love you. ♥
I have so many thousands of photos of Suki taken throughout her life of nearly three years, it was difficult to choose only a handful to include in this little compilation below. Suki had a truly wonderful life that she loved and lived to the fullest.
 |  |
Suki at six weeks old
| Suki enjoyed going outdoors with the other rats during the warmer months. Here she explores the farm equipment. |  |
 | Tree climbing was another favourite activity of Suki's. Here, she enjoys the view below with her favourite companion, Famous. |
| Suki's first Christmas in 2013, exploring the tree (with Famous in the background) |  |
 | Sneaky little thieves. Suki (right) and Shadow (left) raid the treat bin when the lid was left off. |
| Striking a pose for the camera during bath-time. |  |
 | Suki shares a dish of the ratties' evening fruit purée with Famous. |
| Suki was a champion trickster, and unfortunately I cannot take the credit for 95% of the tricks she learned. With the exception of "spin" and "shake hands", Suki taught herself all of the tricks she knew without any training done on my part. She would watch training sessions with the other rats and then try the tricks out herself. The weave poles and agility, tightrope, rolling a spool, retrieve, jump, etc. were all self-taught by Suki. She was an enthusiastic, brassy little show-off who was constantly intruding on training sessions with the other rats as if to say, "No, no, no. Watch me, I can do it better!"  |    |
 | Everyone who has met Suki in person knows that she would lick people to death if it were a possibility. It didn't matter who you were... she wanted to lick you! |
| These were Suki's two best friends. Nana (right photo) and Famous (bottom photo).  |  |
| I think it's possible Suki could have won an award for the world's most adorable rat. How could anyone resist that face? |  |
 | Outside enjoying the spring flowers. |
| Suki awakening briefly from a nap to give kisses. |  |
 | Suki and Famous on the bed. One of the last photos taken of Suki. |
Christmas 2015
Suki (January 2013--December 2015)
Aged 2 years, 11 months
Cause of Death: Suspected pituitary adenoma
Aged 2 years, 11 months
Cause of Death: Suspected pituitary adenoma
