The Rats of Something Random

BOZ Sir Nicodemus Templeton

Vital Stats

Sex: Male

Date of Birth: 26th August 2009.

Date of Death: 31 December 2009.

Nicknames: Nico, Nicnic, Nicorat, Nicotron (my brother's nickname).

Origin of Name: 'Nicodemus' is the name of a rat from 'Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH'. 'Templeton' is the name of the rat in the story 'Charlotte's Web'.

Description: Nico is a black hooded rat with an adorable white chinstrap.

Origin: Nico came from Kim of Bozzy Rats Rattery. I met him at a rat show in October 2009, and fell in love. After he crawled into my shirt I knew he was coming home with me.

Bio

Nico is the first male rat I've ever owned, and he certainly does live up to the stereotype that male rats are squishy, cuddly little furballs. He is a sweet, loving boy who gives kisses frequently and always wants to be with people. It's hard to resist that fuzzy face begging! Nico is a rat who will turn down treats for playtime, and bruxes whenever he is let out.

Nico passed away suddenly just before the New Year. He suffered from sudden heart failure and was gone within a second. There was nothing we could do. For such a short life he made a huge impression and I will always love my first boy. I miss you Nicnic.

Family Tree of BOZ Nicodemus
Black hooded

Parents	Grandparents	Great Grandparents	Grt Grt Grandparents
Sire: BOZ Starry Night Silvered black downunder hooded	Sire: BTR Star Wing Agouti downunder hooded	Sire: CTH Majic Unknown	Sire: Soulibahn BEW
		Sire: CTH Majic Unknown	Dam: TRP Bettina Unknown
		Dam: BTR Unnamed Unknown	Sire:
		Dam: BTR Unnamed Unknown	Dam:
	Dam: BOZ Calypso Black varieberk downunder rex	Sire: CMR Huggie Bear Cinnamon self double rex	Sire: BOZ Darcy Silvered black irish rex
		Sire: CMR Huggie Bear Cinnamon self double rex	Dam: BOZ Topaz Argente self rex
		Dam: BOZ Africa Black berkshire downunder rex	Sire: TWF Apache Agouti blazed bareback
		Dam: BOZ Africa Black berkshire downunder rex	Dam: BOZ Enigma Dove berkshire downunder rex
Dam: DS Water Lily Agouti bareback	Sire: BN Trip Agouti capped blazed	Sire: MRR Fell Black hooded	Sire: ADR Ernie Topaz hooded
		Sire: MRR Fell Black hooded	Dam: MRR Moo Black blazed hooded
		Dam: WFR Bindi Agouti hooded	Sire: TWF Arctic Monkey Agouti blazed bareback
		Dam: WFR Bindi Agouti hooded	Dam: TWF PJ Harvey Agouti varieberk
	Dam: TRP Reyn Black capped	Sire: Soulibahn BEW	Sire:
		Sire: Soulibahn BEW	Dam:
		Dam: TRP Beth Black bareback	Sire: TRR Chocolate Sundae Agouti blazed
		Dam: TRP Beth Black bareback	Dam: TRR Poppet Champagne blazed bareback

Produced using the Ratty Corner Family Tree Generator

Tales

Nico Comes To Work
Since I'm the only one in the office at the moment, and Nico still can't go in with the girls, I've started taking him to work. He has an absolute blast. He likes my in-tray, in particular. He steals things from my desk (tape, pen lids) and pull tissues out of the tissue box to make himself a little nest in it. Then, his sleeping place prepared, he explores the desk.
He enjoys lunchtime and will sit next to my plate and happily wait for me to prepare a portion for him. He doesn't snatch and grab like the girls, he has impeccable table manners. If he gets thirsty he'll help himself from my glass of water. I get the impression that he thinks the cage is for rats, and he is certainly no rat. Infact, there's only one thing that'll get him back into the cage - if he needs to go to the bathroom. I was so proud, the first time I saw him hop back into the cage to do his business, before continuing his explorations. Such a good boy, what would I do without him?

Nico and the Shower
I took Nico into the bathroom while I showered, the other day. I do this with all my rats, since the bathroom is quite safe (no electrical cables) and they enjoy running around. Nico, however, took it a step further. He wanted to get in the shower with me. I let him, fully expecting him to panic when the water hit him. But not my little Nicorat. He parked his furry butt on my foot and started carefully washing himself, dragging his paws over his ears and cleaning his lovely fur. He sat there calmly the whole time, and when I was done, bruxed happily while I towel-dried him. If only all rats were this well-behaved.

The Best Kind of Escapee
Nico let himself out of the cage this morning, while I was refilling water bottles. Most rats would take the opportunity to go exploring. Not Nico. I turned around to find him trundling happily after me, like a lost puppy.