Spruce

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Spruce

Silvered black berkshire

13.10.2009 - 3.9.2011

About Spruce
Photos of Spruce
Tales of Spruce

About Spruce

We adopted Spruce from a rat show, along with his brothers Pekoe and Pester - three delightfully cheeky and gorgeous little fuzzlets to be company for our lonely Dash who had recently lost his friends.

Spruce (a.k.a. Sprucey) was named Spruce for two reasons: (1) he was very neat and dapper and charming, and (2) his white belly markings were in the shape of a Christmas tree with a big pinecone in the centre. As a young rat he was a bit flightly sometimes, happier to be bouncing about and making a big mess rather than held. But he was gentle and sweet and a shocking meeper (i.e. he 'meeps' whenever someone pounces on him, or you pick him up). One his his most charming characteristics was his preference for sleeping on his side or back with his stunning white belly on show. It was a gorgeous mess of white and black with a big black kissing target in the centre, and made all the more adorably squishy by his healthy love of food.

Spruce grew into a big charming squish. He was always very calm and gentle and sweet natured. He loved to be scratched on his side and he'd madly lick and groom my hand as long as I kept scritching him. In older age he spent most of his time lazing in his hammock with Rubble piled on top of him... apparently he made a great pillow.
We lost him to chronic respiratory illness. We miss our big sweet boy, and I'll miss kissing that adorable soft white belly.

Photos of Spruce

So cute and tiny on the day we brought him home.

Squashed into the nest box with his brothers, Pester and Pekoe.

That charming belly complete with kissing target.

He loved his food and fishing for peas.

Caught being sheepishly naughty.

One of his charming sleeping positions...

... and another one.

He's learning to like being held, but would prefer to be free to get up to mischief.

Having a picnic with Frazil.

He loved to laze about with his belly on show.
More from this photo shoot here.

Tales of Spruce

Spruce up

Spruce up

For a rat who doesn't particularly like to be held and squished, he spends a lot of time lying on his back taunting me with his gorgeous white belly. He seems to be quite comfortable fast asleep on his back, grooming on his back and drinking from the water bottle while on his back.

More tales of Spruce and his friends on the Ratty Ramblings page.


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