Name: Poppy Sex: Doe Variety: Champagne hooded Date of birth: Unknown Died: 2 June 2003 (pituitary tumour or stroke) Weight: 329g (5 November 2002)

Poppy was an RSPCA rescue rat, that we brought home on 10 August 2002 with her cagemate Rosie. They were both very thin, shy, and had lice, and although they put on weight they both stayed small compared to most of our other rats. They were greyish all over from being kept on newspaper, and it was several days before their real colours started to show through. Poppy had a broken toe on one of her front feet, and it stuck out when she holded her food to eat - a bit like a posh person holding a teacup! She was a very squeaky rat and makes a fuss when I cut her nails, but she soon gained lots of confidence, particularly when Thomasina was added to their cage. Poppy began to lose her balance and ability to hold food in her hands a couple of weeks before she died. She probably had either a pituitary tumour, or a series of small strokes, but did seem to be enjoying life up to the end.