The J-Team & How Jasmine Saved the World

If you look at my lines, you will notice a few rats (one from every litter, to be exact) with a 'J' in its name. Here's why:

It is only appropriate to pay homage for my first rat, the one who got me started, the one who got me addicted. That was Jasmine. And since Jasmine the Second is not a cute name for a boy, it was shortened to just 'J'.

Have you ever seen 'America's Next Top-Model'? It's one of my favorites, and one of the characters, Mr. Jay Manuel, has this silver-blue hair. Almost the same color as a baby boy rat I bought during their first season. Hence, J.Jay (and yes, there is a touch of J.Lo mocking in there too).

All of the 'J's after that are direct decendants from J.Jay (aka Legacy LVM). What will I do when I run out of letters to put in front of 'J'? I'll let you know.

J.Jay (explained above)

T.J. (Tenderheart Junior- she had a heart-shaped mark on her chest- I like CareBears)

B.J. (Blue Jay- Again, the family Jay, on a Russian Blue rat... cute right?)

L.J. (Little Yellow Jacket - Named after one of the PBR Bulls)

R.J. (I watched 'Chronicles of Riddick' that day- the rat's real name is Thrash, but I already have a T.J.)

E.J. (watching the NASCAR race when the babies were born! Earnhardt Junior for you non-race fans)

to come:

K.J. (Keoshe is the name of a really cool dog I met at work. I couldn't let that name go)

M.J. (anyone see Spiderman?!)

The Saga Begins... (Or, How Jasmine Saved The World)

This hobby-turned-obsession began in January of 2002, when I, Jasmine, was adopted by a lone female human. I was a mature five weeks old at the time, a beautiful black color, and was unafraid of the world. I took to domestic life like any queen would- I did what I pleased, and took what I pleased, necessitating nightly cage raids by my human. As luck would have it, my person found a mate (I had a previous engagement and couldn't attend the wedding), and since I was being severely neglected (I wouldn't see my human for hours) I was moved to her mate's house, where attention was lavished updon me, such as I deserved. The humans then discovered how much they didn't know about rats, as if I didn't try to tell them. Much to my dismay, they attended a rat show, and brought home two obnoxious babies (I was a radiant year-old by then) named Houdini and Toby. They drove me crazy! They ate the good food, they stole all the attention... so, as revenge on the humans, I taught Houdini my most secret tricks- thievery and cat-catching. See, I taught the cats around here respect for the teeth, so they don't hunt us. They just stare... and if one gets a paw, ear, or tail too close, well look out! By the time I turned two years old (and looking great mind you) my humans had acquired a total of 15 rats!

Unfortunatly, this is where Jasmine's story comes to an early end. Just after her second birthday, she caught a respiratory virus and passed away on January 1, 2004. We'll always have great respect and wonderful memories for the rat who got us hooked.