In which I present a new outlook

I'm trying to get back into blogging about my research. The truth is, I don't have the time. I'm exhausted - truly - physically and mentally exhausted. I've worked pretty much 6.0-6.5 days a week since Christmas and I've had one day of annual leave since July apart from when the University was actually closed...and I'm just about keeping afloat.

So, to try and get myself to blog a bit more often, I've moved from Tumblr to Blogspot - the reason? I'm sick of Tumblr putting my website offline over 50% of the time due to their shit servers, thus meaning when I finally do get 5 minutes to write something, I find that I can't do it. Blogspot is far more reliable and has many more options to allow me to write things on the fly.

This theme/template isn't permanent - it's a space-filler until my custom design is finished (outsourced - I don't have the time to do it myself!). It'll do for now, I think!

In which I praise a kinder, changing world

From mid-November until mid-January, I had to do something extremely unpleasant. I did not want to do it but I did not have any choice. No one forced me to do it per se but there was no real option. I had to watch someone I work very closely with become very ill over a period of two months, peaking in January. For one reason and another, he had been working very, very hard in November - long hours, little time off - and, as so often happens, tiredness gives way to fatigue and fatigue to exhaustion and exhaustion opens the body to all manner of ills. I watched him become more tired and weary by the day and I watched him gradually starting to look off colour but watched him totter on with no thought for himself, continuing to work like a Phoenician until the point came when he got so ill that he couldn’t work any more. He wasn’t gravely ill (though it’s an illness that can and does kill) and he wasn’t hospitalised (though that often happens too) though by the time he finally sought medical attention, he was so ill that he was incapable of working or having any kind of life and was bedbound much of the time. He managed to get medical help just in time and I was very, very relieved when the doctors told him that he’d caught it just in time and that it was unlikely to be fatal but it would take his body quite some time to recover, even with the best medicines available.

I’m pleased to say that within two weeks, he was looking much better and the colour had quite literally returned to his cheeks. He was no longer bedbound and was back at work again and, as very often happens when someone has suffered a serious illness, his life had a bit of a reboot and a few epiphanies occurred as he put his life into order. The illness that he is now thankfully in remission from is caused by a defect in the metabolism of a compound central to a wide range of metabolic processes called 5-hydroxytryptamine, which is formed in the intestines. Without it, blood doesn’t clot properly, appetite vanishes, the body can’t tell if it needs nutrients, the small intestine doesn’t respond properly to food so nutrients don’t absorb into the blood properly leading to the beginnings of malnourishment, sex drives and desires for intimacy vanish, changes in the brain give rise to a constant feeling of fear and pains in the joints and abdomen start to occur. If this 5-hydroxytryptamine deficiency is left unchecked, it is fatal in about 4% of patients, but it can be treated in many cases using a straightforward course of tablets. No one really knows why this metabolic defect occurs that stops the body producing it but it’s actually a very common illness with just under 5% of the population having it at any time. 5-hydroxytryptamine is also known as serotonin and its deficiency is also known as clinical depression.

I know from my own experiences (which I have written about here) that 5-hydroxytryptamine deficiency can be a very misunderstood illness. Unlike similar illnesses in which the body stops producing something necessary, like insulin in diabetes, many people who have yet to suffer from it seem to think that the patient is faking it or is in some way “weird” or even “dangerous”. This is of course sheer stupidity and prejudice on the part of the uneducated, inexperienced people passing this judgement. As with all illnesses, one of the biggest hurdles can be telling one’s colleagues, family and friends. Their response can be very variable, particularly if they don’t understand it and any serious illness can be a very good test of who your friends are. When I experienced this myself (which I wrote about here), I found that a surprising number of my so-called friends were very judgemental, treated me like a leper and were far from understanding. None of them are now my friends. I realised therefore that my colleague needed support and I felt that I could simply not let him go through it alone. He knew I had suffered from it in the past as I am always very open about my period of 5-hydroxytryptamine deficiency in 2006. The reason I am open about it is because I feel it helps people suffering from it feel less alone and helps to reduce the idiotic stigma around this disease. I am pleased to say that my intentions paid off as he came to talk to me when he realised that he was ill and I was able to offer practical advice on getting through the illness itself and the side-effects of medication as well as to help him realise that he was not alone. When you are that unwell, the lack of 5-hydroxytryptamine in your blood makes you unable to form normal social interactions with others and as such renders you very alone. He took himself off to the GP in January and started a course of treatment with medication and I’m very pleased to say that he did very well on it and began to recover within weeks. He will continue to recover for the next 6 months before he can truly be declared as in remission. I have been in remission for 6 years now and I know that it could come back at any time.

Having told me, he had to then face the task of telling his friends and family and I spent a good deal of time explaining that they may not be very understanding as it’s a very misunderstood illness. I was completely taken aback that out of the dozens of people that he had to tell, only one has been remotely unkind. Everyone else has offered him nothing but support, kindness and love and has helped him to recover. One person who clearly doesn’t understand 5-hydroxytryptamine deficiency has been very cruel and seems to think he can “snap out of it”…yes because that’s how it works - just like how diabetics can snap out of it and get their insulin back. I am amazed that in the 6 years I have been in remission, the world has changed. People are clearly better educated now and understand 5-hydroxytryptamine depression a lot more well than they did 7 years ago.

I mentioned that serious illness often helps one put live into perspective and can have oddly positive outcomes as I’m sure many reading this will understand. In my colleague’s case, he accepted the fact that he was gay having been unsure for some time. Just as I am open about my experiences with 5-hydroxytryptamine deficiency, I am also, of course, open about my sexuality. In the workplace, I feel that this can benefit others who are less comfortable about it as it can give them confidence. As such, my colleague came to me when he realised this and we had a number of discussions about it including practical aspects (well, sex education in schools in the UK doesn’t include same-sex sex-education, which is criminal in my view, so there were gaps to fill!). Some reading this would not understand the need for this but imagine that when you were at school, during every biology or PSE lesson that covered sex or relationships, you were taken out of the class and put in a separate room and taught nothing. Imagine that when all your friends were enjoying their first kiss/fumble behind the bike sheds/school prom/first date/etc that you were taken off and put in a room alone and not allowed to experience it. That is what the UK educational system has been doing to LBGT teenagers for years and continues to do, unfortunately.

For many years, I did not understand the concept of “the gay community”. I thought it meant a lot of very camp men who lived in Soho and were very cliquey. I now realise it means something else. When I was in my late teens, an older friend (I shall call him Harry) who was in his mid-30s and much more worldly wise than I and who I just sort of met and got on very well with gave me a lot of very good advice - both emotional and practical - re: getting my head around my sexuality and going on to actually do something about what I had been feeling for many years but had been too scared to admit, even to myself. Harry and I were very close friends for about 2 years which isn’t long but he passed on the wisdom of the ages during that time and I must stress that our friendship was only even platonic - there was no unrequited love or anything smutty - just friendship. I realise now, some 15+ years later, as I pass on the same information and wisdom to the next generation, just has Harry did for me and someone else in turn did for Harry that this is the “gay community” - the passing on of the wisdom of the ages. The folk wisdom learnt through experience that gets passed on. Filling those gaps in knowledge and emotional development have been the duty of the older, more experienced man in the gay community for generations. Nothing smutty, nothing sordid, just guidance and passing on of information - just as fathers do to sons, traditionally. I hope that this tradition will end within my lifetime and that schools will teach these things properly and parents will raise their children to understand both opposite gender sex and same gender sex, since they don’t know which one will be relevant to their child (or perhaps both will?).

So, again, my colleague had to tell people and, again, I spent a good deal of time preparing him for the way it often was. Some people would not want to be friends with you any more. I lost of a lot of “friends” who could not/would not accept my sexuality. Others were shocked that after 20 or so years of seeing me one way would then have to see me another and learn to love me all over again. Others felt I had deceived them and could not handle that. I prepared my colleague for all of the above and for any rejection he might face from his family. But the outcome was beyond belief.

Not a single person said anything other than “oh ok”. No one was angry, upset or confused by it. Everyone accepted it and everyone probably now loves him more than they did before. Total, 100% acceptance. I could not have predicted that.

And thus it is now that I praise this kinder, changing world. A world in which the stigma of being LGBT is fading by the year and in which true equality to live our lives with the same standing as others is finally starting to happen. A world in which the stigma of 5-hydroxytryptamine deficiency is STARTING to fade, but we’re still getting there on that one. It staggers me that anyone would give someone a hard time because they are ill but some people are scarcely human, I feel.

As for my colleague, he is now happier than I’ve ever known him, and he has written about his experiences here. Read about them. His strength and energy are inspirational.

In which I lament due process in science

In science, we have a very simple process for taking data from the laboratory to becoming a “result” in the public domain. The work is written up in the form of a manuscript for a scientific journal, submitted to said journal and the editor thereof will send the manuscript out to 2-10 peer reviewers (other scientists in the field) who criticise it, evaluate it, decide if it can be published (a) at all or (b) as-is with no changes [very rare!] or (c) with minor modifications [pretty common] or (d) with major modifications. Until a discovery has been through peer-review and published in a journal, it is not a valid discovery as it lacks any independent validation. Twice in the last month have “discoveries” been released to the press without any publication in a scientific journal. This is major jumping of the gun and very misleading - what if there is a major flaw in the study that renders it invalid? Will the authors retract the press release? No - they’ll just quietly move on to other things. Nothing should be released to the press without due process taking place and I do not understand why scientists see fit to jump the gun - many journals even embargo press releases prior to publication and for a very good reason!

The latest piece of unpublished data released to the press concerns bacteriology and “new bacterial life”. This makes out that some amazing new form of life has been found…what the authors have actually found is a microbe from a novel genus (assuming their data are valid and pass review, of course). To put this into context, in 2012 the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology published over 137 genera novae (new genera)* - just shy of 3 per week. That does not include genera novae published in other journals and then put into the IJSEM’s Validation List system. So, 3 novel genera within the Bacteria per week. In 2012, how many of these warranted an article on the BBC website? Zero**. Not one. The last article on bacterial taxonomy on the BBC website was in 2010 and concerned a species nova (new species) within the genus Halomonas and had been published in a peer reviewed journal prior to the press release.

My point? 

1. This is not a major discovery by any means - yes it’s interesting but genera novae are almost 3-per-week - really not a groundbreaking discovery in that alone. Yes, it’s from a fascinating location and the evolution will no doubt be fascinating but just the novel organism alone is nothing interesting really.

2. It has not been peer reviewed or independently verified by deposit into two international culture collections in accordance with the Bacteriological Code. It is worth noting that a large number of DNA sequences can be found in the GenBank database regarding an apparent species nova that is then never published - presumably stumbling at the Collection or peer-review stage.

Press-releases should not be issued prior to peer-review and should not go out on mundane aspects of a discovery just to get there first - wait for the whole story to be clear and release THAT - it’s bound to have more impact.

* Using the search string “gen. nov.” as an exact phrase from Jan 2012 - Dec 2012 on the IJSEM website.

** Using the search strings “novel bacteria” and “new species bacteria” and “new genus bacteria” over all time on the BBC website.

It’s that time of year again! Time for the University of Warwick Men’s Rowing Team’s naked calendar! The 2013 calendar is now available for order at £8.99 + P&P. A snip!

As has been my wont in recent years, I’ve again agreed to help the team by promoting their calender on Twitter and my blog - if you’re looking for a good Christmas present then you’ve found it. Like the last 3 years, the 2013 calendar is beautifully shot by Angus Malcolm. This year, the women’s team have also produced a calendar in aid of a cervical cancer charity - I will be posting photos from both calenders over the coming week!

Over the last few years, the team has gradually geared their calendar more towards the major share of their audience (gay and bisexual men) and this year, they have really given something wonderful back to their audience - they have produced a film of the calendar shoot (available to buy on their website shortly) as per last year (which was certainly an eye-opener!) and they are kindly donating a fraction of their proceeds from the sale of the film to Ben Cohen’s Stand Up Foundation which aims to tackle the homophobia which alas pervades the sporting world.

In a funny way, I feel really very proud of the boys for doing this and quite humbled that they’ve given something so positive back to their audience. Since the first calendar (released in late 2009 for the 2010 year), I’ve not only been a customer but I’ve also had students of mine involved and though I no longer work at the University of Warwick, I still feel very connected to the place. It makes me feel very happy to see anyone in the sports world to speak out against homophobia (usually rugby players - I count many rugby players amongst my friends and I have to say have always been supportive, kind, sensitive and very protective of me but I think some people seem surprised to see them speak out in this way). I feel doubly so with it being a team so close to my heart.

Well done, boys, and long may your amazing efforts continue!

It’s that time of year again! Time for the University of Warwick Men’s Rowing Team’s naked calendar! The 2013 calendar is now available for order at £8.99 + P&P. A snip!

As has been my wont in recent years, I’ve again agreed to help the team by promoting their calender on Twitter and my blog - if you’re looking for a good Christmas present then you’ve found it. Like the last 3 years, the 2013 calendar is beautifully shot by Angus Malcolm. This year, the women’s team have also produced a calendar in aid of a cervical cancer charity - I will be posting photos from both calenders over the coming week!

Over the last few years, the team has gradually geared their calendar more towards the major share of their audience (gay and bisexual men) and this year, they have really given something wonderful back to their audience - they have produced a film of the calendar shoot (available to buy on their website shortly) as per last year (which was certainly an eye-opener!) and they are kindly donating a fraction of their proceeds from the sale of the film to Ben Cohen’s Stand Up Foundation which aims to tackle the homophobia which alas pervades the sporting world.

In a funny way, I feel really very proud of the boys for doing this and quite humbled that they’ve given something so positive back to their audience. Since the first calendar (released in late 2009 for the 2010 year), I’ve not only been a customer but I’ve also had students of mine involved and though I no longer work at the University of Warwick, I still feel very connected to the place. It makes me feel very happy to see anyone in the sports world to speak out against homophobia (usually rugby players - I count many rugby players amongst my friends and I have to say have always been supportive, kind, sensitive and very protective of me but I think some people seem surprised to see them speak out in this way). I feel doubly so with it being a team so close to my heart.

Well done, boys, and long may your amazing efforts continue!

It’s that time of year again! Time for the University of Warwick Men’s Rowing Team’s naked calendar! The 2013 calendar is now available for order at £8.99 + P&P. A snip!

As has been my wont in recent years, I’ve again agreed to help the team by promoting their calender on Twitter and my blog - if you’re looking for a good Christmas present then you’ve found it. Like the last 3 years, the 2013 calendar is beautifully shot by Angus Malcolm. This year, the women’s team have also produced a calendar in aid of a cervical cancer charity - I will be posting photos from both calenders over the coming week!

Over the last few years, the team has gradually geared their calendar more towards the major share of their audience (gay and bisexual men) and this year, they have really given something wonderful back to their audience - they have produced a film of the calendar shoot (available to buy on their website shortly) as per last year (which was certainly an eye-opener!) and they are kindly donating a fraction of their proceeds from the sale of the film to Ben Cohen’s Stand Up Foundation which aims to tackle the homophobia which alas pervades the sporting world.

In a funny way, I feel really very proud of the boys for doing this and quite humbled that they’ve given something so positive back to their audience. Since the first calendar (released in late 2009 for the 2010 year), I’ve not only been a customer but I’ve also had students of mine involved and though I no longer work at the University of Warwick, I still feel very connected to the place. It makes me feel very happy to see anyone in the sports world to speak out against homophobia (usually rugby players - I count many rugby players amongst my friends and I have to say have always been supportive, kind, sensitive and very protective of me but I think some people seem surprised to see them speak out in this way). I feel doubly so with it being a team so close to my heart.

Well done, boys, and long may your amazing efforts continue!

A Day In The Life...Behind Closed Doors

There has been a lot of discussion on Twitter and in the news recently about the concept of being “fit for work” and managing a job when you have a disability. A few years ago I wrote a “Day in the life” type post about how my typical day went then. I’ve decided to revisit it with a different slant - I’ve decided to talk about what goes on backstage - what people don’t or rarely see - what lengths I’m going to to ensure I am “fit for work” and how I manage my working day. I have Ehlers-Danlos syndrome which means that my collagen is too stretchy and my skin, blood vessels, joints, intestines, heart - everything - is too stretchy and too weak. My joints dislocate frequently, my circulation fails in my hands and feet, my skin looks pale and blotchy and both tears and scars easily, when joints dislocate, they trap nerves which results in neurological pain in all of my limbs and my face, my spine is unstable and the resultant stress on muscles in my back to keep me upright results in myofascial pain syndrome in which tiny muscle spasms persist even when the muscle is otherwise relaxed. That’s my disability put in simple terms - there’s a lot more to it than that but that’ll do for now.

I’ve written here about how people perceive me (kind of in the workplace but in general too) and the things they cannot see. This is really aimed at people who don’t know me - just people who’ve found this post from Twitter etc. Do you work with anyone who is disabled? You might not think that you do, but probably do. Do you think you understand their disability and their abilities? You might even make judgements on them because you don’t understand what they’re going through. The reason I’ve written this is purely to dig a little bit further than the tip of the iceberg that people see day-to-day and to try and explain just how much backstage work is involved in holding it together and working when you have any kind of disability to handle at the same time.

What they see…I arrive at work as normal work a full day, just like everyone else.

What they don’t see - I wake up usually unrested and in pain because I when I move in my sleep, my joints dislocate (fully or partially) and subsequently muscles go into spasm. In order to get out of bed, I first asess which joints are not in place and try to reduce them myself (if I can). To get through this painful process, I take a dose of immediate-release oxycodone syrup. This is a strong opioid painkiller usually used in end-life cancer pain. I then take time to stretch all of my muscles gently using yoga-based exercises that my physiotherapist designed for me. I take oxycodone and pregabalin tablets to moderate my pain through the day. The oxycodone is in a slow-release format so that it lasts about 12h but sometimes I need to top-up the drug with small doses of the immediate-release syrup throughout the working day. I keep it under lock and key as it is a Class A Controlled Drug but I return to my office at intervals to take it when I need it. The amount I take in one day is more than a typical cancer patient would need but it allows me to do my job. When unmedicated, I can’t even stand up as it would be too painful. I am never not in pain - even high doses of oxycodone aren’t able to give me complete pain control but I don’t expect it. I’m happy being about 80% in control 90% of the time. The rest of the time, I get breakthrough pain which I have to deal with using either more drugs or heat or caffeine or physiotherapy or exercise or TENS or jamming needles into muscle spasms - I use a range of methods but none of them erase the pain 100% - I have learnt to live with it and to work with it but it’s not easy. There are days when I just plain can’t do anything and I feel useful and I have still not learnt to handle those really.

What they see…I walk with a stick - must be something wrong with my leg, surely?

What they don’t see - there’s actually nothing wrong with my left leg , per se, but the joints where my pelvis and spine meet are damaged and also too stretchy so every step I take partially dislocates that joint. This sends electric-shock-like neurological pain down my leg (even with pregabalin) and the bones moving about is painful in itself. I use a walking stick to take the weight off of that side a little so that I can reduce the pain somewhat. Since I started using a stick, the stability of my knees and ankles has declined, so the stick now also helps me to stay upright without collapsing to the floor. I variably wear very tight full-length compression underwear or knee/ankle braces to support my joints when I have days that standing up is impossible. I use a folding stool when I give lectures so that I can ensure I don’t collapse to the floor in front of a room full of students.

What they see…I have a fancy chair in my office and for some reason have a blanket too.

What they don’t see - the chair was provided (along with one for working at home) by Access To Work - the government scheme that helps disabled people to stay in work. A workplace assessor has visited me and spent about 4h going through every aspect of my job, my disability and visiting every room in which I work. As I use virtually any lecture room on campus, it’s not possible to visit them all so I had to show her a selection of them. Office chairs were made specifically to fit my deformed spine and to allow me to sit at my PC (which also has modifications) for longer periods than I would be able to otherwise. The chair is also heated in two specific places which match with areas of my spine around which the muscles spasm the most - the heat helps to control the pain. It’s also designed to follow my movements so that I’m supported at all times and less prone to dislocations in my back and shoulders. The blanket? Like I said, my circulation is awful and Ehlers-Danlos patients tend to get very, very cold when we’re sat still or lying down (two duvets all year round!) because our blood doesn’t move as fast or as easily as it should, particularly in our hands and feet - so I use it to keep warm when sat at my desk. I also use it when lying on the floor doing my yoga-based exercise routine which I do three times a day to try and keep the muscles around my joints strong as they’re my only means of support.

What they see…other than the stick, I look all right most of the time - it’s only a bit of pain, after all - it can’t interfere with my life that much really.

What they don’t see - “a bit of pain” - when the drugs used for cancer pain still aren’t strong enough, it’s not “a bit of pain” and it’s unrelenting - yes, I do have good days when I’m just a bit sore here and there but I also have awful ones where I can hardly move. I’ve ended up in A&E with a dislocated jaw that wouldn’t reduce. I’ve had to crawl to the bathroom in the night dozens of times when my knees have subluxed and won’t go back into place. I’ve recently fallen to the floor in my living room and ended up with a nasty cut on my arm - what caused it? Nothing. Knees and ankles just gave way and down I went. What petrifies me is that if I was in the lab carrying a bottle of something nasty, I could’ve ended up seriously injured or injuring or even killing someone else in the process. I’ve had to adjust what I do in the lab and I’m very fortunate that I have wonderful, helpful people around me who will help me move things like bottles of acid that I can no longer take the risk of carrying. This is very difficult for a scientist - to not be able to work independently on my research and I’m still not that happy with it, but I’m having to accept it just as I’ve had to accept all the other changes in my life as the condition is causing me to degenerate. 

I can not guarantee what I will be like from one day to the next but I need to work - I can’t imagine not being able to do my job - that’s what scares me the most. Relatively small changes have been made to my contract - flexible working hours, the allowance to come in a bit late so that I can go to physio appointments on a regular basis. Relatively small changes have been made to how I do my job - equipment to help me do things (trolleys, amazing chairs, folding stool). I have had to adapt myself to the job - I am having to re-learn my limitations on a regular basis as my body is changing. This is a lot of hassle and a lot of work - not just for me but for colleagues who have to pick up the pieces of the work that I cannot do and who have to help me with things that I can’t physically do. Is it all worth it? To me, yes it is. It allows me to do the job I love. But I do often wonder what the others involved think deep down - and I wonder how much of it they understand. 

Two Ph.D Studentships for October 2012 start

Update 10/08/12 - Applications have now closed, sorry!

I have two Ph.D studentships to advertise, both generously funded by the School of Biomedical & Biological Sciences, University of Plymouth for October 2012 start. We are aware that the very short deadline and almost immediate start-date are far from ideal but it was this or put them off until 2013 which we don’t want to do! They are as follows:

Biochemistry and ecophysiology of the sulfur Bacteria

Director of Studies: Dr Rich Boden

Co-Director of Studies: Dr John Moody

Chemoautotrophic Bacteria capable of the oxidation of sulfur play key roles in the carbon, sulfur and nitrogen biogeochemical cycles; however, these organisms are currently very poorly understood. Of the two major sulfur oxidation pathways known, the Kelly-Trudinger or “S4-intermediary” pathway is very poorly characterised with virtually no knowledge of the genes involved or their presence and expression in the environment. The project will investigate the sulfur oxidation pathways in Halothiobacillus neapolitanus, Thiobacillus thioparus and Thermithiobacillus tepidarius with specific focus on investigation of the molecular basis of the sulfur oxidation pathway. Once genes have been identified, they will be used to design functional markers for molecular ecological studies. The student will gain training in microbial physiology and biochemistry; cutting-edge molecular ecology including use of the Ion Torrent PGM for metagenome and transcriptome sequencing; proteomics; use of radioisotopes; mass spectrometry; environmental chemistry and a range of microscopic methods. 

Applications are welcomed from candidates with a strong background in microbiology and/or biochemistry. Prior experience of work in a microbiology laboratory is desirable though not essential. 

For full details and how to apply, click here.

Riding the storm: salinity pulses, micro-organisms and ecosystem processes in coastal grasslands

Director of Studies: Dr Mick Hanley

Co-Directors of Studies: Dr Rich Boden and Dr Richard Billington

One likely manifestation of anthropogenic climate change is an increased incidence of storm surge events. Salt-water flooding of low-lying terrestrial grasslands can have a major impact on plant community structure and function, although the mechanisms underpinning these changes are not well understood. Interactions between plants and soil organisms may be pivotal as processes such as N-cycling and decomposition are strongly linked to plant-microbial interactions. This project will investigate how sea water flooding affects 1) the soil fauna and microbial flora, 2) decomposition and N-cycling and 3) plant biochemistry and thus decomposition rates.

The successful applicant will receive state-of-the-art training in metagenomics, stable isotope probing, HPLC, and ecological assay techniques and will thus have the opportunity to develop a remarkable range of skills at the same time as addressing one of the most pressing issues in coastal protection.

For full details and how to apply, click here.

This furry little chap is Billy and he’s a 6 month old white rat with a brown hood and a stripe down his back. As you can see, he loves his Daddy and enjoys hugging my fingers quite a lot. Billy and his brother Harry (who’s a bit scared of the camera still but is a beautiful platinum rat with a white tummy) joined my household 3 weeks ago.

I’ve been thinking about getting some rats for a while now and was recommended a good shop that buys in from local breeders. I instead went to Awful Chain Store Petshop to look at cages though as I figured they would be cheaper there - and they were, by about 25 percent. In their adoption section filled with ferocious guinea pigs and rabbits with ADHD I met Phil and Thomas, a pair of 6-month-old male rats that were obviously from a breeder and weren’t the usual ugly albino chain store rats from a farm. Phil and Thomas had been there a month and no one seemed to want them. Their original owner moved house and her new landlord would not let her keep them and so she had put them up for adoption. I didn’t really want male rats as they’re a bit docile, I wanted females - mainly because it’s easier to add an extra rat to a colony of females than it is males. I wanted a group of three too, not a pair really but I could not leave these boys there, unwanted and unloved in an awful stinking cage with strong lighting and no toys or anything to do with their time and terrifyingly close to the smell of the piss of unfamiliar aminals and barking dogs wandering the store (yes, Pets At Home, Plymouth, I’m looking at you!). So, I filled in the adoption papers and hurried home with a cage to get their new home set up for them. They have a lovely big cage that could take three rats really but it’s nice for two of them. I then went back and picked them up and brought them home in a cab - much to the chagrin of the Czech driver who told me that he hated rats! Alas, rats do get bad press but I love them. Intelligent, clean, friendly, interactive and a lot of fun.

Unfortunately, I know so many “Phil”s of human format that most of them have nicknames to distinguish them, so Phil had to be re-named and “Billy” was chosen. I like diminutives anyway and I used to own a 35 year old Coenobita violascens called Billy who was part of a colony of eight Coenobita specimens I used to keep as pets. Alas, Billy died not long after I got him and the rest of the colony followed soon after - an infection I think. So, now we have Billy the rat instead and if Phil had to be renamed then so did Thomas who was Charlie for about 1h then it became clear he was a Harry and that stuck.

Their cage now has a wooden air-raid-shelter style house made of twigs, coloured chinchilla wooden chew-sticks attached to the bars as tiny platforms to climb on, a hammock, a rope bridge, a wooden puzzle of sticks to hide food inside, a metal wire ball to hide food inside, a rope ball and various puzzle-based sources of food and exercise. Their favourite toy is bogroll which they use to make their nest with and to play tug-o-war with.

They’re both very handsome boys (and know it) and once they’re used to posing for the camera I’m sure they’ll be Twitter celebrities as they’re so damn cute (and insane).