GREEN JUICE FOR ZUKO: Ratties LOVE GREEN JUICE

Yep, it's true! Cat came home tonight after working late and began to make herself a green juice. Zuko, quiet all day in the home cage while Daddy enjoyed his day off reading and researching, perked up quick when Cat came home.
"Let me out of here!" he seemed to say."I'm STARVING!"
Cat gave him a few mac nuts to appease him, followed by a piece of apple from the local organic farm. Yet soon enough, he was bounding after her, tugging on her pant leg to be let up and supervise what she was up to.
She put him on her shoulder and he climbed onto her arm. She was squeezing juice out of a cotton bag that was hanging from the cupboard knob and into a bowl. She started to laugh; Zuko began to lick the juice that was dripping out of the bag!! She didn't think rats liked green juice!!
Yes, in fact, they DO!
Zuko jumped off her arm and onto the counter. He saw the cap to the water bottle that Cat had forgotten to replace and threw it onto the floor. UH OH, Zuko was already getting into TROUBLE and it hadn't even been 10 minutes!! How time flies in rattie time!
Zuko came straight up to the bowl and started lapping up the green juice.
Cat laughed. "I guess it must be good, Zuks, because I haven't even tried it yet," she told him. He continued to drink the juice and then, Zuko being Zuko, went to go see what other fun objects he could explore while on the counter.
Here's the simple recipe to a great juice, rattie approved!
Simple Apple 'n' Orange Juice

• 1/2 head of lettuce
• 4 apples (Jersey Mac, Lobo & Paula Red), cored
• 1 orange, peeled & seeded
• 1-2 cups of spring water

Put all ingredients in a a high speed blender, like the Vitamix, and pour into a nut mylk bag. Hang the bag from the kitchen cupboard knob, and let gravity do the work for a while as the juice drips down. Then, squeeze out the remaining juice. Makes around 1 liter. 
There is an option, here! You can add 1-2 tbsp of chia seed to the juice. Chia seed is hydrating and it swells in liquid. It's great for people who have digestion problems as it soothes the intestines and provides fiber. It also contains all the essential amino acids, not to mention being high in calcium, anti-oxidants and Omega-3.
After his juice feast, Zuko found himself having a shower with Cat! He wasn't too pleased to be having a bath;even though Cat made sure the water spray was gentle on him by shielding him with her body, he still didn't care for the "waterfall" spray, not now and not any day!
When Cat came out, he came to see her. Usually he protested when she would towel him off; this time, he was asking for it! She took a towel and dried him off. Then, he wanted OUT of the bathroom. He waited rather patiently, and as soon as they returned to the kitchen, he let it be known that in no uncertain times had he forgotten that he ALWAYS got a treat after a bath!!
Ah, Zuko, you're such a character, but a clever and intelligent one to boot!!
He appreciated the soaked sunflower seeds, shoving more than he could handle into his mouth.
"Pig!" Cat name-called.

Caught, Mister! You're in TROUBLE, Zuko!

He finished his meal with a twig of clover, a dandelion leaf, a piece of lettuce and a few soaked pumpkin seeds. Lately, his diet has been HIGH raw, at about 90-95%. He loves his nuts, seeds and avocado! Coconut oil is sometimes a real treat, as well, but he keeps himself in shape with all the exercise he rigorously puts himself through EVERY DAY: hopping into & fishing in the recycling bin, rock climbing up the barrier that divides the kitchen & the living room, running around in the living room & even sometimes doing a few stairs (hey, those shoes are a wonderful odoriferous adventure!)...Of course, can't forget to mention the MANY occasions he rock climbs into the laundry hamper...that's one of the best adventures of all!! Well, OK, climbing into the refrigerator to check what goodies are in there may come in as a narrow close second.

A Sleeping Delicate Flower (Chevrefeuille/Honeysuckle)

 Yep, after a nice full belly and some aerobic activity, you'd think Zuko would take a nap...Sometimes he does, but that usually happens after the lunch meal. Nope, he's gotta do his laps and rituals, and that recycling bin has some new treats in there, he can smell them! Hm, is that a scampering noise Cat hears on the counter? No...maybe a kind of slapping noise, like the one that Zuko makes when he climbs the kitchen cart and uses the wire attached to the portable, electric range to pull himself the last leg up onto the counter...No, all seems quiet...TOO quiet...Time for Cat to check up and see what Zuko is up to!
Stay alert for more recipes and adventures with Chev/Zuko and the REAL RAW RATTIE FAMILY!