About Me

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The Lady Behind the Rats... I was born Laurie Ann Hale in Orange, CA, at St. Joseph's Hospital. My birthday is January the 11th and I'm a Capricorn. I currently reside in Rancho Cucamonga, CA (for the past 8 years).
From a very young age, I've loved animals. As a child, I was obsessed with dinosaurs and had many reptiles. My first pet, at the age of two, was an Oriental Box Turtle named Myrtle - A gift from my aunt. As the years went by, I aquired quite a managerie; Emerald swifts, parakeets, cats, mice, rabbits, guinea pigs, a dog... But of all the animals I've ever owned (I feel kind of guilty admitting it)... The rats have always been my favorite.
I'm a college student currently taking classes in anthropology, animal husbandry and biology, majoring in veterinary medicine. I've always been very creative and imaginative... My hobbies include poetry, short story writing, guitar, painting, drawing, sculpting and any sort of craft, really. I also love gardening. We have fresh corn, tomatos, peppers, eggplant, pumpkin, potatos, tyme, basil, pennyroyal, beans that I need to get around to planting... Not to mention all sorts of flowers! Daylilies, jasmine, geranium, snap dragon, agapanthum, fusia, petunias and other things I've forgotten! I must admit I have a soft spot for Mark Danielewski (House of Leaves), Roman Dirge and Jhonen Vasquez. I have a strong interest in genetics. I am aspiring to be a veterinarian. I currently work selling candles and candle holders. I've been breeding rodents (mice and rats) for over 8 years. I am a member of AFRMA. I frequent AOL's Speaking of Rats, Rodent Fancy, ACME and Rat Palace forums and alt.pets.rodents. I am a member of Yahoos! Ratgenetics, MARgenetics, Rattery Club, Pet Rats, TheRatBar, RFRB and more.