I'm guessing that the doc wants to leave the trach in as a precaution against something bad happening -- I will rely on his judgment (He does 2-3 free flaps a week; I do 2 per lifetime).

For some reason, this bunch of rats prefers to sleep on the highest shelf, rather than the bottom. With a previous group of females, I bought a couple of finch baskets and hung them high -- If warm weather, they would each sleep alone, but if cold, they would all squeeze into one basket -- Amusing to sometimes see three tails hanging out of three baskets!