by Stephanie Cameron

Stephanie Cameron is a volunteer with Rattie Ratz Rescue in the bay area of California. Each month KRL will be featuring a column from Rattie Ratz.

In June of 2023, a woman reached out to Rattie Ratz Rescue when she discovered that her female rat was pregnant. She had accidentally gotten a male and female from the pet store. Once the babies arrived, she asked Rattie Ratz to help find homes for them. In the midst of this communication with a Rattie Ratz volunteer, the woman happened to discover an abandoned litter of young babies that had been left behind in an apartment. It was believed the owner must have taken the mother rat with them, but her small and vulnerable babies were sadly left behind to face a heartbreaking end.

Whether you believe in fate, luck, or divine intervention––something or someone was looking out for these sweet babies, and they found a second chance at life with our Good Samaritan. Fortunately, her own babies were just about ready to be weaned and surrendered to Rattie Ratz, and the mother rat adopted the abandoned litter as her own. Once the abandoned litter of babies was old enough to be weaned, they too were surrendered to Rattie Ratz. Today’s story features two of the baby girls who were abandoned in the apartment with their siblings. These girls may have had an inauspicious beginning, but they are now living a beautiful life and are being spoiled by a family that loves and appreciates them dearly.

Not long after the babies came to the rescue, Selena Polston and her daughter Noa Schwartz reached out to Rattie Ratz in the hope of finding a companion or two for their girl Plum, who had recently lost her sister Pablo. Selena and Noa followed the information Rattie Ratz provided on how to do rat introductions, and before long Plum found herself with two new friends. “We wanted Plum to have sisters. Fig and Squirrel ended up being more like her children as she became a very protective ‘auntie,’ laying her body on them to keep them warm, grooming them, and generally watching over them. Super cute!”

Squirrel (a hooded agouti––brown head with white body) and Fig (a Berkshire agouti––brown with a white belly) gained a rat auntie and two human moms. The girls are very sweet and enjoy spending time riding around in their doggy carrier. They are now middle aged, and Fig in particular has become a bit more rotund, requiring her to more carefully squeeze past her sister, Squirrel, in their preferred sputnik hide, even though it’s an extra-large. No judgment here! They will do anything for a pumpkin seed, which may or may not explain Fig’s expanding midsection, but who can deny giving her such a simple but heartfelt pleasure? I assure you I would not be strong enough to stand between a rattie and her beloved pumpkin seeds.

Selena explains how “their real mom is my daughter Noa, who is away studying in France, so Squirrel and Fig are on Zoom with her often.” While Selena spends time with her grand-rats, she describes how “they are both total chaos potatoes and have eaten holes in whatever they can. Still, I can’t help but love them; they have the most adorable little faces and will brux loudly when you pet their little heads.”

The cherry on top of this heartwarming story is hearing how Squirrel and Fig have brought their human companions closer together. Selena and Noa both agree that sharing the experience of owning rats has provided an opportunity for them to bond with each other as well. Selena shares how, “no matter how we felt about each other, we could always spend countless hours talking about ‘our babies,’ taking on their perspective and personalities.”

Noa agrees with her mother, stating how “the rats have really brought me and my mom together, and we were amazed with how much our older rat Plummie loved her new sisters. We are so grateful!”

Many of the pet rats that pass through the doors of Rattie Ratz Rescue come from decent homes, but more often than I’d like to admit, pet rats come to us from deplorable conditions, and it is only through the kindness of strangers that they are given a second chance. Knowing what the fate of these girls would have been if not for a chance encounter with a benevolent stranger, and seeing where they are now, I’m so grateful for animal rescue organizations like Rattie Ratz.

Rescue work is often a thankless task full of frustration at the never-ending stream of animals needing help. There are not enough minutes, dollars, space, or volunteers to help all the animals that need care and a safe space to grow or heal. It can be disheartening to know that no matter how hard you try, it never seems to be enough. But then I come across a story like this one, hearing how two babies intentionally left to die have become beloved chaos potatoes whose lives will never be taken for granted, and I know that the work we do at Rattie Ratz is more than worth it, and it is enough.

If you would like to know more about Rattie Ratz Rescue you can visit their Facebook page. If you are interested in adoptable rats or volunteering for Rattie Ratz Rescue you can visit their website: www.rattieratz.com.

Check out more animal rescue stories in our Pet Perspective section & watch for more stories from Rattie Ratz every other month. You can also keep up with our pet articles by joining our KRL Facebook group. Advertise in KRL and 10% of your advertising fees can go to Rattie Ratz.