by Daria Filimonova

Vito, Sal, and David were adopted in December of last year by Olivia and her husband. We caught up with them to hear how the rats have settled into their new home. “They are doing great––as I speak, they are running around causing all kinds of chaos,” says Olivia. The boys were affectionately given mobster-themed names by Olivia and her husband, except for David, who apparently was named by his foster after David Bowie. Olivia says the name suited him too much to change it.

They are now thriving with their forever family. Olivia described each boy’s personality in detail.
Vito is the largest boy but still acts like a baby. He likes to play and runs around Olivia’s office chasing and wrestling with her hand. When he tires out, he settles down for cuddles like the sweet old man he actually is.

The runt of the litter, Sal, does get picked on by his brothers, but Olivia says he instigates his fair share of scuffles. However, being the runt does not stop him from holding chaos in his little rat body. “He is part flying squirrel and will attempt death-defying jumps for treats or just for the heck of it,” Olivia says. Thankfully it is not all death-defying jumps and acrobatics with Sal, he also loves to fall asleep in Olivia’s hood while going for shoulder rides.

His brother David is a “complex character” according to Olivia. He does not have good eyesight which causes him to be more anxious than his brothers. He also may have a neuter appointment in his future because he gets into spats with Sal and is territorial over food. Olivia and her husband have already neutered Vito, who is on his way to becoming the cuddliest, so they predict that David has the potential to become a “snuggle bug” after the procedure. “That said, he is super smart, does an incredible “spin” trick, and is getting better at accepting cuddles and tickles from me and my husband,” writes Olivia.

When asked about the adoption experience, Olivia praised the boys’ foster Anastasia for doing a good job at socializing.

“They were eager to run up onto our shoulders pretty much right away, except for David who can’t see very well so is more timid,” Olivia explains.

Olivia and her husband spent the first week slowly getting the boys used to their new space and double Critter Nation cage by handling them and giving them treats until they were comfortable. When the boys ran to them when called, Olivia started to let them free roam in her office, their main living area.

Olivia’s advice for new rat owners is to get rats used to being handled and coming to you early in the process. She recommends learning a technique for “rat tickling” through Purdue University because it mimics how they play with each other. Olivia also recommends researching signs of hormonal aggression for male rats. This behavior can often be resolved by stopping the testosterone production in males either by neutering or by a hormonal implant. This will result in a much more relaxed mischief, the name for a group of rats.

Lastly, Olivia says to enjoy every minute you have with them. This is truly the best advice considering that rats do not have a long lifespan but bring so much joy while they are here.

As to how Olivia and her husband even came to the conclusion to adopt from Rattie Ratz, Olivia says that rats ended up being the best pets for them. They both grew up with animals like dogs and cats but because of allergies and lifestyle they decided not to get any when they got married. Like many pet parents, Olivia and her husband really missed having pets as the time went on. After doing research they decided that rats would be the perfect pets for them.

In August 2020, Olivia and her husband got Rueben and Radish, two brothers that Olivia fell in love with and helped her pass the pandemic.

“Getting to know their little personalities and seeing how smart they were, made me into a certified Rat Person and I can’t imagine having any other pet now,” Olivia writes.

When it was time to start a new mischief, Olivia reached out to Rattie Ratz because she wanted to adopt and not shop. When asked about the best and worst part about owning rats now that she is an experienced rat owner, Olivia mirrored what many others feel in her statement, “The best part is getting to know their distinct personalities, and seeing the way they approach the world––they’re the embodiment of curiosity and play and mischief, and they always make me smile by doing something silly or sweet. The hardest part is, of course, their short lives––our first guys passed away close together at just a little over 2 years old, and so I know to treasure every moment with these guys and spoil them rotten. As I heard someone say once, rats are here for a good time, not a long time.”

Thank you to Olivia and her family for helping these boys thrive! We love to see it!

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 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.