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.

What would you do if the male rat you bought from a pet store suddenly gave birth to a handful of babies? The two rats were bought with the intent to be emotional support animals for the man’s daughter. He was told by the pet store employee that they were both male, but two months later he found out that was false in a most dramatic fashion when Dobby, one of the “males,” became a new mother of 12 babies.

Once the babies were born, and he realized what had happened, the man separated the male rat from Dobby and her babies and contacted the pet store. He was told that the store would take the babies, but they would be sold as snake food. The pet store’s offer was not acceptable and the father reached out to Rattie Ratz Rescue in search of proper help. Once the babies were old enough to be safely transported, arrangements were made to have the whole family surrendered to the rescue. When the babies were old enough to be weaned, the rescue volunteers began placing them in their forever homes.

Today’s story features three of the baby boys from this pet store oops litter who were adopted in March of 2024 to be companions for a lonely senior boy rat who had recently lost his cage mate. Dylan, a tan hooded male got more than he bargained for with three rambunctious baby boys, but they did a wonderful job of revitalizing his cage.

The adopter was so dedicated and excited to get these precious balls of fluff that she drove over two hours just to pick them up, and it was worth every mile! Dylan’s mom had never had such young rats before and loved having the experience of watching them grow up together.“ It was so sweet to see them as small little guys and watch their personalities emerge.”

The brothers were named Hoggle, Ludo, and Didymus, after the characters from Jim Henson’s Labyrinth. The brothers are all black hoods, which made it a little difficult to tell them apart when they were young, but now their mom can easily tell them apart using their markings, weight, fur type, and personalities.

When Hoggle isn’t trying to be the big boss inside the cage, he can often be found enjoying a snack break. Didymus is the busy boy who likes to keep himself active and enjoys playing with his mom and brothers. Ludo appreciates his quiet time and often keeps to himself, though he’s always ready for a good cuddle session and will do his best to squeeze in between his sleeping brothers. Ludo spent a lot of time with Dylan before be passed away and he misses his senior companion, but brother cuddles help when he starts to feel lonely. Even though Dylan was a senior and the smallest of the boys, he was the boss of the rat pack and the larger Labyrinth Brothers respected Dylan as the alpha rat.

The brothers were a little shy and timid when they first came home as small babies, but they have grown into themselves over the past year-and-a-half and they now love being handled. They also love to groom their mom’s hands and give her kisses. During free roam time, they try to get as close as possible to Mom, in an attempt to get as many pets and kisses as they can. But these boys are not spoiled, oh no, they simply know their worth. When describing the brothers, their mom proclaimed, “Heaven forbid I don’t bring them banana slices right when I wake up, or else they’ll be gripping the cage bars looking at me with sad eyes like they’re starving.”

They love their cage full of boxes and their custom made wheel. Their mom describes how “these stinkers love being in their cage, and sometimes will put themselves back in during free roam. They love when I give them new cardboard boxes in their cage and climb right in! And they love digging snacks like dried pasta or Gerber puffs out of little toilet paper tube puzzles I make for them.”

From the folder bursting with photos, to the bananas lovingly prepared in the kitchen, it’s clear the Labyrinth Brothers are well loved. And this love goes both ways, as their mom tells us how “they make me so happy, especially when I come home and they run up to their cage door when they hear my voice!” The brothers fulfilled their role as companions to a lonely elderly rat, and they now get to enjoy their midlife era filled with kisses and snacks––sounds like a pretty sweet deal to me.

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.