Rattie Ratz: The Adventures of Puff

Sep 21, 2024 | 2024 Articles, Animal Rescue Adventures, Pets, Rodent Ramblings

by Daria Filimonova

Puff when he was first surrendered

At the end of last year, a little rattie boy named Puff was surrendered to me. The family got him for their children, but didn’t research beforehand what owning rats entails. He was a total sweetheart and very cute, but I couldn’t keep him so I reached out to Rattie Ratz to help find a new home for him, one where he hopefully could have a friend or two as rats are social animals and need to live in groups. Luckily, Rattie Ratz was able to get Puff adopted out pretty quickly, thanks to his new pet parent, Samantha.

Samantha had previous experience owning a group of four rats (Beau, Huck, Pudding, and Dumpy) as well as a sorority of mice for many years beforehand. Now having only one rat, she reached out to Rattie Ratz to find him a companion. Samantha says the reason she chose Rattie Ratz is because she loved the idea of a rescue focused solely on rats and she really wanted to adopt and not shop.

Samantha’s previous rats

Now Samantha has Puff and his new brother Dumpy (named by her husband) and also adopted from Rattie Ratz, but introductions for the two boys have not gone without trouble. Samantha says they are currently scuffling. They don’t seem keen on each other. She has found it challenging to bond them as they have fought. Puff is a natural with people but after living for such a long time alone, it seems he is having a hard time adjusting to another rat.

Dumpy

“Puff has been super social with people from the moment I brought him home. He’s a total shoulder rat and is super happy to come along with me when I do chores around the apartment. Introductions have been tough. Puff has been kind of aggressive with my other rat (Dumpy) and I had to take introductions super slow,” writes Samantha.

Puff being a cutie in his new home despite being a menace to his new brother

In cases like this, the rescue recommends neutering the aggressor as often hormone levels impact this behavior. From my own experience, my two boys started fighting out of the blue, and a hormonal implant to reduce testosterone levels resolved it. Now they are like two peas in a pod!

When asked what Samantha’s favorite part about owning rats versus the hardest part is, Sam had this to share:

“My favorite part of having rats is how much they want to play with you or just watching them play in general. They’re so clever but also get into whatever they can and it’s super fun to be a part of that. The hardest part for me is the short life span and health problems that come up. It’s something we’re all aware of when we start owning rats, but that never makes it much easier to deal with when it happens.”

Finally, when I asked Samantha if she had any advice for new rat owners, she said they should be prepared to spend a lot more time caring for their rats than anticipated. “They require a pretty significant amount of time and love but they’re so awesome to have in your life,” she writes. I definitely agree with the sentiment.

Thank you to Samantha for giving us her insight on adopting with Rattie Ratz and rat ownership!

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.