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.

With most of the world on lockdown, having only yourself for company can get old pretty fast. Thankfully, lots of people are finding creative ways to keep themselves busy. Personally, one of my favorite methods to pass the time is by enjoying the company of my pets, and I know I’m not alone in this. Many people are spending their extra time pampering their furry friends or opening their hearts and homes to one or two new family members. Emily had this same idea, and now has two rat brothers keeping her company.

The boys as babies in their foster home

Emily tells us that: “The first time I ever interacted with rats was when I was a freshman in college. I was taking a laboratory animal care class learning how to care for and work with rodents. Over the course of 3 months I absolutely fell in love with rats. I adopted my first pair of rats from the lab at the end of the class.

Jelly & Tapioca

This was my first time receiving such young rats and it has been great fun and so entertaining to watch these small boys grow and show their personalities. Having spent the last two years with older rats, it’s been very refreshing and entertaining to watch these two young rats play and explore.”

Tapioca and Jelly, AKA Jellybear, are two sweet brothers who were surrendered to Rattie Ratz Rescue with their litter mates. The twelve babies were the result of an oops litter, and the family reached out when they needed help finding homes for the babies.

Jelly

The boys are still young, and they love to play! They are so silly and full of energy that they have excelled in keeping Emily properly distracted. They both love their wheel, but they have discovered that as they get bigger that they are no longer able to run in the wheel together, though sometimes Emily still catches them trying!

At the time of this writing, these boys are about two months old and are growing bigger and bigger each week. Tapioca is adventurous and loves to jump around, tackle, wrestle and play. He gets himself in the most trouble and loves attention.

Jelly loves to run in the rat wheel and can run for hours at a time. He likes to go fast enough where he is galloping rather than running. He is more cautious than Tapioca but enjoys playing and shoulder rides.

Rats are such fun and dynamic pets and I’m always so amazed at how unique each rat I raise is. I would encourage those interested in raising pet rats to reach out to Rattie Ratz to learn more!”

Rats may be small, but as anyone who has had the pleasure of caring for rats will tell you, their big personalities make up for their small stature. Tapioca and Jelly have filled Emily’s home with silly antics and sweet moments – something we could all use a little bit more of right now. Emily’s sweet boys are definitely the best quarantine buddies a girl could ask for.

Now excuse me while I go find some ratties of my own to snuggle!

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.

Stephanie Cameron works and lives in the Bay Area, and has been active in the rat rescue community for a number of years. She got her first pair of rats – sisters named Snowflake and Diamond – when she was eight years old. In her spare time she enjoys reading, walking her dogs, traveling, discovering fantastic vegan recipes, and singing in the shower.