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.

Linda and her husband first became interested in rats when her husband (who had kept a pet mouse years ago) thought about getting another mouse. He did some research and found that rats would actually be a better fit. They contemplated getting rats for months when Linda describes how her husband, who did radio and TV work, produced “a TV program for an independent TV station, and found Rattie Ratz and decided to do a segment on rats. Well, we came home with three rats that were eight weeks old! …Even back then we had no idea how involved we would get with rats over the years.” That was in January of 2006.

Fast forward almost 20 years, and in that time Linda and her husband have adopted from many different groups; from private owners and labs to shelters and rescue organizations. Over the course of the last 20 years they have also worked with many prominent figures in the local rat community and have had close to 200 pet rats of their own. “All have been rescue adoptions, many with behavior issues, they all eventually came around with care (and a lot of band aids sometimes!)”

As is often the case when rescuing animals, the majority of the rats they have taken in over the years were adults or seniors. There are many perks to taking in adults, and earning the trust of an animal that’s had a rough start can be incredibly fulfilling and satisfying. Sadly, one of the most impactful downsides to rescuing seniors is constantly saying goodbye. With that in mind, every once in a while it’s nice to have young, well-adjusted ratties who will get to live a long and happy life with you. “Most of our rats have been just two as that is more typical, and older, usually unknown age. So sometimes we like to indulge ourselves and get babies, and that’s how we got these girls.”

When Linda reached out to Rattie Ratz back in April of 2024, it just so happened that the rescue had recently taken in a group of pregnant females, and luckily for Linda, some were still available. One mama had five baby girls in her litter, and Linda ended up taking all five girls home with her. The sisters, Peony, Suki, Millie, Bree, and Fiona began their life with their new family.

Linda recounts how the girls are “very sweet and loving with just the best temperament ever, but they also are not very ‘exciting’ in their lifestyle! They would best be described as homebodies that, if human, would be interested in arts and crafts. They specialize in using the fleece in their cage to make new items and doing so creatively without the use of any tools (scissors, etc.). They are also particularly good at making plastic carvings. They are masters at chewing their artistic creations.

“Although their art style is beyond me I do give them credit for their efforts, and they don’t ask for much other than a constant supply of new fleece and plastic items. They have also experimented with some cardboard creations but they have found that medium doesn’t hold up as well in the long run. Other than that they really enjoy hanging out with dad, helping him to eat his cereal or later in the evening enjoying TV – with snacks of course.”

Four of the five girls have already developed tumors, which have been removed by a trusted vet. Sadly, one of the sisters, Fiona, recently passed away at only one year and five months. It appears these girls don’t have the healthiest of genes, but that has not stopped Linda and her husband from loving them unconditionally, and giving them the best life possible. The girls just turned one year and seven months on October 6 and Linda “expects to be supplying them with a lot more fleece and other items for their creations in the future.”

One day in the future, Linda would love to have retired lab rats again. When reminiscing about her previous rescued lab rats she describes how “they were very shy, didn’t even know how to get around in a ‘real’ cage (unfortunately they lived in less than desirable conditions), but they soon took over their Critter Nation. It is very gratifying to see that transition in a rat, from not so happy to (hopefully) feel like they’ve been with us forever!”

Whoever Linda and her husband choose to rescue next, one thing is for certain – the rats that get to join their family will be incredibly lucky, and I think they’ll know it too.

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.

If you enjoy mystery novels, check out the Tower District Mysteries by KRL’s own Lorie Lewis Ham–the main character has a pet rat! Learn more on her website.

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.