Taking the time to reflect and think for my last post in 2017, I realised that the blog has become rather overrun with roleplaying posts. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that, of course, but the tagline makes a different offer:
Musing about games, spirituality, and rats.
This post is about to change all that – not the offer, but the lack of posts on spirituality and rats… or, more precisely, rat-keeping.
Today, let’s say hello to the latest pair of rats in our mischief (the word for a collective of rats): Dustin and Hopper!
Dustin Rat
Dustin is about 12 weeks old and one of the new pair of fancy rats that my wife and I have added to the mischief. He’s a Hooded Dumbo with a very handsome face and energetic outlook.
It’s fair to say that Dustin is the friendliest young rat we’ve encountered in many years. He is already answering to his name and also comes forward any time you wander into the rat room.
Dustin has settled in very well and eating heartily. When we picked him, Dustin already had a bit of a round tummy – a sure sign of a big eater – and he hasn’t ceased adding to that paunch since he arrived… three days ago.
Dustin looks like he might be a good candidate as a Rat Ambassador, being highly social and very friendly. We love him loads!
Hopper Rat
Hopper is also about 12 weeks old. We got him along with Dustin so that neither rat would be lonely… even in a mischief of five rats. He’s a grey-white Dumbo with a very sweet face and a very different personality to his brother.
Hopper is friendly and social, just like Dustin, but he has a very different energy cycle. Hopper tends to spend a large amount of time running around and eating, wrestling, and chasing / being chased… and then he crashes into a deep sleep. Hopper is often found curled into a very cute circle, usually underneath some fluffy fabric, deep asleep. It takes a VERY major disturbance to wake him.
Hopper has settled in well too. He’s eating well – big favourite for him are the peas – and he’s also generally willing to greet you when passing the cage. He’s a little more skittish but steadily finding his feet in the community.
What About The Others?
As we’ve not really posted much about the rats, I feel it’s also worth at least briefly introducing the other three adults in the mischief.
Lando Rat
Lando is the oldest of the three, a Hooded Dumbo Part-Rex. Wow – that’s a complex description! In short, Lando has the big ears of a Dumbo and the curly soft fur of a Rex rat. His whiskers are crazily wild and curly!
Lando is a soft-natured and gentle rat who squeaks whenever you pick him up. Loves to eat, loves to sleep, and seems to enjoy the company of the new baby rats.
Knope Rat
Knope is brother to Swanson (below) and pretty intense when he gets out of the hammock long enough. He’s a bit like Hopper in the way Knope likes to sleep LOOOOONNNGG but, when awake, he never walks anywhere.
A white(ish) Dumbo, he’s a sweet fellow and is mellowing with age. Tends to live in the hammock at the very top of the cage. Knope can sometimes go a day or two without coming when we get the rest of the rats out. That said, he’s a fan of the morning bed run and seems to enjoy cuddling with my wife.
Swanson Rat
Swanson is (probably) the Alpha of the mischief and is an energetic but friendly rat. He’s very friendly and a good rat ambassador for people who are new to fancy rats. Swanson is a Hooded Dumbo and (like his namesake) loves his food!
When we got the new rats, Swanson was probably the most reactive. He likes to chase the babies around and roll them, or groom them, and generally interact. After three days, he’s mellowed again but it was nice to see him accept them with very good grace. All in all, Swanson is a good leader and much more secure than the others.
Keeping Rats
Rat Central
To finish, a few words about the background to our keeping rats – a hobby that my wife started around 15 years ago! We began humbly with a single rat and quickly realised that we needed at least a pair because rats get lonely alone. Since then, my wife has been bringing home pairs of rats every six to eight months or so.
We get them in pairs and try to have two or three generations of rats at a time. They live together in our large cage, which is the latest in a long line of upgrades over many years. The older rats pass on the knowledge and good etiquette we’ve spent years training into the mischief; also, younger rats help to keep the older males active and engaged. All in all, it works pretty well!
Hope that’s all interesting! If you’ve read to the end, thank you for taking an interest. Questions? Pop them in the comments below.
