Rats, the Alternative Pet

Rodents were not my first thought for pets. However, birthday wishes brought two rats to chez-Jordan.

Here's Moka-chan eating pizza crust.

I tried holding the gerbils, hamsters, and guinea pigs at the pet store. The rats, hands down, were the calmest and smartest-- they didn't walk off the edge of the table. Now that they live with us, I've also learned a few other pluses. Rats swim,  in the bathtub. They like to be held and tend to snuggle.  Most importantly, their poop is small, and once accustomed to handling, they rarely poop on us.

A typical reaction to meeting the rats goes like this. The Mule bring the rats out of their hotel and people cringe or say something like our New York City friend who stood at one end of the hallway and called out, "That's close enough!"

The Mule is turning into a pro rat handler, and the rats are very charming. It surprised me to realize that Moka-chan prefers being held to going into her hotel. The ratties are growing on me and they are definitely worth considering as an alternative rodent pet.

Moka-chan, the rat

Rodents were not my first thought for pets. However, birthday wishes brought two rats to chez-Jordan.

Here's Moka-chan eating pizza crust.

I tried holding the gerbils, hamsters, and guinea pigs at the pet store. The rats, hands down, were the calmest and smartest-- they didn't walk off the edge of the table. Now that they live with us, I've also learned a few other pluses. Rats swim,  in the bathtub. They like to be held and tend to snuggle.  Most importantly, their poop is small, and once accustomed to handling, they rarely poop on us.

A typical reaction to meeting the rats goes like this. The Mule bring the rats out of their hotel and people cringe or say something like our New York City friend who stood at one end of the hallway and called out, "That's close enough!"

The Mule is turning into a pro rat handler, and the rats are very charming. It surprised me to realize that Moka-chan prefers being held to going into her hotel. The ratties are growing on me and they are definitely worth considering as an alternative rodent pet.

Moka-chan, the rat