They are black hooded 'fancy' rats, and just delightful (I must admit a prior involvement - I had a gorgeous little pet rat called Sarah when I was about 10). They're about 5 weeks old, and extreeeemely cute! Binky is very cuddly and Mort is more adventurous ...A few good points of rats over mice as pets :
1) They don't smell bad
2) They can be litter trained, and don't wee and poo all over the place
3) They love being petted, and will relax and fall asleep in your hand while you rub their back
4) They're much more intelligent, and can even learn their own name, simple commands and tricks
5) They are curious, friendly and sociable, and love to play
I know, if you're not into rodents, well, you're not into rodents. But since we can't have a bigger pet (ie a dog), because of renting, this is a good alternative.
Now they are simply gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteLove the names too.
nice!
ReplyDeletecute...
take care your kitchen in case that they are going to be chefs!!!
My favorite Terry Pratchet character is the death of rats. Squeeek, eeek, squee eee eek. Long life and much fun to Mort and Binky!
ReplyDeleteI have no problems with rats and in our behavioral science class, we had to train rats to do stuff. They are in fact, quite intelligent, especially considering their size. I hope you clicker train them to do cool tricks. We clicker trained ours in a skinner box to push a lever for food. It's name was Lucy. One of the professors was doing a study on alcoholism and trained a rat to push a lever for alcohol. Rat became alcoholic. weird.
ReplyDeleteThey sound lovely. Animals can bring so much joy. Excellent solution for pet-loving renters. Enjoy, Dotter.
ReplyDeleteCute - but where are their little robes and scythes?
ReplyDeleteI think they're gorgeous! And I daren't show the girls or they'll want some too!
ReplyDeleteHi Mort and Binky!!! Excellent names!!!
ReplyDeleteI'm gonna go on the ewww side....I will have to meet them some time and see if I change my mind. But we approve of the names!
ReplyDeleteToo cute. Dotter will enjoy her new buddies.
ReplyDeleteI'm a mix of Awww and Eeew. I get the intelligent pet thing and that they can be quite affectionate but at the same time I also studied The Plague, know about feral rat impact on Australian ecosystems and have encountered them in the wild - none of which is nice. But, as a cat owner I don't have a leg to stand on so I'm going to say, "Howdy doods, hope you enjoy your new abode"!
ReplyDeleteawwwwwwww...hehehe I used to keep mice. We considered getting a rat ones..but i am scared of their giant tails. It reminds me of a worm. I don't mix with bugs. They are very cute though!
ReplyDeleteI'm with Bells. Although we have lived with hamsters and guinea pigs and even newts. I'm still a little squeamish. I understand the need for animals in the house though. I lived for a year after my beloved kubla died without a pet and noticed a difference in the house when I came home. Less life.
ReplyDeleteRat-astic! and i bet they won't miraculously appear on window sills a metre off the ground when they accidentally discover how well they can jump, like certain house bunnies i know...
ReplyDeleteOne of my neighbors - a friend of mine who recently moved - had quite a few rats in a cage as pets. They were the result of a litter that the mama rat (also one of the pets) gave birth to ...
ReplyDeleteI used to go over and check 'em out.
So it looks like a move to Alberta is out of the question now.
ReplyDeletehttp://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/03/0331_030331_rats.html
too cute but I think my lot would view them as comestibles so maybe not ...
ReplyDeleteand that is the smallest big white horse I've ever seen, being neither a horse nor white :]
AND btw did you know there's a free knitting pattern online for Death of Rats. It's in my Ravelry queue for sure!!!!!
Welcome to the new family members! (And can you show the link for the cool sock pattern, above, please?)
ReplyDelete