We got rats!

The rats in question are not the wild sort (my friend has those scurrying through the walls and under the floor boards of her house and even the Pest Controllers can't seem to stop them). No, these rats are domesticated pets and called Gonzo and Rizzo (after the Muppets) and belong to techie son. They have been with us for about two weeks now and are about 12 weeks old.

It's the tails, people tell me. Yes, they take a bit of getting used to but every time we went into Pets At Home I'd do the rounds of all the pets, including the rats. So, I suppose I'd had time to adjust. But honestly when these two came into our home I was immediately smitten. They are so cute. No honestly. Once you've had a rat's tail down your cleavage what could top that? Maybe a spider! No! Snakes maybe. Spiders, no!

Techie son has been going through a particularly tough time for a while and having these two critters has certainly helped him a lot. What he now doesn't know about rats isn't worth knowing. He researched extensively beforehand and has spent a fortune on a cage and play things, food, a bonding pouch (don't get any ideas there, folks) and a playpen. He is like a mother hen and right now they live in his room (in a cage, don't worry).

Gonzo, who was at first the shy one, is now the escape artist. He's so quick and happily walks all over you. Rizzo is more shy but will let us stroke him and is okay to be handled. When my son cleans the cage he either puts fleeces in the bath with some toys for them or they go in the playpen. He even gets in there with them! Not to be outdone, today I got in the playpen with the two little beasties. Gonzo used me as a prop to an escape route, climbing up my arm onto my back and seeking a getaway. Two or three times I had to pull him back before he made a run for it.

Over the years we've kept Syrian hamsters, dwarf hamsters, guinea pigs, fish, and looked after a budgie from school way back when. Rats are a first, but I am hooked. Unfortunately they have a short life span, around two years, but my son says he wants to carry on after that. It's lovely to have pets again. I so missed, and still miss, my guinea pigs. Gonzo and Rizzo fill that gap that losing a much loved pet leaves when they die.

Rizzo and Gonzo aren't easy to photograph because they move so fast. Here are some of my attempts.