Ah, rats. Such wonderful little creatures. Call them chaos potatoes, beans, ratskies, babies, lil’ guys, all of these names mean rat, so therefore, they mean ADORABLE! If only they didn’t get the stupid flack that society has given them so far, they could be the most popular pet since dogs! Rats are great pets and are very intelligent. You can teach them how to jump onto a mini skateboard or play a tiny game of basketball, or how to identify a certain scent or paint a beautiful finger painting. They’re scrappy rascals who love a good run around your room, chewing everything in their wake, but still enjoy a snack more than ever and to snuggle up in your arms. They can be better pets than most other rodents can be. In fact, they are so social that you must get at least two rats so that they won’t get too lonely.

More coming to the ratto corner soon…stay tuned!

ratto RECIPES

Soft-baked Rat Treats

Original recipe from the Pittsburgh Rat Lovers Club - Modified to fit my needs when I made them

You will need:

1/4 cup peanut butter

1 ripened banana

1/4 cup uncooked oats

1/2 to 1 cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon sugar

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line cookie sheet with foil, and spray or coat the sheet with butter or oil. Measure out the peanut butter and empty into mixing bowl.

Peel the banana and add it to the bowl. Mix/mash together until creamy mixture forms. Add the sugar and cinnamon. Measure the oats and mix together. Add flour, 1/4 cup at a time until a tough dough forms. Add a touch more if needed. Roll dough out into 1/2 inch nuggets, any shape. Bake until lightly brown ( 7-10 minutes). Let cool. Don't put them in bags until they are completely cool and dry, otherwise they will get soggy. When completely done, toss the nuggets into a zipbloc bag or a large paper bag.

Mix makes 1-2 sheets of treats. Serve to hungry ratties!

Gallery

ratsources

You might be trying to find some good information about rats, or maybe you just want to see what they are capable of. Either way, these links are where to tune in!

Emiology/BoggleBuddies: Where I got most of my information before purchasing my rats. A cool thing about Emiology is that she doesn’t just own rats, she makes videos about her mice and other pets, too. She even has a shop, BoggleBuddies, where you can buy adorable products and things for your rats and mice. On YouTube: @Emiology - BoggleBuddies: bogglebuddies.com

AFRMA (American Fancy Rat and Mouse Association: If you’re looking for a quality breeder who takes good care of the rats/mice they sell, you’re looking for an AFRMA-certified breeder. Any breeder certified by AFRMA can be found on their website, and breeders on the site span all across the USA. Not only this, but AFRMA does rat and mouse shows and has references for breeders, including what traits rat judges look for. They have a page called Kids Korner, too, that has information especially for kids, a Q&A page from real rat owner kids, and coloring sheets with rats and mice on them. Site: AFRMA.org

Agua Dulce Rat Ranch: An AFRMA certified breeder where I got two of my rats, Squeaker and Willow. They gave me plenty of information on rats when I was taking them home and after Willow passed away. Site: aguadulcerats.wixsite.com/agua-dulce-rat-ranch

ShadowTheRat: Behold- the most amazing rat tricks I have ever seen! ShadowTheRat shares clips of their rats doing incredible stunts with their intelligence. My favorite tricks include hopping onto an itty-bitty skateboard, playing miniature basketball, stacking metallic cups, and identifying different scents. They also make videos of tours of their rats’ cage designs, how-to rat tricks, subscription box reviews by rats, and information about owning rats. A magnificent channel indeed for rat lovers alike! Not only does ShadowTheRat have a YouTube channel, a site, and many other places to check in, they sell rat merchandise on Etsy and are considerably one of my favorite rat channels! On YouTube: @ShadowTheRat - On Etsy: etsy.com/shop/RatPaintings - On Tumblr: shadowtherat.tumblr.com

Ratatouille: Your Friend The Rat: This short originally appeared on the Ratatouille DVD, but has now come to Disney+. It is one of my favorite informational shorts, probably because it is all about rats! Though it is specifically about wild rats, it mentions pet rats, and describes in comedic detail the history of the rat and the Black Plague. On Disney+: Search up on your TV or in the app, or disneyplus.com/movies/your-friend-the-rat/2SeBSbnVnHeR - Also watchable on Apple TV+. Ratatouille, the original movie that is linked to this short, is a great movie to get younger children to connect with rats.

  • WRONG! EVIVOCADO! FAUX! ‘A’OLE! SBAGLIATA! 不正確! WRONG, I SAY!! ! No. Ok, ok. Wild rats can carry deadly diseases and rabies, but pet rats are not to blame. Rats have also been fingered for spreadingthe Black Death or the Bubonic Plague long ago. However, it was sick fleas infecting the rat. When the rat died, the flea would want a live at, and since cities are built for humans, a human would be much easier to find than a rat. And thus the black plague spread throughout Europe. Black rats and brown rats in the wild can carry diseases, tough, asI said, so you wouldn’t be entirely wrong. But if you find an injured wild rat (or ANY animal, for that matter) avoid touching it unless nescessary and get it to a vetrenarian or a wild animal shelter. Theywillgive it the propercre it needs. Do not shut t in your room and not tell anyone about it because that way the animal is less likely to make it through any injuries it has.

  • Most rats in captivity are very gentle when given the proper care and enrichment! Wild rats are WILD ANIMALS and can NOT be easily domsticated! If you have a rat and they aren’t nice, they need a friend! If you have two or more and ay of thm aren’t very friendl, they may be hungry, thirsty, or in need of something. Ask around and try to find the reason why your rattie is so down in the dumps! If a ra is agressive towards you, shows frequent haits of biting and hurting you or your other rats, this is a sign of agression. Put the rat ina seperate cage for the time being and suggest seeing a vetrenarian to find ou what is going on with “Agressio”. The rat may need surgery or medicine.

Looking for a new ratty friend?

BEST BREEDERS IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA!


Squeakin' Pups Rattery https://www.facebook.com/SqueakinPups/

Misty Blue Rattery  ​https://mistyblue.weebly.com/

Wasteland Rattery https://bethphantomhive3.wixsite.com/wastelandrattery

Frosted Cookie Mousery & Farm https://frostedcookiefarm.weebly.com/