I got a new pet today, and he is just so sweet! When I was a teen I bred and raised rats, and sold them as "hand tamed" to petstores (this went over very well in the late 80's!)
Anyways I've been wanting another rat for ages, and finally just got one! I went to three stores, and none had hand raised rats, all of the rats they had were just tense... at the last one I decided to just check out the feeders (much cheaper) and there was one sweet boy in there who was not scared of me at all - he was just so curious, and just is so cute and cuddly! So I HAD to get him!
So please meet Thomas! He's just a little guy, he's got some growing to do! He lets me hold him already, so I'm sure he'll be totally tame to me soon!

Ohh hes sooo cute!!
Too bad I'm allergic to those fur babies...
are you opening a zoo? LOL

Thanks! And ROFL No zoo!!! Rats are so fun, it IS too bad you're allergic! I'll have to get a video of Thomas running around, when he's got energy he's a silly boy! I'm glad I got a feeder, I feel like I've saved a life!

In the last pic you can tell that he's saying (in a squeaky little voice)
Thank you , Thank you ,Kelly for saving me.....now wheres my food....hehe

Of all rodent pets, rats can't be beat. When I worked in a petshop a lady came in looking for a small pet for her preschool class. Initally looking at gerbils, hamsters, and mice it was decided that they were too small and nervous to be around young people and some convincing (most which was done by young brown rat), she took him, Peroidcally, she would revisit the shop and sing the praises of his greatness.
I agree! I've had gerbils, hamsters, mice, rats and guinea pigs, and rats take the cake by far!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thomas is soooo sweet Kelly. I also raised rats and mice in my younger years and I agree Rats are the Greatest. One of ours would even ride in a wind up car around the house. If it bumped into a wall and he feel off he would get up and get back in the car. I do miss my Rats. Congratulations.
Well of course I knew something about rats and had just forgotten... that they do best in pairs or groups! So I went in search of a buddy for Thomas today, found a petstore on the far side of town that had the cutest babies, and I couldn't choose just one! (Go figure!)
First another cute pic of Thomas, all tuckered out after playing with his new friends:
when I was playing with the rats at the store, I KNEW I had to have the cream colored one with dark red eyes, as he reminds me of my breeding female I used to have... So meet Teddy (my daugthers named him):
But then there was this one with this GORGEOUS light grey hooded and he was SOOOO pretty, and so I couldn't really choose Teddy over him, so I decided to get him, too... So meet Alfonso (Deontay named him):
But here's the things, rats are great in groups pairs or groups, but in odd numbers someone can get left out (right?), so you COULD have three BUT it's better to have four...

see where this was going? Well this guy CHOSE US! He was desperate to get onto my hands and just wouldn't leave me or the store clerk alone! LOL! So fine, I gave in... meet Captain Jack (named by my middle boys) - you can just tell from this picture the personality he has!:
Here's a pic of three of them - Jack, so you can see his black pattern; Teddy and Thomas, so you can see the color difference...
They are just soooooo sweet!
rats kinda freak me out but thomas & friends look cute!
They are very cute Kelly!!