Dictionary Definitions of Adorable

Raoul the Intrepid

Mortimer the Magnificent

The little boys are growing so quickly.    They still have their baby fur but now have lovely little round tummies, and they are very tame.  I change up the cage for them every few days, and have something different for them for free time every night.  This keeps them interested and their brains busy.


The socialization of these two has gone very quickly.  They are responding to our voices and have developed a keen love of massage!  They take after me I guess.  To have these two in my lap while reading or watching a movie is so nice.  They wake from their naps and explore a bit, then smooch my fingers, yawn, and tuck in for another snooze.

Their exercise sessions last week involved a laundry basket filled with a driftwood branch, boxes, strips of paper, old socks, and a few treats tucked here and there.  They had a blast digging through it all and chasing each other through the paper to get to the treats.


Raoul's method is to grab and stuff.  Mortimer gets his treat then scampers away to a corner, turns his back on his brother, then has a leisurely snack.  Mortimer is a dainty eater.  They had their first taste of frozen peas a few days ago and true to form, Raoul just sat right down and gorged.  Mort turned his pea around and around in his little hands, and peeled off the entire skin!  Then he ate the meat of the pea.  I swear he lifted his pinkies!  He has to be careful of Raoul because after Rao finishes his snack he tries to 'share' Mort's.  I use 'share' in the sense of ' take away from'.

It is really interesting to watch their brotherly dynamic.  The early evening wrestling matches are the best.  They put on quite a show with play squeaking, running, tumbling, pinning each other to the mat, and so forth.  It can go on for half an hour and is easily the best entertainment to be had during the news/game show portions of the evening!


I fail to understand why television producers haven't picked up on this.  A few shows featuring tame ratties would be a great improvement on the usual fare.  I'm not talking the "Hammy Hamster" type of program either.  I mean real ratties interacting and doing their thing.  Youtube has lots of great footage of people's pet rats doing agility, playing basketball, bowling, interacting with other animals and getting loved by their people.  Some slick production values and writing could turn out some winners I am certain.


I have whiled away a lot of happy moments watching.  Advertisers should be taking note.

The New Babies

Raoul and Mortimer, four weeks old

You may have noticed that the photo for this blog is of a pet rat.  He was the loveliest fellow and his name was Horatio.  Big H was a sweet, loving, smart, clean, loyal little guy and we dearly loved him.  His death from cancer was a sad time.


Life however, is pernicious.  It insists on flourishing no matter our devastation.  Today, to prove the point, our daughter purchased two baby boy ratties and we installed them in the rat mansion.  This is a retro-fitted bird cage that had been originally constructed for a parrot or a couple of cockatiels.  It is a hammered pewter beauty that now has four levels, a hammock, nesting boxes, food bins, water bottle, toys, bedding, perches, and a ladder.  There are numerous other activities and toys in the cupboard to rotate throughout the coming months.  They shouldn't find themselves getting bored.


The new lads entered carefully, noses in constant motion, and little bodies poised for action.  After some sniffing about, they found food, and took some to a nest box.  We had put the box they arrived in inside the cage as well so that there would be something familiar for them.

We watched them all evening as they became accustomed to their new digs, and as they began their orientation into our family.  At bed time I put my old socks that had been worn for a few hours in the cage with them so that my scent would accompany their dreams.  This will help with the bonding process and is well worth the sacrifice of some old footwear!


Eventually they will spend a lot of their time on my shoulders or in my lap.  Domestic fancy rats are amazing pets; clean like cats and they bond like dogs.  Their only flaw is their short lifespans.  

Japanese ink drawing of rats

One lad is charcoal grey with a dark tail and white tummy.  His name is Mortimer.  The other is a lovely champagne hooded rat with a pretty white splotch on his head.  His name is Raoul.  Don't ask why the names.  They just seemed to fit.

Chances are that these two will feature in future posts along with some photos once I get them off the camera and onto the computer.


This is going to be a grand adventure.  It is so good to have critters in the home again.

Welcome to our world Raoul and Mortimer.  May your days be long in the land.


Thank you Rachel.  It is so good to feel the joy of pets again.