Pet Rat Information Sheet

After seeing how cute Monkey & Steve are maybe you are considering a pet rat. While getting rats for pets was not a huge transition for us there were still things that Tim and I would have liked to have known before we decided to bring Monkey and Steve home. This website is great for informing one on pet rats and giving care tips and explanation for rat behavior. If you are interested check out the following link: http://www.quite.co.uk/rats/ .

Live Action of Monkey and Steve

I wanted to give you a taste of the live action life of Monkey & Steve...actually a joke since they barely moved the whole time I filmed them. They were taking a nap when I invaded their slumber. Monkey honors the camera with his presence, but Steve is just being a bum, so hopefully next time I can get a bit of Steve running around (he is usually the hyper active one). Enjoy!

Here They Are!!! Monkey and Steve. Aren't they so cute, and no they are not doing what it looks like they are doing. They usually snuggle up like this before they sleep. They are good brothers and take care of one another. They are my babies.

Cute Story

It has been a while since I have actually written about Monkey and Steve. I have also wanted to post some pictures of the boys, since this blog is officially dedicated to them. It has been far too long.

So I would like to tell a story about this picture of Steve. I went to take some pictures of the boys and forgot to take the flash off. Steve is the curious one and once I opened the door of their cage he was instantly there. I took advantage of the opportunity to take an up-close and personal photo, but unfortunately forgot to take the flash off of my camera. What happened next was so heartbreaking and hilarious at the same time.

As you can see the camera was pretty close to the unsuspecting rat. Immediately after the picture Steve stiffened a fell over on one side. It looked almost as if he had fainted temporarily. What I probably did was temporarily blind him...the poor dear. Their eyes are already sensitive due to being pink and being that close to him while taking a picture probably shocked him near to death. I do not think that he suffered any long-term effects from this picture, but I feel so bad for the whole flash thing. I did get some great pictures after this. Look at following posts for them!

The American Fancy Rat and Mouse Association (AFRMA)

If you like a little more formal associations then AFRMA may be for you.

The American Fancy Rat and Mouse Association (AFRMA) was founded in 1983 and is a non-profit international club. Anyone that has an interest in rats or mice can be a member. The main purpose of AFRMA is to promote and encourage the breeding and exhibition of fancy rats and mice for show and pets. We also educate the public on their positive qualities as companion animals and provide information on their proper care. Competition shows are currently held 6 times a year throughout Southern California. These shows are very similar to cat, rabbit, or dog shows. Judges evaluate the animals based on official standards for each type of rat or mouse. We also have 1–2 shows each year dedicated to Pets only with fun classes for rats and mice regardless of their physical qualities. The club has information booths set up at several events around Southern California during each year, including the Orange County Fair, to educate the public on rats and mice as pets and show animals.

Monkey and Steve are not Fancy Rats and could not really kick it with the upper crust, but they are loved just the same!

The Rat Fan Club

I cannot believe that it took me this long to come across a rat fan club! Crazy...yeah I know, but I Love My Rats! This specific rat fan club can be found at http://ratfanclub.org/index.html .

It focuses on rats as companion animals and to promote them as such, instead of the common concept of disease-ridden vermin. The fan club hopes to spread information about the proper care of rats and does not cost a thing to join. If you love rats as much as I do this fan club is for you!

Aladdin-Do The Rat Thing (Part 3 of 3)

Here is the final installment. Hope that you enjoyed "Do The Rat Thing."

Here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gp9g8izsAFI&feature=related