Anyone who lives with Fancy Rats, quickly learns they have as many personalities as colors and sizes. After living with these wonderful creatures for years, I have come up with categories of rat personalities, and from time to time, have to create a new one for a unique rat.
Here are my categories, if you should see one that needs to be represented, feel free to send it on.
1) The Builder: This is a rat who feels the need to modify any space they occupy. Victor would take every box offered and immediately chew a window in the back, enlarge the door and open a small space at the top before he would relax. The other rats will simply take advantage of their work.
2) The Thief: It won’t take long for you to figure out you have a thief, a simple cage cleaning will reveal their secret. If you have a thief, you will find unexpected objects hidden in their bedding. Coins, pencils, cords, receipts, batteries, cash, hair clips and anything else within their reach. They will wrestle you for the objects as you try to remove them.
3) The Spaz: This is a rat you bring home, hand feed and try to bond with, yet every noise sends them into a frenzy as they run for cover. They will often bond to one person, and one person only, hiding if others come into view. They will squeeze themselves into impossible spaces to hide from noise and intruders.
4) Timid Tilly: This is a rat that wants to be with you, but it will take hours of patient coaxing to connect. When you enter the room, they hide, then ever so slowly, they stick out their head. It often takes many tries before they will come to you. (Unlike the spaz that will stay hidden until you force them out.) These timid beings are worth the effort, often ending up as one of the special rats in your life. It takes them awhile to trust you, but once they do, you have a true friend.
5) Mouth Diver: This is the rat that watches every bite as you eat. You share a bit here and there, but they feel you are lying when you say “all gone.” They will attempt to pry your lips open to check, ignoring the “food already in my mouth is mine,” rule.
6) Robe Runner: A robe runner feels the need to be inside your clothing. They dive down your neckline, prowl through your shirt, tickle your stomach and sleep in the warmth. You ARE expected to cease the use of any arm if they want to sleep in a sleeve.
7) The Stasher: A stasher will take every scrap of food available and put it in the corner of their tank, storing up for who knows what. The fact that the other rats will empty out his stash never thwarts their effort. They rarely eat what they take, but they work hard at building the stockpile.
8) The Tank: These are the rats who often take food from the stasher. They hunker over their bounty as they enjoy the take. If you, or another rat should approach them, they pivot in place like an army tank, showing you their back as they resume their meal. They will pivot as many times as needed to protect their treat.
9) The Opener: An opener can crack any package. They don’t need thumbs! They can open any box, can or bag left alone. Often times you never know your food was breached until you realize it is stale. They can even tilt a beverage can to sip at the bounty without dumping it on the table.
10} The Nurturer: This is the rat that takes new rats under their wing, and defends them from bullies. They can be seen grooming younger rats and chasing off older, aggressive rats. They will do whatever is needed to keep peace.
11) The Escape Artist: This is the rat that will get out of his tank and laugh at any barrier you erect to keep them in a certain room. You will spend hours tracking this rat to bring him back to the fold. One thing you can be sure of, the Escape Artist will always find his way home for food, friends and water.
I end here with Rat Rules:
If I can see it, it’s mine.
If I touch it, it’s mine.
If you touch it, it’s mine.
If you think something is yours, it’s not, it is mine.
If I want attention, you will stop all activity and pay attention to me.
Dedicated to;
Gandolph
Vlad
Boris
Bela
Mr. Earl
Speedo
Victor
Igor
Carlos
Stevie Ray
Musings From the Turnip Patch 