This is Dolly Tjalla (Tjalla being a Swedish term for the not-so-pleasant secondary definition of rat, but what a pretty word!). A black dumbo and my first pet rat, she was bought from a petstore after I fell in love with the animals at a pet therapy program. Because of her origin, I’m unsure of her age, but she is at least a year old - a full fledged adult! She is always sweet to her peers, but never seems to have any qualms about asserting her dominance as rattie alpha female. ; ) (I feel like I’m filling out a dating ad. Any cute male rats interested? She’s a sucker for the ‘goutis.)

Bindi Ratt (her last name, of course, derived from a marvelous 80’s band) is my second rattie. She is a black/chocolate hooded, and the oldest and largest of the three. Her main trait is definitely her affinity for food (if one of them is a secret Ratatouille chef, it’s absolutely her!). She eats anything and everything, hoarding her food with amazing capability and using her thieving qualities to snatch treats from the others. Food will probably always hold top priority over everything else, myself included. So while I doubt the feeling is mutual, I think she’s the cuddliest.

Marshmallow Latte (named by my brother Tom, and hell, it’s just cute), is certainly the baby of the group. She’s a dove bareback, hence a fitting name! It’s taken her longer to warm up, but as of late she certainly has. She is either blind or very nearsighted in one eye, which makes her mildly skittish (and mistake nearly everything for food, like fingers… ouch). When Marsh gets free time, she’s /always/ on the move… despite the fact that she doesn’t have much depth perception. : P A gorgeous and sweet girl, as of the other two.

RIP. Meet Billy the Kid, a black Dutch mouse who is missing his front right paw. He has stopped his biting and is a ridiculously sweet little boy. He loves free time, but never wanders far from me. : P He also almost rivals Bindi in terms of foodlust, his favorite being organic “Cheetah Chomps” cereal. His wheel drives me mildly crazy at two o’clock in the morning, but having his little mousie self around is certainly worth it.