Meet Romulus and Remus

So we finally decided on names: Romulus and Remus!

That's my arm that makes the shot look odd. Romulus is licking it.

Romulus is the black one and Remus the grey. These were the names that just seemed to stick while we were trying out all of the names. Though I personally call them "Bounce" and "Scurry" when we play. Romulus' playing style is to bounce around and Remus' to scurry away and come back.

They are very fun. They like to rough house and I can rough house with them. Romulus is not very shy or easily scared (he sometimes acts like he is, but he isn't). So he likes very much to be in the middle of things. He is pretty brave about coming out and being held and running around. Remus is a lot more withdrawn and shy. It takes him longer to want to follow Romulus out to run around, but he is curious enough to try eventually. Sometimes I make him come out so he can get used to it. The picture above was during a game where they ran up and down my arm. Sometimes they tried to chew on my shirt and my jewelry, and Romulus likes to chew on my hair. He also tried to use my glasses as a springboard to get on top of my hair... Remus didn't get that adventurous, but he did get to my shoulder and chew on my earrings and stick his nose in my ear. Then he promptly ran away when I laughed. He was brave enough to try again, however.

It is fun to watch them grow and learn. They are smart little critters and very playful. Remus has started to be more pushy (but sometimes Romulus lets him have the upper hand). Romulus is already a little bigger and heavier then his brother, so I try to sneak Remus a little extra food.

We are ordering a large cage for them. Male rats can get pretty large and since there are two, they definitely need the space. Also, males can be more prone to laziness (and maybe a little to over-eating) so if they don't have the space, they won't run it off. Appropriate cages are difficult to find and are often expensive. Camarattery has a lot of information about appropriate cage sizes. We are going with a Martin's Cage called the Rat Tower which can be found on this page: http://www.martinscages.com/products/cages/rat/. It is a little pricy, but worth it for the boys. Side note: according to Camarattery (and I believe them), the galvanized finish will absorb urine and therefore are harder to clean than the powder-coated. I know it is more expensive, but if the smell is important to you, go with the powder-coated finish.

If You Buy a Rat...

 Then you have to buy his brother, too!

Meet our new rats! They are only about 5 weeks old. They are Dumbo rats- named for the larger ears which are placed more on the side of their heads. They are both boys with HUGE feet. Like puppies, they will grow into them.

The black one is very outgoing and likes to play and be in the middle of everything. The grey (he's actually called an "American Blue") is a little more shy and not as playful, but very sweet and gentle. They make a great combination (except that the black one will push the grey one around). I just picked them up yesterday, but they already seem to be settling in. They are so fun! You can rough house with them and they will bounce and run around and come back for more. Then they get riled up and wrestle with each other. Sometimes they sleep together in a "rat pile," which is sweet. The most precious thing thus far was the grey one washing the black one's face. Adorable!

The only surprise, for me, was how mouthy they are. When we stick our hands in, they just lick and lick and lick our hands. It's very interesting. And they will grab hold of fingers in surprisingly strong grips and just lick away. They nibble on finger nails (but are very careful not to bite) and sometimes they just touch the skin with their teeth. Even when they are riled up they do not bite. Us or one another. So if anyone comes to visit them, be prepared, but know that they won't hurt you. Honestly it took me a bit to get used to that and not be afraid that I would get bitten, but that's just part of how they interact.

Licking away!

At the moment they do not have names. Our favorites so far are Thor and Loki, but we have gotten other suggestions. A couple were for Calvin and Hobbs. I liked Beelzebub and Baal. Castor and Pollux was a great suggestion. Miguel and Tulio I liked a lot. Mario and Luigi would be cute. I like Calo and Galdo (the twins from The Lies of Locke Lamora). Pinky and the Brain was suggested a couple of times, but I don't think I like those as much. Just doesn't fit the boys.

For anyone who is interested, these two came from a local rat breeder. You can go to her page, Camarattery. In addition to breeding and selling rats, she has amazing resources. Lots of info about good cages, beddings/litters, best diets, etc. It is a wonderful resource that I use all the time now. I also am using her food mix and will start making my own in the near future using her recipe. As a breeder she has been able to collect a lot of information, so she is a great authority. If you have rats or are interested in getting any, I recommend her page for info and her animals for adopting.