Friday, August 7, 2009

JUST FOR FUN.

I have posted about Scabbers before, he is the sole non-human mammal at the Museum and he relishes this privileged status. He is extremely well connected - he is a big favorite of the President of the Museum! So we have to be sure to treat him well. He generally is referred to these days as 'His Majesty' - you think I'm joking! He has also had his fifteen minutes of fame doing a TV segment with one of my colleagues. You will have to excuse the squealy presenter!

I had always known that rats were considered to be very intelligent so I try and give Scabbers new 'toys' to provide variety to his days. The great thing with rats is these items do not need to be fancy or expensive. One big favorite is his little tube.


He sees this as the perfect spot for a snooze and I haven't the heart to point out that his rather ample derriere is not actually in the tube at all! The temptation to pinch his bottom is hard to resist but he looks so peaceful.
Today was a bonanza day, I received a package which contained lots of shredded cardboard and Scabbers took ownership as soon as I had removed the contents!


Lots of fun playing peek-a-boo!


Plenty of burrowing about


Time to stop for a quick wash and brush-up.


He is a great ambassador for winning people around to the appeal of rats


He has certainly got the whole 'cute' thing down pat!


He spent a very busy afternoon enjoying his new toy and now he is fast asleep :) What a tough life he has!


Photo Credits - CJT

7 comments:

Nicole said...

Gosh, he def. is one big cutie pie :)!

Becky said...

What a cute rat! I love rats. They do make great companions. That shredded cardboard looked fun. :-D

Arija said...

Rats are so much fun but they do need a lt or entertainment. Scabbers looks like one happy rat!

Anonymous said...

Too cute!! My youngest daughter had a pet hooded rat named Templeton when she was a little girl.:)

Kathie Brown said...

I know rats are smart but I find it hard to call them cute. The name Scabbers doesn't help much either. It sounds like he has a disease. Sorry! I hope I'm not offending you or him. I use to have pet mice and pet snakes. Rats are a hard species for me though. Still, I am glad you are kind to him. He does look like he is having fun. I would never want to pinch his derriere however!

Rambling Woods said...

Oh...I love Scabbers as you know and I think it's a perfect name for a ratty gentleman. I wish people could experience the intelligence and companionship that a ratty provides. I will ever be grateful to two ratties that my daughter had during a long childhood illness. It changed my views on rodents forever. My only regret is that they don't live very long. Long life to your little ratty... Michelle

Louise said...

I always thought I wanted to be a cat, but being this rat wouldn't be so bad at all. Especially if my large bottom looked that cute!