Sushi Takes a Bath

Move Along

There's nothing to see here.

Can't a rat hang out in her tube in peace?

Move along.

(I love these pictures because we can always tell when Sushi has really recovered from being sick - she always starts spending a ton of time in her tube.)

Hmmmm

I feel like I should have something to say about this, but I'm speechless. More information at the always wonderful Regretsy site.

Pants Party

Little known fact: pants make an excellent place to hang out.

An Odd Place to Nap

Why yes, that is Saké nesting in the litter tray. Note all the litter which has been removed from the tray, making room for her towel.

Patently Awesome!

I think this should become a real article of clothing:

I wouldn't hesitate to take Sushi and Saké for a walk.

Fun with Corn

We're recently started keeping frozen corn on hand for the girls. We try to give them fresh vegetables as much as possible, but recently realized that keeping frozen food (e.g., corn or peas) is a good way to still make sure they get vegetables when we don't have time to get to the store.

As yesterday's post demonstrated, the girls are no less messier with corn than they are with peas. They also get really excited about it.

Saké initially retired to the nest with each kernel.

This is blurry, because when you're going for a new piece of corn or pea, you have to do it quickly.

Sushi, one kernel at a time.

Saké realized it was more efficient to eat at the bowl, rather than taking food back to the nest.

Then she realized it was even more efficient to just steal from her sister!

Will Work for Food

One of the challenges of smart pets is keeping them occupied. I have started making small treat bags for the girls, requiring them to work a bit to get to their food.

Sushi checks out her first bag of treats (Cheerios and Lucky Charms).

Thus far I have only used paper towel and string, but I want to move up to more complicated options. The girls seem to enjoy the challenge of getting the food out, not to mention just having something different to do.

Sushi checks out the paper towel bag.

Saké uses the rope to get a closer look.

Saké prepares to grab a carrot. I love her tail wrapped around the rope to the left.

The opened treat bag.

The best thing about the treat bags is that because they are something different, the girls get really excited and silly.

Sushi flips upside down into the nest.

Sakè and Sushi Recommend Comics

One question that we get constantly asked is, "What have Sakè and Sushi been reading lately?" While it is true that Sarah and I are both avid readers, the rats seem to be more interested in eating, sleeping, and running on their wheel. Additionally, rat-sized books are a rare commodity. However since they're newly minted Internet Celebrities, it's important that they give their fans what they want. In the spirit of starting out small, I'm going to run down a couple of Sushi and Sakè's favorite comics.

There is a distinct lack of rodent role models in comics, with those characters often being relegated to the role of villain or nare do well. Superhero comics are pretty much right out, since rats only ever appear as set dressing or a minor plot device. You could even say that they are into a bit more haute coture than spandex and capes, though they do have a soft spot for Bat-Man (bats are flying rats after all).

So without further ado, and in no particular order, I present to you: Sakè and Sushi's Must Read Rat Comics!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Sakè and Sushi are huge fans of Master Splinter. Starting out life as the pet of Ninja master Hamato Yoshi, Splinter learned the art of the ninja by watching his master train and copying his movements. When he was exposed to radioactive "ooze" he was transformed into the anthropomorphic hero we know and love. Many of our younger fans may be familiar with the television cartoon or the live action movies, but Sakè and Sushi both recommend hunting down the original comics by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird.

Ratfist

Long-time fans of Earthworm Jim and The Neverhood, both rats were unbelievably excited to hear that Doug TenNapel started a web-comic. They went absolutely crazy when they found out that the titular character was a rat, with a rat sidekick. Though this one just started, It's absolutely amazing so far and totally worth keeping an eye on!

Maus: A Survivor's Tale

Art Speigelman's tale of his father's survival of the Holocaust is one of the most powerful comics ever written. Maus transcends the genre and has become one of the most celebrated books of any kind in the modern era. Sakè and Sushi really can't recommend this book highly enough.

That's all for now, perhaps once they've had some time to read some more books we'll be able to add some more titles to this list. Until then, keep on reading!

Diapers?

Here's the truth. Unless you never handle them, rats will pee on you at some point. They're small, so it's not generally a big deal, but it still happens.

However, I was still amazed to learn that you can buy rat diapers. Someone actually makes these. Even better, you can buy them in camouflage!

The site ratbehavior.org sells them in packs of ten.

Another site advertises guinea pig diapers, which look more like odd body suits.

Randomly, you can also buy diapers for birds. Various sizes are available for geese, ducks, and chickens.

Amazing.