Curly Rex Rat

Rex rats are endearing with that “just-woke-up” swirly hair. Rex fur is soft, satiny & oh, so curly. Even the whiskers curl!

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A face only mama could love!

I’m a hairless rat. My owners love me because I don’t shed or make them sniffle! And I’m just as snuggly and smart as any other rat.

Click here! to learn about more fancy pet rat varieties!

About Us

Hello! This page about us will introduce you to our crew. My name is Jeanne and I run a circus…

Okay, some days it just FEELS like a circus. I am mom to three terrific kids, now ages 16 down to 10, and wife to an inventive genius, who can fix and build just about anything. This comes in handy as we are also owners of amazing pet rats! Designing new toys and cages is a blast.

We have pets galore… rats, cats, dogs, a horse with his goat buddy, and hundreds of fish in a pond… and we live on two acres just outside of town. Perfect ingredients for a rich life full of hilarious stories.

I also design a magazine, read avidly and love keeping our circus afloat!

Five Years of Experience…
Our knowledge comes from first-hand experience and investigation. We have found such enjoyment for so little expense that we wanted to share our discoveries and passion with others.

I’ve been truly surprised! It takes so little to keep these guys well and thriving, and they give back so much.

We’re hoping to help people avoid the few pitfalls that we encountered and find a pet that might fit their own situation.

We’ve done some things well, and others tragically wrong. We’ve purchased from pet stores vs families. We’ve served up the wrong food. We’ve suffered through tumors and viruses.

On a positive note, we’ve figured out which cage works best. For us that means someone’s willing to clean it and that it doesn’t stink! We’ve discovered how to make cheap hammocks and toys. We’ve got our gals litter box trained. Life is

Our Personal Story
How we discovered pet rats!
Our story started five years ago. It was an average summery day, and we took an innocent detour through the pet store just to browse – as if that’s ever possible – and came home with two extra critters!

Panda was black and white with a little snip of snow between her eyes, and Squiggles was a soft mysterious blue. Both were girls, or so we were told.

Within a few days, we found out that Squiggles was a boy and he had to be exchanged lickity-split for a girl. Dad wasn’t going to let our adventure get too exciting right away!

Princess with her silky peach coat came to live with us instead. Little did we know what a gold mine we were to discover in these little loveable pet rats.

We have since added five more rats over the years, learned a ton, and have really fallen for these charming and smart pets. We’ve written this site to help others discover the fun and avoid the pitfalls.


And so the story about us began…
Our first encounter with rats had come a month before. We had bumped into a friend who had pet RATS cavorting around on her shoulders. The little critters were surprisingly delightful. They were bright-eyed and inquisitive. They knew tricks. They cuddled and really seemed to love their owner. But, OH MY, those tails…

We left with minds churning. Would rats really make awesome pets? Could they withstand the snuggles and cuddles of an eager 5-year-old boy? Were they all as likeable as the two we had met?

We had tried a variety of indoor fuzzy pets:

  • Rabbits – they were soft but didn’t really enjoy us
  • Guinea pigs – again, soft but no real response to our love
  • Hamsters – they bit, slept when we wanted to play, were fragile, and ran away as often as they could

Here’s a list about us and our requirements…

  • Frugal Dad: INEXPENSIVE
    $3 a head, $12 cage, $2 food, $6 shavings
  • Sensitive Mom: CLEAN and NO BITITNG
  • 5-year-old boy: STURDY and FUN
  • 8-year-old curious girl: TRAINABLE and SNUGGLY
  • 14-year-old energetic girl: COOL, SMART, and LOVING

The rats checked out perfectly! They were as sturdy as turtles and cost about $25 to start out. They could easily train to use a litter box, and they have never considered biting us.

Their inquisitive and perky personalities add so much to life in our family. The only down-side I can think of is their short life span of about two years.

Closing thoughts about us…
The story about us is not at all over. We’re finding new and intriguing things about the rats every day.

Hopefully this glimpse about us will inspire you and give you confidence in this website. If it sounds like fun, we invite you to join in with your own photos and stories.

Take care!
Jeanne

What if I want to train my pet rat?

Discover which rat food inspires your rat and let the antics begin! Rat training is a breeze with a little patience and the right motivation.

Watch a couple of how-to videos and show off your pet rat tricks in no time. It’s quite the bonding experience!

Want to know more about how to care for rats?

How do I choose a cage? And then how do I easily keep it clean? What toys will interest rats and keep them lively? Where do I go to buy pet rats? How do I decide? Find ideas that help keep it fun and easy to take care of pet rats!