As much as I want to keep updating you on foster ratties that have been and gone, I need to keep up with current rattie reality! Pitter Patter’s Noises are the four little foster girls we have in the house right now, and they are darling! Meet Boink, Eek, Chatter, and Flutter! They’re about seven and a half weeks old, and available now to adopt through Mainely Rat Rescue.
I wish I could tell you who’s who in this photo, but they all look alike! All four girls are Black Berkshires, and except for their white bellies, they look almost identical. In personality, they’re very similar, too – all friendly, lively, and bouncy!
Although they’re only 7 1/2 weeks, already they’re so used to people that they’re excited to play with and be handled; they take treats from the hand with no hesitation; and though highly energetic and squirmy, they are easy to pick up and hold.
This is a lively bunch. I have never seen such a group of babies for popcorning, running, wrestling, and chasing each other around! It made it hard to get photos of the group, because they’re hardly still for a moment. I only managed the hammock shot above because they had just woken up when I opened the cage door.
This was a previous attempt at getting a photo of the whole group:
The idea was that I’d either be able to corral them in my arms, or they’d settle together on my shoulder. Then Gryphon could get a group photo, all of them together. Apparently, half of them liked the arms, and half the shoulder.
On my next attempt, I opened the cage door, and tried to get pictures of them playing in the cage. These girls are friendly, though, and when the cage door opens, they come running to see what’s happening. So the action went something like this:
As you can see, the general trend was in the direction of the door, and spaces beyond! These girls are all about exploring!
Since they all look alike from above, here’s an easy guide to telling them apart:
Boink
Boink is actually a varieberk, not just a Berkshire. That means that her white markings come up her side. As you can see, she has two distinct white stripes on her left side. None of the other girls have such distinct side markings.
Eek
If you look at Eek’s belly, you can see a place where the black on her sides narrows the white. In the photo above, the black peninsula on the left is rounded, and the one opposite it is pointed.
All four girls have white tips to their tails as well, but Eek is the only one with just the smallest tip of the tail in white. All of the other three have at least a half-inch or so.
Flutter
“Flutter Funky-Belly,” that’s what we call this girl! Her white belly is the most irregularly shaped of the lot. The lower part looks a bit like Africa, with an extra stripe of land pointing off to the West.
Chatter
Chatter distinguishes herself by having the least irregular belly marking of the lot! I usually identify her by figuring out who the other three are first, and whoever’s left, must be Chatter.
All four of these girls love playing together. They’ll be adopted out in pairs, but it would be absolutely awesome if someone wanted to keep the sisters together! If you’re interested, just visit Mainely Rat Rescue and check out the instructions for adopting from us.
