Who We Are

Our Crazy Rat Adventure is small glimpse into our little menagerie. We never intended to, but we ended up helping others fall in love with the little vermin.
Our Crazy Rat Adventure (OCRA) began around 2004 when we brought home 2 pet store rats with -0- knowledge, and no guidance to help us tame our two massive boys that were raised to be snake food. Templeton and Splinter were loved but not able to be handled. Tragically, like most bad tempered rats they were put up for adoption  ($130 cage and all) in hopes that someone would be able to tame them when they were adopted. To this day I feel terrible for the lack of education we had in understanding "RAT". What an amazing creature our son missed out on knowing due to our inexperience and the bad advise we received when purchasing them in the first place.
Jump forward to 2014. A decade later, this mama decided to introduce our daughter to rats. Why on Earth would I ever think of a rat, again!?!? Well, I began researching what would be a good pet for our daughter who was very active and loved all creatures out there. She was always bringing home a stray critter, including 'catapitters', and garter snakes since she was just 5 years old. 

Now at 13 what should we do? We were offered a chinchilla - so glad we said no - it died just a month later. We thought of snake - hmm a cute corn snake? NOPE, no way we could let it eat pinkies. Rats kept popping into my head but had not convinced her, or daddy yet.

Still not deciding for sure on what we would do we went to the Humane Society thrift store looking for a few craft projects. First thing we found when we walked in was a Rat book. The next isle over we found our first cage for just $14.00. So continues.....
Our Crazy Rat Adventure....

I read the book with her. I got on rat forums and also began looking for breeders in hopes of finding that perfect rat for our daughter. Guess what? Rats should never be alone! Well at least we had that right with Templeton and Splinter. She convinced her sister to get a rat as well since she had not saved enough for two. We contacted a young lady that lived 70 minutes away and was delighted to find out she would meet us 1/2 way. 

Both of our girls knew right away which rat had picked them. It was so fun getting the cage set up with them. Listening to them giggle in each other's room as they played with them on the beds. Yes indeed we made the right choice. EmmaOreo and LunaPickle were a wonderful addition to our family.

21 days later - guess what??? Our Crazy Rat Adventure continues......

Her cage $14.00 at Humane Society Thrift Store

'Oops!' litter
We had no idea what to do, so this mama got back on the internet. of course that was after the breeder offered to take her back or even foster the babies for us. She felt terrible but to this day we know it was just another part of Our Crazy Rat Adventure