#ratslove

I absolutely had to paint little Merlin’s portrait as soon as I saw his sweet face and all those WHISKERS! Merlin is a retired lab rat and a member of @popcornsmischief (a mischief is the name for a group of rats ), whom you should totally follow for cute rat photos and videos!
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I think this is my first rat portrait, which is crazy because I absolutely love rats. I think they make just about the perfect pet: they’re as smart and as sweet as dogs, as clean as cats, they can learn to use a litter box, but they’re small and quiet and make great apartment pets. My rattie boys (several years ago) knew they weren’t allowed in the kitchen and would go back in their cage when we told them to. They were always so excited when we got home and loved to spend time with us. The only downside about rats is their short lifespan - on average between 2-3 years. Just long enough to get to know them…
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swipe to see some pics of my boys, Charlie and Bravo
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Not convinced rats are cute yet? Check out these great hashtags (and blame the media for always depicting them as creepy, gross, and diseased )
#petsnotpests #ratsaspets #ratsareawesome #ratslove
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#ratsofinstagram #ratsofig #ratties #fancyrats #ratstagram #petrats #dumborats #instarat #rodentsofig #igrats #rodentlove #petratsofinstagram #animalartistry #art_4world #animalartists #creative_animalart #artfeaturehelp #rtistic_feature
#justartinspiration #artspotlight #artdailydose #instaartexplorer #artisthelp
https://www.instagram.com/p/B8l1GwHlK-u/?igshid=gry45h35avam

PEEK-A-BOO.
#Potato does this adorable thing where if I say, “Where’s Potato???” she’ll stick out her head, then hide, then stick her head out, over and over again! Almost as if she is playing peek-a-boo! It’s the cutest thing! She such a fun #rattie - always entertaining and simply the sweetest! I cannot get enough of her! When I’m having a rough day, I just have to look at her little face and all is better in the world. It’s a shame not everyone knows the love of a #rat … rat haters are missing out! How anyone could get kisses from Potato and be repulsed boggles my mind. Potato rat kisses are the best! Love you forever Pots! 
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https://www.instagram.com/p/CSPvpRqhulV/?utm_medium=tumblr

OSTRICH.
When #Potato hides, she thinks if her head is covered, you can’t see her!!! Just like an ostrich. Silly girl! But, how cute is her teeeeeny little tail!!! I swear every bit of her is yummy! Potato is considered a mini #rat and one of the characteristics is they have much smaller and shorter tails than the average rat! There has been some debate as to whether she’s a #DwarfRat and some say mini-rats don’t exist. The controversy comes from the fact that although she has the dwarf characteristics of small, short hands/feet, small face, round eyes, super soft fur and short tail … she is the same size lengthwise as her standard sisters. Well….maybe not exactly the same size … as she might be a litttttle wider but overall, she isn’t small. So confusing. What do you guys think? Dwarf? Mini? Or maybe instead of labelling her one way or another….we just call her “Size ADORABLE”? ✨
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https://www.instagram.com/p/CR4oxgAMZ01/?utm_medium=tumblr