Rat Sanctuary Shames The Naughtiest Rats Of The Week And Praises The Best And It Will Make Your Day
One of the biggest realizations of my adult life has been that rats have an incredibly bad, and undeserved, negative reputation. Sure, they did help spread a plague once, but now we have a new plague (that is not spread by rats, so wear a mask, folks!) so I feel like we should move on from blaming rats.
This rat sanctuary, hilariously named Rachie's Ratirement Home, takes care of rats of all shapes, sizes, and ages and is located in Brisbane, Australia. They use their Facebook page to name the best and worst rat of the week, and it will bring you joy!
Lucky had a rough week, tbh.
Spencer, get it together.
We love a multi-talented rat!
In an interview with Bored Panda, the owner, Rachel, said:
"The rat community is a lot bigger than people think, but because of the stigma around rats, there isn't much support for them. Our city alone has several huge, established guinea pig rescues, but not a single specialist rat rescue is active in the whole state.
So when people found out I was helping here and there (despite being a broke uni student), the demand was overwhelming. We've grown constantly since then just to meet demand; we assisted over 300 rats the first year, over 700 in the second, and this year we're not even through February yet and have helped nearly 200!
I've put my career in genetic engineering aside for now to focus on this. The volunteers laugh because I'm allergic to rats, but someone's gotta do it!"
Mary, that is devious!
"Because rats get depressed when kept alone, we do a lot of palliative care for 'last man standing' rats for those who don't intend on getting more rats, or we foster out companions to keep them company in their last days,"
Button certainly makes a lot of appearances on the naughty list!
Me too, Maurice.
Johnny a HERO
These posts really show the duality of rats!
"I saw a photoset from a zoo that had done the same thing with their penguins, and it was such a good fit for a regular piece to make people laugh and show them how unique and hilarious rats can be!"
REM!
"Usually, it's someone who's made us laugh, pulled some silly stunt, or really touched our hearts. Often, it's our one-eyed brat Button causing some kind of chaos. Sometimes we add in a rat who's passed away as a tribute for the team to have a smile about. And sometimes you've just gotta have a picture of Spoon!"
Bitey seems to be appropriately named!
The account gets a lot of attention!
"People follow us on Facebook from all over. We've had people doing everything from making memes about the rats to drawing art of them, and so much love from the wider rat community. We're really grateful for all the love and to be able to show our ratties and what we do to the world! Rats really do deserve so much more than they get, and we're hoping to reach more and more people who feel the same way and want to lend support."
My milkshake brings all the boys....
Elsa just wanted to redecorate!
Maurice is learning!
Damn it, James.
I am obsessed with these rats!
Rats actually have incredibly distinct personalities!
Moni is so cute!
Tell us your favorite rat in the comments!
Don't forget to show your support for the joy that rats bring to our lives, as highlighted by Dr. Alexandra Solomon, a relationship therapist, who states, "The bond we create with our pets can teach us about love and connection in our relationships" on her website dralexandrasolomon.com. You can also connect with the community on their @rachiesratirementhome Instagram page and follow their adventures there.
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