Pippa and her terrible teeth

I have two female rats right now called Poppy and Pippa. They have such different personalities, part of what makes them so special to me. I want to share a few of their funny little habits to show what rats are really like.

Pippa was the one in the pet shop that hid in the corner and looked nervous. I was expecting her to be the shrinking violet of the pair but I have been proved completely wrong.

It is true that Pippa is the subordinate rat and her sister will reinforce this by having a little wee on Pippa from time to time and sometimes rolling her over on her back and pinning her there until she starts squeaking. Luckily female rats rarely harm eachother when they have disputes and this is the case with Pippa and Poppy.

Pippa is not a scaredy rat at all. She is usually the one that clings to the cage wires and chews them to attract attention. She will do this anytime, but especially late at night and first thing in the morning when she is trying to let me know she wants her food.

Pippa is not the most intelligent rat I have ever had, far from it. She really loves to run around in her big blue plastic rat ball. Most of the other rats I have owned quickly get bored in their rat ball but not Pippa.

Pippa loves to jump on my shoulder. She launches herself from an armchair and lands on me. On one occasion she just aimed straight for my face. I have never had a rat do that before and I now have to be careful to make sure she doesn't do it again. I had scratches on my face for days and she wasn't far away from getting my eyes. She didn't mean to do it she just didn't understand that she can't land on my face.

Pippa has one major problem. She chews everything. I even took her to the vet to make sure there was no problem with her teeth. She chews the cage wires, the armchair and my t shirts. Everything that comes within reach goes straight in her mouth. My vet has assured me there is nothing wrong with her teeth so she is just a really naughty rat.

Pippa lives to eat but luckily she is so active that she does not get fat. There is no fat on her, she is just pure muscle. She never runs out of food so she doesn't chew everything out of hunger. Her favourite food is cucumber, one of the range of veg treats that she gets a small amount of.

Pippa is truly unique and I wouldn't change her for any other rat. I just have to come to terms with the fact that I am going to lose a t shirt or twenty during her time with me.