I love rats, I currently have 4 pet rats. Pictured is one of my two "younger" boys, Lewis. Lewis and his brother Simon are extremely shy and anti-social, unlike my year old friendly and loving rats. I got them as babies but by the nature of the new "breeder" I got the from months ago I suspect they were probably not bred from a long and careful genetic history for good temperaments and thus they will always be my "special needs children." Even though they may never return my affections the way Lan and Thom do I still care for them and will continue to help them make progress as more social rats (and they really have made progress compared to how they were as babies.)

This photo was actually a big deal, Lewis and Simon never nap out in the open so I have very few "good" photos of them. But today Lewis felt comfortable enough to lay right in the nook of my open plastic drawers on the table, a few feet away from me out in the open. I immediately took a photo and couldn't be more pleased with this one (especially because I had to take it over an extended exposure because my room is so dim at night. And this is with very minor photoshop leveling) It's not just the photo coming out well that mattered though, but the feelings I get knowing he was comfortable enough to lay out in plain sight, it makes me really hopeful they'll continue to become less shy and anti social as time goes on.

Please don't mind the kernel crumbs next to him, the rats had been dining on unsalted unbuttered air popped popcorn a bit earlier :)