Gunnar

..So we decided to get new rats.  Two boys of about 4 months of age that we bought cheaply of a guy that didn’t have enough time to take care of them. They will never completely replace Sam, but having rats in the house again helps. Even though they all have their distinct and unique personalities, they have some of that common rattiness, that is so charming and adorable. I still miss Sam every day, but little Gunnar and Fredrik help to cheer me up.

Fredrik, the husky, on the left, Gunnar, the black berkshire, on the right. In the beginning they were quite timid of humans and they hated being picked up. Now they’ve become very trusting little guys, they hardly tense a muscle when I pick them up and they seem genuinely interested in hanging out with me and Tore. They even give little rattiekisses! I almost cried the first time little Gunnar started licking my chin, it reminded me so much of Sam. This pictures says a lot about rats: I’ve placed a three cardboard boxes on top of the cage for the rats to play in. Of course the thin, oblong one became a favourite (it used to contain a whisky bottle) – which they sometimes fight over, other times they both cram themselves in there, until the box is bulging on each side.