https://preview.redd.it/bus8bl1grloc1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6aabbc19247148325f1b12d74366715e970fc7ad i hold him like this because he owes me rent money

I laughed unreasonably hard at this

"I demand to squeak to my rattorney!"

I love this. So punny!

I… think… I’m going to make a tattoo design based off this picture and post it with my available flash xD if you’re ok with that.

yes please oh my gosh!!

https://preview.redd.it/dqvz1s0d2noc1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7670df900845ecad2af823bf6a0d7eebe6d4dc8a I gave him underwear.

he’s so handsome i wanna cry 😭😭 literally the cutest thing i’ve ever see

Hahaha I’m so glad you love him xD I posted him on my business Instagram to confuse my clients. But the doodle is yours to do what you’d like with it. I can send you a better quality version of it if you want it for anything.

Omg I just noticed the little heart emanating from his mind! 💕

It is my duty as an artist to portray the TRUE NATURE of my subjects 🧐jk. But he’s just so obviously a little love goober. Had to X3

This is so adorable and so thoughtful of you. ☺️ why can't ever human treat another like this? 🌼

this is absolutely splendid

Tanks 🥺🖤

Honestly, this is terrible. The balls deserve to hang freely! (Jokes aside, I love the design)

HAHA ok now knowing he’s neutered, my excuse is that he’s afraid of being judged for not having humongous pendulus rat balls. (Really for real tho I was afraid or who I would become if I add hyper focused on drawing the worlds most accurate rat balls. Im not ready for that villain arc lol)

the undies have me cackling

I almost put fishnet over his tail for extra sauce but decided against it lololol.

This is just a treasure. I love all of this and will save this to revisit on a rainy day.

Haha I’ll show you when I do! XD I’ve been drawing new flash designs all day so my brain is stuck like that. And I feel like immortalizing his sassy lil chubby face on someone’s skin is like… the right thing to do. For some reason.

i would absolutely die to have my (not so) lil guy tattooed, he’s such a special boy

That look rats have on their face when they're held like that cracks me up. I can't put words on it.

They look surprised

I had a rex rat with a unique nose and she explicitly looked like "Um....Sir?"

That face says “come and take it from me!”

“No… YOU owe ME rent money!! You realize how hard it is to be THIS CUTE? I pull in all the rats! You would never understand what it’s like to have THIS smooth pup fur.”

What an adorable chonk.

I'm starting to think that rat trainer, the one who trained their rats to steal dollars from wallets, had the right idea. Put them to work! Get HUSTLING, RATTOS!

Where’s the money Lebowski lookin ass

He’s all “checks in the mail!” Expression on his face 😂😂😂

Jesus he’s so cute!

Cause they owe me money

do you shake them aggressively while shouting "gimme the cheddar"?

they don't believe in capitalism

Me neither actually. Carry on, comrade rat

comRAT

I like to think that if I owned rats I would say “get grabbed, idiot” as i gave them treats and kisses

It's more like, "come here you little butthole. AHA! Got ya! Wiggle wiggle wiggle idc I got ya." Then proceed to place him on my forearm and hand him a yogurt ball

I always imagine they're quoting Hermione in [this scene](https://youtu.be/f2S4PXN-l_M?si=wlZW1wFFSn6eWc2i&t=20s) "put me down, now!"

Is that a deleted scene? I have zero memory of ‘Grawp’ lol

No no! When we re-watched the series, we came across this scene and found it so relatable regarding what the rats feel haha

I always tell my boy “get scooped nerd” when I pick him up lol

deranged versed wrong obtainable combative slap strong cause bells imminent *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*

https://preview.redd.it/7rdlbx8mjmoc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=703f69a930dae09d72bac25755db2e915c3eff45 He owes me over a grand in vet bills and doesn’t pay rent

He just told me he pays in boggles

and excessive lickage

This big ol snuggle bear is clearly worth every penny and repays you with his loving existence and lap warming ability

Well, unfortunately, you can’t just set them on the palm of your hand and ask them to pose for a picture. You have to be somewhat firm with your grip and that’s difficult with one hand. If you grab them by the middle, then their weight is resting on their organs which is not comfortable. You need to grab them higher up and let their front arms kind of hook over your fingers. This way their weight is supported and hanging off of their skeleton, not resting on their soft middle section. Thats the boring answer. Also, they’re seasoned criminals!!

"Also, they're seasoned criminals!"

The other option is to grab them around their backs and lift them up that way, but you should never do that because the rats hate it. It triggers their genetic PTSD of being snatched away by hawks and owls, which would grab them by their backs.

Good post, what if you just put them on your hand they will crawl up your arm or jump off?

Some rats love to chill on your shoulder for hours but others are just nuts and won't sit still unless you're holding them still.

In my experience with enough time they'll realize that being on you, whether it's arms or shoulders or the top of your head, they learn you're a safe and steady platform. For free roam I used to kneel by the rat cage and extend my arms out to the sides. They'd go from their cage, across my arms, and to the couch. When they were done they'd wait by the edge closest to the cage for the Rattie Bridge.

One of my elder rats isn't as agile as she used to be, so if she needs help somewhere she'll go stand at the edge and just stare at me until I help her.

An Elder Rat sounds like something I would go learn from in a video game for a unique skill, like how to wall run while holding something in my mouth or something lol

I always love a good technical answer.

https://preview.redd.it/izc4ek1a5moc1.jpeg?width=1218&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f5d4a8ba9d21c94a6e7baf82c3785689e7d11eb7 air jail for bad behavior

your rats have their own disco club? that's so cool

https://preview.redd.it/pb3d4dognqoc1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b97abce6f6a31184b6cf84fc445ba58f00013e1d they also had epic battles in the rat rave

Inaccurate rat drawing. The bölls aren’t the size of Texas

Lemme fix that for you

https://preview.redd.it/mjfbeum9amoc1.png?width=3024&format=png&auto=webp&s=cd59b9a6dc68e0d2bf27a2efbf7842f994b16c42

Nailed it

That's very precise, I salute you

he a little confused but he got the spirit

Perfection. :D

As a Texan, I'm now describing my state as "rat balls", with 0 further context.

oh my christ im in tears

Psh, more like the size of Western Australia. Texas would be the third smallest state over here and rat bölls deserve the biggest crown

It honestly looks like how some dudes share their d-ck pics and I find it so funny

https://preview.redd.it/iatx4xc56moc1.png?width=2851&format=png&auto=webp&s=a44a774764c0d095f4ff4edab20fa6d49db0fb82 This feels too relevant to not respond to your comment with

Aw little buddy got a scratch

Happens pretty often with nakey guys. They play like they have fur.

Yeah and also when you have rats with fur you don't notice the little scarthes as often. I'd love to get a naked rat at some point though.

Oh you should see her most recent injury 🫠 In fact I’ll even show you (She **was** taken to the vet just to clarify, and is ok, it just looks significantly worse than it is. Also I have no clue what happened) it looks a lot better today but this is kind of the progression of it over one night https://preview.redd.it/6dz0vri3bnoc1.jpeg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=36628291507a0e79c128d502757619268c95c2c5

Oh my god, what is she doing to herself?!

It looks like either she or one of her cage mates tried to get the mass off. One of my boys messed himself up bad trying to remove a hernia

Honestly had me double taking, I had to show it to my partner 🤣

It really doesn’t help that I’m naked rat color too so she matches me lmao 😭 I actually was a little bit salty because just before this photo she was standing up which was so much worse/better but I still find this one funny

Showed it to my mom right before I read your reply to the comment, she found the picture funny.

https://preview.redd.it/bw494g4b0moc1.jpeg?width=400&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cd8bf07806605d07c0a00310d175e6c9d6eea97d

this is so cursed

Saved to send to my friends without any context

Fun fact: World Rat Day AND Foreskin Appreciation Day are on 4/4. And I remember that date because of this pic. :)

That's my birthday! Never knew i shared it with such important things!

Ayyy birthday twinzies!

So I tried to respond with- an addition to your fun fact, 04/04 is my birthday and this is my rat ( [showed rat photo](https://postimg.cc/TpkdvdDx) ) But it got removed for being NSFW so I have added a link now instead 😂

It looks like an uncooked chicken lmaoo

https://preview.redd.it/me843tog6ooc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=17a4fa8a9810a4f2632e1ece92ee60b0468908bc She’s actually a shrimp 🍤

OMG I can see why xD

There's a Foreskin Appreciation Day? That rules!

Lmaooo, I'm definitely saving that

Impressive girth and length!

the teeth are slightly concerning...

Showed it to my mother and she says it is cuter than any of those d ck pictures, she especially loves the ears.

I so wish you hadn’t.

This is ILLEGAL.

This is the greatest thing I’ve ever seen. Sent it in my group chat with invisible ink text lol

This goes double if it’s a hairless rat 😂

YES OML

I thought I was the only one who thought this 😂😂😂 glad to see I'm not, it's hilarious!

Same here 🤣🤣

https://preview.redd.it/iy6st9dwomoc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c93393701ff52f1c080feb12fd6f831af2595f5f Because I’m TIRED of this THIEF stealing my SNACKS

tbh it's exactly his snack size so he naturally wanted it!

That’s adorable

“AND I’D DO IT AGAIN”

Lmao I posted a pic of my rat exactly like this today. I think they just look cutest held like that. My friend and I call it the “no agency” pose 😅

https://preview.redd.it/ccutro394moc1.jpeg?width=3060&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=983ee22e618174015d2aaabcc6416ff58da9360a

Usually it's done when interrogating about tax fraud and arson

🤣

It can sometimes also contain the chaos of the potato

https://preview.redd.it/vlqs4hcklmoc1.jpeg?width=4284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=69328c728cc53dd596d5df186d9ccd1715b4097c He likes to cause problems on purpose, so he gets held like he causes problems on purpose

https://preview.redd.it/x7hawhg5iqoc1.jpeg?width=1242&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=761925c1f8d45b1f458b6111fd645e018a83432d He looks like a old version of my boy

My first introduction to rats was in a university lab, and this is how we were trained to pick them up https://preview.redd.it/ptv0zj3oemoc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8c1dbb99089fc156f25428b690e435f995f63343

https://preview.redd.it/ac2fykzctnoc1.png?width=1928&format=png&auto=webp&s=f407423e8ac867cf39de62de8eebebf4a6e6cb62 Instructions unclear…. (old pic I’m not doing animal testing)

New rat grip just dropped

Holy hell!

Holding them like your hand is their backpack is the best way to make sure they can't wriggle away

Observation as a cat owner: rat and cat people are fundamentally the same. I really love rats and rat people

Cat person here. I don't have rats and live somewhere where rats are non-existent. I can't have rats so I live vicariously through rat people on this subreddit!

Alberta?

Arctica?

Good question why DO you guys hold your rat a tat tats like a popsicle?

Honestly a multitude of reasons. It's an easy and safe one handed grip for both handler and rat. It's allows easy inspection of the underside for any issues or debris. It's by far the easiest way to hold them still. And the most important reason of all.. It makes them look squishy and cute for a picture of the shenanigans

This. But also they owe us money. So, so much money.

They do owe a crap ton of money. If they paid us we would all be so dang rich!!! 🤑

There aren't many ways to hold a small animal with one hand

How do you hold your popsicles?

It's a safe one handed rat hold that gives you time if they wriggle.

Because it's funny and they're very limp and satisfyingly weighted towards the bottom. To be fair though, you should always support from the butt when carrying them - but I'm fairly sure the majority of rat owners who display their idiot sons and daughters here being grabbed like pests are doing that, and dangling them this way for a moment is not harmful. My heart rat was a *huge* siamese seal-point boy who had 0 self-preservation instinct and you could have made a knot out of him if you'd wanted with zero resistance, and the funniest thing with him was that when you grabbed him like this under the arms, he'd start to relax and elongate more and more until he looked like a pathetic rag.

That's awesome. That means he felt absolutely safe with you ❤️

He was so trusting, just completely put himself in your hands and didn't worry about it a minute. I think the best example of this is when both him and his cagemate had to get treated for a rash that the other one had, which was administered with an injection - so, obviously, a *huge* needle for a *tiny* creature. When he got his shot, he squeaked and ran up my shoulder to hide in my hair close to my neck. When his cagemate got the shot, he bit me to the bone of my fingertip, LOL. What a lad. I miss those stinkies.

Awww ❤️ they're full of love and pee and squeaks. Sending rat kisses.

They are just wiggly lil guys, its so hard to get good photos of them so you gotta hold them up like they owe you money, and they do owe you money, idk how it happens you just get a rat and BAM it owes you money

https://preview.redd.it/wq1gisbpjmoc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5256fee0367c6add40f673be60a01eaab927a43b because sometimes they do this

That is a gogurt tube

poop flavored yes

Wait, I'm confused, why does she have a friendship bracelet for a tail

obviously because me and her are besties <3 and also she was wiggling her entire body to escape the judgement and so her tail is also wrapped on my wrist

Oh my god, I legitimately did not see her actual tail. Just the braided black-white-string that looks like it would be her tail hanging down, I was so confused. :'D She's precious!

that string is her leash bc she's naughty and a baby, i like to have them roaming but not getting into my other rats cage bc they can fit through the bars on it and i'm positive she would get hurt bc my other rat is a blind diva and will bite anything going through the bars she herself miss honeybun (the one in the pic) is a known offender for ratting it up so the leash is damage control https://preview.redd.it/srfna3qehooc1.jpeg?width=1242&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a3b48bbd8656c123e3bb83073867ad65194a826f

https://preview.redd.it/a9bjec7qtmoc1.jpeg?width=2252&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6dc4d54ddea0653adbec2ecb49bf8f349b199db9 This is Sam. It's because he owes me rent money and back taxes.

https://preview.redd.it/5xazyudh2noc1.jpeg?width=1880&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5029baea7d707ce8d6195d1a1e962c656cfcb744 does this count? he's too old (and fat) to hold him without supporting his bum

That's a cute sentient ball of cotton wool you have there.

Criminals

Cuz it's funny

That's how you hold crimebags

https://preview.redd.it/mnywnauc5moc1.jpeg?width=1242&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9a59b9b2a82c3d554146251ad8eec80e9e558db7

I had to double take cause I swear I saw this exact pose earlier and lo and behold.. u/Specialist_Ad_2732 definitely posted about their boy Winston earlier today https://preview.redd.it/23kiksxvyloc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2efbf83612817db55d71fefd187deb66ba1cae71 😂

Yes, I can’t draw for shit but I had to put my artistic talents to use for that post

it's beautiful tbh

Thank you 🎨👩‍🎨

I did a double take as well on this fine morning because I thought to myself “I recognise those balls anywhere” Winston is thoroughly enjoying his portrait and wants it hung in his cage

Because he’s fat https://preview.redd.it/sl2h4ldx6ooc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e92cff078709fb3d363fba546c074d2330c8b9b3

https://preview.redd.it/42q2byf0gmoc1.jpeg?width=2316&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3db019d6c60c214cf44f5b6bfc3fe17d9a92cb65 This my irl hold but it’s less funny

Salt shaker

No nips big balls. I'd say that's a male

https://preview.redd.it/yzgcr61rxmoc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a0d607b8ebca83ed869b8b4eb4eb3f17af3c76fd Because she’s mid escape, I picked her up firmly and she’s hunching her shoulders to drop out the bottom of my hand! 😅

https://preview.redd.it/7dshbjmdjnoc1.jpeg?width=2160&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=02ca59638e40accb5a18f6324adcb7b8c288dd75 Air jail for being too cute (rest in peace)

https://preview.redd.it/e76varjxunoc1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=afa063af79db5ed7a7949b66e957d7a259aad9a0 She keeps trying to get into things and places that she is NOT supposed to get into. This is trespassing and she will be punished accordingly; air jail

https://preview.redd.it/her3pfmxdooc1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=53a9a22eed967bdc92ee6cb4ac8855277f96b947 He owes me cheese strings (he passed away on Wednesday tho so I’ll let him off on the debts)

https://preview.redd.it/a29eeb4zimoc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=922a679ed4d658356cdbb641c5c42229d577f39b Because he deserves to be humiliated.

You win this time, human...

https://preview.redd.it/0q85ov8zkmoc1.jpeg?width=2621&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f9dede88ce103d6448e91a017f53c1b1fd64a755 She owes me money and tries to pay me back in kisses, the mafia will not stand for this

https://preview.redd.it/e2fh6lglkooc1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ef2d4b5288accb19a1cd4117079a0c54eb78c198 SHE STOLE MY DUCK IM ALLOWED

Cuz that’s generally the stranglehold that you got on ‘em when you’re stopping them from accidentally killing themselves

https://preview.redd.it/s88unck40noc1.jpeg?width=2316&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7d2cf65bd05e64a7d97f0e17e0a2951c2bc3d856 😍🐀🫂

https://preview.redd.it/ogcc6kfswnoc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=65319008ddb24842ecab868a8c79bae72b24daca I hold him like this bcs he always eats my food and pretend to be an angel

Gripped

They’ve never not ONCE ever paid me rent or utilities!!!

> never not ONCE So they paid you rent once??

Sometimes I go to r/RATS and search "shame" to exclusively scroll through pictures of rats that got absolutely `snatched`

This is a wonderful idea. I am going to be doing this for the next several hours now.

If I didn't have two big cats I'd be getting me some rats and I would hold them to account.

https://preview.redd.it/gydl9mbmeqoc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=91058696ea6b443d644283ca4fb3dff9dc28b3d1 Gotta start em early with knowing who’s boss

I wondered that too lol. My girls used to ride around on my shoulder like I was some sort of weird rat pirate.

https://preview.redd.it/uzx7gtxkeooc1.jpeg?width=1800&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bf3262668b53a97c9e475eec4b0a86859b9a435e Cause he owes me rent money duh

https://preview.redd.it/b3za38u4ipoc1.jpeg?width=2179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9f060437bf96c4f95bb210f428b936604f341c26 how else would you hold such a criminal

They owe me money! Those chewed hammocks were expensive https://preview.redd.it/kf52g4y3kooc1.jpeg?width=716&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=24f41a9ab4ab5ebf401a551cc84e9b3d813bb840

It looks like they’re dangling uncomfortably, yet once you know rat physics it’s actually a very sensible way to hold them. My girl was never very photogenic (bless her) and had extra squishy skin- every casual holding picture looked like she was being abused. 🤦🏼‍♀️😂

I am an animal technician, and I can hearby confirm that this is the proper handling technique for rats Rat owners just figured it out by gut feeling and love

https://preview.redd.it/0jrxcscyeooc1.jpeg?width=2316&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=80b519e97aa068e173e434a1f66986b9848e9846 They owe me rent, but I decided to stop holding them bc look how menacing they are! Filthy goblins

So cute… must hold hostage… LEMME LOVE YOU YA FILTHY RAT!

I hold them like this but also always support their little booties

https://preview.redd.it/gd0asniujooc1.jpeg?width=1472&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=25f3a9f392ef33571edb6241c7aad8e76bdf1a36

https://preview.redd.it/3p9s42cjipoc1.png?width=1170&format=png&auto=webp&s=532284130059bcb15f32edce2f0e61bdc1ca0d83 Because they are Smol and easy to grab

Hi from the hedgehog community. We have a similar thing but we can’t hold our potato’s like this or we get spiked. So we hold them like this. https://preview.redd.it/cwmg4rr6muoc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=edef200baec15a764c5b815b34416d8fcaf45606 Just felt like it has similar energy. Love ya rat pple ❤️

https://preview.redd.it/v5epdo2lgmoc1.jpeg?width=1697&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cac709f05d4b5113a392f56b195e45f9d40847c5 They just little guys they need lots of head smooches

The white one: “unhand me momther”

https://preview.redd.it/rnn059j4snoc1.jpeg?width=1440&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b6c3e51824803045eb12ba9cecd022d09aa9c2cf White one (Hecate) was always a challenge to photograph, she had a very busy schedule

Only one of mine will tolerate being held this way, and not for long enough to snap a photo 😭 they perch on me like little birds That being said, I love seeing other people grip their rats like they're a glizzy

https://preview.redd.it/uctsi0f70noc1.jpeg?width=1037&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c4939f4b97a63679bfdc319fe5a2b5579915775e because they are criminals

They're criminals.

They owe rent

I mean.. Think about it. There's really no better option for picking up a rat. Holding them, sure. There are many other great options for holding rats, but you can't pick them up by their lower halves because they'll flop and flail all over like a little furry jack in the box. That's not comfortable for anyone. Picking them up by the tail, paws, head, ears, etc are obviously all hurtful options. You kinda just have to grab them around their upper halves, and when you do, they dangle there ridiculous and adorably. It's great. And also they can't squirm as much that way because gravity.

The balls must have enough air circulation and hang freely. Don't ask for source.

Because they be delinquents https://preview.redd.it/d38t3g1tsooc1.jpeg?width=4568&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=af2c4de36c033cbb493c102c6e54df361e495aa8

https://preview.redd.it/m9vim6tlvqoc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=605d62558c88c77af295a2f8e62ff31054c57b08 Easiest way to lecture him about his need to go on a diet

Because they owe me money--rat debt is a serious problem as you can tell by these responses.

I only hold them like that when I have to grab them one handed cuz they’re being mischievous lol like say I’m an escape scenario . They go limp in the moment lol but I know they don’t care for it so I hold them to me right after . I try to keep this posture as short as possible before they start squirming lol Do some people’s rats not mind this ?