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| The proud father. This male rat was a Spraque-Dorley one. I brought him home as a fully grown-up to make a good father for a litter of 'ratlings'. He was calm and curious -- two good qualities with a rat. |
| The delivery is going on. The mother is a Wistar-rat. I had her since she was born herself, and she was totally trustful.. This is her second litter. |
| The delivery done. The mother (far right) has taken the opportunity to pick some food-pellets from the lid of the cage. |
| A few days of age. The first traces of fur has become visible. |
| 10 to 14 days of age. Very cute, but still helpless. |
| 14 to 17 days of age. Beginning to move around a bit, but rather helpless. |
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| At this age (about 3 weeks) the 'ratlings' are irresistible. They are extremely
active and very playful with a great amount of dare-devil
mentality. The one to the left is standing upright on its hind legs. |
| About four weeks of age: their appearance has become more 'ratlike', but still is very
charming. At this age the individual character of the animals
starts to become significant. If you are able to read the expressions from the rats in the pictures, you will notice that they sometimes appear worried and 'on guard'. The reason is the electronic flash. The rats can easily hear the high-pitched noise from it -- and they definitely dislike it! |
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| A young male. Still rather slim. The rats were trained to stay in and on their cages. In fact the floor is considered 'big and dangerous'. |
| Somewhat older and bigger. |
| For comparison: a mature male. |
| Romping around and ready for hullabaloo. You may distinguish the old mother sleeping in the cage at the right. |
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| A bunch of males looking for opportunities. Play or training -- anything will do! |
| After all -- anyone will need a nap. |
| Well! Just digging a hole. Pure routine. |
| What are we going to do? |
| On the lookout. Nothing goes unnoticed. |
| Playmates come in different versions. |
| Could we play some? Please! |
| The age of the young in the pictures has been estimated by Gitte Bonde Kristiansen, a highly skilled keeper and laboratory technician. | |
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"They get the word, but they do not understand the meaning. (Alistair Cook)." | Next |
23-04-09
