Unlike rabbits, for example, rats like to be picked up and carried around. The docile rodents can learn tricks and are very trusting when affectionate.
They should definitely be kept together with other conspecifics – but not every rat automatically gets along with another. This is also shown by the case of the rat lady Cookie (born 2020), who is looking for a new home with lovers.
He only got his name at the animal shelter. Before that, he lived with a family with children, who unfortunately quickly lost interest in the animal.
From then on, he and his partner, who has died in the meantime, were only provided with the bare essentials. Employment, which is very important for the clever animals, did not take place.
Despite everything, Otto shows his charming side in the animal shelter. He likes to be carried around on his shoulder and uses the keepers’ arms as a climbing frame.
When Otto arrived at the shelter, he had a massive respiratory illness and only very thin fur from the severe itching caused by ectoparasites. Luckily he has developed splendidly and is now looking really good again.
However, his respiratory problems will probably never go away completely. After a long course of antibiotics, however, his symptoms are limited, so he now only gets herbal products to support him.