Outside of a couple brief times I had Dusty or Kato on my shoulder as I went to the kitchen to get treats, the babies have never been outside their cage or hallway. Today, they got to see the living room. That is, only five of them. I decided, since two of the girls were sleeping peacefully in the hammock, to only put the five out on the couch, since even five is almost impossible to keep track of. These babes are all over the place. One second they're together in a little pile on one cushion, the next at all ends of the couch.

Ever since I've become a rat owner, I've put towels on the couch. One of the bad things of owning rats is they like to pee and poo. Anywhere. Today was the first day I found little, tiny rat poops in their cage. I never saw them go and still haven't at this point. But now I'm seeing the evidence that they do. So having towels on the couch is a must, even with three week old babies.

I lied on the couch for a few minutes to see what they'd do. They all climbed over me, just as they do when I'm just letting them out of their cage. They love to climb in my shirt, which is good, because it allows them to get used to your scent. This is what I did when I got my first rats, Oscar and Felix. After they climbed in my shirt and got to know my scent, they never wanted to be away from me.

I also let Brook run around the living room too, which she hasn't done since the first week I had her. She scrambled everywhere, checking everything out, spending no more than a couple seconds in every spot. The played with Felix for a bit too, but he wasn't in the mood. She barely came to her babies on the couch. She's very trusting with me when I with them. I put her back in the hallway after a while. She was getting too hard to keep track of.

Felix spent a little time with the babies. But as soon as Brook came, he got away. She likes Felix, but then again, Felix is the father of her children. I think she just doesn't want it to be a one night stand. She wants more. A commitment. Maybe child support. I don't know.

It's great to see Felix with the black babies, though. They look like miniature versions of him. He was about four weeks old when I got him, so I'm really getting flashbacks now. They babies play just like Felix and Oscar did. It's fun to watch.

After I put Brook back in the hall, she hovered around the door, hoping I'd let her back out in the living room. That's Dusty next to her.

Notice the chewed up rug. Hmm. Who's teaching who?