Pinkies!

Exciting news, everyone! I recently heard from the breeder that the litters of new fancy rats we’ve been expecting were born on the 4th of July! (That should appeal to my American friends, though it’s not a significant date here in South Africa.) 🙂

Anyway, here are the pics of the boys from each litter – helpless and hairless and utterly gorgeous – at two days of age:

Boys from Litter 1

Baby rats at this stage are called pinkies, and you can see why. But they’re not always pink. The boys from Litter 2 were already very dark at two days old, showing how dark they’ll be when they get their fur:

Boys from Litter 2

Aren’t they adorable?

OK, I know you can’t tell much from these pics. While pinkies are sweet in their own right, there’s even more cuteness to be had as they grow 🙂

Next up: the fuzzy stage. But first let me introduce you to the parents…