+
Pets

Rat mama brings her babies to her human owner in super sweet viral video

Despite the reputations of their sewer-dwelling brethren, fancy rats make awesome pets.

Rat mama brings her babies to her human owner in super sweet viral video
Annie Reneau

We started our pet rat journey with two baby rats, Cinnamon and Midnight.

Rats get a bad rap.

When people hear "rats," the first thing many imagine is the honking huge rats in the sewers of New York. Words like "infestation" may come to mind, along with horror stories of people's unexpected encounters with the creepy creatures.

However, such images and stories are a sharp contrast to the delightful adorableness people with pet rats associate with the word.

Our family has had several pairs of rats as pets over the years. The first pair came from a man we affectionately nicknamed Weird Al the Rat Guy, who had an entire rattery in his basement where he bred fancy rats. And after our first pair, we were hooked.


"Fancy rats" are one breed of domesticated rat. Dumbo rats are another. These are not your NYC sewer rats. They're smaller and cuter and smart and sweet. Yes, they do have that weird, hairless tail, but once you get past whatever willies you may have about rat rails, they're the best.

Have you ever seen a rat eating a Cheerio with its tiny little hands with almost-opposable thumbs? You'll never be the same.

Rats were our kids' first furry pets and they were perfect starter pets. They're comparatively low-maintenance, especially if you have at least two. (They're social creatures, after all.) They're affectionate and rarely bite. They love to play and are quite intelligent, so you can train them to respond to simple commands. (Rats have even been trained to sniff out land mines and conduct search and rescue missions.)

Their cages can get smelly if you don't change the litter frequently enough, but females tend to be less smelly than males and rats themselves are super clean. (A rat washing its face is every bit as cute as one eating a Cheerio.)

Our first rats were babies when we got them and oh so very adorable. Allow me to convince you:

Baby rats, Cinnamon and Midnight.

Annie Reneau

How could anyone resist those faces?

Anyway, pet rats are awesome, which is why people keep sharing a sweet video of a mama rat bringing her babies to her owner for safekeeping. Fun fact: Rats generally have between six and 12 babies in one litter. (Can you imagine having a dozen babies at once? OMG.) This mama appears to have nine or so, and she brings them one by one to the crook of her human's arm.

Watch:

The video was posted by Whispering Grove Rattery in Atlanta on YouTube two years ago and has nearly 6 million views. It was reposted this week on Reddit, which has pushed it into virality all over again.

How could it not, though? Teeny little baby rats, a sweet mama rat and a human she trusts enough to hand her babies over to? It's the stuff of dreams. (Or nightmares, if you really can't get past the common squeamishness about rats. I highly recommend reconsidering, though. They really do make awesome pets.)

Pop Culture

People are loving Drew Barrymore's live reaction to her first perimenopause hot flash

“I don’t know that I have ever heard a celebrity talk about a hot flash in the moment. Thank you for being so real."

The Drew Barrymore Show/Youtube

Drew Barrymore getting a quick assist from Jennifer Aniston

It feels safe to say that many, if not most people hail Drew Barrymore as the “Queen of Candid.” She can seemingly talk to absolutely anyone about anything in a way that’s consistently warm and authentic.

That even goes for when she experiences her first hot flash in front of a live television audience, apparently.

While speaking with guests Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler on her talk show, Barrymore abruptly appears flustered, fanning herself and removing her jacket.

Without missing a beat, she says, “I am so hot, I think I'm having my first perimenopause hot flashes.”
Keep ReadingShow less
Science

Fascinating video shows how an orangutan mom learned to nurse from a breastfeeding zookeeper

Zoe had been orphaned at a young age and hadn't developed her maternal instincts.

Metro Richmond Zoo/Youtube

Just two new moms helping each other.

Whitlee Turner, a zookeeper for the Metro Richmond Zoo in Virginia, was given a unique task—teach an orangutan to breastfeed.

Turner’s pupil, Zoe, had been orphaned at a young age, and without guidance presumably hadn’t learned any maternal instincts. Zoe’s first baby had to be hand-raised after she was unable to nurse, so when baby #2 came around, the zoo was determined to reach a different outcome.

That’s why they called on Turner, who had coincidentally also become a new mom. Thinking Zoe could be taught by example—a strategy that’s proven successful in the past—Turner was asked to bring her newborn son, Caleb, in to give a demonstration.

Turner agreed wholeheartedly.

Keep ReadingShow less

Baby Cora bears a striking resemblance to actor Woody Harrelson.

We can all get a little fascinated by doppelgängers and it's fun to find people who look alike. But what do you do when your baby girl looks uncannily like a famous middle-aged man?

Mom Dani Grier Mulvenna shared a photo of her infant daughter Cora side by side with a photo of Woody Harrelson on Twitter, with the caption "Ok but how does our daughter look like Woody Harrelson." The resemblance truly is remarkable, and the tweet quickly racked up hundreds of thousands of likes, shares and replies.

Keep ReadingShow less

A subway station at 59th street in New York City.

New Yorkers may seem like a brash, uncaring bunch to the uninitiated. But when you get to know the people and the city, you’ll probably realize that they are “kind, but not nice,” as opposed to how many describe people on the West Coast as “nice, but not kind.”

A great example of New Yorkers looking out for one another happened on Reddit’s AskNYC subforum earlier this month. AskNYC is where New Yorkers consult one another on various topics, such as where to get cheap rent, subway shortcuts, and places to volunteer.

It all started when a Redditor named Andy, 21, who is autistic, reached out for help in a post titled, “Please help, where do I wait.” On the forum he goes by the name GalacticBambi. Andy is a native New Yorker who moved away at a young age. His father passed away two years ago, so he came back to the Big Apple to see his cousin and learn more about his father.

Keep ReadingShow less
Joy

Basketball referee has an emotional reunion with the player who saved his life on the court

Not many people survive a "widow maker," but thanks to the player's quick actions, this ref lived to call another game.

Basketball referee reunites with player who saved his life.

There are some things people are never quite prepared to experience, and a heart attack is high on that list. Semi-pro basketball referee John Sculli found himself on the receiving end of an unexpected heart attack, right in the middle of reffing a game.

Sculli was keenly watching the game between Toledo Glass City and the Jamestown Jackals when he went from following the players down the court to sprawled out on the ground. He was quickly surrounded by other referees, but his fall got the attention of Myles Copeland, who recognized Sculli was unresponsive and immediately began CPR.

"I had never witnessed someone just collapse, but I knew what had to be done," Copeland told CBS.

Turns out Copeland wasn't just a basketball player, he was also a firefighter, and his quick actions saved Sculli's life. Doctors told the referee and his fiancé, Donna, that he had a "widow maker" heart attack, which is often fatal. So when the two men got a chance to reconnect with Donna in tow, emotions ran high and CBS caught it on video.

Keep ReadingShow less

No more cleaning mattresses. Mom has a hack for stomach bugs.

Whether you have kids or plan to have kids in the future, you should know that you're going to clean up someone else's bodily fluids and waste. It's just a fact of caring for small children. In fact, you can almost guarantee that you're going to clean up vomit that exits a tiny person's body with more force than you knew possible. Is it fun? No. Does it help that kids are cute and just want cuddles when they're not feeling well? Absolutely.

There are all kinds of tips and tricks to make your little ones feel better during cootie season, which can sometimes feel year-round. Some people swear by homeopathic preventions and remedies while others stock up on vitamin C. But outside of Pedialyte popsicles and keeping a bucket nearby hoping for the best, there's not really a trick to surviving the dreaded stomach bug.

Except, maybe there is. A mom who runs the TikTok account @lovedthishatedthat may have just cracked the code to surviving those long nights when your kid has a stomach bug: an inflatable bed.

Keep ReadingShow less