I have been taking pictures of pet rats for years hoping to break the negative image that is often associated with these lovely animals.

Here are some of these photographs, both of my rats and of my friends' rats and, as you may see, they are far from being dirty nasty little monsters! They are actually highly intelligent social beings that love interacting with each other and their favorite humans. They are very friendly, smart, playful, they love cuddles and are very clean: many rat owners agree to compare them to tiny dogs.

I made all the little accessories (except for the little black hat) so these wouldn't constrain the rats: they could remove them very easily, although they didn't bother most of the time as they were quite cool and relaxed. No animals were harmed during the making of these pictures, the ladybug was also alive and well and flew away soon after the photo shooting.

If you ever want to adopt pet rats, please consider contacting your local pet shelter as there are many rats awaiting for a forever home. You must also adopt at least two rats of the same sex, rats absolutely need to have a friend from their own species.

More info: dianeozdamar.myportfolio.com