Oggie and Oden

I've been hesitant to mention this as I don't want to jinx it, but I've just gotta share the cuteness with everyone. On Saturday, I added two members to my um, one-person family. I adopted two baby rats from Petland (scary name, isn't it?) in Topeka. Without further ado, here they are:



They both have the exact same markings (white body, colored head, stripe down the back) just with different colors. I haven't officially named them yet, although I have a couple names in mind. This one (the gray one) I'm thinking Oggie, and don't ask, I have no idea where I got that name from.



This is the brown one, and I'm kind of torn on the name. I was thinking Oden, because I really like that name (it's the name of a Norse god), but I'm afraid it's too close to Oggie. If not, I'm thinking Pehr. It has roots in Scandinavia (Sweden, I think), and I met a guy named Pehr once, and I really like the name. But he doesn't really seem like a Pehr. It's too harsh for him. He's really skittery and shy. And Oden, for some reason, sounds like a soft name.



Here they are together. They always furiously clean themselves after I hold them, even though I wash my hands right before holding them.



And here they are sleeping, which they do all the time, especially after I hold or feed them. They are always adorable when they sleep because they both fit their little bodies in this igloo. Sometimes one will sleep on top of the other, and I'll sometimes catch one with his little rat arm around the other.

I've spent the last three days trying my best to socialize them, by holding them and talking to them and practically tearing them out of their cages. I know it's going to be a big task over the next month. They came from a store where they weren't handled as babies, and that is a big setback. I'm really really hoping they'll settle and get used to me. I have big hopes for Oggie–he actually fell asleep on my arm today. And when I pet him behind his ears, he does this little clicking thing (bruxing, I think it's called) with his teeth. I'm hoping that's a good thing. But Oden is extremely high strung when I hold him. He won't stop trying to get away from me, and I've been patient, holding him for a good 30-45 minutes before finally letting him go back in his cage. But it really bothers me that he's not improving as fast as Oggie. Time will tell, I guess.

Anyways, these are my babies! They say hi. You know, in their own little way.