Awwww, Rats!
March 11, 2025
Three small creatures recently joined the Green Chimneys’ Teaching Barn classroom! After a student brainstorm, the domestic “fancy rats” were fondly dubbed Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather after the fairy godmothers from Sleeping Beauty.
Socialization
“The rats are settling in!” reports Danielle Zalewski, Livestock Program Manager. “We are focusing on socialization right now.”
Born on Christmas Day, the rats are adjusting to their new environment. Danielle explains that early socialization involves sharing space with the animals so they can become familiar with human scents and voices. “Now that they’ve learned we’re not so scary, they venture out more instead of hiding all the time,” Danielle says.
Why Rats?
“Rats make wonderful companions because they interact and explore so eagerly,” notes Danielle. “We love working with them to break the stigma that rats exist merely as pests. They demonstrate remarkable intelligence and offer so much!”
Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather will participate in many activities that are educational for the students while also being enriching for the rats. For example, students create mazes from pegboards and build structures for the rats to explore. It’s a perfect opportunity to showcase these rodents’ intelligence and curiosity.
The Teaching Barn classroom residents are typically common household pets. This gives students practical knowledge they might apply at home. “Students probably won’t keep a goat or cow as a pet, but might adopt a guinea pig or rat,” Danielle explains. “Our classroom teaches students how to care for these animals and what responsibilities come with small animal ownership. Also, we see that some students also feel more comfortable connecting with smaller animals.”
After years of without rats in the Teaching Barn, the students are very excited for their return. Enthusiasm fills the air as Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather continue to win hearts, one curious whisker twitch at a time.
Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather are just a few of the animal partners at Green Chimneys. See more of the 300+ creatures that call Green Chimneys home
