I usually just say things like “hey! hey! heeey!” and things like “no, no, don’t go up my sleeve!”
]]>i showed their owner why engine cylinders in a 4 cylinder engine run 1 3 2 4, not 1 2 3 4 using this pointing technique, and having them all fall over backwards in turn when pointed at 1 2 3 4, rather than 1 3 2 4 :)
]]>Also, because I am a dork, when they were using me as a jungle gym (a frequent occurrence) I would often cry out “Oh my God, rats, THEY’RE EVERYWHERE!” in mock horror.
Lastly, I became fascinated by rat anatomy and various rat facts, and would croon them at my girls very often. “Who can’t see color? Yoooooou can’t!” Aki’s final illness lasted a long time, a rare thing in rats, and toward the end she could barely move. I would place her on my bed and have conversations with her: “Did you know that you have twelve mammae? It’s true! Twelve mammae means you win!” In response she would groom me.
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