Seasons of the Rat

By Charles Rocha

What you have here is a photo journal documenting the lives of some pet rats who happen to live in Ukraine along with their owner. This unique type of journal contains over 500 photos and covers four generations of rats over a seven-year period, from before and after the COVID epidemic and into the war in Ukraine. If you have never owned rats but are curious about them, this book will give you an insider’s view of daily life with rats, along with the ups and downs of owning them. If you already own rats or have owned them in the past, this book will give you another owner’s unabashed perspective on rat ownership. Maybe you will see some of your own rats' behaviors in this motley mischief of Ukrainian rats! And if this unique book appeals to you, check out my previously published titles "Lo, the Might Rat!" and "Eye Like Black Pearls" to get the inside scoop on the cast of characters shown within these pages.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Charles Rocha
• Release date: Apr 30, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215308103

Charles Rocha

Charles Rocha is a graduate of Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Washington, with a B.A. in English and an M.A. in British Literature. Currently he works as an ESL instructor in the city of Dnipro, Ukraine. He has had stories and essays published in small journals and online story websites.

Book preview

Seasons of the Rat

Seasons of the Rat

A Photo Journal of Rats

By Charles Rocha

Copyright © 2023 by Charles Rocha

Published by Charles Rocha at Smashwords

ISBN 9798215308103 (epub edition)

Cover design by Charles Rocha

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

Thank you for downloading this ebook. You are welcome to share it with your friends. This book may be reproduced, copied and distributed for non-commercial purposes, provided the book remains in its complete original form. If you enjoyed this book, please return to your favorite ebook retailer to discover other works by this author. Thank you for your support.

Contents

Introduction

The Old Girls

The Second Generation

The Third Generation

The Fourth Generation

About the Author

Other Books by this Author

Introduction

The most difficult part of putting together my previous book, Eyes Like Black Pearls, was choosing the photos that would best portray the essence of what I wanted to show. I have taken a huge number of pictures of my rats over the years since I resumed keeping them after a nearly 40-year gap. Since I work from home most of the time and I occupy the same room with my rats most of the day, I have ample time to observe and interact with them and take a lot of pictures. This was especially true during the coronavirus epidemic. And now there is a war here in Ukraine, which is where I currently live.

Presented here is a photo album of my rats, which I have kept since 2017. The photos are divided into four chapters in chronological order. The divisions are marked roughly by the births and acquisitions of new rats and the rise to prominence of succeeding ones. In my descriptions, I usually refer to the first generation as the Old Girls. Although the girls were a generation in themselves, they died off without giving birth to any rats that I kept. The rats I have today are largely descended from Albert, Fiona, and Trixie, who began The Second Generation.

Most of the photos in this book have not been published before, although many of them are  different takes of photos shown in previous books. There are a few duplicates, however, as there may not have been other shots available. Also included here are some video screen captures. The quality of these photos is somewhat lower than the others due to the limitations of my video equipment. The early photos, mostly those in The Old Girls chapter, are of poorer quality due to the same reasons. All photos in this book are shown in the order they were taken to give an accurate chronology of the events in the rats’ lives. A lot more happened with (and between) these rats than what the photos show, but that is to be expected.

Ostensibly, the rats in my home are my pets. However, the vast majority of the time, they interact with each other and do whatever they please without my interference. Most of the photos I take of them are candid, taken on the spot with little preparation. Because of this, the table they live on sometimes appears quite dirty in the photos. They seem to like the table that way. (Or maybe they just don’t care.) If I clean the table and make it spotless, it’s already a mess after 10 minutes. Guaranteed. If you own rats, you know what I mean. Still, I put them together in a clean place for a photoshoot from time to time.

Although this book can be enjoyed on its own, if you’re interested in having more background information on the characters presented here, please read my two previously published rat books, Low, the Mighty Rat! and Eyes Like Black Pearls. If you have already read them, you already have a sense of my enthusiasm for rats. These creatures, not just my own, never cease to amaze me. I hope that by looking through these photos, you can share my appreciation for them.

The Old Girls

These are the rats that I bought in 2017 from local pet shops. Six rats comprised this mischief: five from the pet shops and one born into a litter that Alexandra had. Sadly, all these rats have long ago crossed the rainbow bridge. Nonetheless, they are not forgotten.

Image1

Here is a group shot of the girls with an untouched piece of cheese in the middle. Clearly visible are the different markings on Natasha (facing left) and Trina (facing down). The brown on the back of The White One can also be clearly seen. Angela poses in the middle.

Image2

Here are the White One, Angela, and Trina cowering in the corner. The piece of cheese is still untouched.

Image3

Here’s another shot of Trina and the White One, arguably the two shyest of the rats.

Image4

This is a nice photo of Trina. She is the youngest and, so far, the smallest of the bunch. I regretted buying her and taking her away from her litter at such a young age. I bought her from the same pet shop where I bought Natasha. She was terrified as soon as I got her home. To make it worse, Alexandra bullied her endlessly. Poor rat. I love her big ears, though.

Image5

Here is beautiful Alexandra standing up on her hind legs. Although it is not obvious from the picture, a few days earlier she gave birth to a litter of nine pups.

Image6

Here’s another picture of Alexandra, looking nervous as usual. It’s those wild-rat genes at work. Or maybe she was thinking of her pups in the other room?

Image33

While I was doing the photoshoot on the kitchen windowsill, I went back to take this photo of Alexandra’s pups sleeping in the other room. I kept Alexandra in a separate cage while she nursed her pups. Sadly, she was a rather inattentive mother and seemed more interested in spending time with the other rats than nursing her pups.

Image7

Angela is on the left in the foreground, and Alexandra is on the right. They are hard to tell apart unless you see them side by side. Although Alexandra is a shade lighter, it’s hardly noticeable. That is Trina sprawled on top, and The White One is behind and underneath.

Image20

Here are Trina and Alexandra. In this photo, we can clearly see Trina’s adorable ears and Alexandra’s beautiful eyes.

Image8

Alexandra has the most soulful eyes I’ve ever seen on a rat. The tail in the foreground belongs either to Natasha or Trina.

Image34

Here is Natasha looking on while Angela sniffs the air, showing off her ratty incisors.

Image9

Angela strikes an elegant pose as she looks out the window and into

Reviews for Seasons of the Rat

[Rachel Anderson · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book follows a mischief of rats through multiple generations and all the joys, loss, and surprises encountered along the way. The descriptions of the different rat personalities, intelligence and dynamics of support and empathy, in this ever changing family, was a page turner. Reading this makes me want to find myself a pet rat - especially a curious & friendly rat who will sit on the edge of the table, waiting for pets.

For anyone who’s read ‘Charlotte’s Web’ and possibly cried at the ending - this mischief has included many rats that are incredibly sweet / memorable, who might not live long but elements of their personality/ looks are carried on by their children.