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Tiny Talents

Some pet rats are turning out to be talented artists!

A brown rat has its paws on a tiny easel and a canvas on which there is a design made with paint.

© Steph Toogood/Toogoods Tiny Paws

Steph Toogood sells paintings created by her pet rats. In this photo, one of the rats displays its work.

Some clever artists are making a splash selling their paintings online. These artists aren’t human; they’re rats! And their little works of art are in high demand.

Veterinary nurse Steph Toogood of the United Kingdom has been having her pet rats walk through paint and onto tiny canvases since 2018. After one of Toogood’s rats died, she decided she wanted to put each of the remaining rats’ paw prints on canvas. 

Once their paws were coated in paint, each of the highly active rats ended up creating something different—something more like art. Toogood decided the rats should keep painting, as long as they were willing. Then she started selling the paintings online.

Steph Toogood smiles and holds her pet rat in her hands.

© Steph Toogood/Toogoods Tiny Paws

Steph Toogood sells her pet rats’ paintings through her business, Toogoods Tiny Paws.

“When I first started my business, I had 12 [male rats] who were involved in painting,” Toogood told the BBC. “I now have five bucks [male rats] and 11 does [female rats], 12 of whom paint. The rats are trained to follow my hand and treats. The rats are never forced to run through paint. If they show any signs of unwillingness on the day, we stop.” 

Toogood has inspired at least one admirer to harness her own rats’ creativity. After seeing Toogood’s works online, 18-year-old Ella Woodland, also from the United Kingdom, bought a set of paints and some tiny canvases for her eight rats—Gubler, Rumple, Reid, Hotch, Morgan, Rossi, Luke, and Gideon. 

“They walk around in the paint, which is laid on the floor,” Woodland told media company SWNS. “Sometimes I have to put my finger in a jar of baby food and let them follow it around, so they can walk around the canvas.”

A rat looks at the camera while stepping on a tiny canvas with paint-covered feet.

© Steph Toogood/Toogoods Tiny Paws

Steph Toogood’s rat creates a masterpiece.

Toogood, who features her rats in an Instagram account, says people are often surprised to learn that domestic rats are intelligent, loyal pets.

“A lot of people have come to me and said that what I do with the photos I share has changed their perception of rats, which is lovely to hear,” she told the BBC. “I think that photographs help to capture how cute rats really are and show a different side to them.”

But she also cautions that not everyone should have a pet rat. Rats require a lot of care, and it’s important to learn about any animal’s needs before adopting it as a pet.

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Did You Know?

Rats have their own form of laughter! Scientists found that when tickled, rats make a sound that’s too high pitched for humans to hear. It’s the same sound they make when they play.

A human hand is shown ticking a rat on its belly.

Courtesy of Shimpei Ishiyama and Michael Brecht/Humboldt University of Berlin

Animal Artists

Rats (and humans) aren’t the only animals that paint. People have encouraged monkeys, cats, and other animals to create art by giving them paint and (in some cases) brushes. 

Click through the slideshow to learn which animal friends have a way with a paintbrush.

A yellow lab wears a blue beret as he holds a paintbrush in his paint and applies paint to a canvas.
A 3-year-old dog named Picasso uses a specially modified paintbrush to make his paintings. Picasso lives in Long Island, New York, with human artist Yvonne Dagger.
A human holds a canvas as a sea lion holds a brush in her mouth and uses it to apply paint.
Catalina, a California sea lion, lives at the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Oregon. Catalina’s caretakers say painting helps keep Catalina from getting bored.
A large pig stands on a paint covered cloth and uses its mouth to hold a brush to apply paint to a large canvas.
Pigcasso the pig created artwork that was sold to make money to charity. Pigcasso lived in South Africa until her death in 2024.
A tiny kitten with paint on its paws walks on a large canvas or sheet of paper on which there are already many paw prints.
Best Friends Animal Society, which runs animal shelters in the United States, has some of its animals create paintings. The paintings are sold to raise money for the shelters.

Courtesy of © Yvonne Dagger, Courtesy of Oregon Coast Aquarium, Courtesy of Joanne Lefson/Pigcasso.com, Photo courtesy of Best Friends Animal Society

Oh, Rats!

A brown rat eats something in a grassy environment.

© LiviuConstantin/stock.adobe.com

A rat can be an amazing pet for the right person. But every pet has its own special needs, and even a little rat is a huge responsibility. 

Check out Britannica to learn more about rats!

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