“BLESS ALL GOD’S CREATURES”

And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. 25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.”   Genesis 1:24
Donut, Omelet, Pickle, and Olive, these rats are frolicking and sharing their toys to remind us of the joy small creatures can bring to us.  I began photographing my daughter, Esther’s rats when she was asked by a company to post some photographs of her rats playing with toys that are created for birds, dogs, or other animals. Each rat personality shows through the pose and expression on their face.
I enjoy collaborating with my daughter and her rats. I set up the lights and camera and she poses them while I photograph. It takes many photographs to get one good picture because the rats are very wiggly. Hopefully, these images will give insight into how these animals are wonderful companions, playful, and somewhat remind me of Winnie-the-Pooh characters. That is where the titles come from, not a direct quote but an inspiration to what Winnie-the-Pooh, Piglet, and Eeyore have to say.
In addition, Esther has been working on a book on how to train your rats, so you can see the spin and the paw photographs. And the holiday, Valentine’s photograph shows how adorable they are placed in a heart box that will eventually go into our next rat calendar. If you are interested in seeing how the rats are trained, search for “Shadow the Rat” on YouTube to watch Esther’s videos.