These rats are amazing and would be the PERFECT rats to adopt if not for their severe teeth issues that have lead to some being returned to the sanctuary and requiring regular teeth trimmings. Their teeth unfortunately are growing too long and in strange directions making it hard for them to widdle them down themselves. They start to poke into their lips if left too long without being trimmed They're technically up for adoption if anyone is willing to take on the responsibility of taking to the vet for weekly teeth trimmings otherwise they will live out their lives here at the sanctuary where they can get the care they need.
If you've been following their rescue on Instagram and facebook then you know they were all going to be frozen for snake food, and our friends in the rescue community just couldn't let that happen to these adorable rats! We partnered with Teeny Snoots Rat Rescue, and Jenny Sweet Rats to get these precious critters!
We decided to name this group all Disney themed names because we love Disney! They are ALL the SWEETEST and most SOCIAL rats I've ever met! Collectively as a group, there isn't a single one that isn't friendly and cuddly! They are a rescue owners DREAM! We can't wait to see them grow! Keep following along for more video updates on our socials and consider donating to their care by becoming a sponsor!
I'm sure you've all seen this adorable little boy! He's the most photogenic of the bunch with every photo ever taken of him being just the cutest thing you'll ever see! Nelson is now 2 years old and loves playing with his OG brother Freddie and newest mini rat brother Tommy :)
You'll probably all recognize this heartbreaker too! Freddie is another of the mini rats and is just about the fluffiest rat you'll encounter. He never fails to make everyone smile. We could just watch him for hours he's that cute!
Freddie and Nelson both came to us at around 9 months old from a very nice family who unfortunately didn't have much tome for them while raising a growing family. We were so excited to have them join Frankie's world as we had never seen rats small and adorable! They melt our hearts and I'm sure they melt yours too.
We were so excited when we were contacted to take in these hairless boys because one of our founders Frankies, was almost hairless and we've missed the soft, warm skin and wrinkles that come with hairless rats. These boys instantly connected with us and from the very first time we played with them, they were crawling all over and super cuddly! They are SUCKY boys always wanting attention and waiting at the cage door when you walk by to come hangout. We tried letting them free roam the whole rat room like we do with Charlie, but they were getting a bit mischeivious and climbing up all the other rat cages causing chaos so they're back to the play pen and happy with it. They've also got TONS of energy and run around for hours in the play pen without getting tired.
These boys will be staying as permanent residents of the rescue.
Playful, energetic, and one of the only rat at Frankie's world who we've seen use the wheel! She loves heights and insists on climbing all the way up your legs whether you're wearing pants she can grip with her claws, or bare skin! Ouch! She loves to set up camp on your shoulder or head, but don't you dare try to touch her with your hands or you'll hear her let out a very stern squeak.
Also known as Annie Bannanie, she's not too shy but not too hyper. She gets along with everyone in the group. She's like the goldilocks, just right.
Vera joined Frankies world as a permanent resident because she has recurrent mammary tumours. Although they may look big and scary, we are always keeping a close eye on her to make sure she's not in any discomfort. They are not cancerous masses so as long as she's comfortable, she can live a happy life with them but of course, if they ever start to cause her any discomfort, we would get them removed so she has the best quality of life possible.
Hope is 2 years old, and was integrated with this group of lovely girls when she arrived. She has chronic pain from macrodontic teeth which means her teeth are much larger than they should be, and a funny shape, contributing to great difficulty eating solid foods, and significant pain that needs to be managed with opioid medications and a special soft food diet. Even with such a painful condition, she is showing us that the meds are working their magic and is always wanting to gobble up her mushy foods and run around in the play pen with her sisters.
Moose has joined the permanent resident clan because although we had been working on getting him more comfortable with people and he was making progress letting us hold him, he started having frequent severe nose bleeds. We've never had a rat with nose bleeds before and so we decided it was best for his care to stay at the rescue where he can be sure to get the appropriate prevention, and treatment of his bleeding condition.
Mountain is a permanent resident at our Burlington location. He was surrendered by someone who was facing homelessness. Unfortunately they did indeed lose their home, but they did everything they could to keep in touch with Mountain! Mountain came with us to VegFest and met so many people! He loves being brought on adventures and is such an amazing boy. He is an elderly man and we will be spoiling him until the end of his days.
Jelly Bean is a strange little boy. He ALWAYS seems to want attention from humans and we thought rats, but we haven't been able to find the right match for him yet. We have tried to adopt him out to a couple homes to integrate with their young rats and were very optimistic but for some reason, he's decided its a no for him. We also tried adopting as a solo rat but he seem to like to rough play occasionally nipping and that kind of play isn't for everyone. So for now, he's still a solo boy residing at our Burlington location still loving his time with people. He could still be adopted with the right person who understands his needs, but until we find that, if we can, he's going to remain at the rescue.
This super sweet boy was brought back to a breeder for being nippy and then surrendered to us. He did amazing with us and was so sweet, never showing signs of aggression. He was adopted out and unfortunately he was unhappy, so the adopters did what was best for him and returned him. He is a happy boy living at the rescue as a permanent resident and is obsessed with peanuts!
Baby was surrendered from an accidental litter. His siblings got adopted quickly but he was held back due to some health concerns. He had a severe ear infection and made a full recovery but has a permanent head tilt. He remains very sensitive and needs to be watched carefully. He is a sweet boy and loves his brothers!
Jack Jack
Our sweetest little tiny dancer, the spinning toddler, who left us far far too soon. He came as part of the big Toronto feeder breeder rescue, along with the rest of "the ones who lived" (detailed story above). Unfortunately it appeared that he had some pretty severe brain damage. We're not sure why, maybe he was born with it, or maybe it was some sort of trauma he suffered before he came to us. We tried our best to do everything we could for him, and he enjoyed his time here while it lasted, but sadly, he just wasn't meant for this life. We are heartbroken, and really hope he returns someday soon in another form, ready to live the full life that he deserves!
Henry & Phoebo
Henry the gentle giant, who joined us in spirit Jan 2023 after a very hard fought battle against health issues after health issue.
This is our oldest pair at 3.5+ years old. They've had a tough go. We are at least their 4th or 5th home so far, and we vowed to be their last. They were surrendered to us from someone who hadn't even given them names, and didn't care where they ended up. He was wanting to surrender them because he wanted younger, cuter, "better", more playful pets. They didn't care to give these lovely elderly boys the care and love they deserve, and we can't understand why because they are such gentle giants. The sweetest, calmest, and most well behaved of our current rats. We tried to integrate them with the quartet, which worked really well for about 6 weeks, but after Cocoa-George unexpectedly (and maybe accidentally) bit Henry so bad he almost bled to death, we went back to separate enclosures for everyone's safety!
UPDATE: Sadly Henry is now in the spirit world, he was a very old man, that had a string of health issues one after another (severe constipation with ? parasite infection, respiratory infection, choking and aspiration pneumonia...and while he had turned the corner and was still recovering, doing well...his frail body just couldn't take it anymore and he passed peacefully at home surrounded by his humans and his brother).
Phoebo is adjusting VERY well to life on his own. He developed a 2 separate nasty abscesses on his neck, and cheek that required a couple vet appointments, some teeth trims, and a lot of perseverance! He's just the class clown now, our "hot mess", not able to groom himself because his mouth still hurts a bit, so he just mows down on his mashed food, covering himself in it, happy as can be, and waiting for his post-snack bath :) He is also a frail old man now, but a very happy old man despite his health challenges. He puts a smile on our face every day, and we hope he continues to for a while longer!
UPDATE: As many know from following Phoebo's journey on instagram, he has now passed but not before squeezing every little bit out of his life. He is our rockstar and spent his old age bathing in all the soft foods we could make and cuddling with his new buddies Uzu and Joey until he joined back with Henry across the rainbow bridge. You will be missed by so many Phoebo but will always remain in our hearts.
Uzu
An older fella who is paralyzed in his back legs from hind leg degeneration but that doesn't stop him from loving free roam and playing in his Cheese! He lives alone but still has plenty of fun ad you can see. Mama S calls him Jaws because instead of being able to run away, he uses his mouth to protect himself. but if you're not putting your hand in front of his face within chomping distance, he's super sweet.
He a super smart boy and loves enrichment puzzles! He solves them almost immediately! Faster than any dog or cat we've ever given them to! He's our little genius.
He sadly passed away unexpectedly the same day as Coco George. We are not sure what happened. He was recovering well from a lumpectomy and One minute he was fine and the next we went to check on him and he was gone. It was a very heartbreaking loss.
Moo Moo
We're sure you've all been following Mooshie's long journey on Instagram over the 8 months that she was with us. She is a very special girl, and is very dearly missed. Stay tuned for more information once we get the chance to do her story justice.
Jupiter
Frankie had happily been a lone wolf since her sister Phoebe passed away and after Poppy had no interest in bonding with her. We thought we'd try one more time and adopted Poppy. She came from a loving home where her cage mate had suffered a stroke and could no longer play with Jupiter and wanted to be left alone. We thought that Jupiter would bond with Frankie well with them both having had tragic events happen to their sisters. Unfortunately Frankie wasn't interested in trying to bond with another rat. However, when the rest of the girls came along Jupiter found her new family! At first the girls were a bit unsure of Jupiter. She was still a bit of a loner and could be found sleeping away from the rest of the girls or playing on her own. After a while, they all got used to each other and the sisters adopted Jupiter into their family.
Char Char (Charlotte) & Lucy
You can sum up Charlottes personality by thinking of that nice little old lady in your life that's kind to everyone and always doing more than you think she should be capable of. Her and her sister Lucy were surrendered by a girl who was moving away to university. She's a sleeve rat through and through! You're wearing a sweater? She's in your sleeve.
For the last couple months of her life, she became paralyzed in her back legs because of what we later found out was likely cancer. But that didn't stop her from doing all the same things she always did. She lived an amazing life here at Frankie's world and is missed by all her sisters and moms.
Lucy was very similar to Charlotte but was the sneaky one of the Duo. Just when you think she's cosying into your lap for a nice nap, you realize she's chewed a GIANT hole in your PJ pants in les than 30 seconds! But what's life without rat made holes in all your clothing? Not one I want to experience! Rat's make everything better and are always giving you a good story to tell!
Lucy passed suddenly after initially recovering from a respiratory infection. One day she went into respiratory distress that we think was heart failure secondly to pneumonia. Right till the last breath she was loving her snacks! She passed with a piece of food she was snacking on still in her little paws. That's something we will never forget.
Quinn
Such a sweet baby girl! We only got to spend 8 months with her but she had an amazing 8 months! Unfortunately, we only really started to get to know her 1 on 1 during the month that she was critically ill in and out of hospital. We learned a lot from Quinn. She was our first real experience with a really sick rat and trying to navigate getting proper veterinary care for a rodent. She had severe pneumonia requiring oxygen for almost a month. We were told her chances of survival were slim to none and that we should consider euthanasia. Quinn was still very much showing us that she wanted to fight and was in it for the long haul. We were able to acquire a home oxygen set up so she didn't have to stay in the ICU 2 hours from home. Once in her home environment, she started to recover almost immediately. She was almost fully weaned off her oxygen and doing fantastic when a freak accident took her from us. We're sad that we lost Quinn and could have done more for her but at the same time, what we learned from her has helped us save numerous other rats in similar conditions.
Maggie
The biggest of the girls, though we don't know how. She must secretly be hoarding snacks and keeping them away from Luna the snatcher! Also hard to believe because she's probably the only other user of the rat wheel and the most frequent user! It's her favourite activity! She loves free roam in the play pen.
Luna
The quiet terror. She hides in the background amongst her 5 biological siblings but secretly bosses everyone around, messes up the cage and is an A+ snack snatcher!
Roo
The sweetest most attached rat of the group. She desperately wants cuddles with her hu-moms, but too nervous and easily overstimulated to fully accept all the love she's showered with. She's kind of like the black sheep of the group and needs some quality 1 on 1 time with her moms. Sadly she is nearing the end of her life, not imminently, but she's definitely showing her age. Hard to picture her as an old lady when she still looks and feels like she did at 6mo old when she came to us! For the last few months of her life, she had something going on with her lungs, likely to be fluid overload from failing kidneys which is common in rats. She was living in our oxygen incubator to help her breathe and keep her comfortable for as long as she showed us she still wanted to stick aroung (which was an impressively long time!).
Tommy
Tommy is the newest addition to the mini rat clan and he integrated so well with Freddie and Nelson. He made his way to Frankie's world from a lovely family who had him and another mini rat who unfortunately passed away. Following the loss of his casemate, Tommy was seemingly depressed over the loss and the family was not yet ready to adopt some new rats. They wanted him to go to a loving home and we of course said a big YES! From the second we picked him up, he was the cuddliest little boy and is now super happy being part of the three musketeers! We're so happy to have him here.
Earl Grey & JJ
Our Gentle Giant. Earl is the sweetest boy in the world. No matter what time of day, he knows when someone is coming and is always the first one at the door waiting to come out and cuddle with his mamas. Earl Grey is also quite accident prone!...He has cut his feet numerous times (on what, I have no idea!), and ripped one of his toenails off twice!
One day we noticed something weird about his shoulder. It almost looked like he has dislocated it and seemed like he was in pain. We immediately took him in for an x-ray which gave us news we did not expect. He was diagnosed with bone cancer and the mass we thought was maybe a bone out of place was a giant tumour that grew extremely quickly, as those types of cancers do. After that, he only had a few more days with us as his cancer progressed very quickly and painfully. He was kept as comfortable as possible for as long as we could and given all the love and snacks in the world. Earl will always be the big brother figure at Frankies world and he is missed dearly.
All is well until Grandma rat sits! Bean was the perfect Angel until Grandma came to rat sit and then he decided to turn into an escape artist. He usually chills on the couch and all is fine, but he decided to jump off the couch and go on an adventure! Grandma couldn't find him for a day while he was off exploring the rat room. He eventually came back when he got hungry and heard the food bag being shook! As you can probably guess, he loves snacks! Some of his favourites are... anything he can get his paws on! he's not picky.
Most commonly referred to as Coco G, and identified by the now GIANT ear-ring looking mole he has! This adorable boy is one of our 3.5 year old fellas (along with the rest of the quartet minus Earl) that were surrendered to us when their human was moving to England. She was happy to find us knowing her boys would be in good hands, and requested that we keep these guys as part of the sanctuary, and promise to not separate them or adopt them out.
From Bully to best friend, He used to be the mischief maker of the group. No one liked him much at the beginning and he was kind of an outcast. When Earl passed away, Coco G assumed his role in the group and became the sweet, sucky, cuddly one. It's like he took on the spirit of Earl and he's now the first one at the door, anxious to come out and cuddle with everyone!
These girls came from a town very far north and we weren't sure how we were going to get them to us! We received a message from a high school girl in a small, northern town 7 hours away from us asking if we could help her find a home for her rats who she was no longer able to properly care for. Initially, we said we were not able to take them in because we were already at capacity and had no way to get them to us. Instead, we suggested she try various rehoming websites and Facebook groups to try and find somewhere more local. A couple months later, she reached out again saying that she had had no luck and asked if there was any way that we could take them. With no other rescues closer than us, we found a way to make it work. We posted on some buy and sell groups for their town to ask for volunteer drivers where we found a very nice lady and her son who were driving down our way for a hockey tournament that weekend! how Canadian! So with the hockey sticks and skaes, came Jynx and Fern! You'd never have known that they had had minimal interaction with humans prior to arriving at Frankie's world because they come when they're called, are spooky and they love being handled or hanging on moms shoulders.
It's with amazing people like them, and all of you who take the time to read our stories and donate that we are able to make things like this happen!
When we found Charlie he was about a year old at best guess, and the worst story of all. He was surrendered by a lovely woman who rescued him from a hoarders apartment. Charlie and multiple other rats had been living there, amongst the piles and piles of garbage, clutter, and rotting compost. We offered to help clean out his apartment, in attempts to find the others, but they were sadly nowhere to be found. In the process of our search, we found the little nests throughout the apartment where the rats were living. Bits of dirty clothes, rotting food with nibbles out of it, old paper, and smells so bad you wouldn't even imagine. Despite his past, Charlie was incredibly trusting, so loving, and so gentle. Very easy going, and all he wants to do for the rest of his life is hangout with his humans in their pockets, and we're ok with that. He's been through so much, and settled in here so well, that we decided he was going to stay a permanent sanctuary resident. He spent his life free roaming the rat room and finding the cutest places to nestle in for a nap. He was the only rat who got that privilege because he knew his name and would come to us when called! He also LOVED cuddles! In his old age, his back legs were starting to fail a bit so he was living on bed in the rat room so he didn't try to climb and accidentally fall. Anytime we made an appearance in the room, there was Charlie waiting for snuggles! We have never seen a rat more needy for cuddles and scratches he just always wanted to be pet. He lived a very full life with us and we absolutely loved every second of it!
Everybody loves FRANKS!
Frankie and Phoebe are the founder's of Frankie's world. They came to us after the passing of mice we had previously rescued. We loved having mice and thought rats can't be that different! Boy were we wrong! But in the best way possible. Frankie and Phoebe have an amazing story that I'm sure a lot of you know from social media posts. We will be adding more to it shortly so stay tuned!
Phoebe aka our rat dog. She LOVED to sit on window sills or anywhere really and wrap her tail around making her look like a dog.
Poppy came to us after the passing of Phoebe. We adopted her as she was on her own and we thought her and Frankie would bond together however when we tried to integrate them, Poppy had no interest! But that's ok because she had the most amazing life with us!
Stay tuned for more of her story! We're still writing it and want to do her justice.
is a monthly sponsor for the group Ask What Makes us Special which helps our rats with various conditions making it necessary for them to remain with us as permanent residents.
has become a monthly donor in loving memory
is a monthly donor our The Older Fella Uzu who we all know and loved as well as our Hairless Boys Scraggles and Scoobs.
is a monthly donor for Cleft Lip Clove and in memory of Old Man Bean.
is a donor for the Hairless Boys Scraggles and Scoobs!
is a monthly donor for Cleft Lip Clove and in memory of Old Man Bean.
has become a monthly donor for Old Man Bean.
is a monthly donor for The Hairless Boys Scraggles and Sccoobs!
is a monthly donor in memory of Bean and Coco George.
is a monthly donor for the OG girls Nora and Annabelle as well as all those who have passed.
is a monthly donor in memory of Uzu.
is a monthly donor for The one's who lived who are now names our rats with teeth issues making it necessary for them to remain with us to treat their tooth condition every couple weeks.
is a monthly donor in loving memory of Bean and Coco George
is a monthly donor in loving memory of Bean and Coco George
is a monthly donor in honour of all the residents who have passed away.
makes a monthly donation for The Gilmore Girls Paris and Gigi
Donates monthly in loving memory of The Lone Wolf Charlie.
makes a monthly donation to The Ones Who lived aka our toothed rats who require teeth trimming every 2 weeks due to a genetic condition.
Makes a monthly donation to the rats in loving memory of Old Man Phoebo
Makes a monthly donation to the rats in loving memory of Old Man Phoebo
Makes a monthly donation to the rats in loving memory of Old Man Phoebo
makes a monthly donation to our Dental "Nightmare" rats who require teeth trimming every 2 weeks due to a genetic condition.
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