"If there is anything I hate more than another it is a rat running over me in the darkness." - George Orwell, Down and Out in London and Paris "If there is anything I find kind of annoying it is Steve chewing sunflower seeds at night." - concerning Steve my rat.

Steve is a Tan and White Berkshire Rex fancy rat. I didn't name him myself, the name just came with him. His favourite foods are sunflower seeds, cornflakes, graham crackers, mac and cheese, yougurt, dried banana chips, dried pineapple, peaches, and potato. His interests are shredding newspaper, sitting on my shoulder, racing around at 3 a.m. in the morning, and making sad begging faces when I leave in the morning.

Steve with some hats I've knit. He's wearing his little bandana.

Steve passed away last year, just over a year old, summer of 2000 after his recurring intestinal problems finally resulted in a blockage which couldn't be fixed. Steve was a very well behaved rat who loved people. He lived alone without other rats, which I'm told makes them very lonely and that you should get them companion rats, but maybe it was better this way because of his health problems. He did enjoy wrestling with human hands, in the place of rat friends, and managed to ride on my shoulder or up my sleeve through most situations (except for chopping vegetables, the noise scared him). He was a marvellous little 'monster', the first rat I've ever owned, and I do miss him.

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