'My bones are thick, my fat is padding, and my muscles are stretchy': Acrobatic Rat Trio Demonstrates That They Are Smol but Durable

Rats have always been an animal with a lot of misconceptions. As a species, they caught a lot of flack after the Black Plague and basically got blamed for the deaths of ⅓ of Europe and since then, they've been running from that doomed stereotype. However, what a lot of people don't realize, is that rats are also incredibly popular pets. Despite their association with plague, death, decay, and filth, there are a large number of folks who don't see the grimy street rat stereotype sitting in front of them, but instead they see a tiny, trainable rodent with glistening eyes and soft little bellies. 

One rat lover has documented her care and love of these animals on her Instagram. She owns three very acrobatic and ambitious little rodents who seem to have taken over every square inch of her home. Honestly, even if you're a rat hater, these little guys are just so handsome — there's no denying it any longer. There's no way that these three would be able to decimate an entire population through plague transmission. Just no way. 

u/friendlyratforecast

Despite their obvious cuteness, some of her followers still can't get that darned plague mindset out of their heads. Or maybe they're just New Yorkers that got chased by a feral subway rat once and really never let that trauma go. Regardless, there are a lot of people out there who hate rats just for being rats.

However, there's one thing that is simply just too cute not to win over the hearts of the doubters. Acrobatics. 

Some rats are really lazy and like to just eat all day and groom themselves. Au contraire, this woman's fleet of high flying rodents are all highly trained, highly intelligent, and super athletic rats who are allowed free roam of the house. This ain't Ratatouille! It seems like each rat has their own personality and gets into trouble in their own way. One of the rats is decidedly rebellious and likes to launch his way into the kitchen. 

Another rat is a little more tactical and uses her surroundings to climb onto tall objects. All the better to survey the land with, so I'm assuming her motive to climb tall things is to see a bit better around the house. Like all climbers, the peak isn't always the goal, it's the journey.

The third and undoubtedly craziest of them all is the most chaotic rat in existence. This is one rat who can, and will, literally fling themselves towards every surface. This little guy is a trapeze artist and apparently has the most durable little rodent body in existence. 

This audio was made for him

So whatever you think about rats, whether you imagine them carrying plagues or carrying your heart, it's undeniable that this high-flying little rat guy is quite possibly the cutest pet.