This 21-year-old living in the United Kingdom is selling paintings created by her twelve pet rats. Steph Toogood, the girl behind this ingenious product, had the idea when her 13th rat, Capitan Jack Sparrow, unexpectedly died in 2018. Wanting to keep Mr. Sparrow in her memory, she took an impression of his paw prints in paint when he died. Wanting to keep a memory of her other “boys” while they are still with her, Steph has them creating their own paintings. By dipping their paws into paint and walking on miniature canvases, these twelve rats create the cutest little abstract paintings.
Steph is currently working full time in the veterinary industry, she has a great love for all animals and will soon become a certified veterinary nurse. She amassed her twelve pet rats simply out of a love for the animal.
Along with her twelve painting rats, she is also a parent to a dog and owns a small pet portrait photography business. Steph frequently takes pictures of her pets with miniature props and posts them to her Facebook page. Here is a list of our favorite creations by Steph and her rats!
1. Meet Barbossa, he is very proud of his painting!
2. He certainly had fun creating it.
3. Barbossa gets to paint often, this is his most recent creation.
4. After a long day of painting, he has earned a well deserved break in his own tiny hammock.
“My rats aren’t just artists to me. They’re my best friends, and they will not spend their lives covered in paint, no matter how high the demand is for their art right now.” Steph comments on her Facebook page.
5. Merlin is unsure of his paintings…
6. He is very social, though,
7. And excels more in group projects.
“Some of the boys are target trained and will follow a target stick or by hand to make painting easier – we even have a miniature agility course which some of them are good at!” She continues.
8. Ranger is very excited to show you his painting!
9. His brother, Gibbs, is a bit more advanced than him, though.
10. Just kidding, this is Gibbs’ actual creation
11. Turner is the show-off of the family.
12. He has a blast with his paintings.
13. He really likes to spend his time off relaxing in grassy fields.
14. Arthur is the abstract painter of the family.
15. And then, well… There is the hairless sibling
16. Not that there is anything wrong with you, Noodle. You just stand out from the crowd.
17. Steph sells her rats creations on her Etsy shop.
18. She has many products for sale there, like this heart pendant.
19. The family works very hard to create these!
20. You can also purchase Christmas ornaments,
21. Keychains,
22. Individual prints,
23. And a plethora of other products that are paw-painted.
24. Steph’s Esty shop is currently sold out. She will be restocking soon! Keep an eye out for new products here.
More info: Toogoods Tiny Paws
Steph and her rats’ paintings really prove that their is a market for anything… She is not really interested in promoting rat paintings though, she simply stumbled upon this strange niche market by accident. Her intentions are to spread good pet welfare and an awareness that rats make awesome pets! She swears by their loyalty. You can find more information on Steph’s Facebook page, Toogoods Tiny Paws, or see if any paintings are for sale on her Etsy store.