Ratatouille Fuels Pet Rat Craze

By Katey Rich

Remy the rat from the hit Ratatouille

Confession time: in my senior year of college I shared my house with five rats-- voluntarily. No, I'm not being mean to my housemates. Two of my real, human housemates kept pet rats, and though I initially squirmed at the idea of sharing a living space with those long-tailed, beady-eyed creatures, I kind of grew to love them. They're genuinely affectionate. They're smart--and rarely try to escape, thank God. Best of all, they only live about two years, perfect for a college student likely to move on to an apartment that will come with plenty of rats of its own-- the less-friendly kind.

When Ratatouille came out this summer I called each of my former housemates in excitement for them-- one is currently a culinary student, so it was particularly apt. Now it seems they were both prophetic, as pet rat sales have skyrocketed both in the U.S. and Europe thanks to Remy's success on the big screen. In the U.K., where Ratatouille opened Oct. 12, rat sales have jumped 50%; with the film sitting atop the box office for the last two weekends, that trend will likely only continue. In a press release at UKPets.co.uk, the retailer noted that "Dumbo" rats have been most popular, given that their large ears closely resemble Remy's.

Not everything is looking up for the rats of the U.K. though. The British political blog Aftermath News noted that "The British countryside has been hit by an 'explosion' of rats after this summer's flooding, with a series of mild winters helping extend their breeding cycle." Anyone imagining the escape-by-river scene at the beginning of Ratatouille is probably cringing right now rather than wishing for a Remy of their very own.

Unlike the vogue for dalmatians that followed the 101 Dalmatians film in the 90s, the pet rat craze will probably not result in millions of children being saddled with pets they cannot handle and who don't particularly like them (dalmatians are notoriously difficult around children). Millions of kids get pet hamsters and gerbils, and rats are actually clean little devils who won't try to bite your hand off at any given chance. Plus, it genuinely warms my heart that Ratatouille has caught on so much overseas-- with the rest of us suffering through Saw, at least overseas they're still enjoying the best our summer had to offer.