Bilbo came to me quite by accident.  After being separated from Frodo and Sam, Merry and Pippin had been living temporarily in a Critter 1 cage until I could buy them something larger.  I was in my local Pets at Home to buy them a new Freddy 2 when I saw a sign by the rat tanks saying “Free to a good home, 1 male rat with a head tilt”.  I enquired about him and was told that he’d been treated for an inner-ear infection that had left him with a permanent head tilt so he couldn’t be sold.

 

I thought to myself “I don’t want any more rats but what harm could it do to see him?” so I asked the sales assistant to bring him out.  She came back with this gorgeous little boy who was impossible to resist.  As I was buying a new cage I figured that it’d be neutral territory and would make intros easy so I took him.  As it turns out I was correct about the easy intro as he was curled up asleep with Merry and Pippin in the new cage that same evening.

 

Bilbo is a very confident little rat who seems blissfully unaware that he has anything wrong with him and will happily sit on your shoulder until he’s ready to run off and explore.

 

Bilbo shares a Freddy 2 cage with Merry and Pippin.