These Adorable Rats Are Creating Tiny Paintings And They're Already Sold Out

They say anyone can be an artist - and by saying anyone, that means animals too. You've probably heard about painting chimpanzees and elephants before - now get ready to meet some painting rats! The little creatures at Toogood's Tiny Paws are creating tiny paintings using their paws and their work is selling out fast. Toogood's Tiny Paws was started by a woman named Steph Toogood who got the idea after one of her rats, Captain Jack Sparrow, passed away. The woman works at the vets and managed to take some paw prints before the little guy passed away. "I thought it would be lovely for my boys to do something similar when they were with me to keep when they're gone, so I got some mini canvases and paint, and they've created memorial pieces for me to keep," explained Steph. She took some photos of the little rats next to their paintings and they quickly went viral. More info: Facebook | Etsy

Steph Toogood created Toogood’s Tiny Paws Art back in 2019

Steph says there are 12 rats in the artist collective and points out that they are friends first, and artists later. "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," wrote the woman in a recent Facebook post. "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!" Steph doesn't want to use her page just to focus on the rats' art - she also wants to promote the keeping of rats as pets and their welfare, as well as share what her pets are up to when they're not busy painting. The rats' paintings are selling out pretty fast and Steph's Etsy account currently has no listings available as she had run out of canvas. However, she promises to order more soon.