I sat as far back from the rats as possible!

Have you heard that rats can play basketball? That’s what they were saying down at the Science Museum of Virginia.

This was one thing I just had to see for myself. I couldn’t imagine a rat doing anything other than scaring me to death. Basketball and rats are just not two things I usually think of together. After all, the thoughts of training a rat to do anything seems a bit impossible to me. So I headed down to the Museum to check it out.

Meeting up with Nancy Tait who works at the Museum is always a treat. She knows everything about the Museum so it’s fun to visit with her and hear all about what’s happening. As we walked toward the room where we would actually see rats playing basketball, I was still a bit skeptical.

But as Nancy continued to talk about all of the work and training that went into preparing these furry little creatures to exhibit their sporting skills, you could see that she wasn’t kidding.

And she was quite excited and obviously fond of the rats! (Okay, I’m still not quite ready to say I’m fond of rats of any sort at this point!).

Within minutes we were seated and right down in front of us on center stage were two scampering, energetic little rats – one white and one black. They were running up and down a young trainer’s arms, and all around his neck. They were extremely playful and lively but never tried to make a move into the audience (which was quite a relief to me!). The trainer explained that the rats have gone through rigorous training to become performers in the basketball arena. It takes many months of training and reinforcement to get them to learn the skills needed to perform.

And with that – they were off!

Each little rat quickly scrambled to capture the tiny little basketball and raced to dunk it through the hoop. Effortlessly and filled with energy, they raced from one goal to another – forcing the ball through the hoop and getting their reward each time they scored. Back and forth they ran with athletic ability and determination. My skepticism was quickly replaced with awe at how these little creatures had mastered the sport of basketball!

The day we were at the Museum, there were dozens of young kids enjoying Rat Basketball too. The kids erupted into applause and laughter as the rats took their places on the basketball court. They laughed with delight each time one of the athletes grabbed the ball and scored a basket. The kids were mesmerized by the unbelievable show of talent.

After playing for quite some time, the white rat finally decided it was time to take a break and he skillfully climbed the wall to jump to the trainer’s hand and up his arm for a little R&R. That marked the end of the game!

Okay – so I didn’t think rats could really play basketball but they sure proved I was wrong. And as much as I hate to admit it, I left there kind of liking the cute little basketball champions – even though the trainer offered to let us hold one of the rates, I still was not ready to get that close to them!

Yep – they were definitely cute and amazing, but I still don’t want to see any rats in my house or garage playing anything!

March Ratness is Thursday, April 4, 2013 at 11am at the Science Museum of Virginia. It’s a fun event for kids and adults and you will be amazed at how much rats can do on the basketball court. They will represent four top college teams and compete for the championship. It’s free with admission to the Museum so head out and cheer on your favorite rat (or team). You won’t be disappointed.

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