Dominique Verdier, an Argentine woman, has adopted a former laboratory rat named Carlota and shares her love for the animal on social media. Verdier has also organized an event called Ratapalooza to promote the adoption and responsible care of former laboratory rats and mice.
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What the name change means for careOMS declara emergencia global de salud por ébola en la República Democrática del Congo y UgandaTech CEOs summoned to Congress for another hearing on social media's risks for childrenAdults relive the musical camaraderie of their youth at band camps reprised for grown-upsJourney of a lifetime: A US teen Buddhist lama is now a monk studying in the Himalayan foothillsSteven Soderbergh usó IA en un documental sobre John Lennon. Y quiere hablar de elloDominique Verdier holds Carlota, a former laboratory rat she adopted, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Friday, May 15, 2026.
Dominique Verdier watches Carlota, a former laboratory rat she adopted, walk on her bed in Buenos Aires, Argentina Friday, May 15, 2026. People look at stands selling rat merchandise during Ratapalooza, an event promoting the adoption and responsible care of former laboratory rats and mice, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Sunday, May 17, 2026.
Dominique Verdier poses for a photo with Carlota, a former laboratory rat she adopted, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Friday, May 15, 2026. Visitors look at photos of rats during Ratapalooza, an event promoting the adoption and responsible care of former laboratory rats and mice, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Sunday, May 17, 2026. Dominique Verdier holds Carlota, a former laboratory rat she adopted, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Friday, May 15, 2026.
Dominique Verdier holds Carlota, a former laboratory rat she adopted, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Friday, May 15, 2026. Dominique Verdier watches Carlota, a former laboratory rat she adopted, walk on her bed in Buenos Aires, Argentina Friday, May 15, 2026. Dominique Verdier watches Carlota, a former laboratory rat she adopted, walk on her bed in Buenos Aires, Argentina Friday, May 15, 2026.
People look at stands selling rat merchandise during Ratapalooza, an event promoting the adoption and responsible care of former laboratory rats and mice, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Sunday, May 17, 2026. People look at stands selling rat merchandise during Ratapalooza, an event promoting the adoption and responsible care of former laboratory rats and mice, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Sunday, May 17, 2026.
Dominique Verdier poses for a photo with Carlota, a former laboratory rat she adopted, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Friday, May 15, 2026. Dominique Verdier poses for a photo with Carlota, a former laboratory rat she adopted, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Friday, May 15, 2026. Visitors look at photos of rats during Ratapalooza, an event promoting the adoption and responsible care of former laboratory rats and mice, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Sunday, May 17, 2026.
Visitors look at photos of rats during Ratapalooza, an event promoting the adoption and responsible care of former laboratory rats and mice, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Sunday, May 17, 2026. BUENOS AIRES — A group of people watched three albino rats leap from small baskets into a big cage on Sunday as other rodents hid in makeshift tunnels or searched for applesauce offered by their keeper through the bars at an indoor hall in the Argentine capital.event that promotes the adoption of rodents raised in animal facilities or used for research in science labs — once the animals are no longer useful, have outlived their purpose or are just surplus stock.
To attract adoptive families, Team Ratas, which is Spanish for rats, organizes events such as the Ratapalooza. In Argentina, keeping rats or mice as pets is perfectly legal — as long as they are not wild. The whole thing turns into something of a fair, complete with stalls selling keychains, mugs, stickers and hair clips in the shape of rats and mice.
The money raised goes to veterinary and food expenses for the rodents, which they foster at home before putting them up for adoption. At one of the stands, María Gabriela Aponte held Camamberto, one of the three rats she has adopted, as she sold vegan food, mouse-shaped pins and stickers. All of them, she said, were raised in labs, in what is called a vivarium, where laboratory animals are kept under strictly controlled conditions.
“People don’t really know, or they have a very specific perception of, what a pet is,” Aponte told The Associated Press. “Rats are very intelligent and sweet. ” Dominique Verdier, who represents Team Ratas, says those interested in adopting rodents must have access to a veterinarian specialized in exotic animals, a spacious cage with lots of accessories for their entertainment — and devote at least one hour a day to quality time spent with their adoptees.
Team Ratas is a leader in Argentina and Latin America for rehoming lab rats and mice that — without a foster home — would otherwise be euthanized. The initiative started in 2016, when Verdier adopted two rats after a friend told her the university where they were used for research no longer needed them.
She set up a rodent rescue network with 90 foster homes in Buenos Aires and nearby towns, housing hundreds of animals from 11 animal facilities and labs. In the last 10 years, she has rescued more than 8,000 animals and found homes for approximately 3,000. Verdier, who fosters most of the 37 rodents at her home, stresses that lab rats are perfectly healthy.
“They do not transmit diseases because they have not had contact with the street nor are they inoculated with viruses and bacteria,” she said. The labs that have been supplying Team Ratas for years only provide animals that have not been infected with any viruses or bacteria.
“Several laboratories prefer to euthanize the animals, while others tell me, ‘Take them away, we don’t want to sacrifice them’,” she added. Veterinarian Silvina Diaz, at the University of Buenos Aires, studies the nervous system of rats and mice at an experimentation laboratory.
“It is great that they’re doing this work of rehoming animals in families that can give them a good life,” said Diaz, who acts as a liaison between vet technicians and Team Ratas. Verdier, who insists she will keep finding new homes for the little furry creatures, says she is used to the criticism she gets on social media.
“If people see a dog shelter, they might admire it, but when I mention Ratapalooza they say, ‘What you’re doing is silly’,” she said. “And I say that I’ve been doing this for 10 years and it keeps growing. ”Pisarenko is a photojournalist with a 20-plus year career at The Associated Press in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Currently the news director for the Southern Cone.
Argentine Woman Adopted Rat Responsible Care Ratapalooza Former Laboratory Rats
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