Update, February 10, 2026: Ronin sadly passed away. I received an email with the sad news, here’s the relevant portion quoted: “Ronin became suddenly unwell after developing an intestinal blockage. His caretakers and veterinary team did everything possible to treat him and ease his condition, but sadly, his health deteriorated. To prevent further pain and discomfort, the difficult but humane decision was made to euthanize him. Ronin was cared for and handled with compassion until the very end.”
They’ll reach out to me and introduce another HeroRAT that I can adopt. I definitely will.
Update end.
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I didn’t include all the information in the popular post cause said post was intended to have 5 notes max. Whoops. So here we go:
Ronin is six years old? How??
Ronin isn’t a domestic rat, but an African giant pouched rat! They have a longer lifespan of about eight years. The oldest ever HeroRAT lived to 11.
How long will Ronin still have to work?
That depends on him. HeroRATs have regular health and performance checks. Once the performance drops, they retire.
What happens with retired rats?
They get to live just as comfortably as the working rats, get regular health checks and enrichment until they pass away.
Isn’t it dangerous for Ronin to walk around in landmines?
No, the rats are too light to set off landmines. No HeroRAT has ever died on the job.
How did Ronin learn his job?
Apopo sent me this info sheet when I adopted Ronin:
How can I adopt a HeroRAT?
You go here and pick your rat. They not only have landmine detection rats, but also rats who detect tuberculosis and wildlife trafficking. And there are HeroDOGs too.
How much does it cost?
I’m European so the website shows me €. Adoption rates stay at 12€ (about $13) a month. You can choose to pay more and you can also pick annual instead of monthly rates. Or you could ask for a one-year adoption gift, or gift it to someone else. Of course you can also just do one single donation to Apopo. Or you give a HeroGift to the animals, like a basket of bananas, a dog bone, a health check or a love nest for two.
What do I get out of adopting?
Bragging rights about your amazing child, a certificate, an information package with more info about your rat and its work and also a monthly newsletter about what your child has been up to, like the one in my post.
Where did you get all this info?
From the organization Apopo. Feel free to look around for more info on their work and the adorable animals. They have a FAQ too.
Is there more Ronin lore to learn?
Yep:
