Rats! Male was a female, and then came babies.

Arlington Mill Dr., 2600 block, Oct. 3. A man surrendered 12 pet rats to the animal shelter because he could no longer care for them. The man said he had bought what he had thought were three male rats from a pet store in April, but one was a female and had babies. Two of the rats were made available for adoption, and the rest were taken to a rescue group that specializes in small-animal adoptions.

Among cases handled by the Animal Welfare League of Arlington County.