This article was originally written by Hannah Van De Peer for SWNS — the U.K.’s largest independent news agency, providing globally relevant original, verified, and engaging content to the world’s leading media outlets.
Eighteen-year-old Ella Woodland’s pet rats have a knack for artistic expression, and by guiding them to paint mini masterpieces, she’s helping their talents flourish. There’s a little something in this project for Woodland, too: She’s made around $2,600 to date selling the pieces online.
She kicked off her side hustle in February, when she got the idea to explore her pets’ creative side after seeing the creator TooGoods Tiny Paws selling her own rats’ artwork online. Woodland’s first three rats — Gubler, Rumple, and Reid — were an early Christmas present from her parents last September. A few months later, she was given newborns — Hotch, Morgan, Rossi, Luke, and Gideon — bringing her total to eight.
Woodland started joining Facebook groups to learn how to care for her furry friends, and in one of the groups, members kept posting content made by TooGoods Tiny Paws. Feeling inspired, Woodland set up a “studio” for her rodents, which included a playpen, set of watercolors, and jar of baby food to tempt them across an easel. As the rats ran through the paint at Woodland’s encouragement, their paws created colorful, if abstract, pieces on mini canvases.
“They walk around in the paint, which is laid on the floor,” the Droitwich Spa, England, resident told SWNS. “Sometimes I have to put my finger in a jar of baby food and let them follow it around, so they can walk around the canvas. The paint varies between watercolors and kids’ paint, like poster paint.”
The same month she discovered her rats’ artistic flair, Woodland began listing the mini-easels on the online marketplace Vinted for around $13 each. It was slow-going for the first month, and she was only able to sell two to three easels per week, making about $108 total.
But just one month later, a stranger posted a picture of her rats’ paintings on the social platform X, garnering 7 million views. Demand increased by 500% on Vinted, and Woodland then began raking in around $675 a month. Woodland, who will be starting a degree in clinical psychology at the University of Worcester in September, described her side hustle as “the best summer job in the world.”
While the majority of the money she’s made from Vinted goes towards the rats’ care — including a premium cage costing more than $300, tunnels, and food mix with pasta, cereal, and mealworms — she’s also saving up for driving lessons.
“I didn’t expect it to take off,” Woodland shared, adding, “It just randomly blew up one day — it’s a win-win because I can save up for a car and lessons to drive, and the rats have so much fun running around and eating lots of baby food.” She plans to continue the project “as long as the rats are alive.”
Overall, the response to Woodland’s project has been “really positive,” she shared. “Aside from a couple of people telling me how much rats scare them, I’ve only ever had good feedback. One of the reviews even said: ‘Gubler’s talent is unlimited.’”
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