Bloke walks his big two-foot rat on a lead and it helps him prepare dinner like in Ratatouille

Martin Critchlow has his rat Elvis don a tiny chef’s hat to sit on his shoulder while he cooks, just like in hit Disney film Ratatouille

A bloke admits his neighbours think he’s ‘nuts’ as he walks a TWO-FOOT RAT on a lead down the street – who even helps him cook lasagne just like in Disney’s Ratatouille.

One-year-old rat Elvis lives so much like a human he enjoys trips to the park and chomping on Battenburg cake and Mr Kipling custard creams cakes.

Owner Martin Critchlow even dons the huge rodent in a tiny chef hat and perches him on his shoulder while rustling up lasagne in the kitchen.

The clips are reminiscent of the hit Disney film Ratatouille, in which a rat named Remy aspires to become a renowned chef. Adorable videos show the ‘really chilled’ Gambian pouched rat sitting on the swings at the park and eating Swiss roll.

Lorry deliverer Martin, 58, admits that walking his pet gets him plenty of ‘odd looks’ and many locals thought he was ‘nuts’ when they first saw him.

He claims that some people mistake his pet for a ‘New York sewer rat’ due to his size but stresses that Elvis is still not even fully grown.

He also admits people ‘loved him’ for raiding the rubbish bins, claiming the rodent will ‘eat anything’ but has a particular taste for figs and Martin spends £40 a week so his pets can eat fresh fruit and veg every day.

Elvis is ‘best buddies’ with Martin’s pet Chihuahua dog Rocci and clips show the duo playing happily together.

Martin, from Sutton Bridge, Lincolnshire, said: “Elvis is a really chilled out rat, he’s one you can take out, sit him on your shoulder.

“You can go to the beach, you can take him in a shop. I like taking him out on a walk on my shoulder.

“He will walk but then he’ll want to go and have a look where he wants to.

“It’s not you walking him, it’s him walking you.

“Every time I let him [Elvis] out the cage he used to like to go in rubbish bins, everybody loved him because he was always in the rubbish bin.

“He’ll eat anything really. I think figs are one of his favourites.”

Martin says his wife ‘knows what he’s like’ but she is able to ‘watch anything she wants on the TV’ while he hangs out with his menagerie.

He confesses people often thought he was ‘nuts’ when he started taking Elvis outside the house.

Martin said: “You get some people ‘what is that, is that a rat?’ [when they see Elvis] because he’s big.

“Some people think he’s like a New York sewer rat.

“You do get odd ones, same with social media, I’ve got thick skinned over the years.

“Some people just think they’re vermin.

“I just ignore any bad comments because they’re just a waste of my time.

“Going back to when I started with the harvest mice [taking them out] they all thought I was nuts then.

“When I started with the mice I used to take a few things to heart.

“They used to think I was nuts.

“Then when I got such a following and being on the news and being on radio they think maybe I’m not so nuts.

“Everyone in the village knows me as Mr Jingles.”

After going viral online for his harvest mouse Mr Jingles, Martin now wants his rats to have the same success.

He has a total of nine Gambian pouched rats and 100 harvest mice.

Videos even show him enjoying his dinner and the dining table next to a tiny harvest mouse, who has its own plate to enjoy food from.

African Giant pouched rats have an incredible sense of smell and are renowned for being trained to sniff out landmines, while also having been used in experiments to find tuberculosis in humans.

Martin said: “They’re highly intelligent animals.

“They’re the ones they use in Africa to sniff out landmines. These animals save lives, they even sniff out Tuberculosis in humans.

“I’m changing people’s perspective on the animal where they’re starting to think you know what these aren’t that bad.

“I’m opening their eyes up to a different side of them.

“I love them and they love me too.”