Home
CSS
HTML

Crafting a running Rat Loader using HTML and CSS

Running Rat Loader | Coding Zemigle

When it comes to creating unique and engaging animations for your website, crafting a "running rat loader" is a fun and interactive way to grab users' attention. In this article, we’ll guide you through building a dynamic loader using just HTML and CSS, perfect for adding a playful touch to your project.

A rat loader is a visually appealing animation used to indicate loading progress on a website. The "running rat" theme adds a quirky and light-hearted element to your design, making it stand out.

Advertisement  ✛

Step 01: Setting Up the HTML Structure

The HTML serves as the skeleton for your loader. Start by creating a container to hold the animation and include key elements to represent the rat and its running motion.

✲    index.html
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
  <meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="ie=edge">
  link
  <title>Running Rat Loader | Coding Zemigle</title>
</head>
<body>
<div aria-label="Orange and tan hamster running in a metal wheel" role="img" class="wheel-and-hamster">
	<div class="wheel"></div>
	<div class="hamster">
		<div class="hamster__body">
			<div class="hamster__head">
				<div class="hamster__ear"></div>
				<div class="hamster__eye"></div>
				<div class="hamster__nose"></div>
			</div>
			<div class="hamster__limb hamster__limb--fr"></div>
			<div class="hamster__limb hamster__limb--fl"></div>
			<div class="hamster__limb hamster__limb--br"></div>
			<div class="hamster__limb hamster__limb--bl"></div>
			<div class="hamster__tail"></div>
		</div>
	</div>
	<div class="spoke"></div>
</div>
</body>
</html>



Include this loader in your project as a fun preloader or a loading screen for games and quirky websites. You can toggle its visibility using JavaScript during specific events like page loading or AJAX requests.

Advertisement  ✛

Step 02: Styling the Loader with CSS

Next, style the loader with CSS to bring the "running rat" to life. We’ll use keyframes for animation and detailed styling to define each part of the rat.

✲    style.css
body{
  display: flex;
  justify-content: center;
  transform: translateY(50%);
  margin: 0;
  padding: 20px;
  background: #222222;
  --dur: 1s;
}

.wheel-and-hamster {
  position: relative;
  width: 12em;
  height: 12em;
  font-size: 20px;
}

.wheel,
.hamster,
.hamster div,
.spoke {
  position: absolute;
}

.wheel,
.spoke {
  border-radius: 50%;
  top: 0;
  left: 0;
  width: 100%;
  height: 100%;
}

.wheel {
  background: radial-gradient(100% 100% at center,hsla(0,0%,60%,0) 47.8%,hsl(0,0%,60%) 48%);
  z-index: 2;
}

.hamster {
  animation: hamster var(--dur) ease-in-out infinite;
  top: 50%;
  left: calc(50% - 3.5em);
  width: 7em;
  height: 3.75em;
  transform: rotate(4deg) translate(-0.8em,1.85em);
  transform-origin: 50% 0;
  z-index: 1;
}

.hamster__head {
  animation: hamsterHead var(--dur) ease-in-out infinite;
  background: hsl(30,90%,55%);
  border-radius: 70% 30% 0 100% / 40% 25% 25% 60%;
  box-shadow: 0 -0.25em 0 hsl(30,90%,80%) inset,
		0.75em -1.55em 0 hsl(30,90%,90%) inset;
  top: 0;
  left: -2em;
  width: 2.75em;
  height: 2.5em;
  transform-origin: 100% 50%;
}

.hamster__ear {
  animation: hamsterEar var(--dur) ease-in-out infinite;
  background: hsl(0,90%,85%);
  border-radius: 50%;
  box-shadow: -0.25em 0 hsl(30,90%,55%) inset;
  top: -0.25em;
  right: -0.25em;
  width: 0.75em;
  height: 0.75em;
  transform-origin: 50% 75%;
}

.hamster__eye {
  animation: hamsterEye var(--dur) linear infinite;
  background-color: hsl(0,0%,0%);
  border-radius: 50%;
  top: 0.375em;
  left: 1.25em;
  width: 0.5em;
  height: 0.5em;
}

.hamster__nose {
  background: hsl(0,90%,75%);
  border-radius: 35% 65% 85% 15% / 70% 50% 50% 30%;
  top: 0.75em;
  left: 0;
  width: 0.2em;
  height: 0.25em;
}

.hamster__body {
  animation: hamsterBody var(--dur) ease-in-out infinite;
  background: hsl(30,90%,90%);
  border-radius: 50% 30% 50% 30% / 15% 60% 40% 40%;
  box-shadow: 0.1em 0.75em 0 hsl(30,90%,55%) inset,
		0.15em -0.5em 0 hsl(30,90%,80%) inset;
  top: 0.25em;
  left: 2em;
  width: 4.5em;
  height: 3em;
  transform-origin: 17% 50%;
  transform-style: preserve-3d;
}

.hamster__limb--fr,
.hamster__limb--fl {
  clip-path: polygon(0 0,100% 0,70% 80%,60% 100%,0% 100%,40% 80%);
  top: 2em;
  left: 0.5em;
  width: 1em;
  height: 1.5em;
  transform-origin: 50% 0;
}

.hamster__limb--fr {
  animation: hamsterFRLimb var(--dur) linear infinite;
  background: linear-gradient(hsl(30,90%,80%) 80%,hsl(0,90%,75%) 80%);
  transform: rotate(15deg) translateZ(-1px);
}

.hamster__limb--fl {
  animation: hamsterFLLimb var(--dur) linear infinite;
  background: linear-gradient(hsl(30,90%,90%) 80%,hsl(0,90%,85%) 80%);
  transform: rotate(15deg);
}

.hamster__limb--br,
.hamster__limb--bl {
  border-radius: 0.75em 0.75em 0 0;
  clip-path: polygon(0 0,100% 0,100% 30%,70% 90%,70% 100%,30% 100%,40% 90%,0% 30%);
  top: 1em;
  left: 2.8em;
  width: 1.5em;
  height: 2.5em;
  transform-origin: 50% 30%;
}

.hamster__limb--br {
  animation: hamsterBRLimb var(--dur) linear infinite;
  background: linear-gradient(hsl(30,90%,80%) 90%,hsl(0,90%,75%) 90%);
  transform: rotate(-25deg) translateZ(-1px);
}

.hamster__limb--bl {
  animation: hamsterBLLimb var(--dur) linear infinite;
  background: linear-gradient(hsl(30,90%,90%) 90%,hsl(0,90%,85%) 90%);
  transform: rotate(-25deg);
}

.hamster__tail {
  animation: hamsterTail var(--dur) linear infinite;
  background: hsl(0,90%,85%);
  border-radius: 0.25em 50% 50% 0.25em;
  box-shadow: 0 -0.2em 0 hsl(0,90%,75%) inset;
  top: 1.5em;
  right: -0.5em;
  width: 1em;
  height: 0.5em;
  transform: rotate(30deg) translateZ(-1px);
  transform-origin: 0.25em 0.25em;
}

.spoke {
  animation: spoke var(--dur) linear infinite;
  background: radial-gradient(100% 100% at center,hsl(0,0%,60%) 4.8%,hsla(0,0%,60%,0) 5%),
		linear-gradient(hsla(0,0%,55%,0) 46.9%,hsl(0,0%,65%) 47% 52.9%,hsla(0,0%,65%,0) 53%) 50% 50% / 99% 99% no-repeat;
}

/* Animations */
@keyframes hamster {
  from, to {
    transform: rotate(4deg) translate(-0.8em,1.85em);
  }

  50% {
    transform: rotate(0) translate(-0.8em,1.85em);
  }
}

@keyframes hamsterHead {
  from, 25%, 50%, 75%, to {
    transform: rotate(0);
  }

  12.5%, 37.5%, 62.5%, 87.5% {
    transform: rotate(8deg);
  }
}

@keyframes hamsterEye {
  from, 90%, to {
    transform: scaleY(1);
  }

  95% {
    transform: scaleY(0);
  }
}

@keyframes hamsterEar {
  from, 25%, 50%, 75%, to {
    transform: rotate(0);
  }

  12.5%, 37.5%, 62.5%, 87.5% {
    transform: rotate(12deg);
  }
}

@keyframes hamsterBody {
  from, 25%, 50%, 75%, to {
    transform: rotate(0);
  }

  12.5%, 37.5%, 62.5%, 87.5% {
    transform: rotate(-2deg);
  }
}

@keyframes hamsterFRLimb {
  from, 25%, 50%, 75%, to {
    transform: rotate(50deg) translateZ(-1px);
  }

  12.5%, 37.5%, 62.5%, 87.5% {
    transform: rotate(-30deg) translateZ(-1px);
  }
}

@keyframes hamsterFLLimb {
  from, 25%, 50%, 75%, to {
    transform: rotate(-30deg);
  }

  12.5%, 37.5%, 62.5%, 87.5% {
    transform: rotate(50deg);
  }
}

@keyframes hamsterBRLimb {
  from, 25%, 50%, 75%, to {
    transform: rotate(-60deg) translateZ(-1px);
  }

  12.5%, 37.5%, 62.5%, 87.5% {
    transform: rotate(20deg) translateZ(-1px);
  }
}

@keyframes hamsterBLLimb {
  from, 25%, 50%, 75%, to {
    transform: rotate(20deg);
  }

  12.5%, 37.5%, 62.5%, 87.5% {
    transform: rotate(-60deg);
  }
}

@keyframes hamsterTail {
  from, 25%, 50%, 75%, to {
    transform: rotate(30deg) translateZ(-1px);
  }

  12.5%, 37.5%, 62.5%, 87.5% {
    transform: rotate(10deg) translateZ(-1px);
  }
}

@keyframes spoke {
  from {
    transform: rotate(0);
  }

  to {
    transform: rotate(-1turn);
  }
}



The beauty of this loader lies in its customizability:

1. Change Colors: Adjust the background and rat colors to fit your website theme.

2. Speed: Modify the animation-duration in the keyframes to make the rat run faster or slower.

3. Size: Scale the .rat-loader container to create a larger or smaller loader.

With just HTML and CSS, you’ve created a playful running rat loader that’s sure to entertain your users. Explore further by adding sound effects or enhancing it with JavaScript for interactive capabilities. Happy coding!