RATS
RATSMost of my interests seem to polarise people, but none quite as strongly as rats. There are still plenty of people who say "Ugh! How could you?" when I mention that I keep them. There are also a growing number of people who agree with me that they are fascinating and very rewarding pets. The distinction between the two seems to depend on whether they have met any pet rats.
Let's get a couple of myths out of the way first. Rats are neither dirty nor vicious. In twenty years of keeping them I have been bitten once. I was putting my finger through the bars of a cage and the rat thought I was offering food. When she realised her mistake she looked most apologetic, even though the fault was really mine. I needed no more medical attention than a small plaster. As for personal hygiene, they spend about a third of their waking lives on grooming. Sometimes I wonder if they think of us as slobs.
So what about the positives? Well, for a start, they are loyal and affectionate. They will sit close and be stroked like a dog or cat. I have written part of this with one sitting on my shoulder, sometimes gently licking my neck. I have had this one for about two weeks and she already knows who my regular visitors are and makes distinctions between them.
This brings us to the second point. Rats are smart. They pick up very quickly on our likes and dislikes, our moods and so on. Those who shared time with him adapted well to my dog and when I shared a home with a cat owner my rats and his cats became friends. They are natural empaths, and for me this is the big distinction. I have kept many kinds of small animals but, apart from my dog and one rabbit, no other animal gave me such a strong feeling of sharing my life.
The down side, if it is one, is that rats need time. They are companions, not "sit and watch" pets. The more time you give them, the more reward you get. I would take mine everywhere with me if I could. Unfortunately, public health rules being what they are, even my broad-minded local pub would be in big trouble if they allowed me in with rodent company. Friends' homes are a different matter. It is not a case of "Love me, love my rats" but most do anyway.
Are they suitable pets for children? It depends on the child. A rat's physical requirements are not much different from those of a hamster or gerbil, though they do need more space. They need mental stimulation, as mentioned above, but then they are more likely to hold a child's interest long term. Even very young children who are lucky enough to have rat-owning parents seem to love watching them and, once they have the confidence, handling them. My niece, then four years old and a little shy of me, seemed to decide I was "good people" when she met my rats.