Petey—My pet rat for almost 1 1/2 years. He passed away on Feb. 8, 2009

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Many people look at rats and think they are gross, vile, vicious, disease ridden animals. This ideology is completely false and needs to be expelled.

Rats are incredibly clean animal. In fact, part of the bonding rituals of a group is mutual grooming. Rats that are pets begin to see their human “parents” as rats as well and will lick and groom their hands, arms, and ears to show affection.

Among rodent type pets, rats are some of the gentlest. When you spook or frighten a hamster or gerbil, their first reaction is to bite in defense. Not so for rats. A rat will squeak, cower in a corner, and relieve itself in fright. In most circumstances, a rat will never bite as a form of protection.

As for disease ridden, this may still carry over from the Middle Ages and the breakout of the Black Plague.  One a subsequent page is an explanation of the cause of the Black Plague, which types of rats carried it, and the fact that domestic rats aren’t even descended from the diseased-flea carrying rats.

Also on subsequent pages are my personal pets who I am very fond of. Needless to say, I have no aversion to these pets and actually find them more entertaining than common household pets like cats, dogs, and fish.

An attempt at entertainment and education...

Give them a chance...