No other animal on earth has been as wrongfully stereotyped as the rat. Countless films, books, TV shows and old wives' tales have painted the small furry rodents as intentionally mischievous, filthy, disease-carrying animals intent on frightening even the strongest of manly men.
Now while the part about "disease carrying" is true, per se, its only because the fleas on street and sewer rats were responsible for the majority of the bubonic plague that killed ¼ of the population during the 14th century. On the bright side, this plague brought about a time of renaissance and prosperity that ushered in the work of Michangelo, Da Vinci and Shakespeare. Go rats!
Disease spreading aside, rats make wonderful, friendly and very warm pets. Below are the reasons to consider a little guy before getting a dog or cat.
-Rats are smarter than dogs. They are naturally inquisitive and love to both create and solve puzzles. Must be why they're used in medical research so much.
-Rats are very clean. You need to keep their cage clean, of course, in order to make sure they always smell nice. However, rats are very concerned with hygiene and even like to keep their cages organized. Most will find one spot in their cage for feces.
-Rats are friendly and enjoy human interaction. Within a few days of owning a rat, you will notice that they enjoy being held, cuddled and paid attention to. With a bit of cheese, you can get your new pet to do just about anything.
-Rats don't require a lot of money or space. You can buy a pet for around $5, the cage and accessories for about $30-40. Other than that, rats are happy to just run around your living room or small area. While you're home, of course.
There you have it! Consider one of these small, furry friends before you jump into the huge responsibility of getting a dog.
No comments:
Post a Comment