It’s a grey, dreary,drizzly day out here in New Jersey, I can’t stop yawning, and I’ve heard a lot of my friends have come down with we don’t know what.
I think we need a “Relax and enjoy it” video.
Here are three pet rats playing tag. I used to let our rats loose on the living room floor, but they never went very far before scampering back to me. I was flattered. Heck, what must a human look like, to a rat?
This video reminds me of our pet rats. They were smart, affectionate, and playful–really nice pets. Very well behaved in the car, too.
They had only one flaw. When you turned out the lights for bedtime, you would hear from the rats’ tank Whack-whack-whack-thump-thud–SQUEEEEEAK! So you turn the light back on and they’re both just sitting there, totally innocent: they’d whistle nonchalantly, if they could. Then you turn out the light again and they’d fight again. Sibling rivalry. Cats have it, too. *sigh*
Anyone who’s ever had domestic rats for pets soon learned three things about them: they’re cute, they’re affectionate–and they’re smart. If they had longer lifespans, they’d be running successful businesses.
We had two rats. And whenever I had to bring one in to see the vet, it didn’t take long for the other people in the waiting room to make a fuss over her. Both of them very obligingly stayed on Daddy’s shoulder and didn’t need a carrier.
Our pet rats were affectionate, playful, cuddly, and just about as smart as animals can be without going to law school.
If you have more than one rat, they will compete for your affection: they pretty much have to have it. You can teach them to do all sorts of tricks, not counting the ones they teach themselves.
I’ve seen people who shuddered at rats wind up, 15 minutes later, petting them and doing cozy-talk. They can have that effect on you.
I’ve told you before: rats make great pets. Boy, are they smart! If they could live ten years or so, they’d be reading and writing. We had two of those black-and-white hooded rats: affectionate, playful–but they were sisters, so of course they fought whenever you turned the lights out. And stopped and looked innocent, if you turned ’em back on.
But really–a rat chasing a cat all around the house? Rats and dogs playing sniffies? And then there are the interactions with people. At least one of those, if my mother could have seen it, she would’ve fainted on the spot.
Rats make truly lovable pets. They’re very, very smart: if they lived longer, they’d be composing symphonies. They’re affectionate, adaptable–just think of them as small cats with hairless tails.
I have seen videos of cats opening someone’s purse and taking the money–to do what with, who knows? In this video, you’ll see a rat do it. I suspect a cat put him up to it.