In Defense of the Rat

The UK now uses large plastic bins for waste collection, much bigger than the old metal ones but with less frequent collections, and varying levels of sorting needed (depending on locality).

I don't know about NYC, but poor waste management in New Jersey gave us one of the best TV series ever.

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Also unions. Hire armies of workers from the south and the problem will go away. Right now being a garbage man is one of the most in-demand blue collar civil service role in NYC because of artificial labor scarcity.

Rats are adorable. Lab rats have even been shown to laugh when tickled.

But the truth is, fancy rats are completely different from pest rats, even if they are the same species. If you keep a rat, keep it well-fed and its body and living area clean, take it to the vet when sick, etc. it's not going to pose anywhere near the kind of hygiene threat that a wild rat looking for food in your garbage (and maybe nesting in the area) poses.

It's like, I love dogs too, but I would treat a feral dog scavenging for food VERY differently than I would treat any of my pet dogs.

This is my go-to remark when rodent-hatred comes up in conversation. These little things are some of our closest cousins. It should be obvious: they have hands rather than paws or hooves.

I know someone who had a pet rat who was a real pain. The rat, on the other hand, was great.

Had them as kids. Amazing animals. Intelligent, social, interactive, curious, playful(/slightly mischievous), and mostly easy to keep. The only major downside is their short lifespan.

Can't recommend them enough. I have so many fond kid memories of my pet rats and their hijinks.

Consider two pet mice instead. They're more portable. Kess could carry them in her pocket when going out to the playground and the mice are happy to stay in there. Get two girls because girl mice smell better and don't fight. My boy had three pet mice from age 6-9 and absolutely adored them. Took them everywhere out to play. To the beach, to friends' houses, to the playground, etc. And they're such a magnet for conversation. Everyone wants to come see and hold a pet mouse. They're so cute. Our mice lived to the old age of 3, and were very adored.

Rats have more personality than mice but are less portable, so better to have in the house instead of out in the playground. Kind of like guinea pigs. (A common pet where I grew up.) And their little claws can unintentionally scratch and hurt. Clipping their nails would help but that's hard. If you get rats, get two boys, and have them castrated ASAP. I have two boy rats now and love them.

To answer my biggest concern when I got them: they never ever bite. (Neither rats nor mice.)

The short life span is why I stopped keeping them as pets. They get sick a lot - respiratory issues, tumors, etc. Vet bills can add up. Finding a good vet comfortable with treating rats can be hard depending on where you are.

Being rodents, they're always gnawing on things to wear down constantly growing teeth. Can be destructive to your stuff if you're not careful when they're out of the cage (wires, remotes, ear buds, clothing, furniture, etc.). Hides, hammocks, and other cage furniture and toys will steadily need replacement too.

They're social animals and don't do well as solo pets. You want at the bare minimum two.

Many people are outright allergic, which becomes especially apparent when getting little scratches from their nails.

From what I understand, tumors seem to be common way for rats to die. Note these can often be confused with abscesses (which should be shown to a vet asap)

They will leave little bits of wee everywhere (scent marking). Apparently female rats are preferable in this regard. Something to look into.

That such a little creature with such a big personality only lives around 3 years will have an emotional toll. I know former owners that just can’t deal with the guaranteed loss anymore after such a short span.

Honestly, the short lifespan is the main disadvantage. It's made worse by how intelligent and sweet they are.

My daughter's rats hurled themselves at the sides of their cage when she woke up each morning, sticking their tiny hands out through the bars to clutch at her. When she did let them out they would run up her arms and sit on her shoulders licking her cheeks like tiny dogs.

Cedric died at the expected age of a little over two years. Bosco lived unusually long, dying at about five years of age.

You might want to consider what you know of your daughter's personality and how much of a trauma the rat's death is likely to be. My daughter was okay, but she was a young teen by the time Bosco died.

One potential downside, depending on how fastidious you are: they constantly leave scent marks everywhere, by depositing tiny drops of urine and rubbing fatty secretions from their sides on things. The amounts are truly tiny, maybe too small for you to even notice, but probably better to know about it in advance in case it icks you out. I don't think I or my daughter ever noticed them at all, though I did know about them.

Short lifespan: 2-3 years in practice.

Yeah, we have had two of the same and fancy rats make for really sweet pets. But it left a hole in my heart each time they died and I am not sure I can face it again :/

I used to work at the Wistar Institute. Cool place! Fun to see its name in the wild.

.. or less, on average.

Cats unfortunately also get rid of birds, extremely vital to our ecosystems.

Not "Ratskolnikov"?

Here are a couple of "Stupid Rat Trick" vids:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AV9z0c1hjnA

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20241128-i-taught-rats-to...

I think they came from here.

clean and smart ... except for the incontinence, lovely pets.