xflippy replied to your post
Oh my god, this makes me so happy/jealous. I want to get a rat SOOOOO bad but my mom hears the word ‘rat’ and refuses to let me get one. they’re so cute, ugh
TELL HER THE CRAZY INTERNET GIRL HAS ONE no jk they really are the best, though. they spend 70% of their waking hours cleaning themselves. they're like small dogs or cats; you can litter train them, get them to answer to their names or do tricks, and even walk them on a leash if you're into that kind of thing. but unlike most other pets, they're fine being left alone for the majority of the day and, as long as there's two of them, can entertain each other for hours. plus they take up less space and cost less money in general. i've had mine for three months and spent maybe three dollars total on all of their food.
the way i explain it to people is that, just as dogs aren't like wolves, pet rats aren't like wild rats. like dogs, they're gentle and personable and, as long as they're frequently handled by and around people, only bite when they're being mistreated. they just don't have a nice name other than "rat", like "rog", to make it sound better.
