You Dirty Rat
I wrote this story as an English assignment in December 1999.
The word “rat” always has negative connotations. Being called a rat is not a
compliment, and if your room is a “rat’s nest,” it needs cleaning. Rats are usually pictured
as greasy black monsters with glowing eyes. Despite all the ghastly images associated
with them, domestic rats make perfect pets because they are cleaner, smarter, more
friendly, and easier to care for than many other animals.
As a rat owner in West Virginia, I’m part of the minority. Pet stores in this area
stock rats simply as snake food. but in many parts of the United States, Europe, and
elsewhere, rats are quite popular pets. The list of rat clubs in the United States is
extensive and includes The Rat and Mouse Club of America; American Rat, Mouse, and
Hamster Society; Michigan Rat Fancier; Pacific Northwest Pet and Show Rat Club; and
many others. Some of the clubs in other countries are The National Fancy Rat Society,
Ratatouille, R.A.T. Belgium, German Rat Society, and Australian Fancy Rat Society.
There are rat shelters as well as rat shows. An internet search for pet rats will yield
hundreds of rat lovers’ homepages as well as care information sites and mailing lists.
Owning a rat is not as outrageous as many West Virginians think.
A big part of the negative stereotypes given to rats is caused by the bubonic
plague, which wiped out much of Europe’s population in the 1600’s. People think of rats
as the smelly, disease-ridden creatures that infested the streets during that time. Of
course, the bubonic plague wasn’t caused by domestic rats; it was caused by a bacteria in
fleas that lived on wild rats. Several more popular pets have fleas, but domestic rats do
not. (How could they? They live in cages indoors.) Rats don’t carry diseases either.
They don’t even catch colds. In fact, rats are prone to only two major health problems.
The first, cancer, is partly the result of specialized breeding for laboratories and is more
common in albino rats. Cancer is not a communicable disease. The second is a chronic
respiratory disease, which, although contagious among rats, can not be contracted by
people or other animals--I’ve had only one rat out of a total of fifteen who had this
disease. Some people also believe that rats carry rabies. This is another myth. There has
never been a case of someone getting rabies from a pet rat. Pet dogs, on the other hand,
have transmitted rabies to people, but potential dog owners don’t let this dissuade them.
As for the idea that rats are dirty and smelly, this couldn’t be further from the
truth. With a weekly change of bedding, the cage’s odor will be no stronger than the
wood chip smell--nothing compared to cat litter or the cage odor of other small mammals.
Males of most species have a musk to them, rats included, but rat smell is mild in
comparison to ferrets, mice, and dogs among other animals. Female rats that live alone
usually take on no odor at all as long as their cages are cleaned. Rats can’t stand being
dirty. Then clean themselves constantly, particularly after being held. Rats clean
themselves more often than finicky cats, but unlike cats, they don’t shed or cough up
hairballs.
Another misconception is that rats are mean and bite people. This may be true for
wild rats but not domestic ones. Pet rats are often called “lab rats” because they were
originally domesticated for use in research in laboratories. Generations of selectively
breeding these animals for easy handling have rendered them extremely docile. Comparing
pet rats to their ancestors is much like comparing a poodle to a wolf. Unlike hamsters and
most other rodent pets, rats seldom bite. Of the fifteen rats I’ve had, only two bit and only
on one occasion each. Just one of these incidents involved a person. (The other bit my
cat’s paw in defense.) Biters are extremely rare and are more often albinos than others,
probably because albinos have poor eyesight and are more likely to feel threatened.
Handling can resolve most aggression problems, or you can avoid getting a potential biter
by looking at the rats’ personalities, which are all very different. Some rats are hyper;
others fat and lazy. Most are very intelligent. They can distinguish between faces,
recognize their own names, and learn tricks from basic ones like standing on their hind
legs to more complicated ones. I once saw two rats that were taught to play basketball,
steal the ball from each other and dunk it in a hoop on a miniature court, and I’ve taught
my own rats several tricks. Rats grow very close to their owners and are eager to please.
They can get lonely without companionship and seldom fight, which is one reason rat
owners usually have more than one. Rats living together will clean each other, wrestle like
kittens, and my rats, as well as ones I’ve seen in a pet store, have even nursed each other’s
young!
People who understand rats’ wonderful personalities and are willing to let go of
the myths still often refuse to give pet rats a chance because of one thing--their tails! As
incredible as it sounds, many people I’ve talked to have said that rats sound like great
pets, but their tails are too ugly! It’s true that rats’ long, scaly tails aren’t glamorous, but
they serve to give rats their perfect balance and help regulate body temperature.
Fortunately, for everyone who is still turned of by this feature, there are tailless rats. Rats,
like cats and dogs, come in many varieties and colors and are called “fancy rats” by
breeders and in shows. Among these varieties are curly-coated “Rex” rats, hairless,
albino, beige, blue, hooded, Himalayan, champagne, and the list goes on.
Rats are great pets for children because they are inexpensive and low-maintenance.
The rat itself initially costs two to ten dollars, and two full grown rats can live comfortably
in a ten gallon aquarium or a large wire cage. A rat can adapt to many diets but is ideally
low in protein; dry dog food is great. Rats love corn cobs. Cardboard paper towel tubes
are wonderful rat toys on which they can chew. Besides daily feeding and a weekly
change of bedding, the only care a rat requires is lots of petting and handling. The more
the rat is held, the friendlier it becomes.
I was four when my mom gave me my first rat, so I never developed the fear or bought
into the myths that so many people hold firmly as truths. I’ve never met a rat owner who
regretted having a rat, and the only reason they might not want another is that they were
strongly grievous over one’s death. My list of pets is long, including a dog, many cats,
mice, a hedgehog, fish frogs, and more. Of all of them, my rats have been the best pets.
You shouldn’t speak unkindly of rats until you’ve had the experience of owning one; then
I guarantee you won’t speak unkindly of them.
Copyright 1999 Vickie Boutwell
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