Reason #1- Rats get a bad rap. Humans have just never forgiven rats for that little
plague incident, which technically wasn't their fault, it was the FLEAS that carried the virus. People don't like their
tails... but they're prehensile- they can wrap their tails around your wrist for balance. They have twitchy whiskers-
but they're so cute!!! Rats have poor vision, so they smell the world around them. People don't like red eyes.
That's not the rat's fault. It can't help the color it was born. Red eyes do NOT make a rat aggressive or a biter,
it does, however, give the rat even poorer vision, so they tend to sway their heads back and forth to see better- its kind
of like a snake-charmer dance- it's adorable!
Reason #2- Genetics is an interesting subject. Creating a beautiful match of genetic
perfection, then ending up with something totally different. I bred two black rats together, and got a litter of mostly
siamese babies. The parents both carried the genes for Siamese, but it had hidden for 4 generations, so I had no idea.
Reason #3- Baby Rats! From their first unbalanced ear scratch to a three week old baby
popcorning around the cage, baby rats are just cute, cute, cute!
Reason #4- Rats are smart. From learning their names, to learning complex feats of balance
and control, your little buddy can't be outdone.
Reason #5- Rescuing. I enjoy giving rats who were considered throw-away pets a second
chance at life. My favorite rescue, Honey, came from a woman who intended to drown her if I didn't take her, because
she was too much work. This lovely rat is the sweetest, gentlest creature I've had the pleasure of owning.
Reason #6- Rats are wonderful mothers. Mother rats are one-of-a-kind. They have
been known to nurse mice, hamsters, puppies, and kittens. Mommy rats devote their entire lives to the well-being of
their offspring, even to the sacrifice of their own health.
Reason #7- Meeting other Rat Breeders. Some of us are a little strange, some are nice,
well-adjusted citizens who you'd never expect to have a basement full of rodents, but we all have one thing in common.
Reason #8- Rat Shows are FUN! A gathreing of fun people to promote our special
scaly-tailed, buggy-eyed, twitchy-whiskered little creatures. Meeting new friends, reminicing with old friends, all
in the name of rats! The competition and winning ribbons isn't bad either.
Reason #9 - Learning. To keep up with all of the advances, you have to keep a constant
open mind. Research, genetics, health, breeding... everything changes rapidly. The best way is to get on a rat
group (like our yahoo group- link on my 'Sites' page).
Reason #10- Rats have Rattitude! They chew holes in our shirts, they escape their cage
(often into another of the opposite sex), they chew on EVERYTHING, all in the name of rattie fun.
Why do you like rats? Email me, I may add it to my list!
