The first rat I had was when I was in high school. A friend's stepbrother purchased her from a pet store on a whim without asking the parents, and when they found out, he was not allowed to keep her. He put out a plea to his friends, seeing if anyone wanted to take over rat parent duties, and I stepped up!
At first, the tail freaked me out so much. It is a lot stronger than you would imagine! And it's constantly slithering around, looking for something to curl around. It was freaky. However, after a few cuddles with the little fur ball and bonding moments, you grow to actually love that weird lil whip. You actually love how it curls around your fingers as the guy explores your arm. In fact, when they pass, you start to miss that feeling of their weird little tails searching for you to hold on to. It means they felt safe with you. A prey animal who sees you as a giant loves you so much that they look to you for comfort and safety; it's beautiful.
The second time I was a rat mama was much later, in my late 20s, when I got a bonded pair. The two girlies became my everything. They groomed each other, would cuddle and nap with each other, and they would even fight with each other. Several times I had to go into their cage to separate them, but who doesn't fight with their roommate/siblings? They each had extremely different personalities too. One loved to run around and explore; she was quite the daredevil. The other was content to stay on my shoulder or in my shirt pocket; in fact, she hated to explore; she just wanted to stay close to me.
They were in my life for some pivotal 3-4 years, and when one left us, I knew the other would soon to follow. I know the passing of a beloved pet is always tormenting, but there was something so serene and calm about these two leaving my life. I mean, I cried my eyes out for days, but they did not leave me traumatized. They both left this world in my hands, looking up at me with eyes that looked like they were saying, “thank you.” They will always be in my heart. And on my skin, since I got them tattooed on me as a tribute to being such a beloved pet.
So, have you changed your mind about rats? Are you so sure they are pests? Okay, okay, we're not saying go out on the streets and grab yourself a wild rat! That can be very dangerous. We're just saying, don't punish them for the reputation that we forced upon them. They are sweet babies deep down, just trying to survive like the rest of us. There are even rat rescues where you can adopt these little babies from!
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