A New Survey Reveals The Most Satisfying Pet For Kids And You'll Be Totally Surprised

Just when you thought every kid wanted their own puppy or kitten, the truth has come out: Children actually prefer rats, according to a pet ownership survey by RightPet. Via: Simple Most

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From 2010 to 2018, RightPet analyzed more than 64,000 animal reviews collected for 32 types of pets and livestock.

The pet owners who completed reviews either found the survey on their own, or were recruited and paid about $3 per review.

Via Simple Most
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The results were indeed surprising- According to the survey, the most satisfying pet to own at age 15 is a rat, followed by cats, dogs, horses and snakes.

The rat finding is based on 5,150 reviews from people who own or owned a pet when they were 17 years old or younger. The data includes information from 222 rat owners. RightPet found that kids who owned pets between the ages of 10 and 17, had overall more satisfaction from rats than they did from cats, dogs and other common pets. The fondness for rats decreased as people got older.

Via Simple Most
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So Why Do Rats Make Such a Good Pets?

Dr. Jennifer Graham with Tufts University's Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine said small pets are great options for young children because they can teach responsibility. Hamsters, guinea pigs and gerbils tend to be more traditional options, but Graham said rats can make ideal pets because they are so easy to care for. "Rats can be calm, laid-back, not as nippy as other small mammals, and they can be handled a lot," Graham told the magazine Parents. As RightPet founder and editor Brett Hodges also pointed out, rats are small, cheap and you can play some great pranks on parents and siblings!

Via thesprucepets