a rat-friendly PSA

when someone tells you that they have pet rats here are things you should never ever say:

• “ew gross so unsanitary!”
• “they’re just vermin”
• “can’t you like, get the plague from those?”
• “they should be wild and not kept as pets”
• any kind of “ewwwwwwwwWWwwwww” in general
• any kind of general disgust

things you should probably say instead:

• “huh interesting”
• “do they make good pets?”
• “i’ve never had/seen a rat before”
• “i had a hamster once”
• etc etc

not only are rats very sanitary and very VERY sweet, loving animals but i don’t need YOUR approval! i love my rats, they’re very good furry friends and they love to cuddle and take food from your hand. i have never once been bitten, even while bathing them; in fact they like to give you kisses instead. they recognize my voice when i call them and LOVE lots of attention. their cage is quite large and they have lots of room to run around in and i give them things to play with as well as a healthy diet (and occasional treats of course). and that, to me, sounds better than scavenging back alleys for food while being abused by anyone who walks by.

believe it or not, rat owners DO have feelings for their smallish rodent friends. i know i love mine, and they show unconditional love for me. maybe you don’t like rodents, but that doesn’t mean you should automatically insult the judgment of the person who adopts them, call them vermin, etc. to each their own, and it’s quite a shame you hate my rats when you’ve never met them because i am 100% sure they’d show nothing but love for you.