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People perceive rats as being bad because there are too many of them and they carry diseases. However, not all rats are bad. Pet rats are okay and some sewer rats don't carry diseases.

Saying rats are bad is like saying sharks (their predatory behavior controls fish population in the ocean) or mosquitoes (male mosquitoes are key factors in flower pollination) are bad. They don't do anything wrong or immoral, it's just certain unfortunate interactions with human society that cause people to not want to be around them.

True, some wild rats carry diseases but there are also many other animals that do so. For example, armadillos carry diseases that cause leprosy but very few people kill them on sight in disgust as they do with rats.

Rats are strongly linked to the plague (I bring this up because that's what most people ask me about when they see my rats). In reality, it wasn't the rats that brought the plague but the fleas that the rats had on them.

As far as pets go, rats are amazing. Rats have been domesticated for hundreds of years and there is no risk of getting a disease from your pet (however you can share respiratory illnesses with your furry babies). They are highly intelligent and can learn tricks better than most other small rodent-type pet. Rats are also more friendly. Everyone I know that's ever had, worked with, or held a hamster, for example, has been bitten. Certainly rats have bitten people but as long as you're dealing with a properly socialized rat, you'll have no problem.

In short, rats are not bad but misunderstood.

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12y ago

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