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Well, people keep rats. Rats have some downsides compared to squirrels: Their ugly tails, the black death, etc.
Rats are apparently also smarter.
Back when I was a student I used to keep a couple, and several local friends also had one or two. They make good pets - larger and less fragile than mice, smarter and more interactive than gerbils, and not at all prone to biting you randomly.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
A friend of mine kept them as pets. I was there once and watched one eat a piece of spaghetti. It held the noodle with both paws, sitting on its hind legs, and took bites while feeding it into its mouth "hand over hand". I have never really forgotten that. There was something so deliberate and skilled about this. No dumb beast, this, face down in a pile of food. This was an intelligent, fastidious creature enjoying a…
Thanks for that image
Well, people keep rats. Rats have some downsides compared to squirrels: Their ugly tails, the black death, etc.
Rats are apparently also smarter.
The black/grey squirrels here are a real problem for backyard gardeners. Like they will pretty much steal every fruit tree bare.
Well, people keep rats. Rats have some downsides compared to squirrels: Their ugly tails, the black death, etc.
And FYI, rats did NOT cause the Black Death. That was the theory at the time, but it hasn't held up to scrutiny. We are now fairly certain it was human lice. Both the outbreak patterns and genetic evidence makes this clear.
Well, people keep rats. Rats have some downsides compared to squirrels: Their ugly tails, the black death, etc.
Some people (like me) find rats and mice to be cute. And FYI, rats did NOT cause the Black Death. That was the theory at the time, but it hasn't held up to scrutiny. We are now fairly certain it was human lice. Both the outbreak patterns and genetic evidence makes this clear.
Yes, they’re rodents, but rodents are a big family!