“Riddles, Ruby, RoHanna & Ribbit”

Female domestic Rats.

Let go of everything you've ever thought about rats and consider the benefits with an open mind:

• Rats are social animals. Many small pets don't like being handled, but rats get used to careful socialization easily, and come to enjoy riding in pockets and on shoulders. They like people!   The older, larger and (it must be said) homelier of my two rats is Zoe, who makes up for her mud-fence appearance with an outgoing personality. She loves to be petted and likes to sleep in the hood of my sweatshirt when I'm writing.

Because rats are so social, if you're going to get one, you ought to get two so they can keep each other company. 

• Rats are smart. Rats respond quickly to food-based training and seem to love to perform.
• Rats are agile and sturdy. Try to get a guinea pig to run a maze or climb a ladder, and you'll appreciate the fleet-footedness of a rat. Unlike mice, rats can stand up to the handling -- and occasionally, the unintentional mishandling -- of well-meaning children.
• Rats are cute. Really. Think sleek, shiny fur, dark, glossy eyes and cute little ears. You say it's the tail that gets to you? Give a rat a break. If he just had a fluffy tail he'd be a squirrel, and people would give him nuts in the park.  
• Did you know that rats come in oodles of colors and coat patterns? Think colors like silver mink, platinum, blue and chocolate, and markings like hooded (the head a different color than the body) or masked or patched. 
• Rats are easy to keep. Get a cage sized for a larger pet, such as a chinchilla or guinea pig, and your rat will be content. Add bedding, a place for the animal to hide and sleep, a food dish, water bottle and some toys. (These can be freebies, such as the leftover core of a paper-towel roll, or small untreated blocks of wood.) 
  

Your rat will happily eat the food manufactured for them, and will love you if you add fruit, nuts, vegetables and other "people food." Cat food is quite yummy too.
 
The downside of rats? They don't live all that long -- two to three years -- and they're prone to tumors. As with all small pets, cage changes must be frequent, otherwise the smell will become unpleasant, to you and your pets both.

  Think outside of the tail.