Talk:Veterinary Medicine/Domestication

Most people wrinkle their noses when I bring up the subject, but Rattus Norvegicus make much better pets than guiena pigs, hamsters or gerbils. In the early sixties, the high school biology teacher needed a volunteer to take a rat home over the holiday vacation. I had a female who delivered a litter of six pups. They were hairless, pink and 2-3cm long. It took ten days before their eyes developed sufficiently to open and they had fur. Not wanting to expose them to the elements, the teacher allowed me to keep them at home in cages. Handled frequently, they seemed to thrive on human attention. The only time any of them ever bit, was when a female was about to deliver a litter. I think this is rat talk for, "I want to be alone", meaning that it is probably best to put her into the O.B. cage with gloved hands. I do not know whether other adults would eat newborns, but I once had to isolate a mother and litter from other adult males who were trying to steal the pups' dinner.

I like rats as pets and would have some, but I doubt my cats would leave them alone.

J.D., Detroit, MI