A recent survey asking which pets offered the most satisfaction revealed children, between the ages of 10 and 17, preferred rats as pets more than dogs or cats.
We all know that once people get to know rats, everyone is converted! Haters just haven’t given pet rats a chance, and that’s a fact*!
The survey came from RightPet, a great website that provides helpful information and advice for pet owners, as well as reviews on pet products and services. Over the last eight years, they have been asking pet owners to enter their polls so they can improve their knowledge of what pet owners want.
This particular RightPet study asked a whopping 17,000 people in 113 nations their opinions on 32 different types of pets and livestock.
The 5,150 reviews from respondents revealed children aged 10-17 ranked rats as a more satisfying pet than puppies or kittens!
The study shows that the preference for pet rats tapers off after the age of 17 in favor of more traditional pets such as cats and dogs. BUT, rats do remain very high on the satisfaction list!
The results indicate parents of pre-teens and teens would strongly consider adopting rats for their children rather than dogs or cats. It’s likely this is due to practicality. Having rats for pets is usually much cheaper (perhaps not for us rat parents who go overboard with spoiling our pet rats!), and typically require less maintenance than dogs.
It’s expected that a huge element is also because pet rats are a very cool pet to have! Plus, there are some teens out there who love that a pet rat would freak the adults out!
For many of us this study comes as a relief! Pet rats are finally beginning to escape the bad rap unproven history has given them.
Rat Expert Lois Grace from San Jose, says “that whole plague thing in the Dark Ages sort of ruined it for rats, but it was really the fleas to blame, she says. And humans had more fleas on them than the rats did.”
Lois, who has been involved in several pet rat rescues including a rescue on television show Hoarders. “Believe me, these little critter are as loving and kind as any other domesticated pet.” Lois says. “They are also very intelligent. Mine were litter trained and would use a tiny litter box.”
It’s wonderful to see that the reputation of rats is improving, and children appreciate how great rats are! We hope to see more and more parents choosing rats as their choice of pet!
