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I was 18

when I adopted my first little creature. I was in college then, sharing a cramped apartment with roommates, so I needed a low-key companion. Something that could survive a freshman’s messy lifestyle.

Meet Alex, short for Alexandria.

Yeah, Alex was a rat—not everyone’s first pick, I get it. But if those beady eyes and dumbo ears don’t win you over, maybe her story will.

I got her from a breeder who claimed to raise both feeder and pet rats, though I wasn’t fully convinced he kept a clear line between the two. Still, there’s a big difference. Pet rats are bred for soft coats, unique colors, and sweet, social temperaments. They actually love people! It was discovered that they laugh during play too, just at a frequency too quiet for us humans to hear.

She wasn’t the only rat I ever had. Rats are social little beings and they need friends of their own kind to keep from sinking into depression. But Alex outlived them all. Their lives are short, and I was lucky to have her for a loving four and a half years.

This goober moved with me all the way across Florida multiple times as I attempted to figure my life out. After my first attempt at college didn’t work out and I showed up at my parents door… with a rat… there was some reason for concern.

Here is Alex in my hoodie pocket, joining me at a travel rest-stop in Tallahassee.

It it didn’t take long for my parents to fall in love with Alex. My mother slowly accumulated boxes and gift wrapping scraps and created play areas where she could hangout. The girl was mostly free range in our home because she was litter trained and never wanted to escape. However, if we forgot to tuck her into her cage at night, she would find one of us (in bed) and ask kindly to be safely tucked away.

I am eternally grateful to Alex for joining my family and supporting me through the most confusing years of my life. I had no idea who I was or what I was doing, but Alex did. She was a rat, and everyday she did her rat things, as nature intends. They eat, they, forage, they cuddle. There is so much to learn about life simply from watching animals instinctually move through the seasons.

All that being said, though it’s special that pets hold such a tender place in our hearts and comfort us through the tears of a breakup (like, how did a literal rat treat me better than my ex?)

The greatest part of these creatures we choose is that they choose us too. To be chosen by and belong to an animal is such an honorable and rewarding experience. They need us. They love us. Unconditionally, day after day. We can only hope to give them the best life they deserve.

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Be honest, would you ever give a rat a chance as a pet?

by amy