"My mind sees that I am nothing, my heart sees that I am everything, between these two poles my life unfolds."

Monday, April 4, 2011


It's World Rat Day, so... hurray for The Rat, I guess...!! Today marks the sixth celebration of this event and I think the above slogan chosen for the campaign is simply priceless. Unfortunately, I now have the song We Are The World looping around in my head and I am valiantly trying to push back Ben...is it MJ Day too!?!

April 4th has been set aside by enthusiasts of the genus Rattus, who hope to dispel some common misconceptions about their furry little friends; ie that they are dirty, disease-ridden and unsuitable as pets, when in fact they are very gentle creatures, rarely bite, quite affectionate and intelligent. So in an effort to do my bit for the poor maligned rodent, here are 4 amusing oddities:


Rats have no gallbladder, but 
they have a bellybutton. 
They can't vomit, but
laugh with a high chirping sound when amused.

8 comments:

  1. When I worked at a pet store when I was young, we had a pet rat who lived on the fish counter there. He was so sweet and tame and would ride around on my shoulder. I loved that rat. They can make great pets when tame. I also had a few wild rats chew on my basement door at my house a long time ago too trying to get in and I didn't care much for that.

    Happy World Rat Day to all the rats out there - lol... :)

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  2. My mothers friend in college had a pet rat. His name was Alex. When she came home every day, he'd get so excited, that he'd bounce on his hind legs with his head tilted sideways. Very gentle creatures. If I didn't have cats, I'd have a rat, no problem. Oh and if they weren't banned in AB.

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  3. Hi April, I do think they are very cute - I also love mice and used to hate it when we lived on an acreage and had to set traps when we invariably got them in the house.

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  4. Hi Tatiana, Yes I had forgotten that Alberta is supposedly rat-free... but if you recall, there was that incident a few years ago where one rat hitched a ride over from Saskatchewan on an ATV.

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  5. Wow, you find the most interesting stuff. Who knew rats had their own day?

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  6. Thanks Michelle :) Yes, who knew... they are finally getting some Respect lol!

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  7. A friend I used to work with had a pet rat; she said it was the best pet she'd ever had. And this is true. They are very gentle, affectionate creatures that enjoy social interaction with their owners. Rats in pets stores are very misunderstood; they are very domesticated and enjoy human companionship.

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  8. That's now two animals I would never have considered for pets before: ferrets (thanks to 'Plowing Through Life') and the former lowly rat!

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