Reversing the domestic rat's bad rap

Editors note: interested in adopting a ratty? Check out Brisbane Rat  Rescue's website for more information about rescue rats.

Therese Hitesman's idea of heaven may seem strange to some people.

For her, there's nothing sweeter than having her three pet rats, Phoebe, Sara and Cinder, in her arms.

Whenever Hitesman lets them out of their triple-level wire rat condo, she scratches behind their little ears and plays with them as they scurry around her bedroom.

The Glendale, Ariz., woman leads Any Rat Rescue, the only organization of its kind in the Phoenix area.

Since its inception in 2004, the nonprofit has found homes for more than 300 rats that have been abandoned, neglected or abused.

Hitesman and other rat lovers work tirelessly to educate people about the domestic rodent and reverse the animal's negative image.

"We like to say that rats are just a furry tail away from being the world's most popular pocket pet," she says. "I just wish people would get past their tail."

Rats' bad rap comes from several misconceptions, according to Hitesman.

People tend to lump together the domesticated rat with sewer or roof rats.

In reality, she says, the rodents differ as much as dogs and wolves.

Since domestic rats are bred for health and temperament, they do not have the instincts needed to survive in the wild.

Pet rats are litterbox trained, intelligent, love to play with humans and form strong bonds with their caretakers and cage mates.

For this reason, Hitesman encourages potential adopters to take two or three rats.

"Rats need a lot of attention and shouldn't be by themselves," she says. "They're not like other rodent pets, because they love to be out of the cage a lot."

A few years ago, Hitesman would never have dreamed of having rats anywhere near her.

"I considered them filthy and disgusting. I had no idea," she says.

That was until her teenage daughter brought in two rats, Gus and Walter, which became ill. Hitesman researched the rodents, cared for them, and the rest is history.

"They're incredible pets," Hitesman says. "You get so attached to them."

Maintaining the animals can be expensive; veterinary care is costly because rats are considered exotic pets.

Any Rat Rescue is able to care for the rodents they take in through a network of six or seven foster families around the Phoenix area who house the rats until they are adopted.

Denise and Stefan Babinak of Peoria, Ariz., are fostering two of the bridge rats, Joey and Bishop. They also have two female pet rats, Angelina and Holly.

"I don't understand why rats get such a bad break. They're not the demons people make them out to be," Denise Babinak says. "I just love them."

Reference: http://www.delawareonline.com

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