Rats or Hogs?

[salin]

both are so underappreciated...

Though still trying to figure out what there is to appreciate about rats...

[sthorne]

1. Not much

I'd go for the hog.

[BlueJazz]

2. I have Pet Rats and they are cool little creatures.

...Sweet as hell and extremely smart. They come when called and love to play "stalk my hand"

The large white Male (Mario) chases the Dog around the house....then the Dog returns the favor.
When people come to the house, they usually say: "That's the damn-est thing I've ever seen"

[salin]

3. conjours up quite an image!

and per their "smartness"... made me think of a pro-rat statement... where would many behavior/mod labs be without lab rats?

[Democrat Dragon]

4. Rats are cute

and so are snakes and bats!

[vixengrl]

5. Rats are the best!

My friend had pet brown rats, and they are so friendly and clean. I loved having them crawl up my arm--they are very inquisitive (but you can't scare them or they'll pee on you). The "homeless" or wild rats are just trying to survive. It isn't their fault they have to live in dumpsters and sewers and yucky places like that--I don't believe, knowing tame ones, that this is their preferred habitat at all. Also, as for spreading disease--I blame the fleas, and the rats will back me up, fleas suck.

Pigs also rule. When I was in Italy, I met some pigs, and they were very mellow animals. They don't like being in stinky inside pens as much as being in a nice bit of outside mud where they aren't smelling their own poo (which *is* uniquely piggy--there is no mistaking the smell of pig poo for any other kind). My husband's niece had some pigs which the family named, which made me a little, uh, *disconcerted*, since they were going to be food someday. But if they were treated like, say, dogs, and not chops-to-be, I think they'd have been cool pets. Which makes me glad I wasn't served any of the hogs I met--I'm a sheltered city girl, and I'm afraid plate reality doesn't usually much occur to me.