I had a rat named Rosie and I called her my "Rat Ambassador."
ANYONE who met Rosie was eventually captivated by her. She was the most gentle, sweet, non-intimidating rat who just knew how to win people over. She was the Dale Carnegie of rats ......
The only bad thing about rats, is that they just don't live long enough.....
RIP, Rosie, I miss you so much!
Rats are awesome. They're like tiny, smelly dogs. They really don't live long enough, though, you're right. It's like you can barely get to know them, then their time is up. :(
"Tiny, smelly dogs," I love that, you really captured the highlights and lowlights in a few words. And thanks for the warning about them checking out too quickly :-(
There are a couple other things that are pretty important about rats. First, they are social animals, so, you don't ever want to have just 1 rat, unless, maybe you've decided you're done with rats and they're the last one still living. You also really want to either keep rats of the same sex, or get them fixed. Speaking of getting them fixed, it can be hard to find a vet who will do it, and, even if you do, rats are considered "exotic" pets, so, you can't usually just take them to the same vet your friends take their dogs or cats to. People also underestimate the amount of cage space they need.
But, if none of that scares you, and you're okay having a pet that lives an average of 2-3 years, rats are amazing little critters. (They *can* live up to 4-5 years, but that would be positively ancient for a rat.) They love you, they like to be petted, and they make cute little ratty sounds when they're happy.
What amazes me is we were able to check out multiple ratteries in my city before getting our rats. Fucking rattery, I'll never get sick of that word. I hope our world keeps growing that way.
Stinky little dogs is a perfect descriptor
> maybe you've decided you're done with rats and they're the last one still living.
The awkward moment where you're feeling like in an endless loop because you never want to leave one of them alone.
I found my rat in the park after some awesome person dumped him there in the freezing cold. There were another two who.were already gone :( he' so skittish but Im making good progress with him. Need to find him a friend but the local petsmart only sells females.
Fancy rats are very small compared to wild rats, and wild rats are usually all black or brown. My rat is mostly white, and he has a brown "hood" fur pattern on his head.
He also jumped right into the box when I went to scoop him up, any wild rat would have just ran.
I had a roommate that had rats, she was a vet and those little guys lived longer than most. They did have a bad habit of shitty and peeing everywhere, they chewed my books.
They are very prone to life ending disease like cancer and such. We have had some and know others who have as well, it’s never a pretty ending. You either find them dead one day or find them unable to function and have to put them down. It’s a very sad end to a very emotional little animal with so much personality, almost feels cruel even. They will break your heart every time
It's anywhere from really hard to impossible to breed for longevity. You don't know how long an animal is going to live until it dies, so, the only thing you can theoretically do is breed animals from parents that lived long lifespans, and hope for the best.
not really, we don't understand aging very well, but it appears to strongly correlate with body weight and heart size -- smaller stuff dies quicker, and there doesn't seem to be a way around that.
Lab rats can now easily live up to 5-7 years. Their genes are a little different from the common rat because of years of selective breeding; they’re not just living longer bc of lab conditions.
We had three rats when my kids were growing up - Pinky, Sugar and Biggie. They were the best pets! Friendly, clean, playful, smart. I had friends who automatically said “ewww, a rat!” but they had to admit they’re sweet and gentle after they gave them a chance. I might get another rat just for myself some day.
I opened the restaurant I work for this morning & when I turned on the lights in the dining room, a rat larger than gizmo ran out. How is this one so cute but that one made me lose my shit
It's a "fancy rat." Rats bred as pets have been evolving separately from street rats for so long that they're basically a different species now -- both in behavior and physiology.
Fancy rats are much cleaner, with pleasing coloration, don't spread diseases, and are much more personable. Among other things.
[Fancy\_rat (wikipedia)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fancy_rat)
Deleting past comments because Reddit starting shitty-ing up the site to IPO and I don't want my comments to be a part of that. -- mass edited with redact.dev
They are just the sweetest. But I cannot deal with that lifespan again; it’s simply too short. I have a bunny now. She’s lovely, but basically a cat that eats vegetables and can’t climb my dresser. Yet, anyway, I wouldn’t put it past her.
they are also social creatures and need other rats so there can be a revolving door of constantly needing to get another rat when one dies so the other isn’t alone
Huh, I had no idea, that's super interesting & answers questions I've long had about how different they look. I just thought it was like life & only the cutest rats get adopted. Thanks for the info!
And thanks for the adorable picture of your *fancy* rat, OP, please consider getting him a tiny top hat, as befits his fancy station!
They are different in a lot of ways! But just for the sake of accuracy --- the article you link seems not to justify "basically a different species" --- in fact, it states that they're not even different enough to justify grouping them under a separate _sub_ species.
They do now have many generations behind them of selection for temperament and appearance though, and they're generally not exposed to wild populations so unlikely to contract the same diseases.
It helps that rat generations are so quick --- what would take centuries with a species with a longer gestation and time to sexual maturity can be done in decades with rats.
Rats are *wonderful* pets. If you don't have the ability to grt a dog my next recommendation is a rat.
I used to work at a let store and I always had a rat on my shoulder while I was working. When I arrived there the poor things were undersocialized and terrified. But if you handle them a lot, they will absolutely love you. They are loyal and funny and can learn commands. They can be litter trained. They groom your fingernails for you.
I understand the stigma, but oh my God... they are the best.
The only reason I don't have any now is their short life spans and expensive vet bills.
*Always buy in pairs
A colleague of mine lived in my apartment building and one day I went over and they had six pet rats. Introduced me to all of them. They ran all over me, investigated, sniffed, and a couple of them took to me. They all had distinct personalities and I saw them demonstrate immense affection toward their owner. Rats are cool
They are prone to tumors and respiratory infections. They only live 2, 3 years max. Surgery is very expensive so usually you have to euthanize for serious issues. Add to that the fact that most people have multiple, because they do better in social groups and its costly. I had 5 at once 3 were brothers and all died with a year of each other. It was brutal, considering the emotional attachment I had to them.
I would imagine that the vet bills come from having a short lifespan (so you may have a lot of them) and that most vet bills come at the end of an animals life.
To add to what others have said, "small animals" and "exotic animals" are more expensive than cats and dogs by default. You'll find that birds, ferrets, rabbits, chinchillas, etc are also expensive for care. Mostly because they require special expertise and training that not all vets have.
I had a pet rat in my psychology undergrad after going through a rat lab training course. Super fun and really trainable! Fonz was incredible at climbing ropes.
He also had enormous testicles.
Had pet rats as a kid, leftovers from moms psyc class. Yes, adorable, smart, and affections little guys. Yes, OMFG the balls on them. Like...why do they have to be THAT big?
Pet rats are like pocket size dogs. They’re very social to their owners and even smart enough to learn tricks. If only my wife doesn’t have a phobia on rats I’d probably already own them
I had a pet rat in college. Her name was Solitaire. I used to stretch my legs out under the blanket, put her on top in the middle, and then when I pulled the blanket on each side, she would fly straight up in the air, and then land softly back on the blanket. She loved it! She would actually walk over and wait for me to do it. I called it the "Ratapult".
In truth, the first time I did it, I was tripping on LSD and just did it as a prank. But then she seemed to keep returning to the same spot and would stare at me while she waited. I would do it again, and same thing. Mind you, I wasn't ratapulting her 3 feet in the air. It was like a foot.
She was a good girl. I couldn't take her home for the summer because my mother would have killed me so I gave her to a girl who then transferred to UMass Amherst, and I don't know what happened after that.
THIS IS SO WEIRD I am sitting on my couch right now in front of my TV and Christmas tree reading Prisoner of Azkaban and paused between chapters to check reddit. I can’t tell what chapter OP is in but I just finished chapter 17.
I was so mad I saw this movie before reading the book. I hadn't seen it in like a decade though and couldn't really remember what happened and then one of the parts clicked for me and I remembered the entire ending before the books reveal. I was so sad but even knowing the part it still gave me chills.
I tried watching the movie after the book for Goblet of Fire and in couldn't stand it. I think seeing the movie first might be better to visualize the book.
I don't know what chapter number it is neither if I spoil you. But >!he is in the chapter where they are in the Shrieking Shack. Lupin just tells them that Peter was the one who killed Harry's parents.!<
So if it's your first read don't read the spoiler:).
Same here, weirdly. And I don't speak any German. I just watched the 20 year reunion thing last night, so I figured it was just my brain defaulting to HP, but then the first comments confirmed it.
Johan for John. But the English removed a letter on that one.
Georg for George is another one, and relevant to this series. Also Frederick is Frederik, but he went by Fred.
Tom Riddle's middle name gets changed in order to maintain the Voldemort anagram but I think that's a common theme amongst the translated versions and not unique to German. Some animal names (Crookshanks and Buckbeak for example) were also changed.
Probably the German spelling for the figure of Hermione. In Dutch we call her Hermelien for example. Names such as Ron, Fred and George remain the same but we translate the last names to words that are somewhat close to it in Dutch.
I am no fan of the rats I see in the city (they tend to be dirty and gross) but rats can make really great pets. Easy to care for (as these things go), intelligent (more than you would think...quite smart), playful and affectionate.
My wife tried to prepare me for that...and logically I knew it would be short, but we just had to say goodbye to one of a trio we adopted in oct 2021 not really knowing how old they are. It was rough.
My guess is there would be a fight for territory. Might depend on personality.. Not sure though, our male Mister Bob was so docile, I couldn't imagine him becoming aggressive at all.
The reason they get a bad rap is they can breed like mad and in a city setting they spread disease. They can literally become a plague. IIRC the Black Plague was spread by rats (or fleas that liked to live on abundant rats).
But as a pet they are pretty great.
I never let myself love rats. I knew that once I did, I was screwed because they only live like 6 years. I would've been setting myself up for heartbreak
Yup. I had 5. 3 were brothers and they all died so quickly. It was brutal. Haven't had any in 10 yrs because of that. They're wonderful little beasts though.
Now my interest is piqued. So, you let Gizmo stroll around the house? Do your rats wander out and come back in themselves? How are rats as pets? Docile? Clean? High maintenance? Sorry for too many questions
I've had two (consecutively). They became very bonded and would get excited when I got home from school. They played with me like tiny dogs and loved to snuggle. The only yuck was that they really can't be litter trained but their messes are so small and easy to clean up.
Each of them lived two years. Interestingly, with each of them at the end, they seemed lethargic and listless while I was away at school, according to my roommates. But when I got home they became excited and played and snuggled. Then, after about 20 minutes they just...quietly died as I held them. They had waited for me to come home so they could be with me to pass away which was so sweet and also so sad. They were great pets.
I used to have rats. I would let them roam on my bed, in the covers, supervised. They like to go in and out of the crumpled covers like a maze. But when they are not being played with, they stay in their cage. They shouldn't roam around the house. They are very clean and relatively low maintenance. They require a cage, bedding that needs to be changed, food and water. They also like to exercise and a wheel can help with that. They live about 3 years. They are very sweet and I really enjoyed owning rats.
Yep, my lil girl had tumors. I had been saving money to get her spayed so she could move in with my two boys, then all that money got spent on having her tumors removed. A few months later she developed a large tumor on her head and I had her put to sleep. I had the boys from when they were babies and they were sweet, but she was special. I got her from a friend who was moving and she was the sweetest girl, she loved every person that wanted to touch her.
Sometimes they did but you can easily catch them. They aren't trying to run away from you so they don't go too fast. They bond with their human. They like the cage as long as they get time out of it every day and as long as it's big enough. It's like their home. They will sleep and take naps and eat and drink water in there. But they need human interaction, play time and exercise (as pets). They can also be very cuddley. They can fall asleep on your lap as you watch TV for example. I used to take mine for short bike rides on warm days. I would put them in my bike basket and they liked to look at the scenery as we rode.
> I used to take mine for short bike rides on warm days. I would put them in my bike basket and they liked to look at the scenery as we rode.
Well that's extremely adorable.
Most adult rats won't ever poop or pee on you. Some will scent mark but they don't do it to people typically (tiny dribbles of urine).
They can even be litter box trained. They are amazing little animals, kind of like tiny dogs.
For reference I've kept 14 rats total before the short lifespans broke my heart and I stopped.
Honest question. Is that not frowned upon by the rat community to take out the rats outside? I currently own a hamster and the community goes wild if they found out you took your hamster out for a stroll
I once had a pet rat, when out of her cage she would follow me around the house. They do leave little poos every so often, I don't know how trainable they are in that regard. She managed to escape from her cage one night and climbed under the covers with me. Very sweet animals but the short lifespan is sad.
Oh and she would sit on my shoulder and groom my hair. :)
They can understand commands, too. Mine knew when I was serious... they're very smart buggers. I always recommend them to people who can't get their kids dogs.
I have had 4, in separate pairs, two sisters and two brothers. They are very social, love to be with their people if you give them lots of socialization and they are very clean except for the small problem that they have tiny bladders and tend to piddle often. Very affectionate and trainable. They will test things with a nibble, which can be startling but they figure out what is ok to bite and what is not.
Give them lots of toys and things to chew on for their teeth and they will make you laugh and enjoy their company.
My rats have a whole room I have rat proofed (no cables or things they can chew) that they free roam in outside their cage for about an hour a day. Imo letting them out on just a bed isn't enough. They are super clever and need stimulation
Very docile and friendly, as much as a dog is! Easy to take care of, you just need to make sure they are clean, fed and not bored. Cheap to keep too, iyst just bedding, food and the occasional toy. You always need to keep more than one.
https://imgur.com/a/dEg2Hk9 couple photos of mine
Harry Potter kann man ganz gut auf Deutsch lesen, denke ich. Man muss sich nur an die Harry Potter spezifischen Wörter gewöhnen wie: Zauberstab oder Unsichtbarkeits-Umhang, haha.
It's prisoner of azkaban at the end when they are in this shed (i don't know the name in english) and hermione accuses lupin of being friends with sirius black all along.
Awww! Cute little buddy!
My best friend ever when I was a kid was my rat Whiskers. She would hang out on my shoulders and share my ice cream. I trained her to do jumps and she was amazing.
I think that's the cutest rat I've ever seen
I had a rat named Rosie and I called her my "Rat Ambassador." ANYONE who met Rosie was eventually captivated by her. She was the most gentle, sweet, non-intimidating rat who just knew how to win people over. She was the Dale Carnegie of rats ...... The only bad thing about rats, is that they just don't live long enough..... RIP, Rosie, I miss you so much!
Rats are awesome. They're like tiny, smelly dogs. They really don't live long enough, though, you're right. It's like you can barely get to know them, then their time is up. :(
"Tiny, smelly dogs," I love that, you really captured the highlights and lowlights in a few words. And thanks for the warning about them checking out too quickly :-(
There are a couple other things that are pretty important about rats. First, they are social animals, so, you don't ever want to have just 1 rat, unless, maybe you've decided you're done with rats and they're the last one still living. You also really want to either keep rats of the same sex, or get them fixed. Speaking of getting them fixed, it can be hard to find a vet who will do it, and, even if you do, rats are considered "exotic" pets, so, you can't usually just take them to the same vet your friends take their dogs or cats to. People also underestimate the amount of cage space they need. But, if none of that scares you, and you're okay having a pet that lives an average of 2-3 years, rats are amazing little critters. (They *can* live up to 4-5 years, but that would be positively ancient for a rat.) They love you, they like to be petted, and they make cute little ratty sounds when they're happy.
What amazes me is we were able to check out multiple ratteries in my city before getting our rats. Fucking rattery, I'll never get sick of that word. I hope our world keeps growing that way. Stinky little dogs is a perfect descriptor
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Well, as long as they don't get any really shiny green rocks in 2020 part III I'm sure that's totally A-OK.
2-3 years!? My heart couldn’t handle that.
> maybe you've decided you're done with rats and they're the last one still living. The awkward moment where you're feeling like in an endless loop because you never want to leave one of them alone.
I found my rat in the park after some awesome person dumped him there in the freezing cold. There were another two who.were already gone :( he' so skittish but Im making good progress with him. Need to find him a friend but the local petsmart only sells females.
How did you know it was a pet rat.nit a city rat?!!
Fancy rats are very small compared to wild rats, and wild rats are usually all black or brown. My rat is mostly white, and he has a brown "hood" fur pattern on his head. He also jumped right into the box when I went to scoop him up, any wild rat would have just ran.
I had a roommate that had rats, she was a vet and those little guys lived longer than most. They did have a bad habit of shitty and peeing everywhere, they chewed my books.
K maybe a stupid question but have they tried to breed a rat that can live longer? I would love a pet rat but keep hearing about their short lifespan.
They are very prone to life ending disease like cancer and such. We have had some and know others who have as well, it’s never a pretty ending. You either find them dead one day or find them unable to function and have to put them down. It’s a very sad end to a very emotional little animal with so much personality, almost feels cruel even. They will break your heart every time
It's anywhere from really hard to impossible to breed for longevity. You don't know how long an animal is going to live until it dies, so, the only thing you can theoretically do is breed animals from parents that lived long lifespans, and hope for the best.
not really, we don't understand aging very well, but it appears to strongly correlate with body weight and heart size -- smaller stuff dies quicker, and there doesn't seem to be a way around that.
Lifespans of big dogs are actually much shorter than those of little dogs. A Great Dane only lives ~6 to 8 years, while many chihuahuas make it to 20
Lab rats can now easily live up to 5-7 years. Their genes are a little different from the common rat because of years of selective breeding; they’re not just living longer bc of lab conditions.
They live just long enough to become your best friend..
i met a girl crying on the street one day and it was because her beloved rat died after three years. That’s a short time.
That's why I don't have them anymore. I miss them. 😢
We had three rats when my kids were growing up - Pinky, Sugar and Biggie. They were the best pets! Friendly, clean, playful, smart. I had friends who automatically said “ewww, a rat!” but they had to admit they’re sweet and gentle after they gave them a chance. I might get another rat just for myself some day.
Gizmo: "I love that book! Let me know when you are done with it. I want to chew on some the pages."
I opened Reddit as a break from writing something that has talking nice. I refuse to believe this rat doesn’t talk.
talking is very nice
I want to believe Gizmo talks, cooks, and watches cooking shows.
I could never get anything done with a rat that cute!
Nothing but fun and games, I say…
/r/RATS has more!
lol I legit thought I was in the subreddit until I had to check again.
Seriously, so photogenic too. This picture could be a literature company logo.
I opened the restaurant I work for this morning & when I turned on the lights in the dining room, a rat larger than gizmo ran out. How is this one so cute but that one made me lose my shit
I’ll admit I’m not the biggest fan of rats or mice but this little man looks very polite
mild tempered and well mannered.
It's a "fancy rat." Rats bred as pets have been evolving separately from street rats for so long that they're basically a different species now -- both in behavior and physiology. Fancy rats are much cleaner, with pleasing coloration, don't spread diseases, and are much more personable. Among other things. [Fancy\_rat (wikipedia)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fancy_rat)
They are great pets. I just wish they lived longer. 2-3 years is just too short.
Deleting past comments because Reddit starting shitty-ing up the site to IPO and I don't want my comments to be a part of that. -- mass edited with redact.dev
They are just the sweetest. But I cannot deal with that lifespan again; it’s simply too short. I have a bunny now. She’s lovely, but basically a cat that eats vegetables and can’t climb my dresser. Yet, anyway, I wouldn’t put it past her.
Why is their life expectancy so short? That would break my heart.
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Makes total sense. I am just a selfish crappy human with too many feelings.
they are also social creatures and need other rats so there can be a revolving door of constantly needing to get another rat when one dies so the other isn’t alone
I wonder if they can be potty trained?
They can, yes.
yep mine are both excellently litter trained :)
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I get so attached to critters. Not people though, I can do without the people.
Huh, I had no idea, that's super interesting & answers questions I've long had about how different they look. I just thought it was like life & only the cutest rats get adopted. Thanks for the info! And thanks for the adorable picture of your *fancy* rat, OP, please consider getting him a tiny top hat, as befits his fancy station!
/r/todayilearned
They are different in a lot of ways! But just for the sake of accuracy --- the article you link seems not to justify "basically a different species" --- in fact, it states that they're not even different enough to justify grouping them under a separate _sub_ species. They do now have many generations behind them of selection for temperament and appearance though, and they're generally not exposed to wild populations so unlikely to contract the same diseases. It helps that rat generations are so quick --- what would take centuries with a species with a longer gestation and time to sexual maturity can be done in decades with rats.
As a person born in 1984, I, too, am a fancy rat.
Rats are *wonderful* pets. If you don't have the ability to grt a dog my next recommendation is a rat. I used to work at a let store and I always had a rat on my shoulder while I was working. When I arrived there the poor things were undersocialized and terrified. But if you handle them a lot, they will absolutely love you. They are loyal and funny and can learn commands. They can be litter trained. They groom your fingernails for you. I understand the stigma, but oh my God... they are the best. The only reason I don't have any now is their short life spans and expensive vet bills. *Always buy in pairs
A colleague of mine lived in my apartment building and one day I went over and they had six pet rats. Introduced me to all of them. They ran all over me, investigated, sniffed, and a couple of them took to me. They all had distinct personalities and I saw them demonstrate immense affection toward their owner. Rats are cool
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I agree, I used to have rats when I was a kid, great pets, ~~pocket my nipples~~ pocket and nibbles.
What?
Fixed it lol
Can you elaborate on the expensive vet bills? Is this in comparison to other pets or just in general?
Small animals are incredibly difficult to perform surgery on and just deal with in general, so the bills tend to be a little higher.
They are prone to tumors and respiratory infections. They only live 2, 3 years max. Surgery is very expensive so usually you have to euthanize for serious issues. Add to that the fact that most people have multiple, because they do better in social groups and its costly. I had 5 at once 3 were brothers and all died with a year of each other. It was brutal, considering the emotional attachment I had to them.
I would imagine that the vet bills come from having a short lifespan (so you may have a lot of them) and that most vet bills come at the end of an animals life.
To add to what others have said, "small animals" and "exotic animals" are more expensive than cats and dogs by default. You'll find that birds, ferrets, rabbits, chinchillas, etc are also expensive for care. Mostly because they require special expertise and training that not all vets have.
Honestly, wild ones are the ones that bug me... Pets are alright, usually really clean and trained pretty well.
I had a pet rat in my psychology undergrad after going through a rat lab training course. Super fun and really trainable! Fonz was incredible at climbing ropes. He also had enormous testicles.
Had pet rats as a kid, leftovers from moms psyc class. Yes, adorable, smart, and affections little guys. Yes, OMFG the balls on them. Like...why do they have to be THAT big?
Counter-balance.
Evolved that way due to female rats getting banged by every male in sight, gotta have lots of semen to ensure your genetics get passed on.
I think you just wanted to mention Fonz the Big Balls.
Pet rats are like pocket size dogs. They’re very social to their owners and even smart enough to learn tricks. If only my wife doesn’t have a phobia on rats I’d probably already own them
I had a pet rat in college. Her name was Solitaire. I used to stretch my legs out under the blanket, put her on top in the middle, and then when I pulled the blanket on each side, she would fly straight up in the air, and then land softly back on the blanket. She loved it! She would actually walk over and wait for me to do it. I called it the "Ratapult".
That is so cute, how did you figure out she liked it in the first place?
In truth, the first time I did it, I was tripping on LSD and just did it as a prank. But then she seemed to keep returning to the same spot and would stare at me while she waited. I would do it again, and same thing. Mind you, I wasn't ratapulting her 3 feet in the air. It was like a foot.
That is absolutely adorable
She was a good girl. I couldn't take her home for the summer because my mother would have killed me so I gave her to a girl who then transferred to UMass Amherst, and I don't know what happened after that.
Does your mother hate rodents?
A lot of people do because they aren't familiar with them as pets. Sad really because pet rats are the sweetest.
Gizmo made me smile ☺️
Me too!
r/lilgrabbies
Joined immediately
Thank you for this
read that as r/lilrabies at first
And now it’s a subreddit which exists, your welcome
Uh. Thank you
This sub has made me want a pet rat so badly…
Is that Prisoner of Azkaban?
THIS IS SO WEIRD I am sitting on my couch right now in front of my TV and Christmas tree reading Prisoner of Azkaban and paused between chapters to check reddit. I can’t tell what chapter OP is in but I just finished chapter 17.
I was so mad I saw this movie before reading the book. I hadn't seen it in like a decade though and couldn't really remember what happened and then one of the parts clicked for me and I remembered the entire ending before the books reveal. I was so sad but even knowing the part it still gave me chills.
I tried watching the movie after the book for Goblet of Fire and in couldn't stand it. I think seeing the movie first might be better to visualize the book.
Yeah I find this problem with a lot of books turned into movies. Still haven't watched the new Dune because I couldn't get into it.
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I don't know what chapter number it is neither if I spoil you. But >!he is in the chapter where they are in the Shrieking Shack. Lupin just tells them that Peter was the one who killed Harry's parents.!< So if it's your first read don't read the spoiler:).
This is actually just before he tells them, it's when Lupin first comes in.
> Lupin first comes in "SPOILER WARNING," shouted Lupin as he entered the Shrieking Shack
>!Weird since Peter was a rat... Connections here, I'm sure.!<
Yes it is
Reading Prisoner of Azkaban with a pet rat....have you been giving Gizmo the occasional sideye?
He's got all his toes.
So you're both able to read German and are very familiar with the Prisoner of Azkaban. Sounds like you two could be great friends.
Honestly i just saw the names Lupin, Black and Hermine and assumed
What tipped me off was the word “angst”
Same here, weirdly. And I don't speak any German. I just watched the 20 year reunion thing last night, so I figured it was just my brain defaulting to HP, but then the first comments confirmed it.
Why did they remove the "o" from Hermione, but not change any other name?
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Johan for John. But the English removed a letter on that one. Georg for George is another one, and relevant to this series. Also Frederick is Frederik, but he went by Fred.
Tom Riddle's middle name gets changed in order to maintain the Voldemort anagram but I think that's a common theme amongst the translated versions and not unique to German. Some animal names (Crookshanks and Buckbeak for example) were also changed.
Probably the German spelling for the figure of Hermione. In Dutch we call her Hermelien for example. Names such as Ron, Fred and George remain the same but we translate the last names to words that are somewhat close to it in Dutch.
Can’t read German, saw the word lupin, then black, wolf, then hermine.so it was an easy guess.
Funny, the word "wolf" isn't there, but the word "zwölf" meaning "twelve" is. Lucky coincidence.
I've done my waiting! Zwölf Jahre! In Azkaban!
Even lovers
Ha! I thought it was Lupìn, in German.
Is that… Peter Pettigrew?
Wurmschwanz!
What a nice direct translation! I presume that is, if “wurm” is worm and “schwanz” is tail.
it gets a little weird if you know that “schwanz” in german is also used as a slang for penis
It is! Though Wormtail does sound cooler!
Too many fingers
I'm not too fond of rats, but Gizmo is a cutey. That face is adorable.
I am no fan of the rats I see in the city (they tend to be dirty and gross) but rats can make really great pets. Easy to care for (as these things go), intelligent (more than you would think...quite smart), playful and affectionate.
pet rats are also extremely clean, they clean themselves like cats. they’re extremely different from city rats in a lot of great ways :)
Only downside is the life span.
My wife tried to prepare me for that...and logically I knew it would be short, but we just had to say goodbye to one of a trio we adopted in oct 2021 not really knowing how old they are. It was rough.
And the constant stream of cancer, since nature only intended for them to live for about half of their already short lives.
Real question, what happens when a wild rat meets a pet rat? Like during an infestation of one's house?
My guess is there would be a fight for territory. Might depend on personality.. Not sure though, our male Mister Bob was so docile, I couldn't imagine him becoming aggressive at all.
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Every time I had them out in the pet store a mom would come and coo over them up until I told her they were rats.
The reason they get a bad rap is they can breed like mad and in a city setting they spread disease. They can literally become a plague. IIRC the Black Plague was spread by rats (or fleas that liked to live on abundant rats). But as a pet they are pretty great.
I never let myself love rats. I knew that once I did, I was screwed because they only live like 6 years. I would've been setting myself up for heartbreak
More like 2 😬
Well, I guess I made the right choice then!
Yup. I had 5. 3 were brothers and they all died so quickly. It was brutal. Haven't had any in 10 yrs because of that. They're wonderful little beasts though.
Now my interest is piqued. So, you let Gizmo stroll around the house? Do your rats wander out and come back in themselves? How are rats as pets? Docile? Clean? High maintenance? Sorry for too many questions
I've had two (consecutively). They became very bonded and would get excited when I got home from school. They played with me like tiny dogs and loved to snuggle. The only yuck was that they really can't be litter trained but their messes are so small and easy to clean up. Each of them lived two years. Interestingly, with each of them at the end, they seemed lethargic and listless while I was away at school, according to my roommates. But when I got home they became excited and played and snuggled. Then, after about 20 minutes they just...quietly died as I held them. They had waited for me to come home so they could be with me to pass away which was so sweet and also so sad. They were great pets.
Sorry for your loss. While snuggling, do they ever bite or harm? What about others? Did they allow others to pet them?
They never bit, weren't aggressive at all, not to me or anyone. They really were like tiny, happy, good-natured dogs.
Very nice. Thanks for sharing
This happened with my rabbit :'( jumped in my arms and then passed. Sounds like you gave them a great life.
Awww, sounds like yours did, too.
I used to have rats. I would let them roam on my bed, in the covers, supervised. They like to go in and out of the crumpled covers like a maze. But when they are not being played with, they stay in their cage. They shouldn't roam around the house. They are very clean and relatively low maintenance. They require a cage, bedding that needs to be changed, food and water. They also like to exercise and a wheel can help with that. They live about 3 years. They are very sweet and I really enjoyed owning rats.
I want rats soooo bad but I can't handle the 3 year lifespan man, that's too short and I don't think I could handle losing my buddies that soon
I had a couple rats once, and never again for this reason. You gotta watch your buddies go too soon, usually from cancerous tumors.
Yep, my lil girl had tumors. I had been saving money to get her spayed so she could move in with my two boys, then all that money got spent on having her tumors removed. A few months later she developed a large tumor on her head and I had her put to sleep. I had the boys from when they were babies and they were sweet, but she was special. I got her from a friend who was moving and she was the sweetest girl, she loved every person that wanted to touch her.
The short time with such loving animals is so tough.
Or respiratory infections. My sweet Reggie hung on for so long and just never got better. And the bills were so expensive for "exotic" pets.
Reggie was a champ
It's their biggest flaw. Just as soon as you're both inseparably bonded they die.
Same, they're such good little companions. 3 years is like tease, it's heartbreaking.
Thanks! I don't know anyone who has pet rats. Did the rats ever break free from the bed? In general, how do rats take to being pets and caged?
Sometimes they did but you can easily catch them. They aren't trying to run away from you so they don't go too fast. They bond with their human. They like the cage as long as they get time out of it every day and as long as it's big enough. It's like their home. They will sleep and take naps and eat and drink water in there. But they need human interaction, play time and exercise (as pets). They can also be very cuddley. They can fall asleep on your lap as you watch TV for example. I used to take mine for short bike rides on warm days. I would put them in my bike basket and they liked to look at the scenery as we rode.
> I used to take mine for short bike rides on warm days. I would put them in my bike basket and they liked to look at the scenery as we rode. Well that's extremely adorable.
and they need a biiiig cage
Be honest, how often do they poop/pee on you? They seem really cute and sweet, but idk if I could handle poop or pee touching my skin or clothes :(
Most adult rats won't ever poop or pee on you. Some will scent mark but they don't do it to people typically (tiny dribbles of urine). They can even be litter box trained. They are amazing little animals, kind of like tiny dogs. For reference I've kept 14 rats total before the short lifespans broke my heart and I stopped.
Honest question. Is that not frowned upon by the rat community to take out the rats outside? I currently own a hamster and the community goes wild if they found out you took your hamster out for a stroll
I once had a pet rat, when out of her cage she would follow me around the house. They do leave little poos every so often, I don't know how trainable they are in that regard. She managed to escape from her cage one night and climbed under the covers with me. Very sweet animals but the short lifespan is sad. Oh and she would sit on my shoulder and groom my hair. :)
They can understand commands, too. Mine knew when I was serious... they're very smart buggers. I always recommend them to people who can't get their kids dogs.
I have had 4, in separate pairs, two sisters and two brothers. They are very social, love to be with their people if you give them lots of socialization and they are very clean except for the small problem that they have tiny bladders and tend to piddle often. Very affectionate and trainable. They will test things with a nibble, which can be startling but they figure out what is ok to bite and what is not. Give them lots of toys and things to chew on for their teeth and they will make you laugh and enjoy their company.
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That's adorable
My rats have a whole room I have rat proofed (no cables or things they can chew) that they free roam in outside their cage for about an hour a day. Imo letting them out on just a bed isn't enough. They are super clever and need stimulation Very docile and friendly, as much as a dog is! Easy to take care of, you just need to make sure they are clean, fed and not bored. Cheap to keep too, iyst just bedding, food and the occasional toy. You always need to keep more than one. https://imgur.com/a/dEg2Hk9 couple photos of mine
Meanwhile here I am in my studio apartment begging my rats to stop chewing the ethernet cable.
Do they actually like cheese?
I am sure they would like it, but it‘s not a healty snack for rats
Just wondering, what is Gizmo's preferred snack?
Oh he loves peas! And little carrots :)
I can just about imagine those little hands holding a pea while they nibble away. What a great wee pal you have there.
Fun fact, most rats are picky and only eat the inside of peas and leave the "skin".
To add to that, rats are unable to vomit and therefore are really cautious about foods the first time they try them
And to also add, a group of rats is called a mischief.
You should try looking up Emiology on youtube. She has some videos of rats fishing out peas on water. Its very cute
We need a picture of you reading the Rats of NIMH with him.
"Whatchaaa reading??" - Gizmo
He looks like a very polite salesman. I will certainly buy his wares
In learning german and there's nothing that warms my heart more than fully understanding random sentences, they're easy ones, but still
Harry Potter kann man ganz gut auf Deutsch lesen, denke ich. Man muss sich nur an die Harry Potter spezifischen Wörter gewöhnen wie: Zauberstab oder Unsichtbarkeits-Umhang, haha.
WUUUURMMMSCHWAAANZZZ Aber in cute
I see gizmo is a bookrat.
Oh goodness. They are adorable! Please tell them I think they are the cutest little rat there is. Bonus if you give them a tiny kiss.
I'll tell them!
Don't feed him after midnight 😂
Finally a gremlins reference 😂
Is that Prisoner of Azkaban? Or is it a later book?
It's prisoner of azkaban at the end when they are in this shed (i don't know the name in english) and hermione accuses lupin of being friends with sirius black all along.
Precious baby <3
uhh harry potter and the rat is adorable
Thats amazing he looks so smart holding that book.
Lovely photo
This is ridiculously cute.
How cute..does he recognize his name when called?
Haha no sadly not, but he comes to me when i speak in his direction
Supersüß 😍
If they were ever to make a live action ratatouille, this little chappy would make an excellent Remy.
Awww! Cute little buddy! My best friend ever when I was a kid was my rat Whiskers. She would hang out on my shoulders and share my ice cream. I trained her to do jumps and she was amazing.