A lot of you probably didn't know that April 4th is World Rat Day.
What is world rat day? World Rat Day was founded in 2002 by a group of rat owners and enthusiasts to celebrate rats! The goal was to reduce stigma around the adorable creatures that some people call vermin. Across time, they've had a negative stigma due to spreading illness. Thing is, it isn't just rats that spread illness. A lot of animals can spread illness. The reason rats are so know for spreading illness is due to their close proximity to humans and that they can spread illness through direct and indirect transmission. Direct transmission is when a rat directly infects a human. Indirect transmission is when a flea, tick, or other bug living on a rat infects a human. That's the negative of rats. Most transmission from rats is actually indirect transmission as they are known to clean themselves similarly to cats.
The positive of rats is that they are adorable little buggers and great pets. If you keep a rat in a well cleaned and safe environment, they aren't going to spread disease like a wild rat would. Rats live about 2 years making them a great pet if you know you won't be able to have a pet in 3 years! Rats should never be kept as pets alone as they get lonely and need companionship.
What benefits have rats had to humans? Rats have a great sense of smell and can also be put to work to detect landmines. Their small size makes them great for that unique task. They have also been used in labs across the world due to their similarity physiologically to humans. This can be done negatively if animal cruelty is involved. If we ignore the possibilities of cruelty, rats have been great movers and shakers in the field of science.
Now here's some interesting things about rats: Rats teeth never stop growing. They continue to grow for the entirety of a rat's life. They can hear sounds that are too high pitched for humans to hear. Rats tails help them to keep cool.
I hope you learned something and in the future think about rats on April 4.
By @spideer
