Rats have had a bad press in the past. They have a reputation for spreading diseases like bubonic plague, Leptospirosis and salmonella.
That's a challenge for even the best public relations expert. But there's another side to rats.
Writer and rat-breeder Marti Leimbach [[mar-tee lime-bak]] says there's a lot to be said for a rat as a pet.
"They're very small pets so you don't need a lot of space but they're really smart. So, they're actually as smart as dogs are. And you can train them, you can teach them, they're very affectionate, every single one of them is different. I mean right now in this house I have 27 rats - no that's not true I have 27 babies, and nine adults. And every single one of them has a different personality, and I can actually predict their behaviour. So to have an animal that's that kind of smart, unique, playful, inquisitive, they're very cheerful, they're clean. It's a pretty fetching combination.", she said.
