Make A NYC Rat Your Next Pet?
If you have ever been to New York City, you already know that the chances of seeing one of their legendary “Subway Rats” are very high.
The rats can be decently sized, averaging up to 16 to 20 inches long and 1 to 2 pounds in weight, which makes it easy for people to either be a) scared of the rat or b) grossed out.
Because New York City alone created more than 30 million tons of trash every year, rats seem to be attached to this location, running rampant all over the city.
However, one rat was struggling to run due to an injury near one New York business, and while some people at the company thought it would be best to kill the rat, there were a few people that banded together in hopes of rescuing the rat.
They initially took the city rat to an emergency vet across the street but they were turned away because that location cannot legally treat wildlife animals.
The group of coworkers went to a different clinic that was recommended to them but it had already closed for the day, so one of the girls got some supplies and took the rat home to try to keep it comfortable until it could receive proper treatment.
He made it through the night but was still suffering from his injury, so the girl who took him home tried to get him treatment again.
Unfortunately, the little rat ended up being euthanized.
Although it’s rare to actually domesticate a street rat into being more adapted to a home, plenty of New Yorkers have tried. But it is dangerous.
Rats can carry germs that make people sick, but it’s important to note that rats are actually very clean animals… typically grooming themselves more often than a rat, but you should know that there are other ways to adopt a pet rat. However, if you adopt one rat, typically you need to adopt another, because rats are very social animals and they need a friend or two to stay happy and emotionally healthy.