[jyl]

Yeah, if rats had furry tails or no tails they'd be more popular as housepets. I think they are pretty intelligent, as rodents go. I know the hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs, etc I've met seem pretty dumb in comparison. We had hamsters briefly, they bit all the time, the kids were scared of them, finally they pushed the cage door open and escaped and we didn't try too hard to find them.