Adopt a rescued rat!

[...] After being alerted by neighbors, Thurston County animal control officials served a search warrant on April 9 at the residence of Michele Diller, 64. They found that pet rats had ruined the house, chewing through walls, cupboards, drawers and wires, soaking carpets with urine and covering floors with feces. The officials removed a cat, four severely malnourished snakes, five mice and two rats.

Since then, county health officials have said the house will be condemned and Diller has moved to an apartment in neighboring Lewis County to await assisted-living housing.

[...] As of Thursday the group had captured 29 live rats, including 10 babies.

“They’re very smart, they’re very clean, they can do tricks,” Price said. “They’re like little miniature dogs.”

Before agreeing to move, Diller was saying, `You can’t hurt them, they’re my friends,’” said Susanne Beauregard, director of Animal Services.

The rats could not survive in the wild because Diller fed them cat food, so they have no scavenging skills, and poor eyesight would also make them easy prey, Price said.

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