Ever tickled a rat?

[flvegan]

I read an article this Sunday from the Chicago Trib, but can't find it online. I've posted a link to an article that suggests the similar findings of the Trib article. Basically, in a nutshell, scientists have discovered that rats experience joy and laughter when tickled, and come to anticipate it like a child does.

Here's the link:
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=626264&page=1

Granted, the idea of lab rats turns my stomach. Believe what you will about scientific advances made at the highest price to lab animals, I'm not swallowing that one, due to the many alternatives that exist. However, from this study, I've learned that the common rat shares a very human emotion, if you will...joy.

So, let me see if I have this correct...
Science has proven that cows and pigs suffer from stress and anxiety. Check.
Science has proven that dogs can count and problem solve. Check.
Science has proven that elephants love, mourn and grieve. Check.
Science has proven that rats, among other animals, experience joy. Check.

But hey, they're only animals, lacking common human thoughts and emotions, which puts them so far beneath us that we can abuse them as we see fit. Right? Got it.

[livinginphotographs]

1. Here's the original...

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0504010071apr01,1,7168657.story?ctrack=1&cset=true

First thing today, I'm going home to tickle my cats. :)

[smbolisnch]

2. Awwww, how sweet!

I have heard that rats make wonderful companions.
I myself am trying to convince my husband to get a hamster....not working so well ;)

[Lorien]

3. Rats make wonderful pets, better than hamsters, IMHO

I had a rat named Elsa when I was growing up, and I just adored her. My sister had hamsters, which smelled bad, weren't trainable, and had rather short lifespans (2-3 years). My rat lived to be nearly six years old. Elsa would come when she was called, ride on my shoulder, and loved to be tossed on a bedspread (we never tossed her very high-but she always seemed to be disappointed when the game was over with). She was very clean and didn't smell at all if her bedding was kept fresh (males have a bit of an odor). I highly recommend a rat over a hamster for kids; they're hardier, and since they do form a bond with their owners, the child will get a true "pet" experience with a rat.

[AlienGirl]

5. I've had rats for years now

Rats are much like little bitty dogs. They learn their names, are pretty easy to "housebreak" (though males will often scent-mark with urine even if trained to use a litterbox), and can learn a bunch of tricks. Rats are much more social than most hamsters and really enjoy playing with their humans. They are very responsive and recognize their human friends' moods--rats will make an effort to cheer you up when you're feeling sad. They show reciprocity in games of tag and will try to tickle you back after you tickle them!

Tucker (posting this with a rat playing tag on her)

[Madrone]

6. MUCH better than hamsters!

And I've had and loved both.

6 is freakishly old for a rat, Lorien! Good job with that one!

I highly recommend rats as well - to anyone who will listen ;). But 2 rats are always happier and better adjusted than 1 alone. And no more work than just one.

AND- they DO totally love to be tickled. One of my girls would freeze, then vibrate all over when I tickled her. We would crack up watching her.

I had 5 - and I sure miss them now that they've all passed on. It's hard that they have such a short lifespan. I'll have some again someday, but not for a long while. I'm down to 11 animals now - I don't need any more!

[AlienGirl]

4. I tickle my rat pretty frequently!

Huntington's almost two years old now, which puts him well into rattie middle-age, but he still likes to play the same games he liked as a baby.

I also blow raspberries on his fuzzy belly, and he giggles about that! (I can hear the really high-pitched rapid squeaks that rats make when they're laughing.)

Tucker