Brits are being encouraged to get pet rats.
Brits are being encouraged to get pet rats
The RSPCA wants people in the UK to consider buying a four-legged rodent rather than a dog or a cat because they are "friendly and intelligent" pets.
Rat welfare expert Dr. Jane Tyson told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "Rats are incredibly intelligent animals who can be trained to count, fetch a ball and high-five a human.
"Some have even been trained to safely locate landmines in war zones so that they can be removed."
Rats are considered to be dirty creatures but Tyson suggested that this assumption is far from the truth.
She said: "Rats are actually very clean animals and will spend hours grooming themselves.
"They are also intelligent and highly sociable, forming strong bonds with other rats and with their human companions. They certainly don't deserve their bad reputation.
"Some people may be put off by the wild rats they see in the street but domesticated rats can make really great pets as they're clean, friendly and enjoy human company."