@NigelDoes: my first "pet" was a former lab rat named Rodney whom I got to foster from grade school over a summer. He was pretty amazing, surprisingly friendly.
Love the name Rodney for a rat. :-) As a teenager, I had a rat named Spud who was not only incredibly affectionate but he was madly in love with the family cat. Given the chance, Spud would make a beeline for Diablo and burrow himself into Dobbie's fur. :-)
