My final post.

This is my final post because Dasie took her last breath. Its kind of ironic that were ending this project because not to long ago Dasie life had ended. She was getting old and I had been expecting this. Her death date was 4-5-2011. I no longer have a rats, there four I no longer have a rat to inspire me for a new post. Not any time soon, but one day in the future I plan to have a rat again one day.

Although looking back at all my post iv got to say I think I did pretty a pretty good job with all my post. My favorite post would be “Emma's thoughts on rat owning”. I think it really shows how human really react to rats. And my least favorite post would have to be “Tips and check up on Dasie” only because I had a hard time getting into that post to write about it.

Iv learn so much to! Stuff like how the rat became a pet rat, where all rats where breed fro, and how darn similar rats are to humans. And rats really would of haven’t been notice if it weren’t a women named Marry. But looking up rats on line isn’t as easy as you think, there’s not to many web sites showing rats past. But there is plenty of web sites naming the kinds of rats and how to care for them. Which I also learned from web sites and from my own first hand experience that rats make a wonderful first pet. It teaches you responsibilities like cleaning the cage, the well being for your rat, feeding, ect. But in return a child could enjoy a happy rat for all the hard work they put into it. So I cant really say there wasn’t to much that was hard to work threw. I always found a way. Most of all the knowledge I learned I learned about rats that I didn’t already no was rewarding enough. But as I said before I am no longer continuing my rat blog. But I hope some other rat owner out there and well inspired to blog about there own rat. There is so much to rats, I named most of them in my blogs. Things like how rats became domestic, rats compared to the rodent family, a rat owners thought on rat owning, tips on how to care for a rat, rats understanding for cause and effect, how to train a rat how to beg, the basics to rats, rats similarities to humans, and a rat as a pet, So forth. I want people to learn that rats are not scary but friendly. And I hope my blogs showed the good thing to rats, there qualities and similarities. Maybe now I help more people see the positive rather than negative. Lately rats have been shown in a better light. Movies like Ratatoy, Wanted, and plenty more. Although now its time to end my blog just the way I had to except the loss of my rat Dasie.

 i choose this picture because it reminded me of my rat Dasie.

The history of how the rat became a domestic pet.

In the 1800’s is when they started breeding rats for competitions. The competitions were to see which rat terror could kill all the rats the fastest. Pretty cruel, But entertainment back then. So as people starting breeding the rats some people became aware of how a rat is like a dog. It was then rats were starting to be seen as little pets. In fact they called the rat the “fancy rat” signifying that it was upper class to live with people rather than the streets and corners or houses. But it wasn’t really popular to own a rat till Miss Mary Douglas came along. In 1901 Miss Mary Douglas, the “mother of the rat fancy,” open the door for rats. Unfortunately, the popularity of fancy rats began to decline after the death of Miss Douglas in 1921. Less and less interest in rats was shown over the next few years and in 1929 the club was reorganized dropping the word rat from its name. The National Mouse Club is still in existence today.
Over the next 45 years interest in fancy rats was very sporadic. Several times there were people interested in starting rat clubs; however, there was never enough support to really have a go at it. 1976 was the turning point. In January of that year the National Fancy Rat Society was founded. This was the first ever “rats only” organization. It set standards, published a newsletter, and held shows. Since 1976 interest in fancy rats has grown enormously, and many new varieties have been found and standardized.
It is still not clear today how the rat became domestic in the united states. Most likely catching them and keeping them as pets. And I’m sure the rat clubs help out a lot. So then came pet shop owners breeding rats and apparently many people who bred animals for pet shops also supplied them to laboratories. Weird if you ask me. But non the less I’m happy rats came to be as they did or I would never have the grate pleasure of owning a rat myself. So any of us rat owners out there can thank Miss Mary Douglas.

thats a rat terrier. they were the ones who caught rats in the 1800s.