Initially, I was fairly hesitant about
handling and training a rat for Psychology of Learning Lab. I knew I wouldn't
have a problem holding Snickerpuss because I had played with hamsters growing
up. The only reservations I had about adopting a rat was the stigma commonly
associated with rats; they're diseased, pests, and portrayed as villains in
children's movies.. My reservations about handling a rat quickly diminished
when I saw how cute Snickerpuss was. I'm a huge animal lover, so as soon as I
met Snickerpuss I knew I liked her. The rats also lost their stigma when we
learned they were bred in a laboratory, meaning they would be clean and disease
free.
We decided to name our rat Snickerpuss III in honor of Robert Willett's rat, Snickerpuss. Robert and I were teammates for three years on the BSC's Cross Country team, and he would update us on the status of Snickerpuss' training during practice and the name stuck for our rat. Nicky (as we've nicknamed
her) and I hit it off immediately. I joked with my lab partner, Olivia, that
there was no way I would keep our rat when class ended. However, after holding
her just once, I felt like I really liked her and may want to keep her. Nicky was very calm when I first picked her up and she quickly nestled into a ball in
the palm of my hand. It was relieving to me that she didn't try to break free
from my grip and run away. She seems to be mild mannered with a good
temperament, which makes me feel like she will be easier to train and deal with
because she doesn't get annoyed easily. I look forward to starting the training
process and seeing how well we work together!
Snickerpuss III
Good start Christian! You could add the story behind Snickerpuss and a picture :)
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