Should we think of rats only as pests?

What the question says. It's also for an essay, as I have to write about it. So any ideas and such would be appreciated.Should we think of rats only as pests?
Rats have a bad rap just like Pitbulls. They should not be thought of as pests. They have been domesticated for many many years.Should we think of rats only as pests?
No they aren't pests.





But I can't agree that they all make fantastic pets since mine bit and hid from us. In the end we had to sell them because they were causing us so much grief :(
No way!!! Rats have bad reputations for being pests and dirty creatures due to the sewage rats :/





I have 2 PET rats and they are adorable :D
Rats make excellent pets. Thay have an undeserved bad rap.
Rats are beautiful, INCREDIBLY intelligent, affectionate and surprisingly clean (more so than most other pets, including hamsters, rabbits, and even dogs).





They can be taught tricks, litter trained, and even know when you're upset.





But for some reason, people still think they're vermin. These people seem to have the opinions of ignorant, idiotic medieval folk. It's ridiculous how people still think of rats as vermin when they're actually quite possibly the most amazing, perfect pets ever.





I think of them as small dogs. Small, agile, less smelly dogs.





And this is coming from a dog AND rat owner. In fact, I've pretty much owned every single pet there is to own.





From canines, to felines, to rodents, fish, birds, bugs, insects, arachnids, reptiles, mustelides... Everything. But rats are by far my favourite. They never cease to amaze me.
No. Rats are intelligent and loving. They are worshipped in the Hindu religion. They are clean, fleas on them spread the plague and also killed the rats who carried them. They were the first Beings to return after Chernobyl.
ALL animals have a niche in nature, and a role to play. Although in many cases, Man has made changes to this (Norway rats are in North America due to ships coming here from Europe), but all creatures have their purpose.


They are pests in the sense that they interfere with our plans and activities...ignoring the fact that we destroy their homes and food, migration routes, and so on.
I have had rats for pets many times and pets and they are not so bad as a domesticated animal. The ild rat is a nuisance because they care a wide variety of diseases and are very hard to exterminate because they breed so rapidly and can have up to 12 babies per litter so that adds up to a couple thousand rats per year.
no not at all they are domesticated animals and they are loving just like any other pet that us people own and the wild maybe but the tam no they did bring a really deadly disease here and hill half a million people but that's was when we didn't have cures look at all the things that birds have a and other rodents have as well cats can even give you a feline disease but we don't think of them as Vernon's





hope this helped
Definitely not. If anything, humans are the pests...
Absolutely not. There are many domesticated rat breeds that would never be able to survive in the wild as a scavenger. I know my Lily wouldnt.





They are clean, intelligent, gentle and ideal pets when bred correctly.





And it is sad and controversial, but rats are also used in medical research, and those rats are by no means pests. I dont think anyone could consider the animals that are helping to find treatments and cures for things like cancer and parkinsons as pests.
yea thier r nasty but they r not bugs