OK. Rats do make great pets. I've owned a couple, and they're affectionate, playful and pretty smart. I would recommend any family thinking about getting a small pet to consider a rat over a hamster or guinea pig, since those tend to bite and are comparatively pretty dumb.

But when our rats died, we buried/cremated them. We also didn't give them the run of the place when they died. I guess there's a Crazy Lady for every kind of pet.