Are you obsessed with your rodents?

We only have goldfish at the moment and I love them to bits, they all have their own little character. I'm not so sure about rats...as you say they are associated with the vermin label and my mum would just go bad if I plonked one in the living room and had it as the family pet, she would prefer a big dog anyday!

I love my rats. they're wonderful, affectionate, sensitive, intelligent little creatures, with a lot of love to give. and they're so funny too. in terms of how much I'd spend, I will spend whatever I can if they need me to. I will go without luxuries and eat basic food myself if that's what they need for me to pay for vet treatment. after all, this is a responsibility and a duty you take on when you become a pet owner. if you drink, smoke, go to the cinema, eat out, buy chocolate etc, you can't legitimately say you can't afford a vet treatment. you give those things up and TRY before you give up on them. for their luxuries, I buy them a lot of toys, will buy them lots of lovely fresh veg and fruit, and spend a lot of time with them. they have a lovely big cage, which they're actually in the process of gnawing through at the moment, so I may need to shell out for another one soon, and so far I've not found one for less than £90 that I would feel happy putting them in. theirs cost me about £50, and it was an absolute bargain for the size and entertainment value for them. at the moment I'm looking at one that I don't think will fit where they go, widthwise, and if they start looking like breaking through, I'll get it because it's the only one in the local shops that looks good enough for them to me. but having said that, my neighbour had her guinea pig out in the garden the other day, and his cage had a base that looks pretty much exactly the same as their base, so I'll be measuring those up before shelling out for a whole new cage. rats are wonderful pets. I love them.

i have two rats and a hamster and they are all lovely little animals. i don't know how much i would spend - not much on food etc (not necessary) but i would not skimp on vet bills if they became ill, if you have any pets you have to be prepared for this. one rat recently had to have an operation and that came to £27.