Surge in Popularity of Pet Rats in Russia

It seems that pet rats are in demand these days in Russia (see news item from BBC News). This time it's not due to the movie Ratatouille, but rather due to the fact that 2008 is the Year of the Rat according to the Chinese Zodiac. Chinese Astrology is apparently quite popular in Russia and consequently, the demand for rats has increased dramatically. Rats were a popular gift at New Year's, though technically the Year of the Rat will not begin until February 7th. Evidently, when the rats were all gone people started buying mice, hamsters, and gerbils as rat substitutes! Hopefully all those gift rats (and their substitutes) will be well looked after since giving pets is sometimes not a good idea. However, as we all know, rats do make excellent pets!

Photo of Ventura © Lianne McLeod