"These would be kind of pets."
When I raised rats for my own feeders, I had a hard time not thinking of them as pets to some degree. If I ever got a small caged mammal for a pet, it would be a rat (well, probably two) -- they're lovely critters. I'm somewhat glad I just buy frozen rats now (I still raise mice, but they're somehow easier to objectify).
I wouldn't say a person shouldn't feed rats of course, but raising them can bring out complicated feelings and forced me, anyway, to be more clear about my relationship with animals. Which is always a good thing to force.
Not exactly relevant to your questions, just sympathetic rambling...
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