I keep 7 rats as pets — they’re not disgusting, I love them
Rat’s amore?
A Netherlands teacher is going viral after revealing she lives with seven rats — that she lets crawl all over her — as seen in a TikTok video that has clawed 16.4 million views since it was posted last month.
“They like to be with humans,” Marjolein Gottschal, 33, told Jam Press of her peculiar pets.
The rodent whisperer claims she got her first two squeak-hearts when she was 14 and has since become enamored with the enchanting cheese eaters.
Now, Gottschal’s staggering septet — Rosie, Pebbles, Bonnie, Kayla, June, Dani and Turbelien — have amassed an enor-mouse TikTok following of 101,500 fans.
Rodents might seem synonymous with pizza-pilfering vermin, but Gottschal feels like rats get a bad rap.
“I think pet rats don’t deserve this negative image as they are so different, and nothing like wild rats,” the human Pied Piper declared. “They like to be with humans, cuddling, sitting on your shoulder and going wherever you’re going, and they even enjoy learning tricks.”
Gottschal added: “They’re good company, and I think it’s very cute when they all sleep together in their hammock.”
The mouse-tress contends that “rats are very hygienic animals” — biting back against the stereotype that they are plague providers. “They spend a lot of time washing and grooming themselves,” insisted the minx.
As if to prove her point, she even filmed herself letting her whiskery wonders ascend her body like a fleshy Mount Kilimanjaro, sparking mixed reactions from viewers.
“No my soul left my body,” wrote one aghast commenter, while another exclaimed, “OH GOD NOPE.”
One musophobe proclaimed, “Oh, it’s a no from me after them taking over my kitchen.”
“Nearly had a panic attack watching this. I’m petrified of them,” claimed another.
However, others adored the cheeky display, with one rat fan declaring, “I love rats, such lovely little creatures, would like to have mine back.”
“This is awesome. Thanks for showing people that rats are cool,” emphasized another.
Despite the online haters, Gottschal claims that people change their minds once they meet her pets face-to-fur.
“People say things like, ‘Oh, they scare me,’ or ‘Gross,'” she explained. “But when people meet them in real life, they’re always very positive after about half an hour when they get to know them.”
She added: “Even the people who were scared of them end up running around with a rat on their shoulder.”