Never had one as a pet, but I did have hamsters growing up. They weren't exactly the smartest rodents, but they were adorable and they knew that you looked out for them. Especially when you gave them Honey Nut Cherrios.

I had two, in high school. My sister had a rat, one of the "siamese" breeds she paid a lot of money for. Seemed fun, so I got two females from the pet store. Mine were fun until the first night, when they decided to have Wrestlemania at 3am on a school night. crashsqueakcrashsqueal*.

They both died within two months of cancer. Pet store rats are so inbred (raised as snake food) they have very short life expectancies. It's a shame, as they're very intelligent. But they're pests and disease carriers and wreck farms and homes, in the wild. But pet rats can be a lot of fun.

I discovered my passion...er...addiction later, with fish tanks, and reef fish.