roof rat's buddy

The aforementioned roof rat had a buddy, who was dispatched to his maker sometime early this morning.

They sure are cute. If they weren't determined to live in my attic I'd be inclined to let them continue their ratty lives. Now, I have seen giant scary rats before so I know the difference. I once engaged in one-on-one combat with a nasty, greasy, unafraid water rat that was drinking out of a toilet in an old apartment. That was not fun, and I wasn't sure who was going to die in that bout.

OTOH, I've had luverly norway rats as pets before and liked them a good deal. I think they are much more suitable for children than the ill-mannered hamsters and nocturnal gerbils. But people freak out at the "rat" word for some reason.