Rats are a very social animal they are extremely smart and empathic.
They can be taught to perform tricks, master puzzles, run through mazes and even solve simple problems. All they need is a dedicated trainer and some motivation (usually with a favorite food reward). It's incredible the tasks rats can perform when they are shown how. One would think rats themselves are dirty animals but in fact Rats are not smelly animals. They are actually extremely clean animals and should notsmell bad at all. ... A sick rat odor will smell like infection. Most likely if you are smelling your rats it is due to the cage and bedding not being cleaned often enough or from using the wrong type of litter and bedding. But I for one would prefer a nice clean cage.

I understand that all.this costs money but I would be covering 100% of costs. I'll be getting them a proper cage to stay in (which is huge but I know I have the room for it and they go cheaper on fb marketplace), proper food and nutrition including occasional fruits and vegetables which I will NOT take from the family fridge. I will buy all my own and keep it in my fridge, toys and bedding for them. I will clean the cage at the end of every week and their bedding(sleep spot can get dirty too) every other day. They arent noisey animals either.

I understand that terry doesnt like rodents but he honestly never leaves his living room chair and I honestly doubt he would ever notice me having furry friends in my room. If you're worried about the landlord coming over and not liking the idea of rats I can put a sheet or blanket over the cage for a small amount of time (and that will be my own personal blanket, not a sheet or blanket of yours). Rats are usual nocturnal but can switch to be active in the day so I could probably even put the cage in my closet I'm sure they're ok with the dark as long as they stay in a ventilated space..

I deal with both depression and anxiety and after shaggy passing I've felt sadder and more dull than before and it's starting to get to me. I firmly believe that getting a rat (preferably 2 of the same gender because they work really well in pairs) could help me with my struggles..

So I've made a petition! Hopefully you can ease up a bit on me getting rats or can atleast give me a better excuse than "they smell too much"