A Rat for Mouse

I read the Rat Mouse. Everyone loved Mouse and Jojo's new hamster,Jumbo. They thought he was sweet and funny. But Mouse was not very keen on him. "He is too shy,and he hides all the time,"he said. "You should like him,then," said Jojo. "He's
just like you!" Mouse wanted another pet. "There are two of us,so we should have two pets," he said. Jojo liked the idea of having Jumbo all to herself. They went to ask their mum. The next day, mr Macdonald took mouse to the pet shop. He thought mouse would choose another rabbit. But Mouse did not want another rabbit. he could never love another rsbbit as much as he had loved Lucky. They looked at fish and birds. They looked at gerbils, guinea pigs and chinchillas. Nothing seemed quite right. But then Mouse saw the rat. He was in a cage on his own,eating a sunflower seed. His front paws were like tiny pink hands. He stopped eating, and looked at Mouse. "This is what Iwant!" cried Mouse. The shopkeeper said that rats made very good pets. They were clean and clever. But they were not like other animals. A rat was a one-person pet. he would love his owner and never hurt him, but he would probably not let other people pick him up. The shopkeeper told mouse,"You should only choose a rat if you are sure you can love him and look after him, because he will not let anyone else do it for you." "I'm sure," said Mouse.
Mouse wanted to stroke the rat, but the man said he would have to get the rat's trust first. It would take several days. "Just put your hand inside the cage and let him sniff it,"he said. "Don't try to handle him until he comes to you, or he might bite you." They chose a cage with a ladder and a wheel. Mouse was very excited. He could not wait to get home and show the others his new pet.
But when his mum sae it, her mouth fell open. Mouse explained that rats made very good pets. Jojo wanted to pick the rat up, but Mouse said, "You can not. He won't let you," he told them what the pet shop man had said. then he made a sign and stuck it on the cage. It said,"This rat might bite."
Mouse called his rat Ricky. Every day, when he fed Ricky, he put his hand inside the cage, and let the rat sniff him. He had to be very brave,because sometimes Ricky opened his mouth and put his teeth round mouse's finger. his teeth were long and yellow. But he never bit Mouse.
On the third day, Ricky walked onto Mouse's hand. He ran up Mouse's arm.,and darted inside his sweatshirt. He ran up and down inside his sleeve. After that,Mouse's rat went everywhere with him. he shared mouse's meals. He helped Mouse with his homework. He curled up in his cage at night, right next to Mouse's bed. But Ricky was not sure about anyone else. He would let people stroke him, but he would never let them pick him up.
One day, when the friends were watching television,Ricky took Ben's biscuit. Without thinking , Ben made a grab for him. The rat spun round and sank his teeth into Ben's finger.Ben let out a yell, and Mrs Macdonald came rushing in. Ricky let go and ran back to Mouse. "Ricky has bitten Ben!" cried Jojo. "You will have to take him back to the pet shop,"said Sam. Mrs Macdonald made Ben put his finger under the cold tap. "Perhaps a rat isn't a good pet after all,"she said.
Mouse was angry. "It was not Ricky's fault!" he protested. "You all know what the man from the pet shop said. Ben should not have grabbed him like that."
Ben agreed. "Mouse is right. I should not have tried to pick Ricky up. I just forgot." After that, no one forgot again. Everyone was a bit scared of Mouse's rat. They thought he was fierce and dangerous. But Mouse adored him.

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