Letter from Retnam Thillainathan, Straits Times Forum 22 Feb 08;
I READ with trepidation the report, 'Rodents are favoured pets in Year of the Rat' (Feb 20).
The report said that many people are buying pets like hamsters and guinea pigs, and they buy them in pairs for double luck. Rats are not on the shopping list because they are considered 'filthy pests'.
Hamsters and guinea pigs are prolific producers. In pairs, they would multiply quickly. What are the owners going to do about the 'population explosion'?
My concern is simple. People should not buy a pet unless they are committed to caring for it for the term of its lifespan. I hope and pray that there will not be more abandoned animals.
