Hey guys!

Hey all, I'm Andrea and a rat hopeful lol. Right now I have 6 guinea pigs most of which are rescued except for one... a betta fish and a mixed breed dog of which is rescued as well. Over about I'd say a span of 6 months I've fell in love with this rat named Walter at my animal care class I take in boces and I really want to get a rat(or two if I can). Problem is, my parents havent given me a yes or no. So have any of you other memembers falling under this delimah? If so can ya give me some tips on what to do to convince them, I do know a few things like they are very pron to tumors and sadly dont live as long as you want them to...Also I've looked on petfinder and havent seen any rats in my area so anyone from Long Island NY know any places where I could rescue some ratties if my parents allow me to get them, I'm willing to get older ones as long as I know they'll be happy with the rest of the time they have here. I also know a small animal vet(where we take our piggies) so incase something happens I could take them there. Well thanks for taking the time to read...my novel haha I didnt even realize it was this long.