Oh man, don't even get me started on rats...
In college, I had heard about the infamous "rat lab" I would have to take in my psychology program but nothing compared me for coming to face-to-face with an entire wall of cages filled with the little beasts on the very first day of class, especially as the TA (teacher's assistant) announced, "All right, go get your rat and get started!!"
I was literally paralyzed while everyone else eagerly ran forward to collect their evil little creature.
These rats were not only albino (bright white fur and pink eyes glaring), but also HUGE--when I put my rat on my forearm, his nose touched the crook of the inside of the elbow, his body was slightly past my wrist, and his tail hung several inches off my hand.
It took me about ten minutes of sheer terror before I could even walk to the front of the room... eventually I did pick up a rat and take him to my experiment box (Skinner box), but as I was carrying him across the room, he started to squeak repeatedly (I called him "Squeak" affectionately, and sometimes not so affectionately, the rest of the semester.) However, I realized that the reason he was squeaking is probably because I was holding him way too roughly and squeezing the life out of him in my nervousness!!! (I wonder what kind of penalty I would have met if I had accidentally squeezed my rat to death.)
After that, I brought rubber gloves to class and was fine for the rest of the semester (also handy for cleaning up the cage afterward if your rat left you any "gifts".)
At any rate... the rats were water-deprived for a day and we had to "train" them to perform various behaviors... the final project was to have your rat complete a string of 5 behaviors before getting a drink of water... some of the behaviors that Squeak completed before I gave him a drink of water were pulling a chain, waiting for a light to come on, turning in a circle, and pushing a lever (I can't remember what the fifth behavior was.)
People kept asking me how I got him to turn in a circle, but what happened is that I'd noticed in other sessions that for whatever reason, he would turn in circles naturally and I just "shaped" up the behavior by giving him a drink when he turned in a circle.
If you've been to places like SeaWorld (such as the pictures in my profile) or other parks with "trained' animals, this is exactly how they "teach" the animals to do their "acts"--they take natural behaviors and shape them up with food and other rewards.
For the class I was in, all the rats were gassed and put to sleep at the end of each semester... and it never failed that at least one student always tried to "rescue" and kidnap a rat... but they were considered university property.
I admit to being a little sad for Squeak on the last day, knowing his fate... but that has not been enough to convert me to even remotely liking his kind. (Yes, I can admit to having a prejudice towards rodents!)