Just to get the child to go to school, sometimes the parents will condone their children to bring a pet. Not a teddy bear or barbie doll.
One day a parent and student show up for school with their pet. A pet rat.
Yes, a large pet rat.

Cuban rat
Parading the rat throughout the school, the pet receives plenty of attentions, cuddling, and petting.
This is no ordinary rat that you buy it in a pet store. They found the rat and domesticated it.

Cuban rat magnet for Canadian tourist
Rats are vectors for several diseases and to bring it to school is risky.

Say Cheese. Get it? Cheese!
Code red!
Quest for domesticating a pet rat, only in Cuba.
I worked with someone whose mother had a pet tarantula. I would prefer the rat.
No that is one beautiful rat. It reminds me of our small Australian (non rat variety) marsupials.
That was one huge rat!!!! Yikes!
Was it ever!
For a moment I thought the metal bar above its body was the tail!
On a second look, it does appear to be part of the body. Too funny.
Rats are supposed to be wonderful pets and highly intelligent. We weren’t allowed to bring critters to school when I was a kid.
They are. I used to play with the baby ones not as pet but on their natural habitat. Maybe if we can start training them as seeing eye rat instead of seeing eye dog, schools will allow them.
This for real?
Yup. I got the picture and even feed it. No harm done on me. 😂