Keeping them as pets started with Victorian ladies in the late 19th century... Wow, I did not know that!
I had a gerbil as a pet when I was young. You could not open the refrigerator door without him squealing, "he knew where the goodies were kept"! He was in another room, mind you.
Very smart animals.
Count
As you slide down the banister of life, may
the splinters never point the wrong way...