Your poll about rats (rare in my experience) reminded me of my kids' favorite memory from a trip to Baltimore. A rat scurried across the path & when we got to where it disappeared we found 2 shiny pennies. The kids dubbed it Birthday Rat and made up a song about it (O Christmas Tree tune) "O Birthday Rat, O Birthday Rat, you bring us all 2 pennies (x2) / the sight of you in Baltimore / just makes us want to come here more / O Birthday Rat, O Birthday Rat, you bring us all 2 pennies."