You get better protection if you use your credit card. The key difference is that when you claim on a credit card under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act, the credit card company is legally liable.
A pet rat can live between 2-4 years maybe longer it just depends on how well you look after it.
According to Wikipedia: Hedgehogs have a relatively long lifespan for their size. Larger species of hedgehogs live 4â7 years in the wild (some have been recorded up to 16 years), and smaller species live 2â4 years (4â7 in captivity), compared to a mouse at 2 years and a large rat at 3â5 years.