‘It is not a rat, it is a Siberian hamster!’

The final episode of Fawlty Towers was a 40 minute special titled ‘Basil the Rat’. And followers of the iconic comedy will have smiled today with news report from China that, in the year of the Rat, demand for hamsters has increased to such an extent that the going price for hamsters has tripled to about 30 yuan ($4.20, £2.10) across the country. Less than a week into the Chinese New Year, stocks of hamsters are running low as demand outstrips supply. The news has caused a flurry of excitement among hamster owners most of whom immediately leap to the defence of their furry friends when they are compared to rats and mice.