Rats are social and do best in group situations, they are not highly territorial and several males and females can be kept in a spacious cage together. I recommend neutering the males in these situations or keeping animals of one sex only. Rats do enjoy toys, but the toys must be safe and not easily destroyed. Hiding places, multi-level climbing structures and easily cleaned mazes make rat life more fun. Temperatures should be kept between 65 F and 80 F. Temperature should be kept as constant as possible, rats do not do well with large variations of temperature over a short period of time.
Rats are very cautious feeders and usually avoid strange food.
They test a small sample of it and wait to see if it makes them sick, then they eat a little bigger amount and wait. This helps them survive in the wild but makes it difficult for you to change food for your rat. Stick with good quality rat chow. Life Span Domestic rats may live 3-4 years but this depends on the strain. Male rats tend to mature slowly and may not reach full growth until they are 2 years old.