Why Would Anyone Want A Pet Rat?
By: Tayla-Lee Potgieter
Tags: Rodents, Rats, Pet Rat, Pets And Animals, Fancy Rats

I am almost positive that anybody that has a rat as a pet, has been asked a similar question. These guys have such a bad wrap, and there are many reasons for this. Rats are very successful breeders (one female can have up to 100 babies per year and her babies can start having babies from approximately 5 weeks old. Their gestation period is approximately 24 days. so basically, that’s A LOT of babies! They also adapt to almost any environment and after a quick google search, rats exist and are believed breeding in all “corners” of the world, except for three cities in Canada(of course). They are also held responsible for the bubonic plague in Eurasia and parts of Africa in 1346–1353. I feel its worth mentioning that it was actually fleas that caused the plague and rats merely acted as their transport, but I digress.

There is a strong association with pests at any mention of the word “rat” and so Fancy Rats are often given a hard time based on the reputation of their wild counterparts. I also shared these exact misconceptions before taking the opportunity to educate myself. So lets go back to the beginning of my rat journey.

My Journey: Looking for a Pet

While living alone and fighting an anxiety disorder, I went on the hunt for a pet, I didn’t know what I wanted, I just knew that I wanted a companion animal. So I headed to the easiest place to find animals: a pet shop (Side note: I am no longer a fan of pet shops). My future pet needed to be small and discreet, due to my renting constraints, so the general dog/cat option wouldn’t work. I thought maybe a snake, but lets be honest, that would likely get rather boring after awhile (sorry snake owners). Parrots are too noisy, so I thought about a hamster and that is when the pet shop owner suggested that I get a rat. “A RAT?! Why would I want a rat?”: These exact words exited my mouth along with a look of disgust before I could stop it. The pet shop owner then explained that they make wonderful pets and are very caring, social, love attention and don’t bite like hamsters do. I was sold! and put my name down to get the next available rat baby and went home to do more research and proceeded to build and kit out my rat cage. For any knowledgeable rat owner reading this, I did end up getting two boys (Lex and Bartholomew). If you don’t know much about rats, Please get at least two Rats! My rat mischief (yes! that’s what you call a group of rats), now consists of four rat boys: Rufus and Griffin joined their brothers soon after I got them.

So what are Rats REALLY like as Pets?

I have had Fancy Rats for a while now and fostered and met many others. I can confidently say that as pets they are way better then I ever imagined. I like to compare them to dogs in that they are excellent companion animals, very trainable and very responsive. They also often love to play and are very curious animals. The largest different is that I have met intellectually challenged dogs (I’m trying to choose my words carefully here), but I have yet to meet a rat that isn’t very smart. An added advantage of the incredible adaptability of rats is that they can quickly reset their body clocks and will fit into your routine! So you no longer have to have pet rodents where you can only watch them sleep all day while they keep you up all night (because that’s no fun).

Rats unfortunately have a very short life span (about 2–3 years), this is the largest challenge as it’s never easy to loose any pet that climbs into your heart, and because we keep rats in multiples and they live such short lives, rat owners deal with a lot of loss. So in short, rats are Awesome pets, rat owners may even argue that they are the best pets, but I’m not here to upset other pet owners.

Fancy Rats vs Wild Rats (“Wildies”)

Fancy Rats are pretty much a type of lab rat, or domesticated wild rats (Wildies), think wolf and pet dog. So the great thing about Fancy Rats is that they don’t pose the risk of disease to you and your other domestic animals as wildies do. They are also generally less skittish and VERY seldom bite. Fancy Rats also come in a variety of really cool colours, where wild rats are often just Agouti (A fancy word for brown) or black. People put a lot of effort into breeding rats for their temperaments, colours and health. Unfortunately, as with any domestic breeding, they do suffer from ailments that wildies are not as prone to, specifically respiratory illnesses.

Photo by: DianePhotos on Deviant Art

There are people that raise and keep wildies, and that even get them rather tame, but they require an immense amount of effort, and will always have a wild streak. Wildies, especially older rats, also pose a disease threat, so it is always wise to keep them separate from your fancy rats and wash your hands regularly after handling. Also don’t take it too personally if they are scared of you, its usually not you… its them.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Fancy Rats (which are domesticated wild rats) don’t spread disease and can be very snugly and affectionate animals. Each rat has a unique personality and preferences and they all round make incredible pets. These creatures do have a short lifespan but every moment is worth it!