Rats Make Wonderful, Loving, and Affectionate Pets

Chances are if you are visiting this website, you already love rats. If not, allow me to convince you!  Rats make sweet, loving, loyal pets, much like dogs. Fancy rats are nothing like their wild relatives, they have been domesticated for over 100 years. Our ratties crave human affection. Ratties can learn their names, come when they're called, learn tricks,  and truly love spending time with their owners out of their cage. They give kisses, wrestle and play with their owners hands, and love to be scratched and pet.  They are very clean animals, constantly grooming themselves, each other, and even their people! They need much less space and eat far less than a dog or a cat. But I would say they have as much (or more!)  personality as  any dog or cat!
Rats are extremely social animals so you should always keep two or more ratties of the same sex together.  Female rats tend to be active, playful and smaller, while males are a bit larger and are more of the couch potato type, content to sit in your lap or on your shoulder and be scratched and loved on.