While short-lived, rats bred for companionship make good pets. Corey Bassett, DVM, says they are calm, do not tend to bite the hand that feeds them and seem to bond emotionally with cage mates and owners.
Unlike Ben, the leader of a violent pack of killer rats in the 1972 movie, The American Fancy Rat and Mouse Association recommends buying domesticated, socialized rats from breeders who can provide the animal’s health history, exact age and parental temperament.
Source: Washington Post, October 15, 2019. Link.
Rats are a misunderstood pet. People think of them as vermin and pests . . . they have a lot to offer. If you are looking for a rodent pet that you are going to have a personal connection with, I would recommend a rat.” – Corey Bassett, DVM
INSIGHTS: Domesticated rats, like most animals kept as pets, carry diseases.