Rats Facts

This is Eros - a blue agouti rex dumbo show rat

Rats are long tailed nocturnal sociable rodents, which can make gentle, affectionate and intelligent pets.Well handled rats enjoy human contact and do not bite. They are omnivorous and their long incisor teeth continue to grow throughout life, but the cheek teeth do not. Rat urine normally contains protein; this can lead to allergy in some people and is responsible for some of their odour.

Rats as pets are relatively robust, male and female rats can be left housed together with their litters. They do need secure housing and sufficient space to make an interesting environment, with lots of interest in their cages, from toys. A variety of colours are now seen, with white albinos (which tend to have poor eyesight), self or solid colours (often brown or black). There are also mixed colours for example the hooded - the Japanese Hooded is white apart from a coloured head and shoulders and a stripe along the back.

Read about rats care and breeding before you choose them as a pet

Have a look at the National Rat Fancy web site, for more information.
See some common conditions HERE on the Rats R Us web site