Author Beatrix Potter was especially fond of her pet white rat and wrote her tale “The Roly-Poly Pudding” in remembrance of it.
ADDITIONAL NOTES: The name "fancy rat" derives from the meaning of "to fancy". Domestication of rats began in the early 19th century when European towns paid men to kill rats. Men kept better-looking rats as pets and found them to be good companions.
A rat’s tail is used to help with their balance.
Rats can live in groups up to 200 or more.
Male domestic rats, called bucks, reach an average weight of 14-28 oz, while female rats, called does range from 8 oz to a pound. They are usually agouti (three shades of brown) in color with black markings. Their eyes can be black, pink, or ruby red. Siamese rats are almost white. Some rats have just a white belly. Males have a coarse, thick, rough coat, while the females' coats are softer and finer.
Domestic rats, also called fancy rats, can live in cages, blankets, boxes, and indoors.
They eat seeds, nuts, vegetation and small animals.
Specially bred as pets at least since the late 19th century, rats are sociable, intelligent animals and can be trained to use a litter box, come when called, and perform a variety of tricks. Pet rats behave differently from their wild relatives depending on how many generations they have been removed, and, when acquired from reliable sources, they do not pose any more of a risk to health than other, more common pets. Female rats tend to be more active than male rats.
Two to four years, although known to live as long as seven years.