Second, rats are social butterflies that love to be with people and beg to come out of their cages to play or be petted. Rats are smart enough to play games with their owners such as tag, hide-and-seek, tug-of-war and peek-a-boo. Rats also will wrestle with your hand, much as a kitten will.

Like all pets, rats have some behaviors that can annoy. First, because they are rodents, they like to chew on things. This is an individual trait; some rats seem to chew on everything, while others don't chew at all. But you must expect that rats, especially when young, will chew on at least some things, especially wood, paper, soft plastic and fabric.

Second, many rats tend to mark their territories with urine. This behavior is different from urination--when urine-marking, they leave only small drops of urine that don't stain and can be washed out. Males tend to urine-mark more than females do, and fortunately, neutering almost always eliminates urine-marking behavior in males.

The only other disadvantage to having a pet rat is their short life span. Currently, the average life span is only two to three years, but some rats live up to six years. Feeding a proper diet is the best way to ensure your rat lives as long as possible.

Colors and Varieties

Rats come in a variety of colors, including blue, lilac, chocolate, amber, mink, pearl, champagne, fawn and cinnamon, as well as the more common black, beige and agouti (wild color). Some of the colors are available in both solid colors and patterns, such as Siamese and Himalayan. The most common pattern is the hooded, where the rat appears to be wearing a colored hood over a white coat. Another common pattern features a white belly and feet. Many of the colors and patterns are available in both the typical smooth coat and a rex, or curly, coat.

There are also hairless rats, which are mostly pink, odd-eyed rats, and Dumbo rats, whose ears are on the side of their heads. For people who dislike the rat's tail, there are manx rats. Because the tail is the rat's heat regulator, these tailless rats must not be allowed to become overheated. Although more and more pet shops are starting to carry more unusual varieties of rats, such rats often are available only from hobby breeders. You should be able to locate a breeder near you by contacting a rodent club.

Author(s): Debbie Ducommun

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