I’ve been a rodent-lover for literally as long as I can remember. My first pet (that was mine alone) was a little white mouse, bought at the mall pet store for 99 cents. I don’t remember their name (for the sake of this post, we’ll call them Mouse), if they were a boy or a girl, or what the pet store was called. I just remember that they were ridiculously cute, with their ruby eyes and pointy little snoot full of whiskers. I loved Mouse immensely until they took their last little mouse breath (which, sadly, isn’t very long when evolution has predisposed you to a lifespan of being owl food).

I had a couple of other mice and several hamsters after that, but grew older and assumed keeping rodents was a “childish” thing needing to be outgrown. So when I moved out for the first time, I got a cat – and of course I loved her too, but rodents have always had a hold on my heart.

Let’s fast forward a year or twenty, and my teenaged kiddo asked me for pet rats. As I said, I’ve always been a rodent lover. But, as many people do, I thought rats might be icky (THEIR TAILS!). Mice are one thing, but rats…they hang out in the sewer, bite people, and spread the Plague, right? I agreed, on the condition that I wouldn’t have to be responsible for them or touch their bristly tails. Turned out, my kiddo was actually allergic to them (who knew!) and they quickly became MY pets.

I won’t say it was love at first sight, but it did happen almost overnight.

Sadly, rats (being rodents and all) don’t live very long, either – three years, if you’re very lucky. And I do consider myself lucky to know each of them however long they’re with me. Oh, did I mention – that first pair of rats was five years ago. I’m now on Ratto #9 and Ratto #10. Not bad for someone who wasn’t sure they ever wanted rats, huh?

So, for anyone else who may not be too sure about them, let me share some things I’ve learned in my five years of being a rat mom:

1. Rats are extremely social and affectionate.

Not just with each other, but with their humans too. They must be kept in pairs, at minimum – they have actually been known to die of loneliness, and are prone to depression when by themselves (I’ve seen it firsthand, and it is heartbreaking). They love to snuggle, play, and eat together with their fellow rats and humans.

2. Every rat – like every human – has their own personality, likes and dislikes, and quirks.

My rat Fanny was a wild and brave explorer, but her sister Daisy was a timid sweetheart who preferred perching on my shoulder to running around. Spätzle loved to crunch uncooked pasta, but Dolly preferred hers cooked. They are all unique and fascinating in their own ways.

3. They are very smart!

Some can be trained to do tricks (I’ve never been motivated enough to try but Shadow the Rat has!). For this reason, some people call them “pocket puppies.” They can recognize their own names, basic commands (like “up,” and “home”), and recognize sounds like a bag of snacks opening! My Juniper’s favorite and most easily recognized word is “avocado,” and if I hold out my hand to her and say “Up,” she will climb into my hand and climb up my arm to my shoulder. Rats have been trained by researchers to drive little cars1 and some have been specially trained to sniff out old landmines to be cleared and detect tuberculosis in humans!2

4. About those tails – they’re actually really fascinating!

They not only help a rat balance and maneuver, but they help regulate body temperature, and they can use them to signal body language like sickness or happiness. Some rats even wag them like a dog! And honestly, you get over the creep-out factor before you know it. One of my favorite things about snuggling with one of them now is when they wrap their tail around my wrist.

5. They are extremely clean.

Only some of them live in the sewer, and they actually clean themselves more often in a day than cats do! They rarely ever need to be bathed unless they get themselves into a big mess, and they don’t have an unpleasant odor to their fur – some of them even smell like grape soda!

6. The most important bit I can leave you with…

…is to prepare you for how much they break your heart when they’re gone. Caring for rats has been one of the most bittersweet tasks I’ve ever taken on. They may be small, but they definitely leave a big impact on the people who love them. If you think you might want to try keeping rats as pets, I promise you will be rewarded with everything their companionship entails. 😉

*All images from the private collection of this author

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