These have short, smooth, and glossy coats, although the males may have a coarser coat than the females. In general, they are easy to look after and have no special dietary or medical needs. You can ...

The earliest documented evidence of domesticated rats originates from Japan and dates back to the Edo period (1603 to 1868). The tradition of keeping fancy rats may have originated in Japan, but pet ...

Rats make fantastic pets for people of all ages, including children. They’re friendly, cuddly, gentle, clean, and smart. Plus, they really enjoy interacting with people, and thrive when given daily ...

Picture the perfect pet that checks off all the boxes: Smart, trainable, highly social, affectionate, clean, hypoallergenic. What if it has all these traits but doesn’t purr or bark, because the ...

Recent news reports of a rat infestation in the Bedford Park area of The Bronx have many New Yorkers more terrified than usual of rodents. But some city dwellers see a very different side to the ...

SAN DIEGO (CN) – Pet care company Petco shouldn’t sell pet rats given the risk they carry the bacteria that causes rat bite fever, an attorney for the family of a boy who died after contracting the ...

Maybe a rat is right for you! Kelli Bender is the Pets Editor at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2013. Her work has previously appeared on MTV, The Frisky, Vice, and Best Friends Magazine ...

FRUITPORT TOWNSHIP, MI - By late May, domestic rats had overrun a home and animal rescue operation in Muskegon County, called the Critter Cafe Rescue. Muskegon County Sheriff Animal Control officer ...

Rat lovers are used to being misunderstood. “When my husband told his ex that we got rats, she said, ‘On purpose?’ ” says Tami Kaplan of Waltham, Mass., proud owner of three of the maligned rodents.