Pet Rats

Around the turn of the century, Mary Douglas, known as 'Mother of the Rat Fancy' took on the pet rat crusade.

Douglas began calling them 'fancy rats'. She petitioned to have rats to participate in shows along with mice.

Later on in the same century, rats were bred for laboratory tests for use in research into nutrition, genetics, intelligence and disease. Through the course of these early tests, scientists noted that they would make fantastic pets due to this intelligence and ability to tame. During the years of research, rats have begun to develop new colorations and strains. The pet rats of today cannot in any way compare to their wild ancestors as they have changed so much.