What is the nicest species of rat to have as a pet?

Im looking for a nice, loyal, friendly species of rat that can be a good pet. (I do not want a hairless though)What is the nicest species of rat to have as a pet?
The only species of rat that has been domesticated and commonly kept as pets is Rattus norvegicus (Norway Rat) and they are as friendly as they come.





Our pets have descended from the same species of rats that we know of as the Norway rat, Brown rat, Sewer rat, etc.


http://www.ratbehavior.org/RatSpecies.ht鈥?/a>


Pet rats and lab rats descended from the wild Norway rat.


Rattus rattus, the Black rat, is a species of rat that has never been a domestic pet, but when caught from the wild at a young age, they can adapt quite easily to captivity.


http://spazrats.tripod.com/bghs.html


http://spazrats.tripod.com/ikeola.html





The hairless rat is a Type or Variety of Pet Rat. Whether the rat is Hairless, Furred, Standard, Berkshire, Blazed, Tail-less, Dumbo, Top-eared, Rex, Harley, Pearl Merle, Blue, Fawn............They are all Types and Varieties of pet rats.





Rats haven't changed enough through their hundred years of domestication to be defined as breeds and as such they are all pretty much the same in temperament and personality, friendliness, with a love for human companionship. There have been certain rats that I have had that been outstanding examples of their species.





Some people, including myself, have found that the Variety of rat known as the Dumbo have been more laid back then other Varieties of rats.


http://www.jaysanimalencounters.co.uk/si鈥?/a>


http://images.google.com/images?hl=en%26amp;q=鈥?/a>


http://www.afrma.org/ratvar.htm#dumbo


http://ph.search.yahoo.com/search?search鈥?/a>


Their low-slung ears make them look less like the rat that repulses ';ratophobics';, and more like teddy bears.





Any pet rat (also known as Fancy Rats), whether they be feeder, pet store, breeder, or lab rat, can make a good pet. Feeder and pet store rats have poorer health then breeder rats and lab rats have no immunity against Mycoplasmosis.





The domestication of the Norway Rat:


http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;鈥?/a>





Edit:


Answer number six, could you please provide your sources (links to the websites) for your information. It sounds familiar to some other websites I have browsed.





spazrats


';my life has gone to the rats';What is the nicest species of rat to have as a pet?
Typically they're all the same species over here (Norwegian Rat). It depends on what you're willing to spend- fancy types such as dumbos, rexes, hairless and blues will be more money. Personally I like plain hooded rats: the darker the better.
i have a feeder rat i got it yesterday at a pet shop i saved it from being at at the store they put them in snake cages at the store i went in and they were feeding so i bought two of they that were going to be fed so save a rat
lab rat.





they will appreciate your kindness after living a life of testing.





many colleges give them away after they've been used or they get 'put down'...save a rat.
Almost all domestic pet rats and lab rats belong to a single species, the Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus). A tiny number of black rats (Rattus rattus) are also kept as pets, but as yet they are extremely rare in the pet trade.





The classic definition of a species is a group of related individuals or populations which are potentially capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring.





There are many different species of rodent in the wild that bear the common name ';rat.'; Naked mole rats, wood rats, kangaroo rats, cotton rats, pack rats, and many others are examples of different species.





How are these different species of rats related to each other?





The short answer is: different rat species may not be closely related to each other at all.





The common term ';rat'; is not a phylogenetic classification (meaning it does not describe a group of closely related species). Rather, ';rat'; is a common term for rodents that look alike to the casual eye, regardless of ancestry: they are medium-sized rodents with long tails.























Cotton rat (Sigmodon hispidus)





So, for example, Norway rats, kangaroo rats, and cotton rats all look like ';rats'; to the casual eye, even though they have many other subtle differences that indicate they are not as closely related as they look. Their resemblance to each other is actually only superficial -- they're all rodents with long tails, but the similarity ends there for some of them.





Kangaroo rats are only distantly related to Norway rats. They are both rodent species (they belong to the order Rodentia) but that's about all the similarity they share. Kangaroo rats belong to the family Heteromyidae, while Norway rats belong to a different family called Muridae. Norway rats and kangaroo rats aren't that closely related at all. In fact, Norway rats are more closely related to house mice than they are to kangaroo rats, as both rats and mice belong to the same family Muridae. (Here's a quick refresher on animal classification).





Cotton rats are a little more closely related to Norway rats. They belong to the same family Muridae, but cotton rats are in a different genus, called Sigmodon, while Norway rats are in the genus Rattus.





Black rats and Norway rats are even more closely related to each other. They are in the same genus, called Rattus, but they are different species within this genus. Black rats belong to the species Rattus rattus, while Norway rats belong to Rattus norvegicus. Norway and black rats aren't the only two species within the genus Rattus, though -- there are 51 species within Rattus!
They are all the same species, so don't get a hairless if you don't want to. The diffrences are all in markings, not in specie.
All rats are nice as pets, but Dumbo rats are breed particularly for their docile and friendly nature.
Any type is great, but if you want one with the above listed qualities, buy a rat crawler- aka a baby. I bought my rat- a feeder rat at that- as a baby and carried her around in my pocket as much as a could, and fed her by hand. Now she grooms everything in sight and perches on my shoulder- she has never bit me once.
all fancy rats are nice loyal and friendly males are better because they are more docile than females who are always busy rushing here and there in pairs they are great 2 is better than one because one will get lonely and they love company you will need a cage big enough for 2 the jenny rat cages are brilliant buy the biggest you can afford plenty of tubes and toys clean them out once a week change beddng every other day handle daily change food every day rat food is best but they can eat fruit veg cereals toast but not too mutch as this will bung them up give them gnawing blocks for their teeth to keep them down when you bring your rats home put them in their cage which needs to be ready with wood shavings food and water in a water bottle and leave them be for 2/3 days to get used to the household carry on as normal dont do anything special good luck and i hope this info has been useful for you and enjoy your rats
ALL my girls are ';pet shop'; rats.... they have their own individual personalities and all friendly. i have had 2 that are shy and stick to themselves but don;t mind being handled.


i have 5 girls that were all bought at very young ages and handled, socialized and played with everyday.


there are your ';run of the mill'; (excuse the pun) hooded rats.


probably nothing special to someone else, but extremely special to me. one of my girls (the oldest one) follows me around like a little lost puppy. she tries to climb my pants if i'm standing and she thinks she's being ignored.


she will also jump up on the couch if you pat it for her to come. she is the only one that has pretty much full range of my house because i know that she WILL come out of hiding eventually. i got her when i was pregnant along with her beloved sister who is now gone but certainly not forgotten. i know that she is so loyal because i spent more time with her then the others and she is my favorite.


the others are younger and more into playing and jumping around and exploring things they will calm down with age as she has. girls tend to be more playful and full of energy so i've been told, i have never owned boys.


i hear that boys are more laid back and like to sleep more.


i caution you in getting ';lab rats'; as they might be scared from everything that they've gone threw and should really be left to the experts for rescuing. i know this from personal experience.


i have 2 girls that aren't lab rats, but were rescued and they're ';wild'; i have to put a towel over their hide box just to put them in another cage for cleanings. they will not let me hold them for any amount of time.


last but not least, get your rats young, they will nip because there curious little things, but that will wan with age. you will end up having loving little pets that will steal your heart forever.