A Fancy rat is a domesticated version of the Brown rat. It is named a ‘fancy’ rat because the name derives from the idea of ‘animal fancy’ - to like or appreciate. They are bred with different shapes and psychology to wild rats, posing no more a health risk then any other domesticated pet.

Fancy rats are trainable and with the right technique you can train them to both do tricks and use a litter or toilet box. 

There are a few variations of fancy rat, including the Manx, Dumbo and hairless rat.

Fancy rats - like all rats - do best with a companion and a big, open cage with plenty to do and chew on. They can eat many foods, though there are a few ‘no-no’ foods that should be looked up before considering getting pet rats.

Photos by Diane Özdamar