Fancy Rat

The fancy rat is a domesticated brown rat (Rattus norvegicus), which is the most common type of pet rat. The name fancy rat derives from the idea of animal fancy or the phrase "to fancy" (to like, or appreciate).

Fancy rats have their origins as the targets for blood sport in 18th and 19th century Europe. Specially bred as pets since then, fancy rats now come in a wide variety of colours and coat types and there exists several rat fancy groups worldwide. Fancy rats are commonly sold as pets in stores and by breeders. In fiction, pet brown rats tend to be depicted as tamed rather than domesticated, akin to when a character befriends a wolf. As tamed pets, they have been portrayed in roles that vary from evil, to ambiguous to lovable.

Domesticated rats are physiologically and psychologically different from their wild relatives, and—when acquired from reliable sources (such as a breeder)—they pose no more of a health risk than other common pets. For example, domesticated brown rats are not considered a plague threat, though exposure to wild rat populations could introduce pathogens like Salmonella into the home. Fancy rats experience different health risks from their wild counterparts, and as such, are less likely to succumb to the same illnesses as wild rats.