Editing Rat (section)

==As pets==
{{anchor|Pets}}
{{main|Fancy rat}}
Domesticated rats, selectively bred for specific traits, have been kept as pets since at least the late 19th century. Pet rats are most commonly domesticated variants of the [[brown rat]] (''Rattus norvegicus''), though other species, such as the [[black rat]] (''Rattus rattus'') and the [[giant pouched rat]] (''Cricetomys'' spp.), are also occasionally kept. Pet rats behave differently from their wild counterparts depending on how many generations they have been kept as pets.<ref name=NaturalSelection>{{cite web|url=http://www.ratbehavior.org/WildAndDomesticRats.htm|title=Wild Rats in Captivity and Domestic Rats in the Wild|publisher=Ratbehaviour.org|access-date=2009-07-04|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090413073723/http://www.ratbehavior.org/WildAndDomesticRats.htm|archive-date=2009-04-13}}</ref> Pet rats do not pose any more of a risk of [[zoonotic disease]]s than pets such as [[cat]]s or [[dog]]s.<ref name=Zoonoses>{{cite web|url=http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/htm/bc/tzns01.htm|title=Merk Veterinary Manual Global Zoonoses Table|publisher=Merckvetmanual.com|access-date=2006-11-24|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070217135931/http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/htm/bc/tzns01.htm|archive-date=2007-02-17}}</ref> Tamed rats are generally friendly and can be taught to perform selected behaviors.

Selective breeding has brought about different color and marking varieties in rats. Genetic mutations have also created different fur types, such as rex and hairless. Congenital malformation in selective breeding have created the dumbo rat, a popular pet choice due to their low, saucer-shaped ears.<ref name="DumboCongenital">{{cite journal |last1=Katerji |first1=Suhair |title=Expression of Msx1 and Dlx1 during Dumbo rat head development: correlation with morphological features |journal=Genetics and Molecular Biology |date=1 May 2009 |volume=32 |issue=2 |pages=399–404 |doi=10.1590/S1415-47572009005000041 |pmid=21637698 |pmc=3036941 |doi-access=free }}</ref> A breeding standard exists for rat fanciers wishing to breed and show their rat at a rat show.<ref name="afrmastandard">{{cite web |title=AFRMA OFFICIAL RAT STANDARD |url=https://www.afrma.org/stdsrat.htm |publisher=American Fancy Rat & Mouse Association |access-date=13 October 2020}}</ref>