The fancy rat is a domesticated Domestication or taming is the process whereby a population of animals or plants, through a process of selection, becomes accustomed to human provision and control. A defining characteristic of domestication is artificial selection by humans. Some species such as the Asian Elephant, numerous members of which have for many centuries been used as brown rat (Rattus norvegicus The brown rat, common rat, Hanover rat, Norway rat, Norwegian rat, or wharf rat is one of the best known and most common rats. One of the largest muroids, it is a brown or grey rodent with a body up to 25 cm (10 in) long, and a similar tail length; the male weighs on average 350 g (12 oz) and the female 250 g (9 oz). Thought to have originated in), which is the most common type of pet rat.[1] The name fancy rat derives from the idea of animal fancy Animal Fancy is a hobby involving the appreciation, promotion, and/or breeding of pet or domestic animals or the phrase, "to fancy" (to like, or appreciate).[2]
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 The gray wolf or grey wolf , often known simply as the wolf, is the largest wild member of the Canidae family. It is an ice age survivor originating during the Late Pleistocene around 300,000 years ago. DNA sequencing and genetic drift studies reaffirm that the gray wolf shares a common ancestry with the domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris). As tamed pets, they have played roles that vary from evil, to ambiguous, to lovable. They can also learn simple tricks, such as learning their name, such as a dog, explaining their nickname, Palm Puppies.[3]
Domesticated rats are physiologically and psychologically different from their wild relatives, and—when acquired from reliable sources—they pose no more of a health risk A zoonosis or zoonose is any infectious disease that can be transmitted (in some instances, by a vector) from non-human animals, both wild and domestic, to humans or from humans to non-human animals (the latter is sometimes called reverse zoonosis). Many serious diseases fall under this category than other common pets.[4] For example, domesticated brown rats are not considered a plague threat[5], while exposure to wild rat populations could introduce diseases like Salmonella into the home.[6] While fancy rats are subject to different health risks than their wild counterparts, they are consequently less likely to succumb to other illnesses prevalent in the wild.
