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Behavior

Unlike their wild counterparts, domestic rats are not aggressive and are easy to work with. Aggression may be strain related, and the Long-Evans and Fischer 344 strains are said to be more aggressive. Frequent and gentle handling reinforces non-aggressive behavior tendencies. Rats make excellent pets, are intelligent, and easily trained. These traits have made them an excellent choice for behavior and learning studies.

Rats are nocturnal animals, and are most active at night and in the early morning. If given a choice, rats prefer small, dark confined spaces. This is not surprising as wild rats reside in burrows. Rats are social and communal creatures, and several males and females grouped together can coexist peaceably if cage space is adequate. Male rats housed together do not show the same aggressive tendencies towards one another that male mice exhibit. Same sex pairs can be housed together to allow social interactions without the production of young. Females with young will sometimes be intolerant of the presence of other females. Unlike mice, escaped rats will often return to their cages.