All about rats!

Lifespan

On average, pet rats can live for around 2-3 years, although some may live up to 4-5 years with proper care.[In captivity]
The longest lifespan of a rat in captivity with proper care, was 7 years!

It's easy to feed your rats a fresh, healthy and balanced diet by feeding them commercial food pellets.
Always feed them food designed specifically for rats, rather than pellets for rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters or other herbivores - these won't give rats the nutrients they need.
Give them some variety - rats are omnivores, so you can supplement their diet with small amounts of fruit, vegetables, cooked egg, grains and seeds. Give these as part of their daily food allowance, not in addition to it, or it could cause obesity or health problems.

While rats often get along well with cats and dogs, they generally don't coexist peacefully with mice, hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs or other rodents.
Rats are social creatures and need the company of other rats. They use their sense of smell to recognise others, finding out about where they've been and what they've been doing.
As rats are social animals, they can get depressed and develop abnormal behaviour if they live on their own.

They're highly intelligent creatures.
Rats can be trained pretty quickly, with some basic behaviors. Being easily trained within a few weeks.
Rats can be potty trained to use litter boxes like cats.

Rats are generally slender with a pointed head, large eyes, and prominent ears. They have moderately long legs with long, sharp claws. The bald soles of their narrow hind feet possess fleshy pads of variable size, depending on species.
Rats come in a variety of colors, including black, white, gray, brown and red.