[bitwize]

Rats are adorable. Lab rats have even been shown to laugh when tickled.

But the truth is, fancy rats are completely different from pest rats, even if they are the same species. If you keep a rat, keep it well-fed and its body and living area clean, take it to the vet when sick, etc. it's not going to pose anywhere near the kind of hygiene threat that a wild rat looking for food in your garbage (and maybe nesting in the area) poses.

It's like, I love dogs too, but I would treat a feral dog scavenging for food VERY differently than I would treat any of my pet dogs.