The earliest documented evidence of domesticated rats originates from Japan and dates back to the Edo period (1603 to 1868). The tradition of keeping fancy rats may have originated in Japan, but pet ...

Seattle’s Jessica Noledner and her daughter, Juliet, wanted a pet. So they did their research and got on the waiting list of a breeder. But this family isn’t after a Labradoodle or French bulldog.

Rat breeder Katie Swisshelm's daughter Astrid poses with the family's four pet rats, Watsky, John Lennon, Nicodemus and Prince Lir. (Family photo) In wake of a national warning that eight people who ...

These have short, smooth, and glossy coats, although the males may have a coarser coat than the females. In general, they are easy to look after and have no special dietary or medical needs. You can ...

At least eight people who breed pet rats have been infected with an unusual virus called Seoul virus, state and federal health officials said Friday. It’s a type of hantavirus, a respiratory infection ...

Experts from the CDC are working with the Illinois Department of Health and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services to investigate cases of Seoul virus infections among eight people who worked at ...