First, The Good... Rats are extremely intelligent! They will come to the sound of their own name, and you can teach them tricks. Rats are extremely social! What does this mean for you? Love, love, and more love! Rats, given proper care, thrive on human companionship. They will absolutely beg to be with you. The more time you spend with them, the closer your bond will grow with them. You will be showered with affection! Once bonded with you, rats will tell you apart from any other human being as their care giver and friend, and they will even run to you for help if they become frightened. Rats are the LEAST aggressive of any of the small animals due to their intelligent and social nature. Because of the above, and their larger size, they make excellent companion animals for children. They can be litter-trained (to a degree.) Because of their intelligence, they are extremely fun to watch when given things to interact with. They display a wide array of adorable behaviors such as riding on your shoulder, grooming you, yawning, hopping around, playing tag, and more. Depending on which sex you choose, with a male you can have a mellow lap rat, or with a female you can have a playful mischief-maker. They love to play games. Vets find them very easy to work with, and they handle anesthesia very well. They are quiet. Unlike many other small animals, female rats do not smell if taken care of properly. However un-neutered male rats can have an odor to them. (Neutering a male rat will rid him of his musky smell.) They are extremely clean animals, grooming themselves more frequently than cats do! Rats are very personable and interactive companion animals. Many people feel their personality is like that of a dog, and many people refer to their rats as "pocket puppies". Last, but not least, just my personal opinion, they are just so darn adorable!