The fancy rat is not only a smart companion, but also a demanding animal that requires a lot of attention and space. Originally descended from the brown rat (Rattus norvegicus), today it inspires many animal lovers with its playful nature and its ability to develop a close bond with humans. “It is not well known how adorable fancy rats are as companions for humans: They are both intelligent and curious - and they develop a strong connection to their owners. As a consequence, the amount of activity and space these animals need is still underestimated,” explains ZZF President Norbert Holthenrich.
Fancy rats first appeared as pets in the sixties and seventies of the 20th century. In Germany, the ‘punk rat’ was a particularly popular pet in the 1980s. Germans currently keep around 240,000 fancy rats as pets. This puts the lively companion in fifth place on the popularity scale among the 4.6 million small mammals.
With its ‘Pet of the Year’ award, the German Pet Trade and Industry Association (ZZF) aims to promote responsible pet ownership and raise awareness for the protection of pets. Accordingly, the association has issued a comprehensive press release on fancy rats, providing information on species-appropriate keeping and specific trends in rat keeping.
The ZZF had previously named the bearded dragon as the pet of the year for 2023 and the zebra pleco for 2024.
