Rats may not be the first animal who comes to mind when people hear the word “pet” (in fact, they may be more likely to associate them with “pest!”). But as highly social, intelligent beings, rats can make excellent companion animals for those willing to look past their poor reputation.

Questionnaires have been used to learn about the personality of caregivers’ companion animals such as cats and dogs, but are uncommon for rats. The authors of this study used questionnaires to explore commonly reported personality traits in companion rats and whether certain caregiver, rat, or rat-caretaking variables predicted these traits.

The authors created a 73-question survey, developed in part based on adjectives describing personality in human and non-human animals from previous studies. The questionnaire was given to rat caregivers in the U.K. over the age of 18 who had been guardians of (or worked with) at least two mature domesticated rats for a minimum of one year.

Of the 296 responding rat caregivers, 70% were between the ages of 22 and 40 years old, and most (84%) were female. Caregivers most commonly reported having four or more companion rats (37.5%), with fewer than 3% reporting keeping only a single rat.

Six main personality factors were identified within the questionnaire responses:

• Tameness
• Shyness
• Liveliness
• Sociability (with fellow rats)
• Inquisitiveness
• Aggressiveness (often toward other rats)

Only “shyness” was found to have any statistically significant link, with rat sex and caregiver experience found to be predictors of this trait. Male rats were more frequently described as “shy,” which the authors hypothesize could be because male rats are less social in the wild than female rats. More experienced caregivers were less likely to report their rats as being “shy,” possibly due to more practice in socializing and handling their rats, leading to more confident companion animals. No other variables — including number of rats, rat age, or rat exposure to predators (other companion animals in the home like dogs, cats, or snakes) — were significant predictors of personality traits.

In a free-answer section of the questionnaire, caregivers most commonly described their companion rats as social beings, using words such as “friendly,” “affectionate,” “loving,” and “playful.” This was followed by descriptions of their interest levels, such as “inquisitive,” “curious,” or “adventurous,” and their activity levels, such as “energetic” or “lazy.”

Other commonly used words that caregivers used included “gentle,” “clever,” “cuddly,” “sweet,” “outgoing,” “active,” “mischievous,” “caring,” “greedy, “naughty,” and “chilled.”

The authors note that their sample may be biased. Despite efforts to gather information from those who worked with rats in laboratories, pet shops, or other environments, less than 0.5% of respondents said they worked in a pet shop, less than 1% said they worked with rats at breeding facilities, and only 2% fell into the “other” category. The overwhelming majority of respondents (97%) were people who take care of rats as their own personal companion animals, and they may view rat personality differently than those who interact with rats in a more academic or professional setting. This was also not an experimental study, so no active observations were made by the authors. Thus, this research says more about caregiver perceptions of rats than any objective “truths” about rat personality as might be determined in experimental settings.

Since rats are less common as companion animals, there’s plenty of misinformation about their needs. It’s therefore encouraging that fewer than 3% of caregivers reported keeping rats alone, as rats are very social animals and, with rare exceptions, need companionship from other rats. Given that the majority of respondents had at least four rats, this suggests that rats’ species-specific social needs may be properly met by their guardians. Also, the majority of adjectives used by companion rat guardians were positive, a good reminder that these animals, who most of the world ignores, may be delightfully charismatic to those who pay attention.

By centering rats as the unique individuals they are, this study may bring awareness to their great capacity for emotional and intellectual depth, and their inherent worth as living beings. Animal advocates should remember that we can use our voices for all animals — not only the glamorous, popular ones. Even the littlest, most underappreciated creatures have great capacity for suffering and for joy, and it’s on us to fight for them, too.