Are rats a good pet for a ten year old?

[pinkmadimac]

My son has been desperate for a pet for a long time. Money is tight and we can't really afford a cat or dog so I was thinking about a rat.

Any rat owners on here? Are rats interactive? Could he play with them and stroke them? I have heard of people taking rats out in baby slings - could he do that? Can you put them on a lead type thing and take them for walks in the garden or country?

How much does it cost to keep a rat? I have some money I could use for start up costs - so to buy a large cage multi -layer cage etc but how much are ongoing costs? I'm presuming quite low.

How much work are they?

Any advice much appreciated.

We managed to lose one of ours for 18 hours in the actual house , I’d be a nervous wreck if it was outside 😀

Rats are amazing pets they're so intelligent and can be trained , as long as they're handled daily they won't be bitey mine used to curl up on my collarbone or in my good and go to sleep

Another vote for rats from me, we had a pair, lovely things.

Would any rat owners like to post a photo of their rat's feet ?
Not their tails though , I know the tails aren't as weird as people think but I'm a RatPaw Fan.

Tx