Awesome Pet Rat Names

For those of us who have ever had the pleasure of knowing a pet rat, we understand how different each and every one is. They have personalities, can learn their names, and are highly intelligent little rodents. Because rats are so clever, you may want to wait a while to name yours, until you get a better idea of his or her unique personality.

Honor a Fictional Rat

As you consider rat names, review this list of famous fictional rats. While rats, in general, have a negative connotation, you may be surprised by how many of these characters are actually heroes (or at least good guys):

• Remy the Rat: the "little chef" from Disney's movie Ratatouille
• Templeton: from the book and movie Charlotte's Web
• Rizzo the rat: of Muppet fame
• Nicodemus: the wise rat from the book and movie Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH
• Nigel Ratburn: the teacher from the children's TV show Arthur
• Professor Ratigan: the evil rat from the movie The Great Mouse Detective
• Scabbers: Ron Weasley's rat from the Harry Potter series (who later turns out to be the alter ego of the no-good Peter Pettigrew)
• Ben: the terrifying rat from the horror movie of the same name
• Cluny the Scourge: a villain from the Redwall books by Brian Jacques
• Ratty: the kindly water rat from the classic children's novel The Wind in the Willows
• Ratbert: a clever character from the Dilbert comic series
• Jenner: another rat from Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH
• Django: another rat from Ratatouille
• Splinter: the wise master who oversees the training of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Fun and Silly Names

There are plenty of great ways to name rats based on silly rat puns and names built around rat appearance and behaviors. Here are a few:

• Squeakers
• Squeak
• Ratatat
• Ratticus Finch
• Scamper
• Scritch
• Wormtail
• Chuck E. Cheese (probably a mouse, but why not?)
• Ratso (actually the name of Dustin Hoffman's name in the movie Midnight Cowboy)
• Rats Domino

Rats As Pets

Rats are smart social animals and can make great pets. They usually live for about two years and can be tamed and trained, making rats fun for someone who likes to handle and play with their pet. While they are easy to care for, rats do require some daily maintenance. They thrive with a good amount of attention paid to them and at least an hour of exercise out of their cage is ideal. Often rat owners compare their curious rats to the fun and curiosity of a pet dog.

Rats are very social animals and tend to thrive with other animals. Keeping pairs or groups same sex is ideal, and males usually get along fine with other males. Keep this in mind when selecting names for your rat or rats; it can be fun to have a cohesive theme for all your rats, like multiple names of characters from one book or movie.