{"topic_id":"exotic_pet_profile_rat","category":"exotic-pet-profile","context":"---\ntopic_id: exotic_pet_profile_rat\ncategory: exotic-pet-profile\ntitle: \"Fancy rat (Rattus norvegicus) — species profile (taxonomy, origin, lifespan, husbandry basics)\"\nlang: en\nsource: \"Animal Diversity Web (animaldiversity.org, University of Michigan) — species account Rattus norvegicus\"\nsource_file: pdf-raw/exotic-profile-2026/rat.txt\ndate_parsed: 2026-07-28\ntokens_estimated: 0\nverified: true\nverification: c1_substring\nsource_document: \"Animal Diversity Web species account (Rattus norvegicus)\"\ncitation:\n  authority: \"Animal Diversity Web (animaldiversity.org, University of Michigan)\"\n  title: \"Fancy rat (Rattus norvegicus) — species profile (taxonomy, origin, lifespan, husbandry basics)\"\n  url: \"https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Rattus_norvegicus/\"\n  retrieved: \"2026-07-28\"\n  ref: \"ADW species account Rattus norvegicus\"\n  doc_type: \"expert species account (.edu, compiled from primary literature)\"\n  needs_review: false\n---\n\n# Fancy rat (Rattus norvegicus) — species profile (taxonomy, origin, lifespan, husbandry basics)\nAuthoritative first-hand species account (Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan). All bullet facts are verbatim from the cited source and C1-substring verified.\n## Natural History & Origin\n- are originally native to northern China.\n- was native to forests and brushy areas.\n- Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female)\n## Habitat\n- habitat to be alongside the rapid expansion of the human population.\n- a variety of habitats including garbage dumps, sewers, open fields and woodlands,\n- Mostly nocturnal or active at dusk, Norway rats go about digging burrows, foraging\n## Size\n- 400 mm nose-to-tail, and weigh 140 to 500 g.\n- the tail is shorter than the length of the body.\n- Newborns weigh an average of 5 grams and are milk-fed until weaning occurs at 3 to\n## Lifespan\n- is capable of mating for up to two years.\n- In the wild, it is assumed that they live for upwards\n- live in large, male-dominated groups.\n## Behavior & Social Structure\n- Social animals, Norway rats tend to breed in\n- associates with others of its species; forms social groups.\n- ranking system or pecking order among members of a long-term social group, where dominance\n## Reproduction\n- Once a female enters her six-hour estrus period, she may mate as many\n- Although not technically a seasonal breeder, a mating increase occurs in the warmer\n- An average female is capable of giving birth approximately seven\n## Diet\n- Nests are constructed of any efficient foraged materials including\n- foragers if it were not for their spectacular sense of smell.\n- Norway rats are excellent foragers.\n","sources":["exotic-pet-profile — Fancy rat (Rattus norvegicus) — species profile (taxonomy, origin, lifespan, husbandry basics) (retrieved 2026-07-28)"],"source":{"authority":"exotic-pet-profile","title":"Fancy rat (Rattus norvegicus) — species profile (taxonomy, origin, lifespan, husbandry basics)","url":"https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Rattus_norvegicus/","retrieved":"2026-07-28","ref":"","doc_type":"official PDF","source_document":"Animal Diversity Web species account (Rattus norvegicus)","verification_file":"pdf-raw/exotic-profile-2026/rat.txt"},"source_document":"Animal Diversity Web species account (Rattus norvegicus)","source_file":"pdf-raw/exotic-profile-2026/rat.txt","tokens_estimated":494,"generated_at":null,"tip":"Use /api/v1/topics to discover more topics. /api/v1/nutrient for precise single-point queries. /api/v1/cross_compare for 2-3 standard comparisons."}