I'm going to see if we can have a test drive. I'll have her come with me to the breeders and if she can't stand them like, we'll walk away without any Ratties. I think being able to talk to Rattie owners and seeing the baby rats will help change her mind.
Funny thing is, she let my brother have a Gerbil, and Gerbils are "Desert Rats". They actually look like miniature rats too, only much more spastic and with a fuzzy tail.

And then I showed her the runner up choice for me, the STO, and she just about had a heart attack. She their looks even less so than the ratties I showed her pictures of. LOL