Rats make wonderful pets!! I have some ratty boys

But they are very hard to take care of if you want them to live a good and healthy life. They need tons of out-of-cage time, and their diet requires alot more than seed mix. If you want an animal with a convenient diet and that will not mind staying in it's cage, then I'd get a hamster or a gerbil. Unless you want only one pet --- in that case I'd just get a syrian hamster (teddy bear, black bear, golden), as rats need to be in social groups to be happy (unless you rescue a rat that has been alone most it's life and does not like other rats).