Petting a rat

Question
Hi Sandra
what are the possible dangers of petting a rat about whom
you do not know anything? in the sense i dont know if she
was a wild rat or one bred in the pet store.
its a small, young (3-4 weeks old) white albino rat.
I really want to keep her. Please let me know if there is
anything I should know about this or should be cautious
about.
I appreciate all the help you can give me. :)

Answer

If she is white she is NOT wild from the outdoors. She is a product of the typical lab rat, although indirectly related.

NEVER Lift a rat by the tail. THis will cause the skin to detach and remember the tail is an extension of the rats vertebrae, so its a big no no to do this. ANyone that says otherwise is incorrect.

Also, if anything she will be shy and timid. I would not reach for any animal I dont know  and allow them to come to you by laying your washed hand flat in the cage. There are NO GERMS you can get or diseases from these rats also.

At her young age do NOT lift her up or she will run away and get lost so read on GETTING STARTED about setting up a safe play area to take rats so they cant get away.
Read up on my site about handling shy rats here:

http://www.freewebs.com/crittercity/trainingshyorbitingrats.htm

Where are you getting her from? A friend? Did you find her?