female rats vs males rats as pets

Question
I had male rats in the past(all since deceased)my one male rat was my true buddie, would give kisses, sit on my shoulder & come when called. I now have 2 female baby ratties on reserve with a local rattery. Will the females make as nice of pets as the males?

Answer
Yes, the are all sweet pets. There is a difference though. Females are very busy and nosey. They tend to want to GO GO GO more than males and are less likely to want to snuggle on your lap long until they are alot older. They all have the potential to learn their name and come when called etc...regardless of sex.
One reason I do avoid females now is because of the mammary tumors. I have had every single female develop mammary tumors over the years and I have owned many females.  I never spayed them. I should know better because I Know that spaying them between 3 and 5 months of age is the best way to prevent mammary tumors. If not, the chance they develop them after 18 months of age is at least 75%.  When spayed, it is much less, it is safe to say that a rat spayed at the proper age has about a 15% chance of developing mammary tumors.
They are fueled by estrogen levels that run high after menopause. Surgery is an option and is usually successful but the chance that more will manifest after surgery is at least 80%.

More on tumors here:

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

Dont let that stop you though. Just consider spaying them and make sure you secure a very good vet that has done many successful spays. Never let a vet that has only spayed a few rats in his or her career as a vet spay your rat. Its invasive and requires the proper tools and implements in order to work on such a small area.
If you need a good vet, please let me know and I will give you some names!