The name stems from the use of the word "fancy" meaning "hobby".• There are seven types of fancy rat - standard (short, smooth, glossy coats); rex (curly fur and may feel woolly); tailless (as named and is often referred to as a sphinx); hairless (also aptly named and in need of extra warmth); satin (long, smooth, silky coats); dumbo (larger, low-set ears that conjure images of Disney's loveable elephant); and bristle (coarse fur).• Rats are incredibly intelligent, making them easy to train using treats, patience and positive reinforcement.• Rats laugh when they're tickled.
Scientists have found that when rats are happy or excited, they emit very high-pitched squeaks (too high for us to hear), which is rat "laughter".• Rats live for around two years, but some may live longer.• Magawa, an African giant pouched rat, enjoyed a successful career sniffing out landmines in Cambodia.
The charity was also sent screenshots taken from Facebook in which Fair admitted to feeding his dog live rats as a method of training for pest control purposes.
Fair found himself at the centre of an investigation after authorities were sent footage of him goading dog Jax into fatally attacking a domesticated brown rat.
The Scottish SPCA said it is "devastated" Liam Fair has been allowed to retain a number of pets in his care despite admitting animal abuse.
