Chiricocycle

My brother enjoyed having a preying mantis around in his dorm room. To each his own.

Rats can make surprisingly good pets. A woman at a local pet store told me that they were her second favorite pets, and she had tried a wide assortment of pets.

Wild rats have different personalities. Domestic rats have been selected for being more agreeable.

I had three Himalayan rats and enjoyed them. They had exotic patterning, something like Siamese cats. Mine were called "flame-pointed Himalayans" -- they were white with beige- or apricot-colored tips.

There are other exotic breeds as well.

Many of these rats are sold in pet stores as snake food... Sad. They are intelligent, playful, sensitive creatures and deserve more respect.

They enjoy company. I would suggest getting more than one. Littermates tend to be close.

It wouldn't be hard to design a home for them on the bike. It would help if they had a secure room (even a small one) where they could feel safe -- something like a burrow (they feel a lot safer sometimes when they have a private-feeling space of their own, where they can't be seen). You could make a lightweight tunnel(s) for them to move from one chamber or room to another. They could be given a choice of rooms with views and rooms without.

Easily removable walls are another possibility.

Small, young rats tend to be more playful, and lighter in weight. And they can travel through smaller tubes and holes, and be happy within a smaller space. They also eat less.

Younger animals would probably be better at adapting to a new (touring) lifestyle.

They like all kinds of scraps, and especially enjoy sprouted seeds and grains, nuts, pieces of fresh vegetables and fruit.... If you feed them properly, they will be healthier and livelier, and will look better.

There are some good websites and books that go into more details about care and diet.

Please let us know what you end up doing, and post some pics too if you feel like it.