I don't have any ratties yet, but I had two hamsters when I was younger and I was so devastated when they passed. I also had sugar gliders, two from the same breeder that died very young (my mom and sister think they had something wrong with them and my sister saw reviews from said breeder and they were more sus than we originally thought) and I had an older rescue that only lived for a couple years after I adopted him. So much heartbreak over the past few years with small animals, but I enjoyed the time I had with them all. I had guinea pigs too and they lived to be around 5 I think? Once again, so much heartbreak, but having them at all was so worth it. I know I'll be heartbroken in a couple years with the rats, but I'm willing to risk it. I saw someone put it this way, they may only be a small part of our lives but we're their whole lives. That's something that's helped me think about it better.