“Port Coquitlam limits residents to four rats maximum”

Pet rats have become increasingly popular, and municipalities must balance pet ownership with nuisance and public-health concerns. Port Coquitlam's answer sits in section 16 ("Other Domestic Animals") of its Animal Control Bylaw, 2017, No. 3990: no household may keep more than four rodents — the bylaw names rats and mice — and the same section bans venomous snakes outright while capping non-venomous snakes at four. Licensed pet shops and school premises are exempt. Fancy rats (domesticated Norway rats) are social animals that tend to do better in pairs or small groups, so a cap of four accommodates responsible ownership while heading off hoarding and uncontrolled breeding. Interestingly, Alberta has taken the opposite approach — as a rat-free province, pet rats are illegal there under the Agricultural Pests Act.