How long do rats live?

closer to two years in the wild; longest recorded lifespan 5 years

In the wild, a rat's lifespan is believed to be closer to two years, with the longest recorded lifespan being 5 years.

In the wild, it is believed their lifespan is closer to two years.
The longest recorded lifespans are 4 and 5 years for mice and rats, respectively.

These are the documented figures; individual animals vary with care, genetics and luck.

Grounded in: nationalzoo.si.edu, pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Every figure above appears verbatim in the linked sources.

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