A bub is a pet rat; a domesticated rat of the species rattus norvegicus domesticus.
Bubs come in many varieties: Dumbo-eared (after Dumbo the elephant; these bubs' ears are lower-down on their heads than normal);
rex (naked or curly-haired; the same gene variation causes both); dwarf; angora; satin; velvet; and many more that can be seen on pet rat (bub) web sites. Bubs also come in colors ranging from agouti (brown) to dalmation (
white with
black spots) to blue to
peach and platinum; hooded, striped, spotted, masked - almost endless variations from the original ancestor, the wild rat: rattus norvegicus.
People are so freakin'
scared when they hear the word "rat" so if I'm talking about my pet rats to people I don't know, I just say 'you
got a dog? oh yeah, I
got bubs...one of my bubs is sitting on my shoulder right now."