Why not? I let my rats out 24/7 they are litter trained and are well behaved. They don't chew on anything either. If you don't believe me, here is a video of my old rat "Mikey" who could do tricks! Rats are amazing little creatures, they are the reason why I don't have snakes anymore. [video=youtube;P13LiHwtPvA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P13LiHwtPvA[/video]
That is a spectacular little creature..
They're just yanking your chain buddy