I have two Texas lucy rats..."Zephyr" and "Zukhora"...I've had Zephyr since he was a hatchling, and he's now 7. Zukhora is just an estimate at 5-8 years. I've had sevral lucy rats, and yes, they are very different than bps. Much more active, and have a much higher metab than balls.Temperaments can differ greatly from individual to individual...I've had both friendly(kids could hold) and nasty (bites everything that moves). Also much more tolerant of cool temps. I'm hoping my pair produces a fertile clutch this year...I need to build up my breeding group of these guys!