I have the "farmer" attitude with my rats as well. I tried handling certain ones as pets for a time, but I do not have enough time to devote to them like that, and they got wild after awhile.. now they are basically cattle. I can safely pick them up and move them from cage to holding tank for cleaning, etc. But they are not tame enough to be considered pets, and it helps me not to grow attached, when feeding-off time comes.
Great posts, MarkS and Jo