Cute

Yes

I plan on getting some kind of small pet, so far it's a toss between a rat and a gecko/lizard.

I've never owned either. But I'd suggest looking into the diets and restrictions of both first.
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Probably pointing out the obvious, but a surprising number of people don't seem to realize that when they say geckos/lizards eat insects they mean you will in all likelihood be keeping live crickets, mealworms, cockroaches etc in your house, and potentially even breeding them. Crickets can and do get loose quite often and can make quite a racket.
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Rats, meanwhile, have a lot of controversy around them. A lot of buildings won't let you have a pet rat at all (as will some areas in certain countries). Though the same is true for lizards.
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Rats are extremely social creatures and it's not really the best for them to be kept alone, though keeping them together could open you up to issues with breeding if you're not careful
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You have to make sure there's a vet in the area that is prepared to handle whatever type of animal you have, etc etc etc

A lot of vets are nowhere near trained to deal with reptiles at all and won't be able to help in the event of a problem
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I'm sure you know all this and are or have researched it fully. And I'm in no way trying to discourage you either haha.
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Just find it's good for people to consider the negatives of owning any specific type of pet. If they can handle the worst aspects and still think they want it then the positives are an added bonus

I should have mentioned I've owned a tiger gecko before and we were very close imo, he'd crawl through my shirt while I gamed and never bothered me or him. I kept crickets but he really loved strawberries, he would tell me when he wanted strawberries by doing laps around his enclosure. I was very upset for a month over his passing and I still think about him.