(E.B.W.) Critter Corner: Nov. 16/2022

10 Pet Rat Behaviors & What They Mean

PetMD.com

"Rats can make wonderful & interesting pets. While there are common misconceptions about pet rats, they are actually intelligent, clean, & highly social animals with a variety of different behaviors that are loved by pet parents. By understanding their different behaviors, pet parents can better bond with their rat, & both can benefit from the joys of pet rat ownership.

Nesting

Rats are social creatures who enjoy time outside their habitat, but also enjoy their quiet time. Rats naturally enjoy creating nest—in the wild they use leaves or moss to provide a soft nesting area. In captivity, rats enjoy tearing, gnawing, & bringing desirable items back to their nest. A nest is a safe spot for rats, providing physical comfort & safety for sleep but also a place to birth pups.

Pet rats will use materials from inside their habitat to line their nest including:

Fleece bedding

Recycled newspaper

Paper towels

Toilet paper rolls

Cardboard

Carefresh bedding

Rats enjoy frequent bedding changes to keep their cage clean & free of waste material odors, & to provide enrichment that stimulates their senses.

Investigating

Rats are highly inquisitive animals by nature. They enjoy investigating & exploring their habitats, including adventures around the house during supervised playtime. A rat’s sense of vision is not great, so they rely on sniffing & touching to inspect new items.

Rats have a terrific sense of smell. You’ll notice their whiskers & nose twitch when they sniff & appear to breathe more rapidly. The smells & sensory information from their highly sensitive whiskers provide rats with additional information to determine if the new item is safe, fun, or something they would like to investigate further. Once deemed relatively safe (or edible!) rats will use their front paws & mouth to touch, drag, eat, & play.

Grooming

Pet rats are incredibly clean animals require minimal bathing & brushing. They stay clean by instinctively grooming themselves. This may involve rubbing their front paws on their face, then licking & rubbing the rest of their body down to their tail.

Pet rats will also groom other rats & their pet parents. Often, this is out of affection or the start of intended play. You may even notice rats using their teeth to comb through fur. These are all normal behaviors, however if the licking & nibbling become obsessive, it could indicate a problem with your rats...

Bruxing

Bruxism, or commonly referred to as 'bruxing' in the pet rat world, is a common behavior of rats & is usually considered normal. Bruxing occurs when rats grind their teeth gently & repetitively. As rodents, rats have constantly growing teeth that must be filed naturally to prevent problems. Gently grinding their incisors helps to wear these teeth down, but pet rats also need other toys, food, & proper care to effectively wear down their teeth. Pet parents shouldn’t rely on bruxing alone to keep their rat’s teeth healthy.

Most pet parents notice bruxing when the rat is happy & showing signs of affection—similar to a cat purring. However, rats may also brux when they are stressed. Make sure to take the rat’s entire demeanor & behavior into account when they brux. If they are acting scared, not eating, or have other unusual behaviors, a trip to the veterinarian may be necessary.

Boggling

Rats have a unique anatomical difference in which part of their jaw muscle runs behind their eyes. During aggressive bruxism, this repetitive tooth grinding may cause the eyes to move abnormally in & out of the socket. This bulging of the eyes is called boggling, & is considered normal. Like bruxing, take the rat’s entire behavior into account to determine if your pet is happy or stressed. If concerned, you should always talk to your veterinarian to be safe.

Chattering

Chattering is also repetitive grinding of the incisors, like bruxism. However, chattering is typically louder, stronger, & with more pops or cracking noises. While bruxing is associated with joy or contentment, chattering is most associated with an internal struggle, annoyance, or impending fight with another rat.

Playing

Rats love to play! They will play by themselves, with other rats, & with their pet parents. During play, you may also notice different noises—such as chirps & other vocalizations. This is how a pet rat indicates he is content & having fun. While they are generally quiet animals, most parents can begin to differentiate the noises their pet rats make when they are happy versus stressed.

Young rats may gently nip, bite, & wrestle with each other or their mother as a form of play fighting. This is a healthy & normal behavior that allows them to form bonds & learn appropriate social cues. Play fighting should never result in cuts or hair loss.

Excited rats may also jump, hop, or 'popcorn' when they are happy. They may run excitedly at full speed around the house or enclosure—just like how dogs get the 'zoomies.'

While rats are capable of activity during the day, especially with their family, they are basically nocturnal animals. This means they will be more active, making noise, playing, & chewing throughout the nighttime hours. If their cage is placed in a bedroom, this may present a problem for the pet parent to sleep!

Climbing

Rats are adept at climbing & love to explore throughout their enclosure. They can scale vertical walls, given a little foothold. They tend to be clumsier when climbing down.

Providing rats with multiple habitat levels, ladders, hammocks, safe exercise wheels, hide boxes, & other cage furniture encourages their natural curiosity & activity. This enrichment can keep their mind & their bodies stimulated & prevent boredom.

Rats do best with multiple cage furniture items to climb, & even better when those items are constantly rotated in & out of the cage. Rats perceive these rotated toys & climbing structures as 'new' & are excited to investigate & inspect. Some common cage furniture that promotes exercise & climbing include:

Ladder

Hide boxes

Hammocks & other suspended beds

Safe exercise wheel

Cardboard boxes

Bridges

Chewing

As a member of the rodent family, rats have constantly growing teeth. They rely on consistent chewing, gnawing, & nibbling to wear down their incisors. If not given appropriate food & chew toys, rat teeth become misaligned & abscessed. These conditions are incredibly painful & require veterinary intervention.

Rats should be fed high-quality pellets made specifically for pet rats, in addition to some human vegetables & fruits. While food & pellets can help wear down teeth (in addition to providing excellent nutrition,) pet rats also benefit from chew toys. Toys provide mental stimulation as well as the medical benefit of wearing down their teeth! There are many commercially available chew toys for rats, but these inquisitive & fun creatures don’t require fancy toys! They can be just as happy with items from around the house. Common chew toys for rats include:

Wood blocks

Cardboard boxes

Ball chew toys

Paper towels

Stick chew toys

Toilet paper rolls

Climbing toys

Because rats are natural chewers, it is important to rat-proof any area of the house they have access to. Electrical cords are of specific concern, as they could cause serious injury or death.

Scent Marking

Rats, both male & female, have flank glands along the sides of their abdomen. These glands contain natural oils used to scent mark areas of their environment. Rats will rub the side of their body, in addition to their face, to mark their territory.

Male rats will also urinate to mark their territory & signal to female rats. They may rub their rear end over items, which leaves a trail of urine, or they may lift their hind leg, similar to a dog.