Rat Facts
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Rats have poor eyesight.
Especially pink eyed rats. Rats will often sway while standing still – they do it to detect motion... We call it the wiggle dance.
Male and female rats differ in both appearance and personality.
Female rats are smaller than their male counterparts, and their fur is usually softer. They are also quite a bit more active. A male rat is more apt to sit contentedly in your lap while you pet him.
Rats grind their teeth.
Rats grind their teeth when they are feeling content. Interestingly, they also do it when they’re feeling stressed. The grinding keeps their tiny choppers at the proper length.
Rats can sense moods
It’s always best to interact with your rat when you’re in a good mood and feeling calm. Rats can sense tension, fear and other negative emotions in the people who handle them and may respond in kind.
Rats thrive in the company of other rats.
Rats are social and do much better with other rats around. I recommend you have at least two rats so they can keep each other company.
Rats don’t throw up
Rats have a very strong wall between the esophagus and stomach. It’s physically impossible for your rat to forcefully expel food from his tummy.
Rats are extremely sensitive to electromagnetic fields
Rats have highly tuned senses and can become overwhelmed by the electromagnetic fields generated by electronic devices. Until a new rat is well acclimated to your home and shows no signs of agitation or irritation when exposed to electronic devices, you should keep her habitat in an area of the house with a minimum of electronic activity.
Rats love to be petted in certain spots
Rats usually enjoy having their ears rubbed.
Rats are superclean.
They are fastidious groomers that actually do not like getting dirty. They love to groom each other and to gather and organize their food into piles. So they are actually quite neat. Rarely do they need bathing.
Rats are extremely smart and empathic.
Many people don’t think of rats as being smart, but they are actually very intelligent and easy to train. Their intelligence is why rats are so often used in psychological studies to help understand human behavior.
It’s incredible the tasks rats can perform when they are shown how.
Rats Boggle and Brux...
My most favorite and most odd fact for rats. Brux and boggling go often together. There is a particular muscle that is attached to the rats’ jaw bones that is responsible for grinding teeth and chewing. As the rat begins its boggling, the muscle begins to tighten and loosen quickly. This muscle extends behind the rats’ eye sockets, and causes the eyeballs to bounce or jiggle as it contracts rapidly. It’s definitely an interesting phenomenon to witness!