Do Rats Recognize Their People?

I think almost everyone who has had a rat, or any pet for that matter, would say without hesitation that their rat recognizes them. Non-animal people might wave off the notion and claim that we’re anthropomorphizing them (attributing human characteristics or behavior to a god, animal, or object). I believe that in reality animals are capable of far more than they are given credit for.

Rats Differentiate

Science is finally starting to catch up to what pet owners know as more discoveries are being made about animal emotions, thought processes, motivations, and intelligence. In 2015 a study was published by researchers Vassilissa Dolivo and Michael Taborsky that showed rats have the ability to reciprocate help and their chance of reciprocation increases based on the previous degree of help given. It proved the point of the name of the study: Norway rats reciprocate help according to the quality of help they received.

Rory The Rat

I’ve witnessed firsthand rats’ ability to differentiate since the moment I became a rat owner. My first heart rat, Rory, was a singleton. This was long before I knew that rats should be kept in pairs or groups. Rory and I were inseparable. I took him literally everywhere I went. I cannot even explain the immense bond I formed with him. The fact that I named my son Rory long after this rat was gone might provide some insight into how much this precious creature meant to me.

I knew that Rory loved me, too, but there was one very specific moment with Rory that proved I was undoubtedly his favorite person. Since I took Rory (the rat) everywhere, he became very comfortable traveling around my city (and other states) and meeting new people. There was absolutely nothing shy about Rory. He eagerly explored new surroundings and readily allowed curious strangers to hold him and love on him.

Rat haters actually found Rory to be quite endearing. I was told regularly that Rory had completely changed their view of rats. Even my mom, who had been afraid of rats before meeting Rory, became a convert and cried with me when he died.

But the first time I took Rory to the veterinarian, his demeanor completely changed. My brave, adventurous boy became nervous and clingy. When the vet walked in she was excited to meet Rory. Yet despite how friendly and non-threatening she was, Rory panicked the moment he was in her hands. He leapt straight out of them like a flying squirrel and onto my shoulder! He then scrambled to bury himself beneath my hair as he pressed up against my neck.

I was shocked. I had never seen Rory act like that before. But I learned then and there that this rat truly viewed me as HIS person and that our bond was not one sided. My mom had gone with me to the vet clinic that day and was standing beside me when this happened. Rory didn’t go running to her, he went running (well, flying really) to me. When he was scared, he sought me out; he knew I would protect him. That feeling of being loved by this amazing animal has stayed with me 28 years later. It was at that moment I became a diehard rat person!

Rats Recognize People

Over the years and many, many rats later, I have continued to witness their ability to recognize and favor their humans. Some may argue that rats, along with other animals, are only gravitating toward anyone who regularly feeds them. That it’s not so much about love or feeling any affection toward a person, but more about instinct and survival. But these skeptics are wrong!

I know animals, rats especially, are absolutely capable of feeling great affection and love for their humans. I do think food plays a huge role in earning an animal’s trust, but I also believe our behavior toward them affects how they interact with us. It can determine the type of relationship we develop with them.

Examples Of Rats, Behavior, And Relationships

I have had rats for almost 29 years now, which means that my husband has, too. Technically, he could say he’s a rat owner, but ultimately the rats are mine. He could also rattle off a ton of facts about rats, but only because he’s been listening to me prattle on about them for decades. My husband is allergic to rats and breaks out in hives if their nails or tail touch his skin. Therefore, he’s never felt any connection to them or a need to interact with them. And my rats know this! They recognize him as someone living in the house. When he’s close by they do not act as if he’s a new person to meet or fear. They are no longer curious or nervous around him the way they might be around a stranger. And in the rare moments my husband does pet the rats, they seem happy and content. But at no point would they seek him out or go to him for comfort. Anytime a rat gets spooked or wants to cuddle, they come to me instead.

When my son was young we adopted four rats just for him. It only made sense, however, to house them with my rats in my Double Critter Nation habitat. Plus, who are we kidding, of course I’d be taking an active role with their care. I mean, I wasn’t going to treat these rats like they weren’t mine. I was going to spoil them and hold them daily like I would my own.

Rory (my son) spent time playing with his new rats, feeding them, and trying to bond with them. But to his dismay, they all ended up preferring me. The rats liked Rory, but I ended up being their person. Rory complained about this often, and loudly. The fact was, I spent far more time with them than Rory did. He got distracted and hated dealing with cage cleaning. And well, I’m the real rat person in our house.

It turns out, Rory is actually a cat person! And his cat Vertigo will only seek me out when Rory is out of town and she’s desperate for attention. That’s because he went out of his way to keep her away from me, fearing she’d choose me over him. Now Vertigo never leaves Rory’s side and has little use for me. I probably feed her as much as he does by the way, which proves that animals don’t pick favorites solely based on who has food.

Beyond Recognition

Rats are extremely intelligent with strong memories. They also rank in the top 10 in the animal kingdom for their olfactory sense, meaning they have a strong sense of smell. All these things combined enable our rats the ability to easily remember who we are.

But is the ability to recognize us important? Of course it is! Who doesn’t want to be recognized by their pets? Without recognition there’s little chance of forming a bond. But it takes more than recognition to become a favored human. It takes time and effort. And as I mentioned, it’s about your behavior toward your rats that helps determine how they feel about you.

I’ve met many other people’s rats over the years and have made some interesting observations about how they respond to their owners. Owners like me — who were very comfortable around rats — formed very strong bonds to their pets. Their rats were usually friendly when I held them and enjoyed the attention from another rat lover before eventually wanting to get back into the arms of their humans. On the other hand, rats who had owners that were uncomfortable and nervous around them showed little desire to be with their owners. On top of that, I found those rats were much more comfortable with me than with them.

Rats Pick Up On Feelings

I recall when an acquaintance of mine got a pair of rat siblings for her sons. She thought the rats might be sick and asked if I could come over and check them out. She warned me that they had nipped a couple of times, were extremely fearful, and that I’d have trouble getting them out of the cage.

When I arrived, I could tell right away that she was very apprehensive around them. I asked her how often they were handled. She confessed that handling was rare, because they were too skittish and she was sure they’d be traumatized if the family took them out too often. She was new to rats, so I didn’t fault her naivety. However, it’s possible this was an excuse not to hold them. And the rats absolutely picked up on that. Being provided absolutely no comfort or reassurance that they were safe only taught the rats to stay afraid of their owners.

Since handling rats is second nature to me, I took these two scared little boys out of their cage with ease and held them against my chest in the blanket I had brought. The rats were definitely frightened but burrowed into the blanket and allowed me to pet them. Their owner’s jaw dropped in shock. She asked me how I got them out of the cage so quickly, why they didn’t go running away, and how was I holding them without them desperately trying to escape. I explained that years of experience with rats keeps me calm and that the rats could sense that.

This doesn’t mean that every scared rat I encounter wants me to hold it. I’ve had plenty of rats, even my own, that have hated being held and squirmed out of my arms. But mine still trust and prefer me over any other humans. They recognize that I’m their caregiver.

When it comes down to it, having the ability of recognition is vital to any animal’s survival and well-being. Knowing who or what they can trust and who they can’t ensures them safety. But knowing who they like and want to spend their time with ensures them happiness. So, if you treat your rats like they’re your best friends, then I believe you’ll always be their favorite human!