Decades with rats and observing their behavior has taught me a lot about their personalities; specifically, how opinionated they are.
I’m not talking about opinions on politics, philosophy, morals, or ethics. And they don’t care about celebrity gossip, sports, wealth, religion, music, or really any of the things you may find yourself arguing about with other people. What our rats do care about is their cage, their food, their friends, the way they want to be touched, or how they want to spend their time. What I’ve learned is that they will most definitely find a way to tell you what they like and what they truly hate, even if you weren’t asking for an opinion.
Obviously, I can’t speak for every rat. They are all individual, with different life experiences and different personalities. But I believe that certain things tend to elicit similar reactions from them.
Rat Bath Time Struggles
I know there are rats out there that seem to really love playing in water, but I’ve never personally met one. Unless, of course, it was for pea fishing. According to all my rats, baths are viewed as a form of torture.
How do I know they hated baths, you ask? Well, because during these dreaded moments they told me exactly what they thought — and it can’t be typed out in a family-friendly article.
Rats are generally quiet animals and tend to only express themselves audibly during heightened emotions, if they even choose to make a sound at all. Bruxing, which is a rat’s version of purring, is the teeth grinding sound they make when they are really happy and content. Outside of bruxing, however, most audible sounds a rat makes that are not due to illness, almost always convey something negative. Like irritation, anger, pain, or outright fear.
Even if a rat is upset, though, it’s not a guarantee you will “hear” about it. They usually communicate through body language instead. Which is why sudden vocalization coming from a normally quiet rat means they have something VERY important to tell you.
And I found that baths had a way of turning even the calmest rat into an outspoken protester! I honestly think they would have all unionized and started picketing if that had been a possibility for them.
Thankfully for all involved, rats do not need to be bathed regularly and mine only got one when it was absolutely necessary.
Nail Trim Defiance
Having their sharp, daggerlike nails trimmed down to something more compatible with our human skin is another thing rats hold in great disdain. And you will experience their loathing of it when they make the task as difficult as possible for you.
Count yourself lucky if you manage to get even one paw completely trimmed in only one session. Some rats throw such a fit, squeaking, yanking their paws away, squirming and thrashing about in your arms, that many owners just give up trying.
To learn how to do nail clippings safely, visit my Pet Rat Nail Care article.
Food Favorites And Rats
Rats really, really, LOVE food! The connection between rats and their love of food is so well known that Disney used the concept to imagine a world where a rat could actually become a chef. And, of course, we’ve all heard numerous stories about some restaurants being overrun by wild rats or mice.
But don’t assume that rats will eat anything, as if they are functioning on reflex alone. Rats are far more nuanced and respond differently to foods they either love, like, will only tolerate, or absolutely hate. Interestingly, their discerning taste makes them neophobic, which is the fear of trying something new. Although, it does seem like pet rats exhibit less of this fear than wild rats do.
Rats are especially keen on getting snacks outside of their staple diet. And offering a little treat of something they like can serve as an important tool when training rats to do tricks, when forming bonds with them, or when trying to earn the trust of a scared rat.
When it’s a favorite snack, it has the power to motivate even the laziest rat butts out of their hammocks and will have them begging you for more.
On the other hand, giving them something they dislike will result in a look of disgust. They may spit the food out or sniff your hands trying to determine if that’s all you brought. Surely you came with something better, right? But once they realize you didn’t, they will outright reject your offering and walk away, likely in a sulk. You will then be left feeling like you’ve failed spectacularly.
Rats also have strong opinions over sharing.
In labs it’s been shown that rats willingly share food with a friend in distress, which I do believe proves the empathy that all rats are capable of. But when it comes to our pets, I’ve observed something entirely different.
Our rats are living a much more privileged life than those in labs, which might be why rat owners will undoubtably witness the exact opposite reaction. Instead, you will see their brat-mode turn on as they squabble and steal from one another, pushing each other out of the way, and hoarding food in a corner like they are a hobbit who has just acquired the “precious” One Ring.
And don’t think they won’t turn on you as well. If they believe you are trying to take their food away from them, despite you being the one who just gave it to them, they will not hesitate to audibly chew you out for your sheer audacity. There’s nothing more ridiculous than being scolded with hissy screeches by a food-obsessed rat!
They will happily share their hammocks, though, as most rats appear to prefer being slept on by a cagemate or two, or to use one as a pillow.
Snoozing Together The Pet Rat Way
Sleeping the day away is an absolute favorite pastime for rats. They treat naptime like a competitive sport and spend hours a day training by tucking themselves away somewhere dark and cozy, asking that you do not disturb them. But will just any bed do for these gold-medal hopefuls? Nope! They are a lot like Goldilocks in that respect, and they want their bed to be “just right.”
I had all sorts of different styles of beds for my rats, from small hammocks to large ones, single level to multilevel, fuzzy lined ones and ones not lined at all. They had cube- and pyramid-shaped hammocks, ones that were traditionally shaped, and even ones shaped like specific objects. They had plastic space pods and igloos, cloth huts, cardboard boxes, and a bunch of random objects I found that could double as a bed. Plus, my rats were always provided with extra strips of fleece for added warmth. They had more options to choose from than they could possibly sleep in over a lifetime, and yet they all had their favorites that they picked over everything else.
And heaven forbid I put the fleece strips in myself. No, that would not do. These rigid little animals needed to rearrange everything to their very specific liking.
While they were at it, they also rearranged the entire cage, because I clearly didn’t do a good enough job setting things up after I cleaned it all.
How Rats Accept Scritches And Snuggles
Rats who feel safe and content will enjoy being held and pet by humans. And when they have a strong bond with their owners, they truly want to spend time snuggling with their people. But as with their cage arrangement, they all have their own rules on how it should be done.
They will be the ones to determine if they lay on you, next to you, or just in your vicinity. They will also be the ones to determine whether they lay out in the open, hidden under a blanket, or down your shirt. They will even let you know if they approve of the way you’re touching them.
For instance, bruxing and eye boggling might commence, signaling you’ve found their favorite spot for scritches. Moving away from you with a look of dissatisfaction, however, can indicate that you are petting them all wrong or not enough, and they have now tired of you. Or you may get a head nudge reminding you to keep up the scritches when you’ve slowed down.
What they are sure to dislike is having their tails rubbed against the direction of the hair growth. Going the other way is perfectly fine though. And the majority of rats hate being put on their backs and are likely to fight against that if you try.
Many of them also resent their cagemates getting more attention than they do. They will bump their friend out of the way and then shove their own head under your fingers. They may even yank their brother’s ear with their teeth in a fit of jealousy until they squeak. Am I basing that last bit on a specific experience you may be wondering? Yes, yes I am.
Pet Rat Rules For You
Throughout their life, a rat spends a fair portion of the time attempting to teach you their preferences. They expect you to respect their rules and oblige. Conversely, they have little desire to do the same for your rules.
Rats have little tolerance for staying inside any rat-designated areas on your furniture, and they make every attempt possible to escape them.
They do not enjoy leaving cloth in their proximity free from holes. So, give up on that expectation.
Rats also do not like being told where to go to the bathroom. Even if they have been litter trained, they will be the ones to decide whether they use the litter box or not… or your couch.
And despite the fact that they refuse to ever share their food with you, they will reject any effort you make to do the same. They will dive into your ice cream bowl without permission. They will dunk their heads into your drinks. They will pull an entire slice of pizza off your plate and then screech at you like a petulant toddler when you try to take it back. Some rats will even try to take food straight out of your mouth when you refuse to share.
And do you know what? You will find it hard to not laugh at their stubborn determination, because it’s utterly endearing when something so tiny has such large predilections.
