{"id":4095,"date":"2025-05-26T19:50:35","date_gmt":"2025-05-27T00:50:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lafeber.com\/mammals\/?p=4095"},"modified":"2025-05-28T20:58:06","modified_gmt":"2025-05-29T01:58:06","slug":"how-to-pet-your-rats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lafeber.com\/mammals\/how-to-pet-your-rats\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Pet Your Rats"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Yes, there is an “art” to petting rats. Brandi Saxton<\/a> of It’s A Rat’s World<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One of the best ways to relax and decompress is to be curled up in a blanket petting a rat, or really, a whole pile of them. For me, the feel of their fur between my fingers, the velvety softness of their ears, and the wispy tickle of their whiskers is like therapy for my soul.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s because animals and the act of petting them have actual therapeutic benefits<\/a>. Seriously! And not just for you, but for the animals, too.<\/p>\n

Do Rats Like Being Handled?<\/h3>\n
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Rats are tactile animals, and most enjoy being pet in some way. Brandi Saxton<\/a> of It’s A Rat’s World<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If you\u2019re new to rats though, you might be feeling inexperienced, especially if your new friends are acting frightened and jumpy. You might also be wondering if they even enjoy being pet. I\u2019m happy to report that most rats do \u2014 in one way or another at least.<\/p>\n

Rats in and out of the wild are very tactile and regularly spend time physically interacting with their own species. So, it\u2019s not a surprise that domestic rats will actively seek out affection from their owners. Some love being pet so much that they will brux (teeth grinding) and boggle (eye-vibration)<\/a> to express their feelings of bliss. Think of cats purring as a comparison.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, if your rats are skittish and squirm or run away from you, don\u2019t let that dissuade you from trying. Every rat has their own unique personality, along with their own likes and dislikes. You just need time to learn who your rats are as individuals.<\/p>\n

My article Honoring Your Rat\u2019s Personal Space<\/a> can help. I wrote about the different ways rats communicate their preferences when it comes to being touched, and what those preferences might stem from. I also explain why it\u2019s so important to have physical contact with your rats daily (even the scared and independent ones), while still staying within their boundaries.<\/p>\n

You may also want to read my article Helping A Scared Pet Rat<\/a>, which will walk you through ways to earn your rat\u2019s trust and bring them out of their shell.<\/p>\n

None of that advice is helpful yet, however, if you\u2019re still unsure of how to handle your rats in the first place. Since I already described how they should be held in my article What To Know About Rats As Pets For Children<\/a>, along with providing tips on making it an easy experience, let\u2019s just focus on the ins and outs of petting your rats.<\/p>\n

Where Do Rats Like To Be Pet?<\/h3>\n
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Will your rats enjoy pets on the back and shoulders while pancaked? The only way to know is to try. Brandi Saxton<\/a> of It’s A Rat’s World<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The head, back, shoulders, stomach, and even their feet, tail, and ears can all be prime petting spots. But it\u2019s ultimately up to your rat as to which areas they like or dislike being pet.<\/p>\n

If there\u2019s an area they don\u2019t want touched or they aren\u2019t in the mood to be pet, they\u2019ll let you know. They\u2019ll either walk away, pull away, or shift themselves into a different position. They might even push your fingers away with their tiny little hands. Which let\u2019s be honest, feels a little hurtful sometimes. To your feelings that is (those stinky, little rats).<\/p>\n

Picky Preferences<\/h3>\n
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Find your rats’ favorite spots for petting. Many of mine enjoyed tummy tickles, but some didn’t. Brandi Saxton<\/a> of It’s A Rat’s World<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Rats can be surprisingly picky, too! I\u2019ve had a couple of rats who were OK with their heads being touched but would get squirmy when I pet their backs. Several of mine have thoroughly loved tummy rubs, while others were less interested. I also had a couple of rats who hated being pet whenever they were being held but enjoyed it whenever they were sitting beside me or were in their cage.<\/p>\n

For the most part though, most of my rats expected\/insisted they get full-blown, deep tissue body massages<\/a>. Frankly, they were all divas.<\/p>\n

Sometimes I think these fussy creatures make up petting rules based off their moods, too. For example, I\u2019ve had rats express not wanting to be touched one moment, only to return seconds later, jealously demanding I pet them because they witnessed their brothers receiving my attention.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s not hyperbole. Rats are not above pushing a cagemate or sibling out of the way and shoving their own heads under your fingers to get the scritches themselves. They can retaliate in other ways, too. I have a video of my rat Regent pulling on his brother\u2019s ear<\/a>, because I was giving Camden a back massage. Regent regularly got jealous when he wasn\u2019t the center of attention.<\/p>\n

Different Types Of Touch<\/h3>\n
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Always be gentle when petting, especially on your rats’ head and face. Brandi Saxton<\/a> of It’s A Rat’s World<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Try testing different areas with varying types of touch to see what your rat enjoys. Being gentle should be a priority of course \u2014 rats are small and delicate after all.<\/p>\n

When petting their backs, you can either run your fingers through their fur, or you can use your entire hand for long, smooth strokes from the base of their tail, up to their shoulders, and back down again. It\u2019s OK to go in the opposite direction of the fur growth. I\u2019ve never personally found a rat to be bothered by it. If your rat is hairless, don\u2019t worry about the lack of fur. Just think about how you\u2019d massage or lightly scratch a person\u2019s arm.<\/p>\n

When a rat is really relaxed or even pancaking (completely stretched out like a super-flat blob), I like running the palm of my hand over their entire back and shoulders, then letting my fingertips graze over their foreheads with gentle scritches. You can also softly massage their shoulders and the base of their head, behind their ears with your thumb and pointer finger. Many of my rats became putty in my hands<\/a> when I gave them a massage while lying on their backs<\/a>.<\/p>\n

When touching their face, it\u2019s usually better to only use one or two fingers at a time. You can try giving scritches up and down the bridge of their nose or lightly moving your fingers across their face<\/a>. Just try to go in the direction that their whiskers are pointed, and watch out for open eyes. If they are closed, it\u2019s OK to delicately pet over them. Some even enjoy having their face massaged<\/a>, or just their nose<\/a> for that matter.<\/p>\n

Other areas not to forget are their ears and feet\/hands, which can be massaged between your thumb and pointer finger. And whenever my rats were fully relaxed or fast asleep in my lap, they\u2019d let me play with their tails. I would grab the base of it with my fingertips and then slowly glide down to the tip of the tail, and then do that over and over again. You just don\u2019t want to come back up in the opposite direction, since going against the growth of the hairs on the tail isn\u2019t comfortable for them.<\/p>\n

Benefit To Bonding<\/h3>\n
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When you spend time bonding with your rats, they will happily fall asleep while you pet them. Brandi Saxton<\/a> of It’s A Rat’s World<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I guarantee that petting your rats will quickly become intuitive and natural, no matter which techniques you choose. And I encourage you to take the time to be present in that moment with them. Not only will this strengthen your bond, earning you their trust, but it will also help you de-stress and find well-being. There really is nothing better than quiet moments shared with a precious rattie kid.<\/p>\n

Note: A lot of the links included in this article are short videos of my rats being pet throughout the years; make sure to click on them.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Rats are smaller than cats or dogs, so you might wonder if they enjoy being pet; yes, they do, if done correctly.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":4103,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[36,40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4095","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rat","category-rat-fun"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lafeber.com\/mammals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4095","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lafeber.com\/mammals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lafeber.com\/mammals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lafeber.com\/mammals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lafeber.com\/mammals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4095"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/lafeber.com\/mammals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4095\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4117,"href":"https:\/\/lafeber.com\/mammals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4095\/revisions\/4117"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lafeber.com\/mammals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4103"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lafeber.com\/mammals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4095"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lafeber.com\/mammals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4095"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lafeber.com\/mammals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4095"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}