Behaviour

Rats are fastidious animals that clean themselves what seem to be a hundred times a day. In actual fact, they have a full body wash six or eight times a day, but will wash their faces so regularly that it seems they will rub it off!
If a rat lives with another rat, they will groom each other. This strengthens the bond between the two, and the recipient really seems to enjoy the fuss. However, when a rat grooms her friend so much the hair falls out, it is called ‘barbering’. A rat that barbers is not a good rat to breed from as this habit is genetic and will be passed on. Some rats acquire a red stain ticked through parts of their coat, particularly on the flanks. This is nothing to worry about. It occurs because rats produce a chemical in their saliva that makes it red, and when they groom it gets transferred to the coat.
Rats even like to groom their humans. She will do this by licking you, nibbling gently to remove fleas and arranging your hair - this is a great sign of friendship. Rats love to be groomed back. I find this is best done with a toothbrush or scratching over the coat. As with when the rat grooms a rat friend, the strength of the bond between the human and the rat will intensify.

Rats are nocturnal by nature, but they will learn the routines of their human and adapt accordingly. For example, mine are always up and waiting for me when I come home. Feeding them at the time you want them to wake up, not surprisingly, works wonderfully to this end. Routine is important to all animals. It gives them a great sense of security. One of the main stresses of wild life is not knowing when the next meal is coming. It is a great comfort for the animal to know she is going to get fed at 5’o’clock, for example, every single day. If the routine is so all over the place it is non-existent, the rat will be stressed.

If a rat is happy and content, she will emit a noise by making her teeth chatter. This is called bruxing, and is exactly like a cat purring or a dog wagging his tail. She also appears to teeth chatter as a sign of appreciation, when you are feeding her or comforting her when she is sick. Some time when they are bruxing, their eyes will boggle in and out, which looks hilarious.
Looking at the ears is another way of knowing how your rat feels. If they are laid back towards the shoulders, she is feeling content (this is usually accompanied by half closed eyes), if they droop towards the floor down the side of her head, she is probably feeling unhappy or unwell, and if they are perked right up it could mean any number of things like happiness, being pleased to see you, listening, and general alertness, and should definitely be taken as a sign that your pet is feeling fit and well.
If a rat rattles by flicking her tail she will either be distressed or has seen something she doesn’t like.

If your rat bites you, do not think instantly that your pet is vicious. Look instead to the cause. Very few are just nasty, so if your rat is looking that way, rest assured that there is more than likely some problem behind it. Did you scare her or hurt her when you were picking her up? Are you teasing the rat and making her unhappy? Did you wake her up? If she lives alone maybe she is bored or lonely. Depression affects rats much the same way as humans. If she lives alone you should consider a cagemate for her. If the answer to these questions is no, then maybe she has a physical problem, for example, she is ill or in pain. Get her checked out by the vets.
If you re-home a rat that bites, it is my belief that she can be loved out of it. If you can prove to your rat that you only have her best interests at heart, and treat her well, she’ll more than likely stop. However, a re-homed rat that bites will most likely be very afraid of people and steps towards making friends will have to taken much slower to gain her trust.
Bucks aged between 4 and 8 months can go through a ‘teenage’ period, wherein they are dominant and aggressive. They almost always grow out of it, but if it becomes a real problem, you’ll have to get the rat castrated. This is a risky and costly operation, so it is best for your rat to have a tardak injection first. Tardak controls the hormones to produce the same effect as castration, but only for a couple of weeks. This enables you to see the effect the operation would have and whether it is worth going ahead with. It is important to never ever breed a rat that bites for no apparent reason as it can never be bred out.

Rats will fight to establish an order of dominance, but if this is continuous for more than a few days, or if injuries occur, separate the rats. Most fights seem much worse than they actually are because the rat lower in the hierarchy will usually make awful squealing noises, but this is nothing to worry about as the less dominant rat is rarely hurt. When a new rat is introduced she will be shown her place. Once this is over and done with, there is very little trouble, although the dominant rat may feel she has to remind the others occasionally of her supremacy. If a rat is being bullied she needs to be removed. Try placing her with younger rats, as then she will surely be the boss, and this is much more ideal and kind than enforced solitary confinement. Introducing a young buck to an older buck is easy because the older bucks do not seem to think the young rats are old enough to be a threat. When they are old enough, the rats have been living together for a few weeks and are the best of friends. Rats that have lived alone for too long may feel intimidated by another rat, especially if the new comer is younger, fitter and stronger. Usually, with time and patience, and great understanding of the older rat’s feelings, this can be overcome, but not always.
It is often said that only siblings can live together, but this is not so. Even males are easily introduced to each other. Rats just love to have friends to play with, and from their point of view the more the merrier. If you plan to introduce your new pet to an older rat, it best that they should meet in a completely neutral zone like the bed or bath. Remember, your lap is not a neutral zone, as the established rat will definitely believe you are hers! If possible give some distraction such as food, as this generally helps the meeting along. You can put vanilla essence on the backs of all the rats, as this will make them all smell the same. Vanilla essence is non-toxic and tastes nice, so the rats will lick it off quite happily. Alternatively, you can rub some of the bedding from the cage the rat is being introduced to on to the newcomer. If the meeting is going well (for more than a few minutes), clean out and disinfect the cage thoroughly, so that no smell remains. Then put all the rats in.
If the meeting starts to go pear-shaped, separate the rats immediately and wait until the next day to try again, but leave the newcomer’s cage within smelling but not touching distance to the residents. If the resident rat has been on her own for a long time, she may be intimidated by the new rat and too set in her ways to accept a new friend. If the second meeting does not go off well, try a few more times. If the same happens you’ll have to accept that the rat does not want a new companion. Introducing two young rats is the easiest, whereas introducing two older rats is harder, nearly but not quite impossible, especially if they live alone.

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