10 Weird Yet Totally Normal Behaviors (and More) from Pet Rats

[@rhaenyrareigns2200]

*10 Weird Yet Totally Normal Behaviors (and More) from Pet Rats:* 01. @00:18 - Bruxing; 02. @01:23 - Boggling; 03. @01:54 - "Pulling"; 04. @02:57 - Nibbling; 05. @03:36 - Hiccups; 06. @04:58 - Porphyrin; 07. @06:04 - *FEMALES ONLY:* In heat behaviors; 08. @06:50 - Rough play/Squeaking; 09. @07:56 - Bottom Teeth "V"/skin hangs down from teeth when relaxed; 10. @08:27 - Choking ("pseudo").

[@bjkfamily9561]

Rhaenyra Reigns junjjjjjouuujujjjj. I I ju I. M the Mui I i: I. I. I I. I I. Iican Jim.p

[@lotty7408]

So the next thing- So the next thing- So the next thing- So the next thing-

[@deadshotmm2267]

Cool

[@christinawebber8059]

Rhae

[@wolfstar5000]

My rat would play fight with me. XD It was so much fun. She was the sweetest girl, RIP Mitzi.

[@mackenziekarsonovich1073]

I love when my rat pulls my hand. She’s like “come with me, human”. It’s so cute

[@angelicbugz4614]

xD

[@ashleemaziarz200]

same!! it’s the cutest

[@horsegranola]

One of my boys has decided to wrestle with his dad recently. Dad lets him win every time. It’s so cute!

[@Merriganmusic]

The "hiccuping" is actually called Chirping, and rats do this when they're happy and relaxed.

[@Rekuzan]

You don't saaay.... my two little pains in the ass tend to do it when they're looking for attention...*snicker*

[@AnnaSoc5]

THANK YOU SO MUCH! You have no idea how long I've been trying to figure out what this is! I was always worried it was a seizure or a URI symptom!

[@leeloo324]

Yup, mine do that when I come up to the cage and they're happy to see me, or cuddling and content

[@Miaunicapusica]

Rekuzan Rikudo i was afraid firstly when i heard that and then i started to realize heeeey they just want me to come to their cage and pet them!😂

[@mrnoodlesthegreat]

*Not mine*

[@0nlytr4sh]

the fact that rats eyes are popping out when they're happy makes me love these animals even more

[@timlongwill3041]

Don't do it

[@sserpentinas]

Me too! I currently have 10 rats, and I adore them allll!

[@alexisjameskitten]

Yes! And I LOVE YOU FOR LOVING THAT TOO! amazing little creatures. Underdogs of this Universe

[@youdroppedsomething4334]

I love my rats and that they’re happy, but the boggling is still a little weird to me lol

[@lizzyhitie5207]

Get. Some 🐀

[@PetaHewitt]

I recently said goodbye to our dearly loved little girl and I'm getting my rat fix by watching videos. Your mention of 'pulling' behaviour took me back 30 years ago when I had a colony of rats. One obsessed little lady would periodically insist in pulling and herding everyone into one corner of the habitat. Even our big neutered male Starbuck who was twice as heavy as her wasn't spared the treatment. He would let out soft little squeaks of protest but let himself be dragged back. I had to periodically rescue the colony by removing her from the cage when she got into this behaviour. Funny how none of the rats ever resorted to violence to stop her. They would huddle together waiting for me to remove her.

[@terryheasley7027]

Peta Hewitt, I loved reading about that! Bless your heart!

[@emmaspicer7453]

This made me giggle a little bit. Thank you for sharing this tidbit of delight.

[@alexisjameskitten]

Thank you for this comment. I felt the joy in my heart amount the colony.

[@Marlyjade]

Reminds me of the reverse where all the rats I took care of would simultaneously try to pull my arm into their cage.

[@marmar92828]

This is literally the first place I've ever heard rat hiccupping discussed. I was actually going to mention it if it wasn't covered in the video. My family has had pet rats for many years (but none currently) and the hiccupping was something we never understood. I wasn't concerned about it, as they never seemed distressed when they'd do it, but my grandma almost panicked when one of her rats did it. She thought it was choking to death.

[@mousey3923]

marmar92828 LOL I thought your profile picture was a piece of hair on my phone. HA good one.

[@warpstarr]

marmar92828 your profile pic made me think I had an eyelash on my screen

[@snookie1238]

marmar92828 I literally blew on my screen thinking I had a dog hair on it 😂😂😂😂

[@user-rh4ng2nj5j]

marmar92828 my old rat who passed away in July once had a panic attack when my cat scared him

[@crazyivan030983]

Tried to wipe out hair from my screen :D Edit: greetings from Poland :)

[@haileygurdon]

*2am* Nix to Apollo:”brother, I cordially invite you to scream with me until our mother gets out of bed, then we shall stare at her like we don’t know what we are doing” “of course brother”

[@skye5793]

"møther share with us the lööps"

[@0ri0nssuspenders]

Shall we finish it off with a rousing chorus of "Water Bottles at 3am"

[@QuestionMarkExclaimationPoint]

Thank you! I used to think I’d made my childhood pet rat unhappy, but just the opposite! I knew she liked me at least somewhat because she’d escape and come get in my bed at night, but the bruxing and boggling and lip hanging things made me think I stressed her out. I’m so glad to know she was happy

[@antiewantie8850]

Me: has two guinea pigs Also me: I need to watch this rat video its important

[@10karamel37]

Ha ha Same XD

[@ShadowTheRat]

Hey guys, its come to my attention that I forgot to add one key "strange" behavior in this video and that is what I like to call "scanning". Scanning is when your rat sits still and sways their head back and forth. Its thought to be the rat trying to see better (think you or me squinting) and perfectly harmless. Most often you'll see this behavior in rats with ruby or pink eyes but it can also be seen in some black eyed rats. Often they won't respond to being called when doing this and in my experience it most happens when the rat is startled or encountering something new. For an example of scanning you can watch this video here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/n6K6ZZiFg7Obfbc

[@ilikeembig._.5406]

Shadow The Rat my rat pip is acting kinda lethargic and he's only eating sunflower seeds and not eating his normal food plz help

[@ShadowTheRat]

You need a vet. I am not a vet and even if I was I can’t help over the internet. Lethargy is a serious symptom in rats because as prey animals they hide any illness signs until they are too ill to do so. And they go downhill quickly so the sooner you get help, the better. In the meantime ensure or meat baby food is the best way to get Pip hydrated and eating.

[@gobbmobb]

Shadow The Rat thank you for putting the two things I was concerned about on here.. Well.. The one in the comments and one in the video.. The one in video was the hiccups because my rat kept doing that but wasnt making noses so I was scared. Also the one in the comment that you posted I thought she was sick thank you.

[@alyciacayemberg2162]

Oh~ we always called "scanning" just swaying, at least where I am from. My Agriculture teacher described it as "drunk behavior accompanied by zoning out." Theres a lot more to it though! It helps their depth perception and ability to judge the size of a thing. if you put your finger real close to your face, like maybe 6-10 inches away and sway your head back and forth while keeping your hand still, you can see that the closer objects don't "move" as fast as the farther ones. I mean, obviously you are the one moving, but you know what I mean. It also helps them judge their distance from an object. I do have a question. Why will other females "jump" on the ones that are in heat? I've had females in the past do this to each other. Also, do you know what it means when a rat just wants to hang out upside down on the cage ceiling? Also, when my boys would squeal like that while play fighting, I would stop them because it would really scare my girls that were over on the other side of the room.

[@ilikeembig._.5406]

Shadow The Rat thank you pips back to eating and. Running on my bed now😊

[@bleghash5305]

Needed this cause I was so concerned when my male rats started squeaking loudly while wresting phew 😅

[@warpstarr]

SilverNight14 I was worried when one of my girls did it

[@ambriadaniels-dovolis7496]

@@warpstarr You BOTH need to STOP with the worrying!!! It accomplishes nothing!

[@Rune-Thief]

@@ambriadaniels-dovolis7496 It accomplished them finding information on what they were concerned on, so yes, it did accomplish stuff.

[@Angelbabylove1218]

Latte being pulled in😢 bless your rats

[@BBaaaaa]

It's not bad...

[@JulieReshe]

IT LOOKS DANGEROUS BUT it's NOT my rat goes im my pocket when my rat is scared or just wants to be warm UwU damn my rat loves sleeping

[@ratsandrabbit8874]

I too have a mouse, they are so adorable. It would be so nice if you check it out and give your feedback😊

[@brooklyn9013]

@@BBaaaaa they said it with a sad emoji because latte was sick in that video and her siblings were trying to help pull her in

[@Nehawes]

My rat Millan used to pull my sweatpants if I sat close to the cage 😂 I still think it was because she wanted to use me as nest material because I had forgotten to give her some bedding! Also she did that choking motion a few times and it scared me so much!! I had to do the fling motion but only because I panicked..

[@ShadowTheRat]

Lol, I've had the rats try to chew and take my clothes before - I'm like that's not for you guys! Seriously, why do they always want what they can't have :P Choking is definitely scary, this is the only clip I have of a super mild choke and that's because in most cases I'm just sitting next to the rat worryingly checking they're still breathing ever few seconds lol, they must think I'm crazy!

[@dreadosaur]

One of my boys always tries to pull me in by pulling on my jacket or shirt haha

[@ambriadanielsband4132]

Yes they tug for attention..they are big babies! Lol

[@MoaMorgenstern]

When I wear socks one of my girls always try to pull on them and it’s really annoying and weird so I’ve just stopped wearing socks when they’re out playing.

[@Hunnie_B]

My mama rat Alice will often pull on her daughter Ruby's ears and tail.........it is actually kind of funny when she does it, and makes us all giggle......even though they are the same size now, when Ruby was a baby rattie Alice often picked her up with her mouth......she still thinks she can pick her up by pulling on her.......they are way too cute doing this......thanks for sharing Shadow :)

[@Hunnie_B]

@Faith Martian Hey Faith........when our girl Alice had a litter we kept one boy and one girl. We named them Max and Ruby after one of my children's fav TV shows back when they were young. Alice and Max have sense passed away, we only have Ruby, she is a little over 3 years old and not doing so well........it will break our hearts when she leaves us 😔

[@dank_smirk2ndchannel200]

You forgot the 11th behavior: Hoarding Warpstone

[@Abbandoneer]

No no, skaven don't exist man-thing, you have nothing to fear yes yes

[@warpstarr]

OMG I WAS SO WORRIED ABOUT HICCUPS THANK YOU SOOO MUUUCH also the rough play too.

[@HeavenDonathon]

So glad that I watched this because as a new rat owner, no matter how much I read, it was still so hard to differentiate between safe and non-safe behaviors. Most especially the hiccups, girls in heat and the play/dominance fighting was a BIG one I see often! I really thought my girl was having a seizure so seeing your videos helped so much 🥰🥰

[@JSparks1985]

How r u doing

[@ZZ-uf1fs]

Is it weird i think boggling is actually cute 😂

[@maijashea]

Most rat people do

[@CaatsGoMoooo]

I love rats, but I have a phobia of eyes popping out.. couldnt even watch the boggling section :( Sucks bc I've always wanted a cute lil rattie

[@jaywithani2753]

No way! It’s the cutest thing ever 🥰

[@lexijohnston5226]

This has been insanely helpful. Literally all of the things on the list (except for the choking) has happened to us and we had no idea and every single search result came up with "they're having problems" "its a respiratory issue" blah blah blah but this video has completely eased all of my nerves. Thank you for this video, incredibly useful :)

[@JackyBurnsides]

The Porphyrin, teeth and choking ones were completely new to me, good to know that my rats aren't just occasionally bleeding!

[@amberwood4900]

Thank you for making this video with educational tips and signs to be watchful for regarding pet rats. I've been a pet rat owner, having multiple females at any given time, for the last 13 years. Years ago, there were no such videos like this one and I was forced to learn all that I could about my pet rats by doing research, the old fashioned way. So I appreciate rat lovers such as yourself who are making it far easier to educate new or potential rat owners. Also, you are absolutely spot on with every topic you explained in your video, so not only thank you for making this video, but thank you for taking the time and having the knowledge to make this video absolutely accurate in every detail. Rats are truly unique pets, but so very special and from my experience, incredibly addicting after your very first relationship with one. I have had the pleasure to house more than 50 rats, all female except for 3, and it was an incredible experience that I continue to this day purely because once you experience the magical bond between your pet rat and yourself, it's something most people want to keep experiencing over and over. Also, I would be remiss if I did not comment on how gorgeous your babies are! (I had an identical rat named Cookie as well!)

[@Angiesunshine13]

I think pulling is when the rats are thinking you’re family and when they’re in a safe place they think “my friend could be in danger, I should pull them inside”

[@loonaq4406]

My rats nibble and lick my fingers to say hello!

[@adarkerdimension]

N1GHTW0LF your rats seem sooooo sweet!!!

[@crazyratlady3438]

My son's rat snatched his finger once and u could tell immediately she did not mean to (we think she thought he had food) but she was so concerned and obviously sorry..I was so impressed that she felt such remorse. This was 20yrs ago and I've had dozens of rats since.

[@jedwardswalker]

I was hand wrestling with my boy and he bit me...immediate remorse...which is hard to describe to someone who's never had a rat btw!!! My cat NEVER shows remorse!!!!!🤣

[@TheYear2525]

@@jedwardswalker So I'm not imagining the remorse. The most interesting time this happened was, when one of the rats had a bad dream, that was really obvious. I tried to wake her gently but at the slightest touch she sprang up and bit down on my finger, just to "apologise" right after that. Seeing that rats can not only have dreams but also nightmares and can show remorese when they accidetally bit you is really astounding.

[@CelleSleuths]

Phewwwww. The hiccuping scared me. Thanks for clarifying !!!(:

[@abram730]

It's actually a happy vocalization above your hearing range. They make bat detectors that will lower the noise. kzbin.info/www/bejne/oF7ElaCIfKuJhK8

[@raven_aj]

Celeste Noelle rats do not hiccup. This behaviour is also not what they do when they chirp. It is called a sneezing jag.

[@ambriadaniels8786]

Now Im confused

[@twistedmindsteam1449]

"It seems like a misplaced maternal instinct" My boi remmy: do not deny my right to protect my children! get in the cage it's not safe out here! *Precedes to pull my hand into the cage and lay on it*

[@selectidiot]

yep, my boys would only do it to me, pull me to a bed, groom me then cuddle up to me.

[@kat_the_mouse]

I just got confirmation today that I'm getting rats in a month, so I'm going on a late night Shadow spree. My brain is doing the zoomies right now!

[@Davey-Boyd]

How did it go?

[@lillth9292]

My rat pulls my finger when he wants me to cuddle him he's my heart rat 😂

[@grandadandalex4302]

My rats were neglected when they were born and up until the time we adopted them. They had never performed in human contact and so bit me every time I tried interacting with them. My tips for this is to show that you are there and won't cause them harm and drop treats occasionally. My tips for handling are to use a glove once they are comfortable with you being there. And then take off ONE glove and rest it in the cave, if they dont bite, carefully pick one up and stroke it.

[@ambriadaniels8786]

That's not necessary though most domestic rats love humans

[@emordnilap4747]

I had two that were neglected for the first 6 months of life. One (Kao) was rarely handled, the other (Se) bit when his first owners got him, not uncommon for frightened pet store bought rats, and was only ever grabbed with a cloth to be moved when the cage was cleaned. Kao was easy to handle right away, Se I would always scoop up, or pick up in one of their boxes at first. I had my couch completely covered with blankets, and would put a couple of boxes, scraps of cloth on it, and a litter box on a kitchen chair pushed up beside the couch. I would sit on one side, with all the rat's stuff on the other, for a few hours every evening, and watch TV, read, do crossword puzzles etc. occasionally offering the rats some food, or water, but not trying to touch them untill they stopped acting nervous. Kao was pretty quick to become affectionate. Se mostly hid in his box at first, hesitantly excepting water, and treats. He started venturing out on day 3, approached, and sniffed me day 5, and climbed on me day 10. It's one of my best memories, him feeling safe enough to come to me. I slowly reache out to pet him when he climbed on my shoulder day 11, he was wary at first, but didn't run away. It wasn't long until he was coming to me for attention, and grooming me. Neither of them ever bit me, Se just nibbled a lot while grooming.

[@ambriadaniels8786]

@@emordnilap4747 God bless your heart for adopting them and giving them loving homes :)

[@emordnilap4747]

@@ambriadaniels8786 Thank you. Rats are wonderful animals, the boys were more than worth a little extra patients. It still amazing me how quickly they both came to trust people, and all I had to do was not rush them!

[@TheYear2525]

I had one rat, out of a total of about 14 that I've had over the time, that used to bite me offensively. The strange thing is, that I got her and another one at the same time and during the drive home she was totally chill and was sleeping in the box, while I was stroking her. At that point I thought she would be the cutest one. I have no Idea what happened for her to turn agressive a few days later for the rest of her life. Well, she was introduced to other rats and seemed to be a little grumpy about them, but their socialising was still pretty normal. It really felt like she was specifically hating me, for some reason.

[@mistercode3346]

Thank you for making this video! I just got my first rat two days ago and now I won't have to freak out when she gets the hiccups lol. (disclosure because i know its coming: She was the last rat left of her litter, so I'm working on finding her a friend or two since rats don't like being alone.)

[@tomdelvetto9906]

The fact that rats hiccup makes me immensely happy

[@ratified7105]

Thanks so much for the all the great advice and facts on behaviour, very informative, interested about the rat fling which I've never heard of, one of my little boys choked on bread once and it would be great if there's a way to save them if it becomes serious :)

[@blindinglight1716]

My rats have always pulled new babies during introductions

[@stevemoon2136]

Informative & beautifully presented. Great work as always, Shadow! ❤🐀❤

[@Pufflers]

2:25 cracked me up, cream colored girl was giving the "sessy time now" signal and the other girl is like "GET IN HERE!!!" lmao

[@ilovesharkz_]

**me watching rats when i have a pet mouse:** MOM I NEED RATS

[@ohyouwouldntbelieve]

When I saw what I thought was blood on my rats nose, I was in the Vet at 9pm crying like he had DIED! So that was an expensive lesson....

[@Tami8161]

I am SO thankful for this video! We have an "accidental" pet rat--and we are so charmed by her!! We know NOTHING about rats, and never meant to own one. She has the poryphra issue, and we were so sad, we thought that meant she would probably die a lot sooner than we expected, so we have just set out to create the most awesome rat life we could for her. Now she is one of our most beloved pets, and we spoil her rotten, and ADORE her....and it turns out she's normal! LOL!! I seriously can't wait to pick up my daughter from school today so I can tell her that our rat is healthy, and I'm actually glad we thought she was not well, because it caused us to develop a very sweet relationship with a creature we might never have had the opportunity to build a relationship with. She's AMAZING, and we are planning on getting a second one very soon:) So thanks for sharing the video and helping people like us learn what we need to know to be the best possible pet owners:)

[@gameboy3d943]

Why am I watching this? I don’t even own rats.

[@lostinthechaos3734]

You do now

[@5u1c1dal24]

Because rats are awesome and cute and you secretly looove them and want one 😝

[@coolerthanyou4797]

My rat who passed away yesterday. Did all of these I’m thankful I had a very happy and healthy rat.

[@Lisa-jk9re]

Thank you so much for sharing infromation about rats. I I accidentally came across your channel and felt in love with rats! I never really wanted a pet rat. But after watching almost all your videos now i have 4 rat girls!:D There isnt a lot about rats in youtube and your channel really helped me a lot. Im rewatching most of them, trying to underst more rats behaviour and creat bond with them and make them happy and content.

[@ElenaKomleva]

Thank you for talking about hiccoughs, I raised two generations of rats so far and they all did that but only specifically whenever I tried to stroke them inside their cage (not outside of it), I tried to search on the internet for the meaning of this behaviour but could not find anything. So I took it to mean overexcitement of a rat.

[@ShadowTheRat]

Hiccups are interesting because some people will swear it means respiratory issues. I've personally never seen this connection but I understand the fear of our fragile rats getting ill :(

[@manuelluis5456]

Elena Komleva it's an alergenic reaction to some dangerous oidouros materials manufectureres uae to desguise their natural body smells and their urine which is very disgusting .

[@ambriadaniels-dovolis7496]

@@manuelluis5456 No Manuel it isnt "disgusting" any more than the smell of yours is. Keep them clean and they do NOT have"natural body smells". Rats should not smell, if they do you arent keeping them clean.

[@wendi-bnkywuv]

So bruxing and boggling is a rat's version of a lip smack in monkeys and apes. Affection, love. Awwww! Those hiccups sent me back to my childhood! I love that sound! There is a pose during the wrestling where the one on the bottom lies down with it's front paws upward. That is a submissive pose, like saying "I give up!" or "let's stop for a bit. I need to catch my breath bud!" I also love the V skin expression. It's just so cute!

[@suzypenguin]

Thank you so much for this informative video! My rat Anna hiccups and I remember how worried I was the first time I saw it. My friend who publishes Its a Rat’s World magazine taught me it was not a seizure. My vet also confirmed she only had hiccups. Whew!! My female is spayed but my male rat still occasionally tries to hump her....she just goes elsewhere. Tee hee!

[@lillth9292]

it will literally be 10:00 at night and my rats will be squeaking like crazy because they're playing around it's cute and funny and I love them

[@Wariors_World]

This helped so much! I always thought my rats were just hiccuping but my mom thought they were having seizures. And I do notice my older rat tends to choke often when eating certain foods so knowing it's rare for them to actually choke in a deathly way really relieved me. Thank you!!!💖

[@buggyhuman]

I'm so happy you mentioned the mucus thing. My rats are getting older (just over 2 years now) and I've been noticing that red stuff on their noses much more often. I'm glad it seems to not be a health or stress issue as they are acting fine, and look good.

[@OFilipito_Enjoy_The_Videos]

Rats make some of the best pets. The ones I had were female fancy rats and there was never a hint of aggressive behavior towards the family. They'd attack strangers who tried to put their fingers into the cage. Very intelligent, loyal and sociable. I'd have a rat now for sure the only problem is the fact that they have such a short lifespan that broke my heart to see them pass away after 3-4 years.

[@jodilynn9514]

Omg! I recently moved my rats into my room and I thought I was hearing things but i kept hearing tiny squeaks and could NOT figure it out! Thank you!!!

[@Bbreyn94]

I really appreciate you mentioning the Pulling. I had a baby that nibbled and pulled me for a long time without me understanding why he was being 'agressive'. I even asked the vet and the vet suggested neutering, he is actually a very agressive male at times but our relationship has blossomed since i knew what he was doing. NOWHERE online really talks about it which blows my mind. Since I have known that that is what he is doing, i just go along and let him pull me and it is pretty much ALWAYS 'pulling' me into his igloo/hammock/cage to groom me. It NEVER ends in biting or even roughhousing. THOUGH I would prefer he was more gentle haha my other boy is extremely gentle, while my more feisty one is much less comfortable. Now I know it is just him saying "Come here let me kiss you mom"

[@andreadoniz70]

This video is bomb, it's so helpfull

[@ShadowTheRat]

Glad to hear!

[@lillianrapoza5323]

that whole like fake choking thing got me because I own a lot of rats in the past and I recently got another one it's been a couple of years since I have own one and we were eating food together she started choking or doing the pseudo chokingand I don't think my heart has ever left out of my chest so fastly like I thought I was going to lose my new best friend and I was just crying.

[@losemybrakes]

Interesting video! Thank you for sharing.

[@ShadowTheRat]

Thanks! How are your dogs doing? I love the new username, it fits well :)

[@raeannetilbury4868]

Years ago my son’s rat who was so sweet got out of her aquarium screen top cage and ran around his gigantic desk and pilfered anything she could drag up and into her cage then got back in. We woke up and saw she had pencils, papers, doodads, clips, a small plant, etc in there. She had redecorated her house. After four sweet pets we gave up it was too hard loosing them. They were all so fun and smart and loving.

[@theblanketfortcohort7332]

Thank you so much for talking about hiccups/chirping, I just lost one of mine to chronic respiratory issues and when my others hiccup I die a little inside 😫

[@moozy0374]

I also read that when rats hiccup it means they're having a burst of excitement. When i pick up and pet my girl she always yawns and then starts hiccuping.

[@rinskeverberg]

Sorry, no ideas for the title, but this was very helpful! Your videos are getting better and better! I also love the fact that you are getting more confident with your voice-overs and including some jokes, btw:)

[@mervnicooo3620]

with the pulling, my baby rat pulls my finger towards her when i tease her (i put a tiny bit of soft cheese on my finger) by slowly moving it away from her! i love it so much!

[@lizdixon7938]

I am a new rat owner and I love playing with them, but I only really let them on me because I'm scared of losing them around my apartment. I know I have to make sure wires are covered and doors are shut etc..but things like on my bed..would they be likely to jump off or is it a safe place to play? Sorry if this sounds stupid. I need advice because I REALLY want to interact more with them and let them have more out of cage experiences. Thanks in advance x

[@Nit2315]

Just take the time to make your place ''rat-proof'', just watch them a lot the first times you let them explore and that's it, you need to be careful and it will be ok, they need to get out of the cage at least few hours a day. Bed is a safe place except if it's really high, rats can jump especially when they're young.

[@jimc8848]

Liz Dixon they may jump off. Just get some big boxes and make a play pen for them:)

[@lizdixon7938]

Nit, thank you, for replying. The bed is a bit high, so ill watch out for that. I definaltley need to get them out a lot more. Where do you let yours play? Mine around 6 months plus old x

[@07Amnesia]

I only recently got an area set up that is safe for my rats to roam freely, until then, I would always take them onto my bed or the couch. If they truly wanted to, they could jump down, but that's just where you need to watch them, every time I saw them looking down the sides of the bed or couch I would just gently push them back from the edges.

[@lizdixon7938]

jim c will do thanks

[@dragonslayer-hr8ud]

I’m super happy you mentioned the rough play because when I first got my rats and they started fighting and squeaking I was so worried it was aggressive and I could not find any like information about it online and what is just play Vs what is fighting. So thank you for mentioning it

[@KK-vt4ld]

My rat was diagnosed with cancer today, any comfort plz 😫😣 plz hugs

[@ShadowTheRat]

I’m so sorry :( Do you know if it’s benign or malignant? Many times cancer isn’t a death sentence for rats just because they tend to get benign tumors!

[@KK-vt4ld]

It's benign, with three tumors, but the vet says she (Agnes the rat) is too old, to get it or any removed. so the cancer is spreading

[@jdire8765]

Kit-Kat animations ☹️

[@JustYourAverageBasicBitch]

Kit-Kat animations I’m so sorry :(

[@user-dp4bu8jy4b]

Try changing her diet. No fat..just fruits and veggies..no junk food!

[@chooki_nogeki]

Thank you a lot for the video. I got my first little rats about 4 months ago. Every time I notice any strange behavior, I start the video again. It is extremely helpful.

[@okaymista]

I’m pretty sure my rats get the hiccups pretty often but I didn’t know what it was so I found this video turns out you were one of the youtubers I used to watch when I had my first rat

[@LindaJuffermans]

I'm glad I never had any rats chocking, I'd be scared to death. One of my previous boys (sadly, lost him early December) would pull my hand, drag it towards a shelter, force my hand to be palm up and then he'd lay his head down on my fingers - and often boggle. 💜

[@chloejsc]

RIP to your boy 💛

[@LindaJuffermans]

Thanks. Sadly that's one of the downside of having rats but the joy they give more than makes up for it.

[@rosenrot234]

I still remember the day my two male rats boggled and bruxxed. I just remember feeling so happy just "Yay they feel relaxed!"

[@ZoesZoo]

Thank you SO MUCH for mentioning the hiccuping thing!!! One of my boys in particular does it a lot, but it's something I've always noticed with rats and yet haven't seen many people mention it.

[@paperpenn9923]

Great video! How about renaming it “10 Weird but True & Safe Behaviors”

[@ShadowTheRat]

Thanks! I like that title but porphyrin isn't really a behavior. Hmm...

[@Eternatease]

My rat Pirfirio is actually named after a rat from a sci-fi book that I have read. It actually means 'of purple stone'. His name comes from the first rat uploaded into cyberspace in the book Existence by David Brin (information for the geeks).

[@sataneatcheese6243]

One of my rats has developed a weird behaviour where if he and his brother have a play fight, his fur will begin to stick up and then he'll become quite skittish. It has now got to a point where he will draw blood when nibbling. His brother is absolutely fine but this one will always take it that step further. He will also seek out peoples feet to bite them but not very hard.

[@karenpercival9470]

Thank you for this very helpful info. We are getting our first pet rats in a couple of months and your videos are so informative, I have learned so much from them, big thank you!

[@carebeartee]

thank you so much, my rat was hiccuping and i almost cried because i thought it meant she was sick

[@stellarose1865]

Thank you for the advice in this video! My rats play all the time and one of them is a runt so I’m scared that the bigger one is being dominant but this video assured me that everything is fine and they’re just playing, thanks for the great video!! Have a good day!

[@ambriadaniels-dovolis7496]

Just enjoy your rats and stop worrying

[@kawaiiBenihimechan]

I'm really glad I found this video and wanted to thank you for making it! It is the first place I see someone talking about hiccuping. I have to admit that as a fresh rat owner (about 3 months now) I was really concerned about that behavior. I started to look on the internet when it happened to my rats and I found information that it can be even an epilepsy! I regret I didn't know that earlier, it maked me feel calm now, really. Only thing is I'm not sure if it is simptom of relaxation (I saw this in one of the comments) as my rats most often hiccuped when they were stressed like cleaning their cage when they were still new and a bit scared, but maybe it is just individual thing. Anyway I just wanted to say thank you one more time, it is really valuable information and I'm really thankful :)

[@CitronnelleCiphy]

I feel a lot calmer after watching this video, thank you! As for the choking, our experience was one of our rats turning really lethargic when doing the choking movements and not showing much interest or movement in general. This happened over the timespan of a couple of hours. We went to the vet ASAP and some liquid was discovered below the heart and lungs. Diuretics and antibiotics were prescribed immediately and after a few days he was a lot better. So sometimes it actually can be a real medical issue but I suppose it's easy to tell by the general behaviour of the rat.

[@louanne7002]

God, I really was worried my rat was epileptic and went to the vet for it but he just had hiccups omg

[@freya8031]

I am a young rat owner with little to no idea on what to do, so this video has been very helpful! Thank you!

[@ivystyles3400]

Aww the “hiccuping” is sooooo cute 🥺

[@wwondertwin]

Completely silent tussles are scarier than noisy squeaking. Silence means they're fighting for real and neither party is yielding.

[@edwardjenkins6441]

Porphyrin got me scerred

[@aislinlindsay3950]

Im glad I found this video because my little rat (I’m pretty sure she’s the runt of the litter) is always squeaking or sneezing, I got her a day ago so I know some of it is stress sneezing but she does squeak, now I know it’s hiccups!

[@RaidenShogun278]

Rest In Peace, Latte and Sonic..we will always miss you.

[@fuzzamajumula]

Awww! They're so adorable! Thank you for making this. Very informative.

[@Shaynanne92]

Thank you so much for this video. I have four girls and they all do different things and I do worry and overthink. You’re the best and I always watch your videos 💗🐀🐀🐀🐀

[@mainmaam]

I'm getting a rat soon; thank you for putting together this very informative video!

[@spockezri]

my boys hiccup all the time and i was told one of them does that when he's really happy :) he's my sweet little guy and best friend so i'm glad he's happy with me too lol.

[@VioletTrillium]

My rats were playing roughly and the one HATED the other. He gave the one rat stitches twice.

[@shannonbriggs100]

Omg, thank you for the info on hiccuping. All three of my boys do it and it freaks me out because I genuinely thought they were choking or because they were unwell.

[@bluubandette8871]

8:11 that's how feel when browsing Facebook or watching commercials from an old TV

[@alkaholic4848]

I remember the days when the only way to learn this sort of information was a very long dry book, which took some discipline to get through. Now we get cutey rat videos with all the information in, you want to learn it whether you need to or not!

[@ameliaharvey6433]

4:52 thank you so much i thought something was wrong with them 😂

[@jjz4393]

Fantastic video, very, very helpful, thank you!

[@binkan201]

What a nice and reassuring video, thanks!

[@maryhoyt8650]

Terrific video, thank-you so much for explaining these behaviors! I'm a new rat owner, and I feel a lot better after watching this!

[@AnastasiaPlantlegs]

WOW IM SO GLAD I WATCHED THIS i was so worried for my ratties- i thought they were coughing!!

[@jaywithani2753]

Tbh I came to this video looking for clarification on something you didn’t mention, but you defiantly cleared up a lot of other things I was wondering about. So thank you! And Ik this video is 2 years old, but one of my rats makes this noise every so often that I can’t seem to find a replica of on the internet anywhere. I literally cannot describe it, it kind of sounds like the noise of a respiratory disease but yet still not the same, but he is absolutely fine when he does it, he still comes to see me, he still eats and drinks, he still plays with his buddy, and he still seems perfectly happy. But it’s such a strange noise that I can’t find out for the life of me what it is. It’s not the bruxing sound and it’s not any of the others really either. I’ve never had rodents before and I’ve only had them for a month and a week. If you still see this after so long, do you have any ideas of what this could be?

[@ShadowTheRat]

Does it sound a bit like a grunt? If so then that's a congested noise for rats, and with rats congestion is like with us - you can be congested and still feel okay otherwise and go about your business. The main issue with rats though is since their respiratory systems are so sensitive and since they have such a high metabolism its not uncommon for congestion to be the first sign of a respiratory infection, and when it hits them they can go downhill super quickly. Of course it can also be allergies due to dust, pollen, and other allergens, but because of how sensitive rats are you don't want to risk it. In your case I would monitor him for a few days and if he's still making the noise on and off after a week then consider a vet trip.

[@jaywithani2753]

@@ShadowTheRat omg thank you so much for replying! I did ring the vets and got them registered and everything. As my other one was also sneezing. But they just said that during the amount of time I’ve had them for that it is nothing to worry about but to keep an eye on them and if they’re still doing it to call back. But the thing is, the one that is making the noise, Norbert, never really sneezes, never makes any noises and is always the most confident and happy. He has only made this noise twice now and it only happens for about an hour or so, then it completely stops and he won’t do it for another couple of weeks. This is why I’m unsure on whether to be worried or not. As he does not seem bothered what’s so ever and the noise doesn’t last for very long and it isn’t very constant. I was also wondering about the “choking” part in your video, does that have a noise when they do that? Because to me it sounds like a mix of him eating and a respiratory issue.

[@ingatulip2590]

Great video! My rat Nimue is a puller, it cracks me up every time she goes after our larger rat!

[@terryheasley7027]

Thank you so much for your dedication to these wonderful, loving animals.

[@wildlifeem8225]

I’ve been trying to find an informative video about rat behaviour and this was perfect! Very well done, and so very helpful! Thank you!

[@Bbreyn94]

I love Boggling, its so funny and funky and so cute. It also always makes me feel so special to make my baby that happy :P

[@daniele77500]

Adorable,j'adore. Gros câlins 👍❤

[@astrahl1]

I learned a lot in this vid. Thanks!