Are you interested in the rat? You probably know that it is a rodent known for its intelligence. If you choose him as a pet, you can therefore hope for interesting interactions with him, provided you can decipher his behavior. In this article, we give you the main elements to better understand your rat.
Communication in rats
The rat is a gregarious animal. It is also advisable to adopt at least two rats of the same sex. Some sources dare to claim that an isolated rat will only become more attached to its master. This type of advice borders on mistreatment given the rat's needs for social interactions with fellow human beings. For more information on the subject, do not hesitate, the site.
To communicate with each other, rats have developed body language, sometimes accompanied by screaming. By assimilating them, you will react better to the different situations that you may encounter. Here we list the behaviors that you will observe the most frequently.
When your rat is happy or aggressive?
When the rat is happy, you may know that your rat is happy with the situation they are going through, but you may not be able to say that they are experiencing a feeling that resembles the joy we experience as humans.
In 2016, researchers wondered if it was possible to identify signs of contentment in rats and set up an experiment to tickle rats. It may seem like a smile, but rats are very ticklish - young people even more than adults - and enjoy this type of interaction very much: this is why the scientists based their experimental protocol on this positive stimulation.
Beyond identifying manifestations of aggression, we must understand the cause. Animal aggression is never free. It could be a young rat making up for fear or a rat in pain (due to illness or injury).
Rats can also suffer from hormonal imbalances: body chemistry takes precedence over the mind.