Rats are considered quiet animals, but this is far from the truth. They can make a wide variety of sounds, which often impress people.
Pet rats make all sorts of noises that can sometimes sound a little strange. With these sounds they try to let the owner know about something: joy, anger, irritation or poor health. As a rat owner, it is very important for you to know the difference between these noises. This will help you understand your pet better.
What sounds do domestic and wild rats make?
Rats have been found to make a combination of sounds depending on how they are feeling or what is happening to them.
Just like us, pet rats sneeze, cough, hiss, wheeze and hiccup from time to time. But these sounds can mean different things. For example, wheezing and coughing signal health problems that can quickly become life-threatening if not treated promptly and properly.
If you listen carefully, you can understand what your rat is telling you. Let's find out more about what sounds rats make and why.
- Hiss
Hissing is an aggressive sound that a rodent owner may hear during particularly stressful social encounters, such as introducing a new rat into another pet's cage. In most cases, the hissing is what you'll hear before the fight starts, so be prepared to intervene safely if necessary.
Important: Never handle a hissing rat without thick gloves or a towel, as there is a chance that the animal will attack you.
- Squeak
A short squeak can be heard if you accidentally startle the rat by trying to pet it or in some other way. You may also hear a similar squeak when rats are grooming each other or communicating in a friendly tone.
Rats most often squeak as a sign of fear or minor irritability, but not when they are in pain or in immediate danger.
A prolonged squeak is usually the sound of a rat's protest. The owner can hear a similar squeak when the rats are playing and one of them requires rest. If you hear this sound and none of your rats appear sick or injured, it simply means one of the pets needs a break.
- Whistling
A rat can make a long throat whistle if it needs attention and affection from its owner. But a loud whistle may mean that males are calling females to mate.
- Grinding teeth
Because rodents' teeth constantly grow throughout their lives, it is extremely important that the rat grinds its teeth frequently to maintain optimal tooth length. If your rat's teeth are too long, it can lead to a variety of difficulties, including interfering with his ability to eat, wash himself, and even cause excruciating pain. Overgrown rat incisors can cause ulcers and other sores in the rodent's mouth, and misalignment of the jaws prevents them from closing properly. But don't worry. Unless your rat suffers from deformed jaws due to their genetics or a birth defect, there is no reason to worry about your pet's teeth.
In fact, teeth grinding in rats involves more than just maintaining the correct length of the incisors. They often chatter their teeth when they experience strong emotions such as fear and stress, as well as happiness or overall satisfaction with life. So don't be alarmed if your rat starts grinding its teeth when you pet it. This doesn't mean she's stressed, it means she's enjoying herself, feeling relaxed, calm and safe.
Some studies even show that tooth rubbing in comfortable and enjoyable situations in rats is similar to the purring of a cat. Just a way to show my appreciation to you.
- Chirping
When threatened, a pet rat usually makes a chattering sound. Check the area around your pet for dangerous objects or other animals.
A few more reasons for squeaking
Any owner of a decorative rodent should definitely know the meaning of such signals, but it is also important to be able to understand the intonation and situational context of the squeak:
- when your pet squeaks while stroking it, you should suspect the presence of a wound, touching which causes pain;
- the rat is probably happy and in a good mood if in the owner’s hands it squeaks quietly or tries to lick your hand;
- young rodents often squeak, expressing delight at the fun and games of their fellows;
- a squeak can also indicate fear, especially if such a squeak is abrupt and loud. Most likely, the rodent sees danger, for example, a sneaking cat, and calls the owner for help;
- when an animal is picked up and at the same time it makes a squeak, then the rat may be unhappy with being disturbed.
Whether rats squeak in pleasure or pain, they want to be understood. Rat language, varied and interesting, is easy for every caring owner to master. To do this, you just need a little sincere attention, which will certainly be appreciated by your little ward.
Sources:
https://animallittle.ru/zvuki-domashnih-krys.html https://nutriacultivation.ru/archives/9117 https://moy-homyachok.ru/domashniaya-krisa/pochemu-krysy-pishhat.html
What sounds indicate health problems?
In most cases, wheezing sounds are a sign of advanced lung disease or respiratory infection. Successful treatment of wheezing requires an environment free of dust and contaminants, as well as immediate contact with a veterinarian who will prescribe the necessary antibiotics.
Wheezing in rats is also a sign or symptom of a respiratory infection. Sometimes this is due to an exacerbation of mycoplasma. Almost every rat will develop some form of respiratory disease during its life. In fact, mycoplasma infection can be mild or very serious. This is where antibiotics come to the rescue.
How to get rid of hiccups
The most effective method of stopping hiccups is called breathing into a bag. This is explained by the fact that by saturating the blood with carbon dioxide, we concentrate the vagus nerve on the fact that the body needs a full breath. And this allows you to stop the random sending of signals to the brain, causing the diaphragm to contract in spasms.
The second effective way to get rid of accidentally attacked hiccups is to drink water, standing in a bird pose: fix your arms along your body, like folded wings, and tilt your body forward to reach a glass of water. This requires outside help, because someone has to hold the glass. You need to drink in small sips, stretching your neck.
The third, and most famous method is to take more air into your lungs and hold your breath for as long as possible. In this way, it will be possible to push through the diaphragm with your lungs and keep it in a calm position.
Coughing and sneezing - is the rat sick?
The vast majority of rats rarely cough. However, their cough is usually a consequence of shortness of breath or difficulty breathing. Some rats cough when they are choking, which often causes them to jump back and forth. This causes their throat to feel sore, so they may choke if they eat too quickly. Therefore, the rat needs to be taken to a veterinarian for an examination.
Decorative sphinx rat is sick
Some rodents may also sneeze. This happens for a variety of reasons. So let's look at some of the most common cases.
- Rat sneezing due to illness
Constant sneezing is often a sign of illness. If this is the case, you will notice symptoms such as poor appetite, changes in activity, wheezing, and discharge from the nose and eyes. These accompanying symptoms are usually accompanied by general weakness or discomfort.
- Sneezing caused by allergies
Many rats are prone to developing allergies under certain circumstances, so this shouldn't surprise you. How to recognize this?
Just like humans, rats can have different allergic reactions to different things in their environment.
When rats have allergies, they sneeze at different times quite often. If your pet recently started sneezing, and you recently changed his bedding, food, or added new items to his rat cage, they most likely caused the allergy.
- Sneezing due to new scented oils, candles, air fresheners and pets
All of these can cause sneezing. A new animal, such as a dog or cat, can cause a similar reaction when introduced into a rat's environment. While rodents may quickly become accustomed to new animals in the home, they may never become accustomed to these odors in the air.
The same goes for air fresheners, oil warmers, oil diffusers, candles, incense and wax melts. All of these can irritate the rat's respiratory system and make it feel nauseous. But not all rodents are easily irritated.
Essential oil diffusers are growing in popularity these days. Although they may have therapeutic effects on people, be careful when distributing these oils. They are not recommended because the respiratory system of pet rats is quite fragile, which increases the risk of adverse reactions.
Grinding or chattering of teeth
When your guinea pig chatters its teeth, you need to be wary. This extreme degree of anger, which does not happen often. Often guinea pigs make sounds similar to hissing, chattering their teeth and showing a grin. This means the animal is aggressive. And there are good reasons for this.
A fight is inevitable if you do not react in time and do not seat the animals. At the same time, it is necessary to remove a less aggressive animal so as not to turn out to be “extreme”.
Why can rodents quarrel? More often this is a division of territory. To avoid such disagreements, you need to install a very large cage to house two or more animals. Animals are accustomed to being neighbors in stages. It is possible that, like people, they may exhibit psychological incompatibility due to their diametrically opposite character.
To begin with, they place the cages close to each other, but so that the voice of the guinea pig can be heard by the future neighbor. After one or two weeks they can be placed side by side. And only in ten days will they be given the opportunity to share one place of residence.
If conflicts are excluded and no other external irritants can be detected, the animal should be shown to a veterinarian. This may be deviations in the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, the growth of teeth that were not sharpened in time.
Can a rat scream?
The cry of a rat is similar to a long squeak, only much louder. This is often a sign of extreme disapproval or fear. If you introduce rats to each other, one of them may scream, especially if it is much younger than the other. Young rats are still learning hierarchy and social skills, so they will often scream when confronted by an older, dominant rat if they don't know what else to do.
If you hear screaming from a rat cage, you need to assess the situation. If it looks like one of your rats is cornered or abused, you will need to separate them and try the introduction later.
The rat makes strange noises: what should I do?
Rats are usually silent creatures, but in some cases you may hear noise from your pet. When rats are babies they can be quite loud, but this completely stops as they grow up. Rodents can also make noise when playing, fighting, or in pain, but these are very recognizable high-pitched squeaks. Rats also make a unique yet pleasing sound when they grind their teeth to keep them sharp. Not only does this serve a practical purpose, but it is also a sign that they are happy.
If your rat makes any sounds other than these, there is cause for concern. They are susceptible to respiratory infections, and even a healthy rat can develop serious health problems. A proactive visit to a veterinarian experienced in rodent care will either confirm that your rat is healthy or provide it with the necessary treatment to live a long and fulfilling life.
Dental care and disease prevention
In order for the teeth to develop properly and not deteriorate, the rat needs purified water, so you need to regularly change the liquid in the drinking bowl.
To avoid problems, you need to properly care for your pet. At home, a rat grinds its teeth using special toys, twigs, stones, suitable food (chicken bones, walnuts with shells, bread crumbs)
It is important to provide your pet with access to these materials, otherwise he will start chattering his teeth
If a rodent for some reason (bad bite, lack of materials) cannot grind down its incisors, then they become excessively long and bend at an angle of 80º. Due to excessive length, various problems arise (discomfort, hunger), even death. To avoid this, you need to trim the incisors. This procedure does not cause pain in rats because there are no nerve endings in these teeth.
It is necessary to trim the incisors by 2–3 mm after about 1–2 weeks. You need to monitor their length, because if they outgrow, they will damage the oral mucosa. The incisors are trimmed by a veterinarian; you can also carry out the procedure yourself using nail clippers. You need to hold the animal upside down so that the fragments do not get into the throat. It is necessary to press on the base of the jaw on both sides or unclench them with a stick.
The nippers are held perpendicular to the tooth and cut in one motion.
The health of a rat largely depends on the condition of its teeth, so they need to be checked regularly (especially the incisors). The following symptoms indicate problems:
- wounds on the oral mucosa;
- increased salivation;
- tooth loss;
- knocking when eating food;
- loss of appetite;
- swelling of the tongue or oral mucosa;
- abscess in the mouth.
Any of these symptoms is a reason to contact a ratologist (small rodent specialist). He will conduct a visual examination of the teeth and oral cavity, analyze the microflora from the mouth, and, if necessary, treat the suppuration with antiseptics. Further actions depend on the diagnosis; the dentist can shorten the incisors and correct the bite.
He will also advise you on how to properly care for your rat.
For normal development of the dental system, it is necessary to provide suitable conditions for keeping the rat. You need to monitor the cleanliness of the cage, the quality of food, observe how much the animal sleeps, and protect it from stress and injury.
