Why is my rat chattering

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The vet treated them all abs it helped. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Squeaks and Nibbles. Pet Rats. Share on Facebook. A Rat Cage Size Guide. Can Rats Eat Chocolate? What does this mean? I have a nest of baby rats in my closet.

They all like to shriek in unison at all hours.. I highly advocate taking all new rats in to see a vet within weeks after adopting them. Taking him in to see a vet will give you great peace of mind. This is the best way to find out if the sound is due to some sort of respiratory illness. Throughout my many years of having pet rats I have had lots of the rats who had respiratory problems make sounds while breathing during sleep. You are always welcome to email me a video.

You sound like a wonderful pet rat parent. Is she just especially vocal or is there something wrong? You are more than welcome to email me a video so I can see and hear your rat making the sound. The other thought I have, though, which would probably be even more helpful is to take your rats in for vet appointments.

I recommend taking in rats for check-ups within a couple of weeks of bringing them home. After that, I recommend regular wellness check-ups as often as every months depending upon their age and health status. That would be the very best way in which to find out if there is a respiratory problem with any of your rats. Feel free to email the video as well as to ask any other questions any time. If your rat is making any type of sound that you think could be a sneeze it could possibly be a symptom of respiratory disease.

Both rats were originally rats bread to be fed to snakes, however my mothers snake would not eat them and so I am rehabilitating them and giving them a home me and I have a vet appointment soon, because I would like them both neutered. First of all, my apologies for taking so long in which to respond. Girl rats, especially young girl rats, are extremely busy. They usually have places to go and things to do.

Boy rats are much more docile and easier to get to know. Also, if your rats were bred to be fed to snakes they were probably not socialized much while they were young. Have you read my post Transforming Your Rat: from shy to social butterfly? It might give you some helpful tips.

Have they already been to the vet? They probably have by now. Your vet has probably already listened to their lungs and told you whether or not your male rat might have respiratory disease symptoms. You may also already be aware that spaying your female rat can be especially helpful for her health long-term. Let me know if you have any other questions in the future.

My rat is making a noise similar to the one in the video, but its only when shes squeaking. I know her squeak changed. It is very odd and im worried about her. What should I do? I also recommend even taking rats to the vet just for wellness visits. You might hear a squeak when rats are playing or if you pick up your rat suddenly and they become afraid….

It could be that your rat has a respiratory disease. I have pages on my website on when to take your rat to the vet as well as how to choose your veterinarian and online directories of pet rat veterinarians. I hope my response is helpful for you. I also hope your rat is doing okay. Feel free to let me know if you have any additional questions any time. My boyfriend and I adopted two rats from a breeder in December.

When he sees us, we let him out of the cage, or when he is playing. Should we be worried? Sneezing multiple times a day can be a symptom of respiratory disease. A great vet will be able to let you know after examining your rat and listening to his lungs and heart with a stethoscope whether or not he has a respiratory illness. She only makes the noice when she is startled or after running on her wheel.

I clean her cage often and her bedding is not cedar or anything bad. I have another female rat in the cage with her and she is perfectly healthy. She only does this when excited or after she has run around. Is this a respiratory problem and should I get it checked out? I want to apologize for taking so long in which to answer your question.

My 2 rats have been very sick and have required treatments and medications several times a day. I also work full-time. Then, we had an ice storm during which our power and internet were out for 8 days! I really appreciate your patience and understanding. And, if so, have you taken her to the vet? The sounds you described your rat making do sound like they could be symptoms of a respiratory problem. Again, my apologies for taking so long in which to respond.

Thanks for the video. Will keep a close eye on him not that I could do anything else, constantly demanding all the attention all the time that one! Has your rat gone back to making the sounds again? Hopefully not. It really helps to take them in for a wellness check within a few weeks after bringing them home. Regular cage cleaning can also definitely help keep your rats healthy—especially when it comes to respiratory issues. By the way, congRATulations on getting your first rats!

Hi My new rat has made this chirping sound today , but only for 2 or 3 minutes while he was trying to escape off the sofa. I have been getting them out for 30 mins a day in a play pen to try and tame them, as I have only had them for 2 weeks.

I put him back in his cage and the noise immediately stopped. If the noise does not occur constantly, does that mean it may have been him making the noise because he was agitated? Rather than ill? As like I said, the noise stopped at soon as I put him back in his cage. Thanks very much. It could have been that being on the sofa was stressful enough for your rat to make the chirping sound—especially if this was an area that was new to your rat.

An example would be if they smell a nearby cat. That way you can determine whether or not your rat might have the beginnings of a respiratory problem. Thanks for asking your great question. I just got two young females today. Are they still sniffing loudly? It could be normal to be sniffing loudly at their new surroundings but, if it were to continue, it could be a symptom of respiratory disease. I advocate bringing all new rats to the vet within a week or two of bringing them home. I hope your rats are no longer sniffing loudly.

My rat is making similar noises as in the video. He has been doing this for awhile, been through two rounds of medicine, and keeps doing it. Could it be asthma? Should I see the vet again?? Thanks for your great question. You mentioned that your rat has been through 2 rounds of medication. It would be helpful to know if your vet tried more than one type of medication as well as for how long each round of medication lasted. The main thing I can say, though, is that if your rat is continuing to make sounds while breathing then, yes, it is a good idea for you to contact your vet again.

Often times there are 2 main reasons a rat is still making sounds after being medicated: 1 After being on the medication for days, there was no improvement in symptoms. It definitely is possible for you to eliminate any symptoms of respiratory disease. Rats do emit sounds that are associated with pleasure, but these sounds are very high pitched and above our range of hearing.

Occasionally, rats may hiss. Hissing is usually a sign of distress and is given at times of stress. For example, a rat may hiss during a tense social interaction with another rat.

Sometimes, a rat's eyes may vibrate rapidly in and out of the eye socket, a phenomenon called eye boggling. This odd eyeball movement often occurs at the same time as bruxing , or tooth grinding. The reason bruxing and eye boggling occur together is anatomical: a part of the muscle that pulls up the rat's lower jaw passes through the eye socket, behind the eyeball.

When a rat grinds its teeth, it moves its lower jaw rapidly up and down, and the contractions of the jaw muscle vibrate the eyeball in and out of the socket in time with the jaw.

Eye boggling is associated with intense bruxing. Anecdotally, eye boggling occurs at times of great contentment and relaxation. The rat uses his whiskers to gain information about its surroundings through touch. Using tiny muscles around each whisker, the rat sweeps its whiskers back and forth, brushing them over everything within a few inches of its face, and gleans an image of the world around it.

Sometimes whiskers touch the same object several times in a different place, providing a three dimensional picture of the object. Whiskers are extremely sensitive, more sensitive than a human's fingertips.

Rats use their whiskers to navigate, balance, find and discriminate food, and in social interactions with other rats.

At short distances rats use their whiskers more than their eyes to determine depth. Female rats freeze, arch their backs downward, push their rumps upwards, and move their tails to one side when they are in heat every 4 days or so. This position is the female mating posture, called lordosis.

Lordosis makes copulation possible. Lordosis is a reflex that is triggered by a touch on the flanks when the female is in heat. This touch is supposed to come from a male rat as he mounts the female, but a human can trigger lordosis too by touching the female on the lower back when she is in heat. Sometimes, a female rat may vibrate her ears rapidly back and forth, sometimes called ear wiggling. This vibration may be so rapid that her ears become a blur.

As with lordosis , ear vibration is a sign that the female rat is in heat. The function of ear vibration is unknown, but it may be a signal of sexual availability that male rats find very attractive. Rats may "wag" or writhe their tails on the ground. This action has many names, such as tail wagging , tail swishing, and tail writhing.

Tail wagging may involve the whole tail or as little as the tail tip. The function of tail wagging is unknown in rats, but it appears to be associated with excitement and tension. For example, rats may writhe their tails during aggressive encounters with each other, or when facing a predator.

Some rats, especially pink eyed albinos, often sway from side to side. Albino rats have extremely poor vision, and this swaying may help them see better. Dark-eyed rats may sway or bob their heads up and down too, though they tend to do so less frequently than albino rats. Head bobbing in dark-eyed rats is usually seen before the rat takes a big jump.

Swaying may help the rat figure out how far away various objects are. When a rat moves its head, the images of the objects around the rat move across its retina. Close objects will move faster than far ones, a phenomenon known as motion parallax. Rats may use such motion marallax cues to judge distance and depth.

A rat may pick up its tail in its mouth and carry it. Tail carrying is a rare behavior that has not been well studied and is not well understood. However, it may be a form of displaced maternal behavior. A nesting rat deprived of normal nesting material may carry her own tail and try to build a nest with it.

A nursing mother rat may retrieve her own tail to the nest, like a pup.