Everything you need to know about rats

These interesting and intelligent animals are often underestimated, disliked, and kept at home as pets less often than other pets. But you just need to learn more about decorative domestic rats, and the mind is changing polar.

Decorative domestic rats are a domesticated form and subspecies of gray rats of the murine family. The presence of this animal in human life has been observed since ancient times. Currently, there are many new bred species of rats. At first they were used only as experimental laboratory animals. But in modern times they began to be started as animals - "companions".

Different types of decorative rats have different sizes, differ in properties and color of wool, body structure and behavior. Their peculiarity is that when even the slightest danger arises, they secrete a specific liquid, which smells unpleasant and thereby frighten off enemies.

On the body of the animal is a thick and fairly dense coat.

The elongated rat muzzle has an acute shape, small rounded ears and small oblong eyes, which can have different colors: red, black or ruby, as well as different colors - one is black and the other is ruby ​​or red. Animals with red and ruby-colored eyes see slightly worse than rats with black eyes.

Their jaws also have features: the molars of the upper and lower teeth are adjacent to each other, forming dense rows.Such their structure allows the rat to quickly and energetically chew food.

Incisors without roots are much longer than other teeth. They grow constantly and intensively, so the rat grinds them regularly so that you can close your mouth. Between the incisors is a section without teeth.

All her teeth are distinguished by their unusual strength and sharpness, rats bite painfully and can easily gnaw through any hard surface (brick, hard metal, concrete).

Their tail is very long: its length is either equal to or much longer than the body, with the exception of the species of short-tailed rats. In almost all varieties, it does not have a wool coat, but with single setae and is covered with characteristic scales.

In nature, the rat lives either in a large community, or forming a family clan, or in isolation alone. For dwellings, they choose minks left by other animals, abandoned bird nests, natural shelters or various buildings where they rest and sleep.

Rats have a strong sense of smell and hearing, which compensate for poor vision. They do not live long: in the wild up to about 1.5 years. Their life expectancy often depends on the type of rat. Decorative domestic rats live a little longer - up to about 2 years, and with good care they can live about 4 years.

Domestic rats, along with common features with wild species, have differences. First of all, they differ in temper: they do not have such aggressive, more calm behavior. Pets calmly respond to bright light. In contrast to the wild, the domestic rat is not so pronounced for a nocturnal lifestyle, and in conflicts with other animals they make sounds, but not so harsh.

The species diversity of these rodents totals more than a dozen, which reflect the characteristic features of color and quality of hair, body structure and eye color. The most common are these types of rats.

This rat can be found everywhere, on all continents and in all countries, including Russia. The only place where they do not live is the regions beyond the Arctic Circle. Gray rats like to settle in the countryside, in places where farm animals are kept. They are fed with pet and bird food.

In living conditions in the wild, they settle next to a source of water, and feed on bird eggs or chicks, field mice or carrion. In cities, they settle in waste bins, cellars, various utility rooms and utility rooms. Therefore, they are often called barn rats.

The size of these rats is quite large: they grow up to about 25 cm in length, tail - up to 20 cm, and weight can range from 150 to 400 g. The face of the Pasyuk is not pointed, but blunt and wider. Compared to other species, the gray rat has more stiffness. The color of the coat depends on the conditions and places of its habitat and varies from shades of gray to red. The coat also changes color with the age of the animal.

This variety of rats can be found in European and Asian countries, in America, Australia and Africa. Favorite places of settlement of these rats are cities where they inhabit the last floors of high-rise buildings. In the countryside, they often live in the attics of farms, for which they were called roofing.

In the wild, they live in forests and green spaces. For the construction of nests using grass and branches. Their food is nuts, grains and sunflower seeds. They can be eaten and animals.

The color of their wool also has some shades: black can turn into light brown. The belly is gray or ashen. Thick tail is present on the tail.The dimensions of this rat are slightly smaller than gray: an adult rodent has a body with a length of 16 to 22 cm, weight from 130 to 300 g. The muzzle with large rounded ears has a narrower shape.

There are also such types of wild rats:

• Turkestanliving in Asia (in the cities of India, Tashkent and Samarkand);
• black-tailed having a tail with thick dark hair;
• small rats (Pacific or Polynesian rodent) - the smallest of all species, having a length of 11 to 15 cm and a weight of 40 to 80 g.

In addition, there are decorative rats that can be kept at home. Decorative breeds of rats are also numerous. The most popular home species.

• Standard. This species of domestic animal is the progenitor of many other decorative breeds. The rat has a strong, elongated body, smooth and glossy short hair, wide ears and a tail with sparse bristles. Males are somewhat larger than females, but more passive.

• Sphinx. A characteristic feature of this breed is the absence of wool on the body. Separate setae can be seen only on the head, on the legs and in the abdomen. Rodents have pink and shriveled skin.

• Tailless. Its hallmark is the absence of a tail. On the body, having the shape of a pear, wool can grow both in the standard form and curly. Coat colors may vary. The mustache of curly rats is not very long and twisted. These animals are distinguished by a very high activity, a lively mind and sociability.

• Dumbo This cute little animal has a short, pear-shaped, trunk with a long tail. On a blunt muzzle with a protruding nape, rounded and protruding ears are set low, which makes its appearance cute and funny.

• Satin. This type of rat is very popular in the countries of the European continent. They have a long and dense woolen coat, shiny as satin.

In addition to these, there are other breeds of domestic rats:

• rex - this rather large rat stands out among other species with its long thick and curly hair, the animal looks like a soft plush toy;
• white - a beast with perfect pure white coat color;
• blue - a beautiful rat with blue tones.

Often, the gender of the future pet is not very important for owners. But sometimes preference is given to the male or female or there is a desire to breed. Then you need to recognize the gender of the pet. The genitals are fully formed by 1.5 months of age in rat pups. And only then comes puberty and the rat becomes able to bear offspring.

In order to distinguish a male from a female and choose the right rodent, it is necessary to know the main sexual differences in rats, which are as follows.

• The male has large and easily identifiable testicles (testes). This is his main primary sexual characteristic and difference from the female. The testicles are also palpable during palpation. When examining the animal, it is not necessary to raise its tail, since in this position the testicles can go down deep into the abdomen and can not be detected.
• The female has mammary glands located in two rows on the abdomen and having small nipples. Males have no such sign.
• Another sign by which the sex of the rat can be recognized is in the different gap between the rectal (anal) and the urethra. In females, this gap is much smaller and ranges from 2 to 3 mm, while in boys it is approximately 5-6 mm.
• During the examination, it is important to give the pet the correct position: put it with his back on his palm, holding the animal by the head. The tail should be lowered.In no case can you hold it by the tail, as in this position the rat will experience inconvenience and feel anxiety.
• Also, gender is determined by secondary characteristics - the color of the tail. The young male rat has a deep pink tail, while the female has a white tint. With age (by about 6 months) in the male, the tail becomes either dark orange or dark pink. And in a female individual at 7-8 months of age, the tail acquires transverse stripes of brown color.

As for age, it is almost impossible to find out exactly. Approximate (but not exact) age can be determined only in young rat pups up to one year old. In older rats, the exact age cannot be determined. Only a very dark orange or red color of the teeth indicates that the animal is more than a year old.

The age of young rodents is determined by such signs.

• The eyes of young rat pups are completely black and the iris is not detected. Then the iris gradually becomes lighter and only at the age of 5 to 8 months forms a white rim.
• Age is determined by the size of the fifth finger on the forelimbs. Up to 3-3.5 months they are very small (or completely absent). Upon reaching this age, the first molt occurs, after which the fingers become larger.
• Brown transverse stripes on the tail appear in females around 7-9 months of age, and in boys by the age of 6 months, the tail becomes orange.

It’s not difficult to take care of a decorative rodent, you just need to monitor the health of the pet, keep its cage clean, and regularly and fully feed it. When leaving, you must adhere to such rules.

• It is necessary to place the cage with the rodent in dry and warm rooms, inaccessible to drafts. Direct sunlight should not fall on it.
• Every day you need to clean the cage: discard the remaining food, remove contaminated areas of the filler and add fresh, wash the feeder and drinker, filling them with fresh food and water.
• Twice in 7 days it is required to process the cage and the pallet using special disinfectants.
• If necessary, you can bathe your pet only in warm, but not hot water, using special shampoos for rodents.

Rats are able to eat food of both plant origin and animal: they are omnivores. Their optimal diet includes cereals, various cereals, seeds and nuts, a small amount of fresh fruits and vegetables. The daily norm of rat food is approximately 20-30 g, it must be given 2 times a day, dividing the norm in half.

Rat hunger is extremely difficult to carry: without food, rodents can die after 3 days. The daily water intake is about 25-30 ml, and their thirst is worse than hunger.

The daily diet of a pet includes such food:

• different cereals in dry crushed form;
• various cereals - buckwheat and rice, corn and barley, wheat - this is the main component of the rat’s diet;
• nuts, flaxseeds, sunflower and pumpkin seeds;
• greens to replenish the diet with vitamins: in the summer, leaves of dandelion, clover and lettuce, dill, and in the winter - germinated cereals - oats, millet, wheat;
• fermented milk products - cottage cheese and yogurt, fermented baked milk and kefir, which are a source of calcium and improve the microflora of the rodent's intestines;
• boiled eggs and meat products as a source of protein - chicken, heart, kidneys and liver, as well as fish;
• dry and fresh fruits and vegetables, berries, which are vitamin supplements to feed and a source of fiber that improves bowel function.

Do not treat rats with chocolate and alcohol, barbecue and other spicy or fried meat, sweets, raw cabbage and potatoes, spinach and green bananas. Cheese is also harmful to rats, despite the fact that they love it very much.

You can pamper your pet with a slice of watermelon, apple and carrot, grapes and strawberries, popcorn and rice, and tomato juice is also useful for them.

You can feed your domestic rat with special prepared dry feeds, which include, in addition to grain, pieces of dried vegetables and vitamin granules.

Rats are extremely prolific animals. A female in one litter may have 14 or more cubs. The female is able to become pregnant again even while breastfeeding her rat pups.

Sexual maturity in males can occur already at 6 weeks of age, and the female is ready to conceive even earlier. However, the first mating of the female is recommended to be done upon reaching her one year of age. Experienced breeders, when breeding rats at home, receive 1-2 litters per year from each female, but no more.

Pregnancy in a rat lasts from 21 to 24 days. A mature female develops an estrus every 5 days, and this happens all year. When the female reaches 1.5 years of age, she begins menopause: the regularity of the cycle becomes unstable, and then it completely stops.

Rats are representatives of social animals. In their community, there are often fights between adult males for hierarchical status until a leader is determined. But they are mostly tolerant of young offspring, not seeing rivals in them.

Rats have their own way of communicating with gestures, sounds, or smells. This language allows them to express pleasure or displeasure, anxiety and fear, threat and love, desire.

When breeding domestic rats during selection, preference was given to non-aggressive, calm specimens. Therefore, decorative pets have a peaceful and good-natured disposition. However, they are also able to bite the offender: in this way they show their dissatisfaction with something.

Rats express their dissatisfaction with hissing and snorting. In an aggressively tuned rat, the fur stands on end, it bares its teeth and grinds, presses its ears and strains the body. She can be aggressive not only in relation to her relatives, but also to humans and other animals. Sometimes aggression is caused by fear or stress.

Fights in domestic rats are also very violent. Usually they occur until 5-9 months of age, when the process of puberty in males ends.

Although the domestic rat is a representative of rodents, its habits are much different from the behavior of guinea pigs, mice and hamsters. With her mind and emotional manifestations, she is more like monkeys.

These pets are able to learn the meaning of many words, remember their name and owner, the nicknames of other animals. They understand the words "give", "you can’t", "walk", they quickly and easily get used to the daily routine of the owners.

In addition, they are very impressionable and thrilled when they are shouted or hurt. You can punish a rat for mischief by blowing it on its face or turning it on its back.

Rats are very fond of playing and enjoy chasing paper on a thread, they like to study unfamiliar objects (boxes, paper, rags). Each pet has its own characteristics of behavior and temperament.

Rats of satin breed are distinguished by mobility and activity, quick getting used to the environment and sociability. Such a rat is very curious, but cunning. He prefers to live in a pack, so it is recommended to keep several individuals.

A distinctive feature of the rat standard is its good-natured character, inability to bite. It allows you to take yourself in hand and loves to sit on the master’s shoulder, perfectly feels the discontent of the owner.

Dambo rats are less active than other breeds. They quickly think, are not aggressive in character, are very curious and guess the emotional mood of the owner.

Rats are distinguished by such habits.

• Curiosity and the desire to try everything on the tooth and gnaw. Walking in the apartment, the pet examines all the things he is interested in and secluded places.
• Teeth grinding - usually the animal expresses its good mood and joy in this way.

A domestic rodent is a curious, intelligent and cunning animal that can be easily trained. By regularly practicing the rat, you can teach it easy tricks: bring different things, jump on some objects, climb a rope and a hoop. Training should always be accompanied by a treat with your favorite treat, affectionate attitude and encouragement.

To accustom a rodent to a nickname, it is necessary during his feeding to affectionately call, often repeating his name.

When training your pet, you need to apply such techniques.

• Using praise and treats with your favorite treat, the size of which should be small, as this is only an encouragement for obedience.
• Before training, you can not feed the rat, it should experience some hunger. You can train it only about 40 minutes after feeding.

The rat is able to learn such tricks: to rise on its hind legs, rotate around itself, jump from object to object. During training, the treat is kept near the pet’s nose and is led in the right direction: up, around, forward or backward.

The main rule of training is to master first simple and then more complex tricks.. Good contact with the pet only makes training easier.

Breeding a domestic rat is a critical process, requiring the owner to take care of the female both during the period of gestation and during feeding. To get healthy babies, parents need to be healthy and well-fed.

For mating, they usually take a female of 5-8 months of age. The age of the male is not important. Before mating rodents, they need to hold for a week on food rich in vitamins. This will ensure the birth of healthy, active and strong baby rats.

If the mating was successful, then the female becomes pregnant. The duration of pregnancy is approximately 21-24 days. The female carrying the offspring is less active, picky for food. By week 3, her body shape changes: her stomach becomes rounded and bulges on the sides.

By childbirth, the female males need to be isolated and transplanted to another dwelling. Remove all accessories from the cage, put soft paper (napkins, toilet paper) in its house so that the rat makes a nest. Cubs are usually born at night. Childbirth lasts from 2 to 3 hours. The domestic rat brings from 9 to 12 baby rats, which at the time of birth are blind and deaf, and also have no hair.

Nursing females should be given high-calorie foods, including high levels of calcium and protein.This will ensure that the female produces enough milk. Rats are caring and affectionate mothers: they often lick their rat rats and regularly feed them milk.

Born cubs are characterized by rapid growth and from 4 days already have hearing. Quickly enough, the rat grows hair. By day 9, their first teeth grow - incisors. On day 12 they open their eyes, and after two weeks they are already capable of communicating with a person, very active and play fun.

Rats, leading a nocturnal and hidden lifestyle, are very interesting animals that can surprise with their abilities. Here are some interesting facts about these rodents.

• Rats cannot distinguish colors and shades. Everything around them seems to them as spots of various dimensions and brightness, which are in motion. Visual acuity is very low, but it is compensated by a very subtle hearing. Such a rumor allows them to determine the direction and distance to even the slightest noise and rustle, as well as understand their cause. They also have a highly developed sense of smell.
• Another amazing ability of rats is that they have an internal vision that can foresee calamities and disasters. This is confirmed by such a well-known fact that rats always run in advance from a sinking ship. During the Battle of Stalingrad, rats massively left the city before the German air raid.
• The amazing event that took place in France at the beginning of the 20th century confirms the ability of rats to anticipate events. From one closing food market, all the rats living there one day before closing together moved exactly to the place where he was moving. As rats learned about this, it remains a mystery, since the move was announced only in the newspaper.
• There are mutant rats. In New Guinea, near the Bosawi Crater, American scientists discovered rats reaching 80 cm in length and weighing about 1.5 kg. But by nature, despite the awesome size, they are completely harmless, non-aggressive and sociable.
• In terms of mental development, the rat is taller than cats. Rats can communicate with each other, making high-frequency sounds that mean certain concepts and words, and they sound the same in different rodents. Scientists state that rat sounds are similar to human communication.
• Rats are remarkable for their cleanliness and hygiene. They can be washed for several hours a day. Rodents have absolutely no fear of water and dive well.
• They also have good memory and can remember the road the first time. Therefore, they are not able to get lost and determine the correct path in the mazes.
• The rat has strong immunity and is not exposed to almost any disease. This is a consequence not only of their cleanliness, but also of innate good health. Scientists have discovered in them a gene that protects individuals from genital infections.
• Scientists' studies have shown the similarities between humans and rats: the structure of the human brain and rat is very similar, and blood is 80% identical in its constituent elements.
• The physiological feature of the heart of a rat is that it makes 300 to 500 beats in one minute.
• Rats on our planet appeared 48 million years earlier than humans.
• The rat is able to swim many kilometers for three days without stopping, and can only drown if it is impossible to get out of the water.
• The gray rat can run at a speed of about 10 km / h, bounces to a height of 80 cm, and in a state of aggression - up to 2 meters.
• The rat can determine that food is poisoned, even if the proportion of the poison is minimal.
• The rat is the only one of all mammals that can laugh.

The nature of tame rats is fundamentally different from the temper of its wild relatives. They can be safely maintained at home, tamed and received in response to love, trust and affection.

Learn more about caring for domestic rats in the next video.