Rats are furry little land mammals, who burrow and climb. Most people would think that rats don’t like water. Just like people, every rat has his or her own personal preferences; some of those rats greatly enjoy swimming!
Can Rats Swim?
Just like cats, dogs, and many other animals, rats are able to swim naturally. While some of us humans still fumble around in the water like we’re drowning, rats will gracefully doggy paddle all the way to their destinations. Rats are pretty magical little creatures. Read more
Have you noticed that your rats love to claw at your face, trying to find a way into your mouth?
It’s fairly awkward, especially for those who aren’t used to this type of behavior from their pets. Even more so if the individual is a visitor who is casually playing with someone else’s pet rats!
Do All Rats Play “Dentist”?
It should come as no shock that this behavior is very common (and quite frequent) among pet rats. As a matter of fact, it’s more unusual for a pet rat to not engage in this behavior. Those that don’t tend to be more independent and unimpressed with human interaction; or, they’re simply more timid or scared.
Why Do Rats Try to Get Inside of Your Mouth?
Rats eat an insane amount of food. If you’re not careful with a rat’s diet, you’ll wind up with a very obese pet who refuses to do much aside from eating and sleeping.
Thus, rats are always on the hunt for the best foods, which they know you have. They also know where that food goes, and they’re not ashamed to go in search of leftovers….. inside of your mouth.
That’s right! They’re always trying to find out what you’re eating and where it all went. If you’ve ever had a rat run up, rob your plate of food, and bolt for the underside of the nearest piece of heavy furniture, you know that they love to scheme and plot for food. They are shameless animals, and they love to take your food. Sneaky buggers, but you gotta love them!
Should I Let My Rat Get Inside of My Mouth?
Of course, no one can tell you what you can or cannot do; I will say that many rat owners allow their pet rats to climb in their mouths and do a bit of ratty dentistry. However, I was never one of those people; as much as I love my rats, the idea was very unsanitary for me. I also won’t allow a dog to lick my mouth, though; many others do.
From a health standpoint, I would not advise allowing your rats to get inside of your mouth. Even if your rats are 100% healthy, they don’t exactly wash their paws at the kitchen sink (thus, their little paws aren’t clean). It sure is cute, but the thought of what could enter your mouth during that process churns my stomach.
How Can I Get My Rat to Leave My Mouth Alone?
First of all, don’t play with your rats immediately after eating a meal. This is just inviting them to investigate your hands, face, and mouth. The fresh scent of food lets them know something tasty is (well, was) close by.
Next, be sure that your rats have enjoyed a lovely little meal before you play with them. While rats are bottomless hungry pits, they will be less likely to attempt to tear your mouth open if they’ve got nearly full bellies.
Lastly, discourage behavior when it occurs. If the rat has become insistent about accessing your mouth frequently, simply set him or her down repeatedly until their attention is diverted towards something else. This might mean you’ll set down a rat 3,619 times today, but you’ll eventually get the message across.
The video below is an example of what so many rats attempt to do to their owners:
I stumbled across a fun little video that could be helpful in training your pet rats to do tricks!
I know many of our readers have already done some training with their rats, but a few of you have mentioned wanting to try to train your rats.
This video recently made its way into my feed, and I thought it would be a valuable share.
Not Just for Show: Stimulating the Mind
As you may already know, rats are incredibly intelligent animals who are capable of some impressive skills for their tiny size (especially when you consider how small their brains are!) Rats are capable of mapping out and memorizing massive areas, they can predict events and some cause and effect scenarios, they are capable of learning both simple and complex tricks or commands, and they quickly read patterns.
Obviously, rats do not receive the attention they deserve for the smarts that they have!
Teaching your rat tricks isn’t just for entertainment value, either. I know some may argue that training a rat to do tricks is selfish; but it is not. Rats require and enjoy the mental stimulation that comes with learning behaviors, repeating them, and successfully gaining whatever the reward may be (freedom, food, treats, a cozy new toy or hammock, etc.) Therefore, training a rat to do both simple and complex tricks is actually good for your rat’s mental well-being, as well as his or her physical well-being.
Rat owners can be hard to shop for, especially if you don’t know where to look. I have compiled this top 10 list from our holiday store, provided by the wonderful, secure Amazon Store. I’ve got a deep love for Amazon; I found all of this cool stuff there, but nowhere else! Note: all photos are linked via the Amazon Affiliate Network, therefore you can access the listing directly through the photos. This allows you to easily visit the item on Amazon without having to search for it yourself.Read more
