Everything you need to know about rats

These interesting and intelligent animals are often underestimated, disliked and start at home as pets less than other pets. But one has only to learn more about the ornamental domestic rats, and the opinion is polarly changing.

Decorative domestic rats are a domesticated form and subspecies of gray rats of the mouse family. The presence of this animal in people's lives has been observed for a long time. Currently, there are many new bred rat species. At first they were used only as experimental laboratory animals. But in modern times they began to wind up like animals - "companions."

Different types of ornamental rats have different sizes, differ in properties and color of wool, body structure and behavior. Their peculiarity is that, in the event of even the slightest danger, they emit a specific liquid that smells unpleasant and thereby scares off enemies.

On the body of the animal is thick and rather dense coat.

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

Their jaws also have features: the molar upper and lower teeth closely adjacent to each other, forming dense rows. Such a structure allows the rat to quickly and vigorously chew food.

Incisors that do not have roots are much longer than the rest of the teeth. They constantly and intensively grow, so the rat regularly grinds them so that you can close your mouth. Between the incisors there is an area without teeth.

All her teeth are distinguished by extraordinary 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 equal to or much longer than the length of the body, except for the type of short-tailed rats. In almost all varieties, it has no 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 refuges or various buildings where they rest and sleep.

The rats are highly developed sense of smell and hearing, which compensate for not enough good vision. They live not for long: in the wild about 1.5 years. Their lifespan 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 for 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 an aggressive, calmer behavior. Pets calmly react to bright light. In contrast to the wild, the domestic rat is not so pronounced a tendency to nocturnal lifestyle, and in conflicts with other animals they make sounds, but not so harsh.

Species diversity of these rodents has more than one dozen, which reflect the characteristic features of color and quality of wool, 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 rural areas, in places of keeping farm animals. The food they serve as food for domestic animals and birds.

In conditions of living in the wild, they settle near a water source, and feed on eggs of birds or chicks, vole mice or carrion. In cities, they settle in garbage bins, basements, various outbuildings and premises for household purposes. Therefore, they are often called granary rats.

The sizes of these rats are quite large: they grow to approximately 25 cm in length, the tail to 20 cm, and the weight can be from 150 to 400 g. The muzzle of the Pasyuk is not pointed, but blunt and wider. Compared with other species in gray rat wool is more rigid. The coat color depends on the conditions and habitats and varies from shades of gray to red. Wool 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. The favorite places of the settlements of these rats are the 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 are called roofing.

In the wild, they inhabit forests and green plantings. For the construction of nests using grass and branches. As food they are nuts, grains and sunflower seeds. 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. On the tail there is a thick coat. The size of this rat is somewhat smaller than that of gray: in an adult rodent, the body is 16 to 22 cm long, and weighs 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 fur;
• 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 ornamental rats that can be kept at home. Decorative breeds of rats are also numerous. The most popular home species.

• Standard. This type of home animal is the progenitor of many other ornamental species. The rat has a strong oblong body, smooth and shiny short hair, wide ears and tail with sparse setae. Males are somewhat larger than females, but more passive.

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

• Tailless. Its hallmark is the absence of a tail. On the body, having the form of a pear, wool can grow on a standard look or curly. Wool colors can be different. The mustache of curly rats is not very long and twisted. These animals are distinguished by very high activity, a lively mind and sociability.

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

• Sateen. This type of rat is very popular in the countries of the European continent. They have a long and dense coat of wool, 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 - beast with perfect pure white wool color;
• blue - a beautiful rat with a wool of blue tones.

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

In order to distinguish the male from the female and select the desired rodent, it is necessary to know the main sex differences of the rats, which are as follows.

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

As for age, it is almost impossible to know for sure. The approximate (but not exact) age can be determined only in young rats up to the age of one. In older rats, the exact age cannot be established. Only very dark orange or red teeth indicates that the animal is over a year old.

The age of young rodents is determined by such signs.

• The eyes of young rats 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 it forms a rim of white color.
• 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 begins, after which the fingers become larger.
• Brown stripes on the tail appear in females around 7-9 months of age, and in boys by 6 months the tail acquires an orange color.

It is not difficult to care for a decorative rodent, only it is necessary to monitor the pet's health, keep its cage clean, and feed it regularly and fully. When leaving, you need to follow these rules.

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

Rats are able to eat food of both plant origin and animal: they are omnivorous. Their optimal diet includes cereals, various cereals, seeds and nuts, fresh fruits and vegetables in small quantities. The daily rate of food of a rat is approximately 20-30 g, you need to give it 2 times a day, dividing the rate in half.

Hunger rats suffer extremely hard: without food, rodents can die after 3 days. Daily water intake is about 25-30 ml, and thirst is tolerated by them worse than hunger.

The pet's daily ration includes such foods:

• different grains in the 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 seeds and pumpkin;
• Greens to replenish the diet with vitamins: in the summer dandelion leaves, clover and lettuce, dill, and in winter - germinated cereals - oats, millet, wheat;
• dairy products - cottage cheese and yogurt, ryazhenka and kefir, which are a source of calcium and improve the intestinal microflora of the rodent;
• boiled eggs and meat products as a source of protein - chicken, heart, kidney and liver, as well as fish;
• dry and fresh fruits and vegetables, berries, which are vitamin supplements to feed and a source of fiber, which improves intestinal function.

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

You can feed a domestic rat with special ready-made dry foods, which include, in addition to grains, pieces of dried vegetables and vitamin granules.

Rats are extremely fertile animals. A female in one litter may have 14 or more cubs. The female is able to become pregnant again, even while feeding her rats with milk.

Sexual maturity in males may already begin at 6 weeks of age, and the female is ready to conceive even earlier. However, the first mating of females is recommended to make at the age of one year old. Experienced breeders, carrying out the breeding of rats at home, receive from each female 1-2 litters per year, but no more.

Pregnancy in rats lasts from 21 to 24 days.The current of a mature female comes every 5 days, and this happens all year. When the female reaches the age of 1.5 years, she begins to have menopause: the regularity of the cycle becomes impermanent, and then it stops completely.

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 the young offspring, they are mostly tolerated, not seeing them as rivals.

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 in the selection, preference was given to non-aggressive, calm specimens. Therefore, decorative pets have a peace-loving and good-natured disposition. However, they are able to bite the offender: so they show their dissatisfaction with something.

Dissatisfaction with their rats also express hissing and snorting. In an aggressive-minded rat, the fur stands on end, it bares its teeth and creaks with them, presses its ears and strains the body. She can show aggression not only towards her relatives, but also towards humans and other animals. Sometimes aggression is caused by fear or stress.

Fighting in domestic rats are also very cruel. They usually occur up to 5-9 months of age, when the process of puberty of 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 looks 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 up,” “not allowed,” “walk,” and quickly and easily get used to the daily routine of the owners.

In addition, they are very impressionable and feel anxious when they scream or hurt. You can punish a rat for offense by blowing it on its face or turning it over backwards.

Rats love to play and enjoy chasing paper on a string, they like to study unfamiliar objects (boxes, paper, rags). Each pet has its own characteristic behavior and temperament.

Rats of sateen breed are distinguished by mobility and activity, quick adaptation to the environment and sociability. Such a rat is very curious, but cunning. It prefers to live in a flock, therefore it is recommended to keep several individuals.

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

Dumbo rats are less active than other breeds. They quickly understand, are not aggressive in nature, are very curious and guess the owner's emotional mood.

Distinguished rats such habits.

• Curiosity and the desire to try everything on the tooth and chew. Walking in the apartment, the pet examines all the things of interest and secluded places.
• Creak teeth - usually the animal expresses its good mood and joy.

Domestic rodent is a curious, intelligent and cunning animal that is easily trained. Exercising a rat regularly, you can teach her simple tricks: bring different things, jump on any objects, climb a string and hoop.Training should always be accompanied by a treat favorite treat, affectionate attitude and encouragement.

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

Coaching your pet, you need to apply such techniques.

• Use of praise and treats for a favorite delicacy, the size of which should be small, since this is only a reward for obedience.
• Before training, you can not feed the rat, it should experience some hunger. You can train her only about 40 minutes after feeding.

The rat is able to learn such tricks: climb on its hind legs, spin around itself, jump from object to object. When training a delicacy they keep near the pet's nose and lead it in the right direction: up, around, forward or backward.

The main rule of training is mastering simple and then more complex tricks.. Good contact with the pet only facilitates the training.

The breeding of the domestic rat is a responsible process that requires the owner to take care of the female, both during the period of gestation of the offspring and during its feeding. For healthy babies, parents need to be healthy and well-fed.

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

If mating was successful, the female becomes pregnant. The duration of pregnancy is approximately 21-24 days. The female carrying the offspring is less active and picky about food. By week 3, the shape of her body changes: her belly becomes round and sticks out to the sides.

By the birth of the female, the male must be isolated and transplanted into another dwelling. Remove all accessories from the cage, place soft paper (napkins, toilet paper) in her house, so that the rat can make a nest. Rat rats are usually born at night. Births last from 2 to 3 hours. The domestic rat brings from 9 to 12 pups, which are blind and deaf at the time of birth, and also have no wool.

Nursing females should be given high-calorie foods, including elevated calcium and protein. This will provide the female with sufficient milk production. Rats are caring and tender moms: they often lick their rats and regularly feed on milk.

Young born babies are fast growing and already have hearing after 4 days. The fur grows fast enough in rats. By day 9, they grow their first teeth - incisors. On the 12th day, they open their eyes, and after two weeks they are already capable of communicating with a person, they are very active and have fun playing.

Night and hidden lifestyle rats are very interesting animals that can surprise with their abilities. Here are some interesting facts about these rodents.

• Rats can not distinguish between colors and shades. Everything around them seems to be spots of various dimensions and brightness that are in motion. Visual acuity is very low, but it is compensated by a very delicate ear. Such a rumor allows them to determine the direction and distance, even to the slightest noise and rustle, as well as to understand their cause. They also have a strongly developed sense of smell.
• Another amazing ability of rats is that they have an inner vision that can have a premonition of disaster and catastrophe. This is confirmed by the well-known fact that rats always flee from a sinking ship in advance. During the Battle of Stalingrad, the rats left the city en masse before the German air raid.
• The amazing event that occurred in France in the early twentieth century, confirms the ability of rats to anticipate events.From one closing food market, all the rats living there, one day before the closure, moved amicably to the place where he moved. How the rats found out about this remains a mystery, since the market was only announced in the newspaper.
• There are mutant rats. In New Guinea, in the area of ​​the Bosavi crater, American scientists found rats reaching 80 cm in length and weighing about 1.5 kg. But in character, despite the frightening size, they are completely harmless, non-aggressive and sociable.
• In mental development, a rat stands above cats. Rats can communicate with each other, emitting high-frequency sounds, which mean certain concepts and words, and they sound the same in different rodents. Scientists state that rat sounds are like human communication.
• Rats are distinguished by amazing cleanliness and hygiene. They can wash for several hours a day. Rodents have absolutely no fear of water and dive well.
• They also have a 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 maze.
• The rat has a strong immunity and is not exposed to almost any disease. This is a consequence of not only their cleanliness, but also innate good health. Scientists have found in them a gene that protects individuals from genital infections.
• Scientific studies have shown the similarity between man and rat: the structure of the human brain and the rat is very similar, and the blood in its constituent elements is 80% identical.
• The physiological characteristic of a rat's heart is that it makes from 300 to 500 beats per minute.
• Rats on our planet appeared 48 million years earlier than humans.
• A rat can swim many kilometers for three days without stopping, and can only sink if it is impossible to get out of the water.
• The gray rat can run at a speed of about 10 km / h, jumps in height to 80 cm, and in a state of aggression - up to 2 meters.
• The rat can determine that the food is poisoned, even if the proportion of poison is minimal.
• The rat is the only mammal that can laugh.

The nature of tame rats is fundamentally different from the nature of their wild relatives. They can safely be kept at home, tame and receive in return love, trust and affection.

You will learn more about rats in the following video.