How rats squeak and “talk”, the meaning of the sounds they make

Both wild and decorative rats talk to each other not only with the help of movements and touches, but also use a variety of sound signals for this purpose. By emitting various signals, rodents warn each other of possible danger, of readiness for mating, or declare the inviolability of their territory. Tailed pets also communicate with owners using sounds, expressing, in this way, their love, gratitude or dissatisfaction.

What do rat sounds mean?

The animal shows fear, pain, indignation or joy to the owner, using the only speech available to him – sound signals. And in order to understand what exactly the little pet is trying to “say”, you need to know how to decipher the signals emitted by the animal:

• prolonged scream or heart-rending squeal the rat is said to be in excruciating pain. In this case, the owner should inspect the pet, perhaps the animal was injured on a sharp object or was injured as a result of a fight with an opponent. If there are no external wounds, it is worth consulting with a veterinarian, because there is a possibility of injuries to internal organs;
• hoarse squeak the animal shows anger and aggression, designed to intimidate the enemy. Sometimes a rat squeaks if it does not want to be disturbed, so at such moments it is advisable not to touch the pet;
• these rodents also show hostility and aggressiveness by uttering hissing sounds. A tailed pet hisses when encroaching on its territory or to drive an opponent away from the female;

• the chirping of the animal denotes fear and thus he warns fellow tribesmen of possible danger;
• joy and pleasure little rodent expresses quiet grunt;
• the fact that the pet is satisfied and experiencing positive emotions is evidenced by gnashing of teeth;
• sounds uncharacteristic of rats, such as coughing and sneezing signal that the animal has caught a cold and needs immediate treatment.

Important: the owner should carefully listen to the sounds that the decorative rat makes, because this is the only way to notice when the pet just wants to communicate, and when it suffers from pain and needs help.

How to decode a rat squeak

Despite the variety of sound signals emitted by tailed rodents, most often these animals express their feelings and mood with the help of a squeak. You can guess what such a pet signal means by listening to how and with what intonation the rats squeak:

• if a rat squeaks when you stroke it, then perhaps she has a wound on her body, touching which gives her pain;
• quiet squeaking of the animal from stroking or licking hands it can also mean that the pet experiences pleasure and joy from communicating with the owner;

• sometimes domestic rats, especially juveniles squeak express approval and delight from watching the games and the fuss of their tailed brethren;
• the squeak of the animal also indicates that he is frightened. For example, loud staccato squeak the rodent notifies the owner that a cat has crept up to his cage, and he needs protection;
• if a rat squeaks when you pick it up, then it is likely that the animal at this moment is not in the mood to play and communicate, and thus the pet expresses dissatisfaction with being disturbed.

Learning to understand the rat “language” is not difficult. To do this, you just need to give enough attention and care to the cute animal, because then the owner will easily understand what the little pet wants to tell him.