RandomFacts

Rats have been known to become pregnant from the age of 5^1/2 weeks, although this is neither good for the mother or the babies.

The average number of kittens born in a fancy rat litter is twelve - more than their wild cousins.

Rats are omnivorous - they eat grains, meat, fruit, vegetables, curtains, wallpaper, power cables, passing insects...

Adult male rats (bucks) are usually larger and less active than females (does).

Rats have five toes on their back feet but only four 'fingers' on their hands.

The average British fancy rat will live for 23 months.

The longest lived rat is recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records for 1995 as a rat called Rodney who lived for 7 years and 4 months.

Rex rat kittens are born with curly or wavy whiskers.

Rattus norvegicus is the Latin name for the Norway rat, or brown rat, which is the species most commonly kept as pets.

Rats can boggle their eyes in and out as a sign of great contentment.

Rats are social animals and should be kept in same sex groups.

Baby rats are called kittens in some countries and pups in others.

Rats don't sweat. They regulate their temperature by constricting or expanding blood vessels in their tails. Very warm rats will lie on their back to lose more heat through the soles of their feet.

Pets rats can exercise mind control to train their humans. <:3 )~~

A group of rats is known as a mischief.

Pink eyed rats sometimes 'sway' to gain depth vision with their poor eyesight.

The rat is the first symbol of the Chinese Zodiac - A symbol of cunning and prosperity.

Health officials in China are now giving wild rats food-flavoured birth control pills

A 2003 survey estimated there were about 60 million of them in the UK, about the same as the human population.

Rats have been sent into space aboard American, Chinese and Russian spacecraft.

Most rats are right handed. When given a treat in a narrow jar, around three quarters of rats prefer using the right hand to reach in.

Rats are crepuscular! That is, they are most active at dawn and dusk.

Rats smell in "stereo" - their brains respond differently to smells from the left and right.

Rats are very clean and spend hours each day grooming themselves and one another.

Some rats can estimate numbers up to at least 16.

Rats have poor vision. To compensate for this, a red or pink eyed rat will often weave its head side to side to add 'motion' to see better. They also don't see in color.

While it's great to have both female and male rats, be wary of letting them play together; rats can complete the courting ritual and the whole romantic relationship in about two seconds.

Generally speaking, male rats make better "lap" pets, preferring to sit and have their ears scratched by an attentive human friend. Female rats are very curious, and love to explore and play games. Both genders make great companions.

Rats can also eat smaller pets. Rats are omnivores, and have enough predatory instinct left in them to consider birds, fish and even some smaller rodents as "snacks."

Rats don't have canine teeth.

Rats don't have thumbs.

The oils in cedar and pine are toxic to rats, and should not be used in their bedding materials. No Cedar & Pine!

A rat's temperature is regulated though its tail (assuming it has one). A really hot rat will lay on its back so that it can "sweat" through the soles of its feet.

Red discharge from a rat's nose or eyes is usually porphyrin, not blood. Unlike blood, porphyrin is flourescent under UV light. It is produced in glands behind the rat's eyes. Overproduction of this discharge can be caused by stress or illness.

A happy rat will chatter or grind its teeth. Often, chattering teeth results in vibrating eyes, caused by the lower jawbone pressing the backs of the eyes. This is a good sign, regardless of how silly it looks.

A rat's jawbone isn't fused in the middle like ours, so it can make it looks as though the lower incisors have wiggled apart a bit.

Rats can't vomit. A rat can, however, gag on something if it eats too quickly. The plus side of this is that rats can usually eat and drink before surgery.

It is unlikely you will ever catch rabies from a rat.

Rats bathe themselves, usually six times a day or more. A rat's saliva has some pink pigmentation, which can cause a light-colored rat to look discolored. A warm washcloth with baby shampoo is great for those trouble spots.

PEW stands for Pink Eyed White the fancy rat terminology for "albino" or any all-white rat with pink eyes. Conversely, BEW stands for "Black Eyed White" (which is not an albino).

Rats have bellybuttons.

Rats don't have gallbladders.

A rat's fur smells like grape soda.

Rats can be trained to do simple tricks.