Tail

A fascinating piece of the rat anatomy, used to help with temperature control and for balance. The tail is covered in small scales, each of which has three hairs growing from underneath, giving the tail a smooth feel when stroked from base to tip, but bristly in the other direction.

Sophie's wheel tail

A tail can be very expressive, including tail wiggling. Excess time spent wheel running can result in "wheel tail", where the tail is permanently curled over the rat's back. This doesn't seem to have any adverse affect on the health of the rat.

Rats are born with a short tail which does not grow in proportion until they are a week old, when it undergoes a sudding growth spurt.
Tails, 6 days old Tails, 7 days old

See Also

• Tail Problems

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