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Squeaking noise

23K views 6 replies 6 participants last post by  Stralis 
#1 ·
So I have 2 male rats who I got about a month ago. One is super friendly and climbs all over me and loves when I pick him up and pet him. The other is very shy, which I have no problem with. He hates to be pet and when I pick him up, actually when I pick him up he makes a squeaking sound like I am hurting him and I know I am not. Now I think he just hates to be touched probably because I got him from a pet store and who knows if anyone ever touched him. He has been doing much better and I can catch him much easier. Now he makes this squeaking sound when the 2 rats are playing together also, one would think he is getting beat up but he is not, he will make the noise even when he is on top of the other rat. Well tonight I had them out for playtime and the friendly rat started to make squeaking sounds too as if he learned to talk from listening to his buddy. My real question is do any of your rats actually make noise like this. I find it so funny an odd that my rat squeaks.
 
#2 ·
All rats make that noise. Sometimes it's when their being groomed by another rat. Sometimes it could be when you are petting them or when they are playing. There are all sorts of reasons they do it, kinda like when a dog barks. It is funny to hear rats do it but I love listening to them especially when they wrestle.
 
#3 ·
Rats should not make noise except the occasional sqeak when they are uncomfortable. You describe it like they are talking. They are not, they might have Upper Resperitory infections. My mice recently had URIs and they are still on baytril, but one female was making a constant sound like that.
 
#4 ·
I had a rat years ago that would squeak more then my average rat that was wrestling with another. The one that squeaked more I took to two different vets to make sure they were on the same page. The rat was about 4 months old and would squeak at times in the cage and when I had him out to play, which is why I took him to the vets. Both vets checked him out and said they could not find anything wrong. The only thing they could come up with is he was just one that just liked to squeak which you don't really see in rats. He was very friendly and not skittish at all. He actually lived about another two years after that and a normal life. I guess he was one in a very few that just liked to squeak when in or out of the cage at times.
 
#5 ·
From what ive learned in a very short period of time, if its the occasional squeak while being groomed, fighting, or being picked up, its fine. If it sounds like chirping (like a guinea pig, a repetitive squeak for a long time like when sniffing around) its a URI. I recently got rats and they started 'squeaking' a lot, i thought it was cute at first as he seemed really happy, but now im making a visit to the vets tomorrow as hes really ill.
It helped me by looking on youtube of 'sick rats', there are a lot of examples on there.
Also if your rats squeak when being picked up i wouldnt put them back down as they may learn that youl put them down whenever they squeak, i have rats in college who get away with murder and students put them down whenever the rat demands it, so its hard to actually get the rat used to being handled.
 
#6 ·
One of my rats squeaks and whines almost like a puppy crying sometimes. I had her checked out and she was put on baytril, it didn't really stop during the course of the meds but she just stopped doing it less later on...and we couldn't really determine any other sickness than the noise itself.

I work at a pet store and URI's are the most common illness that rats seem to end up with...the way that I was taught to identify for sure URIs is to have a listen to the ratty's breathing and if you hear a "click/pop" sound when they're breathing they definitely have them. I think it has something to do with fluid in their tiny lungs...but I don't remember the exact reason. I'm sure a more seasoned ratty owner on here might.
 
#7 ·
My guy Smokey squeaks like ****, but its only quick "eep's" if that makes sense? I.e. definatly not long sqeeks that are in succession or snorting, but it's usually out of protest when i pick him up or Bandit and Marmite are playing with him.

Watching Smokey drink earlier when Marmite budged him out the way, followed be a squeak and chasing rolling around the cage ;D

Sounds like he's just a guy who's vocal, as i had my lads checked at the vets after getting them to be sure they were ok and no problems health wise. Smokey was also vocal at the vets too the big wuss lmao! ::) ;D
 
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