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Welcome to my website about rats!

I have written a number of articles about rat behavior and biology. These articles are based on my exploration of the scientific literature available on rats and on my own observations of my rats' behavior.

Rat Behavior Norway rat behavior repertoire Expanded articles: Aggression Rat play How do rats choose what to eat? Why do rats pee everywhere? Also: Urine marking Infanticide Communal nesting What is my rat doing? FAQ Glossary of rat behavior terms Norway rat vocalizations Glass-sided digging box Rats and mazes Rat maze simulator Paper and pencil mazes	The Rat's Sensory World Introduction: Journey into a rat's world Vision: What do rats see? Touch: The world through a rat's whiskers Smell: The rat's world of smell Hearing: What do rats hear? Taste: Tasting Foods Hearing with whiskers Rat Cam: short movies through a rat's eyes Rats under a black light	Rat Biology Rat Anatomy Rat tails, Rat teeth, Rat claws, Rat eyes Those red tears: porphyrin and the Norway rat Why are rat testicles so big? Why rats can't vomit Are rats right-handed? The rat's pubic symphysis The dumbo rat mutation and human analogues Do rats have a collapsible skeleton? Rat Coat Biology Where do rat coat colors come from? Coat color, temperament, and domestication Also: coat color and temperament in rats, deermice White blazes and megacolon Australian blue rats: a hypothesis Where do rat coat types come from? Also: hairless mutation in mice and humans. How do albino rats differ from pigmented rats? Biological statistics of the Norway rat How soon can female rats conceive after giving birth? Rat rigor mortis
Rat Systematics Rat species, strains, breeds, and varieties Can Norway rats and roof rats interbreed? Quiz: Norway rat or roof rat? Rats and mice: what's the difference? Quiz: rat or mouse? Are rat-mouse hybrids possible? Taxonomy of rodent pets History of the Norway rat	Wild Rats Wild rat behavior Wild rats in captivity, domestic rats in the wild Wild rats and disease Wild rat bites Do rats have a dry bite? Map of wild Norway rats in California	Rat Health Notes Tumors and spaying Spaying and post-spay tumor incidence in a pet rat population What does neutering do? Pregnancy and mammary tumors How soon can female rats conceive after giving birth? White blazes and megacolon Australian blue rats: a hypothesis Male rat weight How old is a rat in human years? Martin's cage overview Dirty cages aggravate mycoplasma Also see research article Comparative studies of different types of rat bedding

I've also written some fun stuff about rats -- illustrated stories, spoofs, rat artwork, and an interactive quiz. Enjoy!  

Rat Humor

• Rat art
  • Paw Painting by Rats: Widget, Cricket and Snip display their artistic skills with paw painting.
    Visit Behind the Scenes and Tail Painting and Rats on Canvas to see the grand masters at work.
• Interactive
  • Quiz: rat or mouse?
  • Quiz: Norway rat or roof rat?
  • Rat Maze Simulator
• Spoofs
  • Pet Brick FAQ
  • Rat Laundry
  • Rat-English Dictionary
  • Courses from Rat University
  • Rat products
  • Rat Real Estate
  • 88 Lines about 44 Rats
  • The Mouse's Tale
• Stories
  • Rats and Eggshells
  • Peas, peas peas
  • Nutcracker
  • Free range time with Widget, Cricket and Snip
  • A Noodle Adventure
  • On this winter morning
  • Rat photo album

Updates: Last updated June 10, 2008

• Russian