Rat Behavior and Biology

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

Rat Behavior

Norway rat behavior repertoire

Expanded articles:

What is my rat doing? FAQ

Glossary of rat behavior terms

Norway rat vocalizations

Glass-sided digging box

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 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

Wild Rats

Rat Health Notes

Tumors and spaying

Spaying and post-spay tumor incidence in a pet rat population

Rat Humor and Fun Stuff

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
- Spoofs
- Stories

Updates: Last updated June 24, 2025.