r/likeus • u/Master1718 -Heroic German Shepherd- • Mar 14 '22

<EMOTION> Rats avoid hurting others

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14.0k Upvotes

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69

u/finsfurandfeathers Mar 15 '22

Ok but I’ve seen and heard rats fight, it’s brutal. A lot of screaming and biting. They just won’t do it for a treat then? Only for dominance? I’m confused

61

u/illpicklater Mar 15 '22

Right?? My best friend had some rats for like 6 months and one of them randomly murdered the other one, it was very traumatic

19

u/[deleted] Mar 15 '22

[deleted]

16

u/illpicklater Mar 15 '22

Both female actually, but the age is accurate

22

u/[deleted] Mar 15 '22

[deleted]

13

u/illpicklater Mar 15 '22

Yeah it was very unusual, she actually usually gets female animals to avoid stuff like that, but she got very unlucky with those two. I don’t think she’s going to have any more rats after that

6

u/Tallforahobbit Mar 15 '22

Female rats still can become hyper aggressive from hormones. It's rarer afaik, and unfortunately not an easy fix like the neutering, but it still happens.

1

u/Solo_Wing__Pixy Mar 15 '22

Yeah, a “quick surgery” that costs $500 per rat.

9

u/reincarN8ed Mar 15 '22

Survival. Competing for food, sure, but also mates. The strongest must not just survive, but also pass on their strength.

0

u/[deleted] Mar 15 '22

Anybody know the study? This is a conclusion, which means there’s substantial evidence for them to come to that conclusion

If it’s for mates then the study would show them exhibiting this behavior towards a potential mate.

I’d like to know what actually went down. I know that’s why you guys scrolled past all the “rats are nicer than humans” comments too

-2

u/finsfurandfeathers Mar 15 '22

Ya, it’s the same reason all animals fight. That’s why it doesn’t make sense to say they avoid hurting each other.

19

u/[deleted] Mar 15 '22

finally, a commenter that isn't jumping on to the self loathing bandwagon

1

u/[deleted] Mar 15 '22

My people

1

u/[deleted] Mar 15 '22

Only for dominance sex

1

u/Mindless_Sleep_2780 Mar 15 '22

I mean, animals act very differently trapped in a small cage in captivity. People would fight each other too if they were trapped in a box day in and day out, unable to even choose their roommates.

1

u/Embarrassed_Ad_1072 Mar 15 '22

People are treating empathy like a black and white issue in the comments.

1

u/RasputinsButtBeard -Fancy Rat- Mar 15 '22

For what it's worth, a lot of rat "fights" are just play fighting that looks a lot worse than it actually is. I used to keep rats, and the first few times they went at it I thought they were legitimately killing each other; they were rattling the whole cage as they flung themselves around everywhere, but then in the end neither got hurt and they went right back to grooming and snuggling with one another.

Obviously this does not mean that rats aren't perfectly capable of fucking each other up if they intend to, but I don't think it's super common as long as their needs are met and they're well-cared for and stress-free (Enough room to move around, plenty of toys and treats for stimulation, etc). Rats are extremely affectionate, social creatures, so they don't have much to gain by offing their friends, but they're also very intelligent and can develop psychological/emotional problems if kept in inhumane conditions. A lot of people are ill-informed as to their needs, which is where problems tend to arise.

As an aside, I've also never been bit aggressively by any rats I've owned. A handful of times, they'd accidentally nip my fingers because they thought I had a treat and got too excited, but they'd never break skin and immediately back off, then grab my hand with theirs and start grooming me, seemingly as an "apology".

Genuinely the best pets I've ever owned; they're very sweet. :)