Rats make a variety of sounds and vocalizations, most of which are a form of communication that let others know how they are feeling.
By knowing what rat noises mean, you’ll better understand their behavior and mood. In this video, we will explore the most common sounds that rats make and explain what they mean.


Bruxing: The Rat Purr
Ever heard your rat grinding their teeth? That's called bruxing, and it's like a rat purr.
When your rat is relaxed and feeling super content, they'll grind their teeth gently and repetitively. It's a sign that they're in their happy place, enjoying the good vibes.

As rodents, rats have constantly growing teeth that must be filed naturally to prevent problems. Gently grinding their incisors helps to wear these teeth down.
But remember, on occasion, rats may also brux when they are stressed. To know if your rat’s bruxing is due to contentment or stress, just observe their body language. If they are tense, acting scared, not eating, or have other unusual behaviors, it's likely that the bruxing is a sign of stress. In such cases, a vet visit is necessary.

Squeaks
These are the most familiar rat sounds. Rats make highpitched squeaks and chirps to communicate with one another. They use these squeaks to share different messages, like warnings or friendly greetings. Through these squeaks, rats can convey various messages, from warnings to friendly greetings.
Scientists have found that when rats are happy, they make quicker, higherpitched squeaks. But when they're not happy, they make longer, lowerpitched squeaks. If your rats are playing and making squeak sounds, it probably means they're happy and having a good time. But if a rat squeaks and runs away when you try to pick it up, it is a sign they are scared, and do not want to be held.

It's a bit like how dogs bark with a highpitched tone when they're happy or excited, but they bark in a low tone when they're angry.

Chewing:
Rats are avid chewers.
They chew and gnaw on various materials to maintain their teeth and create pathways. If you hear these sounds in your walls, attic, or behind appliances, it could indicate the presence of rats in your home.

Screaming
Rats are capable of making a very loud screaming sound, but most people will never hear it. Screaming is a very uncommon and disconcerting sound. It’s a very highpitched shrieking scream.
More often than not, rats scream when they are extremely scared, or when they are under attack or in a lot of pain.
If you have a pet rat, hopefully you never have to hear them scream, but if you do, make sure to find the source of the problem.


Now that we talked about some common rat noises, let’s talk about 10 common rat behaviors and body language signals.

Boggling
Boggling is when a rat’s eyes appear to vibrate and move quickly in and out of the socket. The eyes can get quite large and it looks hilarious.
The movement often occurs at the same time as Bruxing, or tooth grinding.
The reason why Bruxing and Eye Boggling occur together has to do with how their jaw muscles are positioned behind their eyes.
More often than not, boggling is considered normal and occurs when a rat is happy. In some cases, rats can boggle when they’re stressed, too. You’ll sort of know it when you see it. They’ll give off signs of stress, like poofy fur, hunched posture, or trying to hide.