Weird clicking noise from my baby rat

Question
QUESTION: Hi, I just bought my first rat yesterday, he's a fancy rat, half grey half white, and I'm in love with him all ready. So I was concerned when I heard a frequent "clicking" noise that he makes. It seems to almost be synchronized with the movement of his nose and whiskers, but I could be wrong. He's roughly 6 weeks old, and he breaths a bit fast.. And I was thinking it could be nervousness. I'm 17, this is my first "personal" pet for me, and I want to make sure everything is okay. Thanks alot. He's a male, by the way.

The clicking noise is pretty constant and seems a little rapid when I hold him.

ANSWER: Hi Jake


Does it sound like he is grinding his teeth, by chance? If so, this is what is called "bruxing" and they do it when they are happy or content, almost like when a cat purrs.  Also, if you watch closely, when they brux, their eyes may vibrate real fast in their sockets. Its pretty wild looking to be honest. This is called boggling and usually goes hand in hand with bruxing when the rat is bruxing really loud. The vibration in the eyes is nothing to worry about and it is caused  by the fast grinding of the rats teeth during bruxing that causes the muscles in the eyes to vibrate too.  Its kind of cute really and it means he likes you:)

However, sometimes they brux when they dont feel well or if they are really angry with, say, another rat, and are ready to fight.  
In this case though I would say he is happy.

I am glad you have a male. Females are very prone to mammary tumors. I will warn you though that another thing males are famous for doing is leaving little trails of urine on their owner. He is marking you as his own property so take that as a compliment too.   Nothing that an unscented diaper wipe cant take care of (to wash it off yourself, that is!  LOL!!)


One last thing though...if it doesnt sound like its from his teeth, hold your ear to his chest to be sure you do not hear any congestion.
We do want to make sure he doesnt have the sniffles since I cant hear the sound he is making.  Perhaps you can look on you tube (or U tube) however the heck you say it (LOL!!) and type in the search box
BRUXING RATS or RATS BRUXING and see if you can compare the sounds to what your new little guy is making.

If you REALLY want to make him happy, you should buy him a "brother" from the same litter he came from.  Rats are super social animals and should always be kept in same sex pairs.

Hope this helps!  let me know if you find bruxing on you tube!



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Well he is 6 weeks old, and when i bought him, i bought him from a store, and there was a large white rat with him, and he cuddled with her and i'm assuming it was his mother. So he could be angry, it's logical.

I youtube'd bruxing and the ones i could find with clear sound, sounds familiar but not quite enough for me..
It may be because he's younger, might sound different for him.
But it sounds like a little clicky noise, not so much a grinding, and he just does it constantly, and he chews away at his fruit stick and im pretty sure hes eating and drinking well, (due to the amount of poop i'm going to have to clean up soon lol)

ANSWER: Hi Jake


Do you have a vet in your area that sees exotics? Believe it or not, our rats are considered EXOTIC PETS and that sounds nutty but its true.
The exotic pet is pretty much just a pet that is beyond the ordinary pet to have as a  companion animal aside from the cat or dog, so a hamster, turtle, bird, rat or rabbit are classified as exotic pets and not every vet is knowledgeable in their care which is why its important to find one before you need one so when and if the time comes you wont have to waste precious time trying to find a vet that will see your rat.

That clicky noise does have me concerned. Sometimes rats can get respiratory infections and it can cause some odd sounds when they breathe. I was hoping it was just him bruxing. I would say that if it sounds like he has a "cold" although rats do NOT get a cold, they can and do suffer from respiratory infections that need medication right away before it turns into pneumonia and becomes fatal or causes scar tissue in the delicate lungs and creates chronic lung disease, so if you think you hear any congestion, he needs a vet right away.
Do you work? My son is looking for a job (he is 17 also) but I home school him and am trying to talk him out of working until he is done with school but he wants his "own money" which I can understand.
If you don't work, mom and dad of course may have to give you a loan for the vet bill but you can   give them an IOU and promise once you do get a job if you don't have one, that you will pay them back.
A good place to work is for the vet. Ask if they are hiring even if you go there just to walk the dogs! Getting your foot in the door of a vet clinic is a great way to get a discount on rat care in the future:)

As for playing with him and letting him out to play, here are some tips for you.  As you know, he is fast and probably slippery as heck. You don't want him to jump out of your hands and run and hide from you. Sometimes these little rats can get lost and fit into a hole the size of a quarter and actually get inside the walls!!!!!  What to do is construct a play area for him with smooth sides that he cant climb up and if he can jump, which rats can jump up to 3 and 4 feet from ground up, believe it or not, you want to make the barricade high, about 3.5 feet.  You can use flat cardboard boxes, putting them together by masking tape or if your handy, make notches in them and fit them together. Make it as big as you want   but big enough that YOU can sit in there with the rat since you and he must bond and he needs to learn to trust you.  Put the cage and yourself inside the cardboard "corral" or playpen, whatever you want to call it, and be sure to have some fun toys for the rat to play with!  Rats HATE those ball thingys so don't even bother buying one.  Wheels? Some rats like them, most don't, because they are so smart they know they are running to nowhere in them!  LOL
Make cardboard castles! Cut holes out for doors and windows in boxes, even a shoe box.  A fun thing I love to do is make a box and put put socks in it or rags, and toss in some cheerios, and watch him dig through the socks or rags for the treats. Paper bags (never plastic) are fun for them to explore in too.  Give him white paper towels and watch him carry them around and rip them up. He is a baby so give him small pieces of the paper towel, ripping one sheet into four pieces, or he will trip on it trying to drag it!  LOL

Check out my website for all kinds of info on rat care. There is alot to learn and its a good idea to educate yourself as much as you can. You would be shocked to know some of the stuff there is to know about rats...for example: Rats do NOT carry rabies, rats can become pregnant at 5 weeks old, rats tails are an extension of their spinal cord and regulate their body temp, they should never be picked up by their tail. Rats are social animals and should be with other rats (same sex of course) Pine and cedar: BAD NEWS for them and should not be used:
rats are legally blind (if they were human, that is!!) rats can bite with 10 pounds of pressure in their jaws as adults: rats teeth, believe it or not, do NOT overgrow if they dont chew on things. Natural grinding during eating and also bruxing are the way rats keep their teeth to a normal length, so its an old wives tail that rats must gnaw on something or their teeth will grow out of their heads!!
Anyhow, check my website for tons of info and cute pictures too.

http://www.freewebs.com/crittercity/allaboutratcare.htm

Don't forget, let me know your location (zip code is fine) and I can find you a good vet for your rat if you need one)

Regards

Sandy

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I live in Chesapeake, Virginia zip code 23322.
SUrrounding cities are Virginia Beach and Norfolk.
I really wanna make sure hes ok. Thanks so much for all the help you're a life saver.

Answer
The vet below has an AWESOME reputation and has written articles for exotic animal magazines and has extensive experience with small animals such as rats etc.... Your lucky to be able to see this vet. My vet is awesome and I would not trade him for the world, but Dr. Fisher is really awesome, too. I did a driving directions to find the distance from your city to Virginia Beach and its about 14 miles which is great. I have to drive 45 minutes to my vet and alot of other people do, too.
Your LUCKY to have this vet available to you and your rat. I would make an appt for ASAP to be sure everything is OK which it probably is.

Please let me know how it goes and the diagnosis. I can learn from him!

Dr. Peter Fisher
Pet Care Veterinary Hospital    
Virginia Beach VA 23462
Phone:    757-473-0111
Website: www.petcarevabeach.com