# My rat yawns a lot, does this mean anything?



## hatchethottie

Hi

One of my two rats yawns an awful lot. He seems to do it a lot when being handled, but also quite a bit in his cage. I can't see it being because he is tired because he does it all the time. Is it a nervous thing? He's only 3 months old and although I can pick him up / pet him - he's still getting used to me so I put it down to this. He has also had 'new home' sneezes. The other male rat however has had neither. It is worth mentioning that the yawning rat is slightly more dominant and when I pet him, he sometimes moves away from me but not in a fearful way, more like a 'how dare you touch me' sort of way, then gently sniffs and nibbles my fingers which is definitely not a bite. Could the yawning be a dominance thing?

Thanks in advance!


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## hatchethottie

Just to clarify  I have picked him up and listened to his lungs and I can't hear anything like wheezing so sure there's no problems there.


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## begoodtoanimals

It could be a stress reliever (calming signal to the other rat or you) like with dogs.


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## lilspaz68

I have noticed excessive yawning in males to be a fear aggressive thing. They are warning you they aren't comfortable. Give him time, and watch his body language.


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## hatchethottie

Hmmmm yeah that's what I thought. I'm getting confused because when I first got him he was dominant and a bit of a bully, and even the quieter / more calm one when holding him. Although now when I pick him up he squeaks more than the other rat, although he does seem to challenge my hand when I stroke him. If I stroke his nose and inbetween his eyes he stays dead still, like he's saying 'I'm not scared of you' but then if I stroke down one side of his body he follows my fingers like he's going to bite, but he never does.


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## ema-leigh

Since hes only three months old, I'd get him neutered! The issues may get worse once he gets his hormones in and you may actually end up with a biter.


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