# Huffing?



## xoxofreak5000 (Jun 26, 2013)

Does anyone else's rat huff when they're trying to pick a fight?

Whenever any animal comes near my rat cage Oscar gets himself into quite the tizzy and starts jumping around, making grabby hands, and trying to stick his face through the cage bars all while making huffing noises. He doesn't discriminate - he's done it to my cats, dog, guinea pig, rabbit, and even my new hamster whose cage has to be placed next to the rat cage (though not close enough that they could ever make contact, even though the hamster's bar spacing is too small for that anyways). As a side note, I tried to place the hamster's cage up high on a dresser but my cat knocked over all my cacti and broke my favorite pot so a cage move was necessary.

Out of all my rats Oscar is the only one who's ever made little nose exhales while he tries to get any other animal that comes near his cage. It's really hilarious and adorable when he does it and I'm sure it's not a medical issue since he just seems to be overly enthusiastic about his chase. I'm just curious if anyone else has encountered this with their rat.


----------



## Finnebon (Jul 15, 2013)

When rats get all grumpy and riled up I think it's so hilarious and cute too! I know it's undesireable behaviors, but they just look so silly. It's really way more adorable than it is intimidating haha.

My biggest boy Berki is the defender of the family. He gets huffy at the other 3 rats who are his "nextdoor neighbors". We have tried to bond them in the past, but are taking a break now. One of his favorite things is to lounge on the middle shelf where he can doze off while keeping an eye on the neighbors. Sometimes if the 3 start playing or making noises, or if he sees any other funny business going on, he will get huffy and he kind of digs his front feet very quickly in front of him on the fleece. It's so cute!! We call him the big bad wolf who will huff and puff and blow their house down, lol! If he gets too worked up, he will have an argument with his brother. Nothing serious, but it certainly makes him grumpy and he seems to want to wrestle and power groom someone after haha.

I should maybe add that ONE time he got a little too worked up. I think he must have been sleeping or otherwise just a little out of it. After I handled the newer rats, I didn't wash my hands and I put my hands in his cage, and Berki got a whiff of the new guys and felt/saw the movement of my hand right next to him and turned and sunk his teeth quite furiously in between my thumb and index finger, all while kicking and clawing frantically at my hand. It wasn't too bad, and luckily he bit in a meaty part of my hand rather than a bony finger. He seemed almost as surprised as I was once he realized what happened. So just thought I'd mention it if your guy gets all huffy and fluffy at the other animals, be sure to wash your hands to be safe!

(grumpy rats are pretty darn cute though ;D)


----------



## Mojojuju (Nov 15, 2014)

I have a rat who makes huffy noises when he's sniffing REALLY HARD at something, too. Puts his nose to a narrow opening like under a door, and huff huff huff!

Tryin' to get a good whiff. He does this in his carrier, too. Little pink nose stickin' out the holes. Cute!


----------



## xoxofreak5000 (Jun 26, 2013)

I absolutely love when Oscar huffs and it does usually get the other pet's attention, though I've never had any actual fights between the pets. So cute! I love when he makes grabby hands between the bars too. He's been doing it pretty often at the hamster, but George (the hamster) doesn't seem to mind and I think it's good exercise for Oscar - he's been putting on a lot of weight since I brought him home from the shelter!

Finnebon, I didn't even think to call him the big bad wolf; what a cute idea! Berki sounds like quite the character. I'm pretty careful around my rodents after my finger got clean-bitten through one time when I was changing my gerbil's water bottle and he was feeling especially territorial. I don't want a repeat of that except with bigger teeth! So far I've not had any major rat bites and I'd like to keep it that way. I've actually been letting the rats smell my fingers after I handle George and they're very gentle about it, but definitely interested. I'll be careful not to transfer smells while they're in their cage though, since they get territorial about it.


----------

