# can rats be gay???



## rattyandseekersmum

just took our rats to the petshop as they guy there wanted to breed from them. so thats all good, we introduced the boys to the in heat girls, and thought everything would go fine and dandy.
apparently not -_-
our little rat seeker, was all game for a festive time
ratty on the other hand, curled up in the corner, and went to sleep, even with 3 in heat females poking him and being nosey. then the petshop owner put him in with the boys, and it was as if mating season had just been announced -_-
is it possible we have a gay rat?


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## Korra

Do you have pedigrees on your rats?


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## rattyandseekersmum

no. they came from the same pet shop, and the father died, and since they are the only two whole boys from that father, the pet shop dude wants to breed from them again, since they are so nice natured. 
hes the only place i would bother letting use our males for breeding, since they arent pedigree or anything like that. its just for the nature of them pretty much. but doesnt look like that will happen with ratty any time soon -_-


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## Babs

Well...the ethical issues of letting your rats breed females for a pet shop aside, I personally don't think there's such a thing as sexual orientation in the animal world. 

If they're up for it they're up for it, if they're not then they're not. They're not gonna get all squicky about their choice of partner because their buddies might call them gay. But that's just me.


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## gal5150

Perhaps Ratty has a conscience and saw the ethical dilemma of the wholr thing and chose to do the right thing.


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## rattyandseekersmum

why would he only try and mate with the boys? thats what confused me. the little one was happy to be with girls. 
ethical wise, i know if there are baby rats, that they wont be feeder rats, as we dont have them here. plus im allowed to select 2 if i wish.


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## gal5150

He mounts males because that is a dominance thing that rats do. It is not attempts to mate and is not sexual. The issue with backyard, or in your case pet shop, breeding without pedigrees and detailed histories is that you could be breeding generations of medically and or tempermentally flawed animals. Its a risky practice.


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## Babs

Some of my males used to mount each other. My females do it sometimes too. As said above, it's just a dominance thing.  

I'm sure it would help if you told him you'll love him no matter what rings his bell! Or maybe he just doesn't want children. Have you asked him?


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## Awaiting_Abyss

Rats can be homosexual. It has been proven and that is one way that scientists have been studying homosexuality. The brain is actually different than a heterosexual rat. However, mounting can be dominance thing and it might not mean you have a homosexual rat, but there is a difference between simply mounting and mounting to mate. Though if he did refuse to mate with a female who is in heat, he may be. Who knows. 

Many animals can be homosexual. Koalas are one of those animals that the females actually prefer the same sex rather than the opposite. 
There is also a lizard (forgot the name of it... ) that can actually lay eggs with another female. - found the name of the lizard. New Mexico Whiptail.

I once had a homosexual chicken (well.. she was more bisexual.. because I eventually found a single rooster that she liked.), and my dog is bisexual (he actually had a loving relationship with my male cat, but the cat is gone now).

Try searching "homosexuality in animals" on google and it will bring up a list of animals that have been recorded to be homosexual.


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## Aloemantra

I have two boys and when ever we let ten out for free range time, mantra who is a week younger then aloe always tries to hump aloe! An aloe has terrible vision and gets freaked out ten goes and hides, though wen there in they are in the cage he never tries to! Oh well, gay rats or straight rats there still as equal as gay and straight humans!


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## unlikelyfather

Awaiting_Abyss said:


> Rats can be homosexual. It has been proven and that is one way that scientists have been studying homosexuality. The brain is actually different than a heterosexual rat. However, mounting can be dominance thing and it might not mean you have a homosexual rat, but there is a difference between simply mounting and mounting to mate. Though if he did refuse to mate with a female who is in heat, he may be. Who knows.
> 
> Many animals can be homosexual. Koalas are one of those animals that the females actually prefer the same sex rather than the opposite.
> There is also a lizard (forgot the name of it... ) that can actually lay eggs with another female. - found the name of the lizard. New Mexico Whiptail.
> 
> I once had a homosexual chicken (well.. she was more bisexual.. because I eventually found a single rooster that she liked.), and my dog is bisexual (he actually had a loving relationship with my male cat, but the cat is gone now).
> 
> Try searching "homosexuality in animals" on google and it will bring up a list of animals that have been recorded to be homosexual.





Most definitely this.

I'm inclined to say that if he isn't sick and he wasn't interested in three females that were in heat, then he's probably not interested in females. Does it really matter all that much? He's still the same rat you had yesterday, last week, and a month ago.


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## Babs

I've been secretly shipping Dobby and Rory pretty hard so it's good to know that in rat world homosexuality exists. They have a chance! </3

I joke, but seriously that is interesting that animals can be gay. I didn't think they actually thought about it. I assumed most, if not all animals are just kind of bisexual. They don't have a society to call them names, if they wanna get it done and there's only a rat of the same sex nearby, then dammit they'll do it! :')


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## rattyandseekersmum

lol i know hes still the same rat i had yesterday, a week ago, a month ago  and i still love him the same
was just wondering if he was gay, or if i needed to get his hormones checked. but since he seems just fine and dandy otherwise, no sickness and definitely no lethargy (been the most active hes been in weeks), then i think i will just consider him my wee gay ratty


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## Flashygrrl

You might want to go review the rules before you continue on with this topic.


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