# My rat making funny noise



## porkchopf150 (Jan 25, 2013)

I want to ask everyone's opinion on this. One of my three boys,Abbott, makes this purring/vibration sound. I only notice this sound when he is on my shoulder running around close to my ear. However, when he sticks his nose in my ear or I hold him close to my ear to listen, he stops making it. His breathing sounds normal when rat phoning him and he other wise looks fine and plays fine. I have been watching him very closely. But this has gone on the last two months. So I'm guessing it's nothing to do with a uri. Has anyone ever heard this odd sound from a rat before? Or am I going nuts? I will add he is only about seven months old.







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## Mitsy (Apr 8, 2013)

If it's like a chattering teeth sound I would say he's bruxing which means he is happy.


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## porkchopf150 (Jan 25, 2013)

Its not a chattering our boggling sound. I'm positive its coming from inside him some how. It's almost like a cat purring.

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## skar (Aug 3, 2013)

I wouldn't worry about it. Doesn't sound like a bad thing.
I just got a rat that was drooling  just shrug it off . . .


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## Mjcook0 (Aug 13, 2013)

Have u noticed the noise any other time than when he's with u?


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## alexn (Sep 30, 2012)

Drooling is usually something you should really look into...

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## lalalauren (Jul 3, 2013)

I don't know if this will help, but here's a video I took of the noise my Badger was making which turned out to be a URI (which has now infected my two other boys) :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffhyDpTd70I

His lungs sounded fine, both when rat-phoning and to the vet, but then my other boys started making similar noises, kind of like grunting/guinea-pig squeaks. It wasn't constant, but it was more likely when we were out playing, and I assumed it was because they were running around more and so breathing faster? Now that it has been diagnosed as a URI, I try to listen to them with rat-phone so I know what I'm looking for in the future, but whenever one is making a noise, I pick him up and he seems to stop. 

If your rat is making this sort of vocalised noise, it may be an issue. But if it just sounds like teeth grinding, it's probably fine. One of my rats also made a very loud, deep bruxing sort of noise when I accidentally stressed him out the other week - he's quite lazy, and I misunderstood his curiosity for wanting to come out and play, so I took him out but he wasn't happy about it.

Edit: Oh, and while I was researching URI, I discovered that some rats can make these noises for months before any physical deterioration (lack of energy, not eating/drinking, etc) is noticable. 

So yeah, if it's rhythmic (like breathing), maybe get it checked out, but if it seems like a happy bruxing noise, it's probably nothing.


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## porkchopf150 (Jan 25, 2013)

The only time I can hear it is when he is on my shoulder next to my ear. It's not real loud at all.like a faint purring vibration. I don't know if he is making it because he is happy our what.I would record it but I don't think it could be heard on the video. Boy do I wish rats could talk human. 

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## sugarandpepper (Aug 14, 2013)

My rat does the exact same thing as your rat does, she's done it almost all her life. It's completely fine an natural for a rat to do it (sharpening her teeth) I wouldn't look into It too much 


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## Finnebon (Jul 15, 2013)

Does it sound like a coffee pot that's bubbling? You know those automatic coffee makers and how they have that kinda bubbling sound when it's percalating? Our 3 boys all had that noise at different times that they would do occasionally, not all the time, and it was the beginning of a URI. Thankfully it didn't spread to their lungs and was stopped with antibiotic treatments while it was still in their nose/sinuses. It's kind of cute noise that sounds like a cat purring, but it's not a good sign. That's just one of the noises for a URI that I've heard and I'm sure there are many others that all point towards URI.

Also Skar, I don't think drooling is normal either and you should maybe at least call a rat vet to see what they say about it.


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## AJ Black-Savage (Aug 6, 2013)

A rat drooling can mean there is something wrong with its teeth so get it checked out, unsure what the sound can be, unless I heard it myself  sorry cant help more with that xxxxx


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## skar (Aug 3, 2013)

Lol I appreciate the concern but . . . No. nothing wrong with the rat, just drools when its ears are being rubbed.


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