# Hanging head over ledge?



## Fusion200 (Apr 30, 2014)

I have one rat that does that ALLOT, she has ALWAYS done it, she is perfectly active, eats, plays, cuddles and more, is the hanging just a behavior?


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## nanashi7 (Jun 5, 2013)

If she is doing it while sleeping, it can be. Otherwise it is a way rats use to help them breathe and can be an early sign of sickness.


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## Fusion200 (Apr 30, 2014)

She does it when she is resting or sleeping, but she doesn't always sleep in such a way that her head even can hang, sometimes she sleeps curled togheter tightly, hugging another rat or in the house on the floor.


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## Kitterpuss (May 9, 2014)

Mine used to sleep like this when he was younger. He would perch on his wooden bridge and hang his head over the rungs. No sign of sickness. I think he just liked hanging out like that!


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## PawsandClaws (Jul 22, 2014)

My rat Klaus does this when he is resting. He likes to sleep in odd places/positions but is otherwise healthy and active. We wonder how it is ever comfortable for him. He especially likes to stick his tail end off the CN shelves and hang his rump suspended onto nothingness. Again, just a behaviour (at least for us) since our exotics vet gave him a clean bill of health on multiple check ups. If there are no other symptoms of possible illness and the rat seems okay otherwise, I would not worry too much about it.


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## pwoink (Feb 19, 2013)

My boys like hanging out like that. They've had respiratory issues that were treated with antibiotics, but the frequency of hanging their heads didn't seem to be affected. I guess it's just comfy.


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## thatprettyarcanine (Aug 16, 2014)

Mine do this and my mice do this as well. I think it's just comfortable to them


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## anawelch (Sep 25, 2013)

My boys do this but they don't always sleep. They seem to just hang out and rest like that. They do like to sleep in weird ways though. They both sleep in curled up balls with their head touching the floor and they sleep with their butts hanging out of the hammock. All of my animals have weird ways of sleeping.


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## RadiantRatties (Jul 28, 2014)

I have a rat who does this but there's a hole in one if the levels and she sticks her head through it and sleeps like that.


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## Tesumph (Aug 12, 2014)

Lol! I was gonna ask this same question. My two young girls both do this. They tuck their legs underneath them and just rest with their heads hanging over the edge lol. My adult male likes to cover himself in fleece and sleep with just his nose poking through. S'cute.


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