Is it common for rats to eat another rat? Maybe the rat was already dead when they ate it, I'm not sure. But I have 4 rats who apparently ate part of the other one who may have already been dead. They are all females if that matters!
2007-05-30 15:08:38 · 12 answers · asked by Gossip Girl! 4 in Pets ➔ Rodents
Well I dont know how big a square foot is, but they have lived together for like a year or so. Thanx to everyone for the serious answers.
2007-05-30 15:23:54 · update #1
Rats are OMNIVORES but they will NOT eat another healthy rat, no matter how hungry or crowded they are -- with one exception (I'll go into that in a minute).
They will, however, eat a DEAD rat -- for a very logical reason. In the wild, if a rat dies in the nest, the rotting body will smell and attract predators. So the surviving rats 'clean' the nest the only way they know how -- they eat the corpse. As horrific and distressing as this is to us, it's totally natural to them.
The only other time a rat will eat a rat is when a mother eats her newborn babies. She will do this for several reasons. She might be very young and this is her first litter -- she doesn't feel capable of raising them. She might be under extreme stress -- in an over crowded cage, for example. Or, she might know that something is wrong with the baby.
Again, this is NATURAL. Please don't judge them -- rats and other animals do not live by Human standards.
Also, rats need TWO cubic feet of space per rat. They need BIG cages!
I'm sorry your girl died.
2007-05-30 17:22:04 · answer #1 · answered by luvrats 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
the person towards the end answered this best. Yes they will only eat them if they are already dead to prevent predators coming or if a baby is born and it is sick or the mother is too stressed.
You can find out if your cage is big enough by multiplying the width times height times depth and dividing that number by 3456. The resulting number tells you how many rats your cage should hold.
2007-06-01 16:37:31 · answer #2 · answered by MaevePotter 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Actually yes, it's pretty common...they can do it for many reasons...
...if the dont have enough space...
...not enough food...
...and exspecially if one dies, they will eat it to keep it from rotting and making them sick...
Rats are omnivores...they eat seeds, fruits, veggies, and meat....
Don't be alarmed, if the cage is big enough for them and they always have fresh food, then she more than likely died and then they ate her...
It wont change thier temperment towards you or the other living rats in the cage...
BTW: a square foot is 12 inches long by 12 inches wide by 12 inches tall....or 30.5 cm x 30.5 cm x 30.5 cm
Hope this helps...GOOD LUCK!!!
2007-05-30 16:10:41 · answer #3 · answered by KaylaByrd 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
The wild rats might attack your puppy rat. Your rat won't run away (except you have an incredibly unsecured cage!), yet can obtain injuries in the time of the bars of the cage (and supply injuries to wild rats who challenge too heavily.) Plus, there are illnesses which would be transferred between the wild & puppy rat. The wild rats might desire to hold fleas, mites, and/or lice. they may be harboring a respiration ailment that would make a puppy rat truly unwell. it truly is truly no longer stated to deliver a puppy rat into the family, in case you enable wild rats to stay there. Plus, you will possibly might desire to get a pair or team of rats. no longer a single one. it may be unfair to the form of social animal!
2016-10-09 04:12:12 · answer #4 · answered by hume 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Rats will commonly eat other rats. Generally though, you're right. The one eaten is usually dead or wounded badly first due to a fight. They DO kill and eat mice, so as a rule...if you have rats around your house, you do not have mice. If you have mice...you do not have rats.
2007-05-30 15:12:33 · answer #5 · answered by Lisa E 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
they will cannibalize each other if they do not have enough room. to give you an idea of how much room they need. a twenty gallon aquarium is considered acceptable but on the small side for two rats.
2007-05-31 12:26:59 · answer #6 · answered by MommyCaleb 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sure they are taking care of their own. It might sound disgusting but they were doing what they thought was right. Guess they were making sure that it was indeed dead. More than likely it was dead or nearly.
2007-05-30 15:13:44 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, i think that is uncommon. Do your rats have enough space to roam around in? They should have one square foot of tank space each. If they don't have enough space, well, lets just say you won't have very happy rats!
2007-05-30 15:18:38 · answer #8 · answered by Lauren 2 · 0⤊ 4⤋
No taboos in ratland. Like us, they're omnivores, and cannibalism is just part of the survival game.
2007-05-30 15:12:58 · answer #9 · answered by PumpkinEater 4 · 0⤊ 3⤋
They will eat just about anything including each other, yes.
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2007-05-30 15:11:31 · answer #10 · answered by M00ND0CT0R 6 · 0⤊ 2⤋