My Rat Sways?

Question

I bought a rat from pet o rama and when he is sitting he sways his head back and forth. could this be anything serious or could he just be scared?

Answer 1

Rats have better senses of smell and hearing than eyesight ... and they use their whiskers extensively to sense their surroundings.

As the rat sways, usually its head only but sometimes it's upper torso, it is trying to get a better "feel" for it's enviroment because it cannot see it.

As the rat habitat and general surrounding area becomes more "stationary" the rat will seem to sway less as it will not sense many differences and become accustomed to its home. This is not a bad thing, just means your rat is getting more comfortable with you and its living space.

Now, if your rat is swaying and tilting its head while it walks around, you may have a serious problem and should be taking your rat to the vet ... quickly!

Answer 2

Some of our rats have done this so they can get a better look @ something. These guys don't have very good vision & the pink or red-eyed rats do this more often than black-eyed rats do. Our hairless does this sometimes (she has ruby eyes) & our siamese male did too, but not his twin sister, so did their mom. They seem to do it more if they're nervous or uncertain about something, so your guy will probably do this less often after he's settled in.

Answer 3

well that is just them being scared and telling u that they are it will just take them a little getting used to.. and if it still goes on maybe he or she was miss treated at pet o rama

Answer 4

haha im not sure why but one of mine does too. nothings wrong, i dont think but maybe you should take it to the vet to be sure.

Answer 5

Aye, mine too. They're just looking.

Answer 6

he's a dee dee dee