Vancouver Vets About Small Animals
Posted by danielm
Reputation of rats is not very nice. Pilferer, gross, vermin, filthy – you name it, they have been called it! For most of us , “companion” is certainly not the first word that comes to mind when they talk about these small animals . When you take a closer look, though , you may be very surprised finding that rats are amazing animals.
Rats have had a close relationship with people for a long time. Our towns and cities draw them in, providing a constant supply of food and plenty of shelter. So as we moved around the globe, rats followed – and multiplied. In fact, rats outnumber humans on almost every continent in the world.
Rats are really cool animals with some amazing abilities:
Smell you later. Smell helps rates communicate. By sniffing, a rat can tell a lot about other rats – like whether they are male of female, how old they are, what they have been eating and whether they are family members.
The world though whiskers. Whiskers may well be more important than sight for a rat. More sensitive than our fingertips, tats use their whiskers to create a detailed picture of the world around them. Their whiskers sweep back and forth, about seven times per second, brushing over the ground, objects, food and other rats. Each whisker can move by itself and in different directions. Rats can also extend their whiskers as far as two inches in front of their noses to “see” what’s in front of them.
Rats are nimble. Rats are excellent climbers and swimmers. They can scale vertical surfaces and walk along ropes and power lines, just like tightrope walkers in circus. With their whiskers helping keep their heads above water, rats can swim for kilometers. They can even hold their breath and swim underwater.
Rats chat. Rats “talk” with different squeaks. They also talk using ultrasonic sounds only rats can hear. Baby rats have a special call when they want their mother. Another unique noise is made by rats when they are upset – when they smell a predator, are in pain or lose a fight with another rat.
An amazing tail. Rats’s tail help them to regulate their body heat. The tail makes up only 5 percent of rat’s surface area, but it can dissipate about 17 percent of rat’s body heat. Rats use their tails to regulate their temperature by controlling the flow of blood through their tail – pumping more blood to cool themselves and less blood to stay warm.
A blurry rat world. Rat eyesight is poor – about 20 times worse than our own. Their depth perception is not good either, making it hard for them to judge whether objects are close of far away.
Rats make excellent companions. They are smart and affectionate, not to mention entertaining to watch and hang out with. They each have their own unique personality and are fun to get to know. Bring your small companion to our Animal Hospital in Vancouver for the basic health checkup. Our Vancouver vets are highly qualified small animal vets in Vancouver and we will be happy to see you with your little friends at our vet clinic in Vancouver.