Do Rats Make Chirping Noises?

Rats make many types of noise for differing reasons. Chirping is, indeed, one of these noises. Their noises are generally either a social noise or because they are ill. Rats carry many diseases, but are well-known to get a rat-disease called Mycoplasmic pneumonia. While humans can carry the disease bacteria in their nostrils, they do not get ill from it. Rats, on the other hand, can have the disease either as a minor cold or as a severe, life-threatening respiratory illness.



Rats perform a strange behavior, termed boggling, in which they “boggle” their eyes. The means their eyes will bulge out and swing around in circles. This behavior is done in concert with “bruxing,” which is grinding their teeth down, which must be done because their teeth grow continually throughout their lives. The “boggling and bruxing” is done when the rats are either contented or very anxious about something.

In terms of social interaction, rats have many different noises, meant for different moods. Chirping hiccupping noises are heard when the rats are just waking up. A whine is heard when a pup is calling its mother to come to it. A squeak is a sound of surprise, such as when another rat sneaks up on one. A grunt means the rat is getting excited—either happy or angry. A revving noise, like a car revving, or hissing means that the rat is angry, and growing more and more angry. And, finally, a screech means that rats are fighting. And that is definitely not a pleasant sound.

One would be unlikely to hear rats’ illness noises unless one were very close to them. They will whistle, sneeze, gurgle, and wheeze when they are ill. They can cough and choke, as well, if their disease has progressed to the severe range. Almost all rats have the Mycoplasmic pneumonia bacteria in them; it is when they become ill from it that they begin to make “sick noises.” This illness can run the gamut from a mild cough to a severe upper respiratory illness, and even to death, if not treated with certain antibiotics.

Rats do carry many illnesses that are transmissible to humans, but unless one has close contact, they are unlikely to hear any illness-producing noises. Most of these types of diseases are either from a rat biting a human directly, or, more commonly, from a human breathing the aerosolized bacteria from rat feces, which usually cause an upper respiratory illness in humans.

Read the How to get rid of rats page for helpful information and to learn more about Do Rats Make Chirping Noises?

Do Rats Make Chirping Noises?

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