So, for example, from the human audiogram you can see that people hear pretty well at 1,000Hz; here, the threshold of hearing is a scant 2 decibels. For rats, however, the threshold is more like 24dB. That means that a 20dB sound at 1,000Hz would be easily audible to you but would be entirely inaudible to the rodent.
This study of 16 rats per each of four conditions showed that they were able to pick up enough cues from the rhythm and intonation of human speech to tell spoken Dutch from spoken Japanese.
One such signal that has the potential to attract rats is prosocial 50 kHz calls.
The frequency range of rat hearing is approximately 250 Hz to 80 kHz with the greatest sensitivity occurring between 8 and 38 kHz, a range much higher than that found in humans. In contrast, the middle ear mucosa and ossicles are remarkably similar to humans.
Rats and rodents in general are very sensitive to sound, since it's one of their main tools for survival. Any new or unexpected noise will frighten them and send them scurrying. However, once rodents get used to a sound, they will no longer fear it.
Rats cannot tolerate smells such as ammonia, mothballs, peppermint oil, crushed cayenne pepper, and pepper spray due to their intensified sense of smell. Clean and uncluttered homes and yards scare rats due to the lack of food and places to hide, as well.
Rat sounds
Chirps and squeaks are common in mice, but rats tend to communicate at a pitch which is undetectable to humans. If a rat is afraid or in pain however, you may be able to hear squeaks or hissing sounds.
When rats enjoy tickling they emit high-pitched "laughter" that can't normally be heard by humans, the scientists found. In this video, the researchers transposed the audio of the squeaks to a lower frequency you can hear.
Rats can acquire fear by observing conspecifics that express fear in the presence of conditioned fear stimuli. This process is called observational fear learning and is based on the social transmission of the demonstrator rat's emotion and the induction of an empathy-like or anxiety state in the observer.
Rats Can Think About Thinking
Rats are capable of an intricate thought process called metacognition, which is uncommon among non-human and non-primate animal species.
Rats are nocturnal animals, so you'll often hear them during the night. Rats will make chattering, squeaking, scattering and hissing sounds to communicate to others in their colony. Rats like to move around the same areas, which is why you will hear these sounds in one area of your home.
Unlike cats and dogs, rats aren't nearly as vocal — to the human ear anyway — but they do have distinctive ways of communicating with their owners. Body language, physical actions, and some key sounds are all a part of the rat communication repertoire, and it's up to us to decode them.
Whistling or chirping: Rats may make high-pitched whistling or chirping sounds when they are happy or excited. Growling or grunting: Rats may growl or grunt when they feel threatened or aggressive. Screaming: Rats can make loud, high-pitched screams when they are in extreme distress or pain.
They become attached to each other, love their own families, and easily bond with their human guardians—returning as much affection as is given to them. Many rats will even “groom” a human companion's hand and would appreciate a massage, a scratch behind the ears, or even a tickle in return.
A study published recently has provided the first evidence of empathy-driven behavior in rodents. Appearing in the prestigious journal Science, the results of this landmark study show that untrained laboratory rats will free restrained companions, and this helping is triggered by empathy.
Pet rats enjoy being stroked by their owners and sometimes even enjoy a gentle massage, a scratch behind the ears, or a simple tickle. Rats have also been known to return the affection by "grooming" their owners.
Rats are actually scared of humans. They will do anything in their power to avoid being around a living being larger than them. However, if a rat feels cornered, it may attack in an attempt to protect itself.
Peppermint Oil
On a cotton ball use no more than 5 drops of 100% peppermint essential oil. Spread the oil on areas that you want rats to avoid, in your case, around the garden.
As it turns out, there are several smells that these pests cannot stand, which means you can use them to your advantage. But what exactly do mice and rats hate to smell? Mice can be kept away by using the smells of peppermint oil, cinnamon, vinegar, citronella, ammonia, bleach, and mothballs.
Rats can cry tears just like humans, and, like humans, they do so when they are sad, upset, stressed, or sick.
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 or far away.
A rat may make screeching or hissing sounds when he is confronted or attacking another. If your rat shows signs of anger or acts viciously toward another rat in the colony, separate him from the group and give him time to calm down before you reintroduce him to the cage.
Anxiety and fear produce similar behavioral responses, including increased vigilance, freezing and/or hypoactivity, elevated heart rate, and suppressed food consumption.
Both rats and mice are good climbers and can climb vertical walls and "shimmy" up between walls and drain pipes. Rats are also excellent swimmers and have been known to enter premises through the water traps of the toilet bowl when infestations occur in the main sewerage system.