More cognitively driven forms of empathy, such as targeted helping and perspective-taking, were once thought to be seen exclusively in humans and non-human primates. However, a growing body of evidence suggests that many mammals, including rodents, express these more complex empathic behaviors [4,5,6].
Once thought of as a uniquely human characteristic, empathy has been observed in nonhuman primates and now also in rats.
Rat shares emotions of others
When rats are scared, their natural reaction is to freeze to avoid being detected by predators. The researchers found that the rat also froze when it observed another rat exposed to an unpleasant situation. This finding suggests that the observing rat shared the emotion of the other rat.
Humans and rodents have similar brain structures that regulate empathy, suggesting the behavior is deeply rooted in mammal evolution.
Rats are often very affectionate animals and will form close bonds with their human carers (lots of them love to relax on an owner's lap). They also love being tickled - and will remember which humans have tickled and played with them in the past, and will prefer to spend time with those people.
They are very social and love to hang out with human family members on the couch or on peoples' shoulders or in their laps. They will even try to groom their human companions as if these people were other rats in their “rat pack.” Pet rats love the warmth and contact of their caretakers and are actually very cuddly! 4.
Dogs have “puppy eyes,” but rats are just as gifted at looking pitiful to get your attention. You've probably noticed your rats hovering at the cage door, staring at you with pleading eyes. Whether they are begging to be fed, let out to play, or looking for a snuggle, this is a sure sign they want your attention.
It has been recorded that elephants are one of the world's most empathetic animals. Empathy means that one can sense others' emotions and understand what they are feeling.
Not known for their fighting abilities, they'll be able to flee before they're spotted. They'll be able to detect the scent of large birds, cats, and even humans when it matters the most.
In fact, if you looked through the eyes of a rat, you would see that they perceive the world through a blurry haze. They can only see a few feet at best and are relatively nearsighted critters, so if your pet rat is not reacting to your presence across a large room, it is because they cannot see you.
In fact, many rats mourn the death of their friends; my rat Fidget cried for a week after his cagemate Bubonic (“Boo”) died. - Yes, I said he cried! Rats can cry tears just like humans, and, like humans, they do so when they are sad, upset, stressed, or sick.
Rats are capable of an intricate thought process called metacognition, which is uncommon among non-human and non-primate animal species. Simply put, metacognition is the ability to think about your own thinking.
Rats Are Personable Companions: A rat will create a strong, lifelong bond with its owner. They are loyal and personable creatures, able to submit to the owner as to the leader of the rat pack.
Affectionate animals, rats like to groom and lick their favorite human companions, and they can easily differentiate between different people. Rats enjoy sharing meals with people and even washing up afterwards.
Rats too can feel regret. Regret is thinking about what you should have done, says David Redish, a neuroscientist at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. It differs from disappointment, which you feel when you don't get what you expected. And it affects how you make decisions in the future.
Elephants are considered to be one of the world's most empathic species. In my last blog, I wrote about how African elephants grieve and mourn their dead, proving that they're truly empathetic, social animals.
Dogs really are one of the best animals for humans. Loyal and sensitive to human emotions, dogs have gotten along with people throughout history.
5. They kiss their humans just like dogs and cats do. Of course they do!
If your rat nibbles or licks you, he or she might be showing you affection by grooming you. Rats also have an excellent sense of smell, so your rat might nibble or lick your hand or smell you after you eat or prepare food.
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.
Rat Are Social Animals
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 might show affection by greeting one another with a friendly sniff or nose-touch, or by grooming one another - and it's thought that they'll even help each other target those hard-to-reach spots! They'll also huddle together, even when it's warm (so we know they're not just doing it to keep cosy).