Twitching rat??? and grinding teeth??

Question

ok so i got a rat yesterday and he is SOOO cute! but i noticed that he (ricky) twitches alot. is that normal? and also this morning when i woke up and but him on the bed w/ me, he was making this kind of grinding, crunching noise from his mouth. do they maby pack food into thier cheeks like chipmounks do? or are the twitching and grinding tied together because he is just REALLY scared. and PLEASE i dont want nonrat/pet owners to answer this by just guessing. i really dont want to find out he is sick or something like that.

Answer 1

Your rat is fine. Usually when they grind there teeth it means one of two things. 1 he is happy and content or 2 he is grinding them down. Unlike hamsters and gerbils rats dont need anything in the cage like toilet paper rolls to keep there teeth ground down. The only time you have to worry is when they have mallocolusion. This is when the jaws dont line up and the teeth can grow enourmously long and that is when you have to take them to the vet to get them cut down. As for the twitching it sounds like he might be bruxing and like was said above this is a good thing. The funniest thing you will see as all rat owners Im sure have witnessed is when they eye boggle. Its hillarious. There eyes look like there vibrating. And they bulge out. Its histarical. That also means they are content and happy. Your rat just sounds like he is settling in and has started to become happy with you. Good luck.

Answer 2

he is fine

Answer 3

I have three female rats. Grinding is normal and even positive reaction, rat show you this way, that he/she is well-contented.

In few next days he will be sure about his new home and owner and this twitching should moderate.

Answer 4

My rat inky that i had a year ago would grind her teeth a lot... it means their happy and excited! im not sure about the twitching though....

Answer 5

Aww, I love rats! I had one last year who twitched alot, mostly when he's hungry or tired. He should be okay. They don't pack the food in their mouths like chipmunks, but my rat also did grind his teeth. Don't be worried, he should be okay. Grinding his teeth is actually a good thing, because it keeps his teeth a normal size, and it would be dangerous to a rats health if he DIDN'T. He'll be okay, but if your still worried take him to the vets.

Answer 6

The grinding is called Bruxing. that means that he is calm and relaxed, which is a definate plus. It means he trusts you enough to feel calm around you.

Just to clear this up, do you mean that the rat twitches his whiskers, or his whole body?

My rat, chester, twitches his entire when he has a lot of energy or if he hears a strange noise.

If your rat is just twitching his nose, that means that he's just sniffing. [a form of exploring]

And so no, your rat is not sick, unless if he's sneezing, has a tumor, has red discharge, etc.

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask me :)

Answer 7

Idk why they twitch, mine sometimes do that too. But as for the grinding, he is bruxing! This means that he is happy! Wow, you did great for a first day on the job!

Answer 8

my rat did this when i first got her and she still does it like what the very first person said he is bruxing and it is a good thing!

RAT RULE!!!!

Answer 9

not no about grinding mabe a freat or something doutful though twitching gunie pigs do aswell not no y they just do could be a nerve problem go c a vet or pet shop may know

Answer 10

I wouldn't worry about him one bit! ;P The grinding is totally normal. They don't pack food in their cheeks, they grind their teeth to keep them short as well as to indicate that they are content! If they're feeling good they'll tend to do this. :)

As for the twitching, does he kind of run around spastically? That's called popcorning, and is also a good thing! They do it when they're excited about something.