Does Radish actually enjoy the tickling?

[JesusFreeman]

Hello I'm a new user, I've had rats for a few years off and on and recently got a new one. Her name is Radish, I know rats enjoy being tickled especially on their backs. I noticed with a rat I used to have (her name was Kitty) that when you would tickle her back she would arch it, she seemed to enjoy it.

However with Radish when I tickle her back, it doesn't seem like she dislikes it, she doesn't squeak anything and she does arch her back. It seems to make her very excited and she will run around really fast everywhere after, she doesn't come back for more tickles and sometimes when I tickle her she shakes her head, like a very strong shiver. I was wondering if anyone could shed some light on this. I don't want to do something which she doesn't enjoy or potentially hurts her.

 

[Evermore]

I have 3 girls currently. Our oldest does the shivers when tickled, and will actually lift a hand and push yours away - I take that as she dislikes it.

Of our two younger girls, one is pretty unresponsive to tickles, period (not dislike nor like - she prefers cheek rubs though and will fall asleep to those); and the other gets hyper and races around. She doesn't always come back, but she does expect me to chase her with my hand. A few seconds of this and she'll start wrestling and bouncing even higher - and then she starts racing back to play more.

Maybe try chasing her (gently) with your hand when she hides and see what she does? If she pokes her head out of her hiding place, she's looking for a game. A light poke in the rump might get her bouncing and trying to play again.

 

[JesusFreeman]

well I took the racing around crazily as a sign of wanting to play so I did chase her with my hand, but I had never experienced the shivering thing before, if she resisted my hand like how you described I would also assume she doesn't like it.

 

[Evermore]

They're pretty gentle about resistance, especially when you respect their "no thank you"s (at least, hand-tamed rats are). Sounds to me like she does want to play. Might just be giving her chills? Haha.

 

[JesusFreeman]

Upon further inspection I'm pretty sure she's in heat. After tickling her even when I would just stroke her she would shiver and run away. I took it as a sign she didn't want to be tickled really. It was too intense for her since she's so sensitive at the moment.

 

[TheFatRatGirl]

Upon further inspection I'm pretty sure she's in heat. After tickling her even when I would just stroke her she would shiver and run away. I took it as a sign she didn't want to be tickled really. It was too intense for her since she's so sensitive at the moment.

Hiya. When on heat, female rats arch their back and vibrate to present the fact that they are ready to mate. It's not a sign that she's too sensitive, don't worry.

Rats who do want to be tickled will run away in a very bouncy manner and then come back only a few seconds later. If your rat beelines for a hiding spot, running away quickly and staying low to the ground, and then doesn't return to you immediately after it probably means they're not up for the tickling.

 

[jorats]

When a female arches her back (lordosis) she's definitely in heat.
Some rats do enjoy being tickled. There was a study to show this. Pretty sweet.

 

[JesusFreeman]

I get the overall impression she doesn't enjoy being tickled unfortunately. She prefers strokes than tickling. She runs away and doesn't come back and then is weary of my hand after, won't even accept strokes without running away. I'll try again in the future to be sure but I think I'll leave it for the time being.

 

[jorats]

I had some that liked it and some that didn't. Rats are so unique.

 

[ViciousCurse]

One of my passed rats, Gideon, would love to play a game. I made a very specific noise to indicate we were playing and he LOVED to play. We'd play chase back and forth with each other. I'd chase him with my hand, he'd chase my hand, and we'd go back and forth. He didn't care too much for being tickled, but he loved playing games.

Just as jorats said, some rats love it, some rats dislike it, but all of my rats have been polite with telling me if they don't want to play. Of my original three, only Gideon enjoyed playing games. Maddox got grouchy if I tried to play with him, and Amun just thought I was trying to cuddle with him lol.