Help identifying a strange sound - is it fear?

[JenD]

Hi all - I have four young males (ages 6 mos and 4 mos). Ben, 4 mos old is the least dominant one. He is shy, but sweet. When the four play, he is the one always on his back, taking the punishment from his buddies & brother. Today I was cleaning their cage & put all 4 in the small carrier cage for over an hour. When I went to bring them downstairs, Ben started freaking out. He made this continuous noise which sounded like a low / hoarse monkey-type screech as he ran back and forth, almost lunging at two of the boys who were just standing there, waiting. The cage was closed and in the process of being picked up to be brought downstairs. I immediately opened it and removed him from there, thinking he was frightened, but no one had been doing anything to him, as far as I could tell. I have heard this noise from (what I now assume is Ben) once before when he was inside a crinkle tube with one of the others. I couldn't see what was happening, but removed him promptly just in case.

Does anyone know what that sound means? Is it a sign of fear or a precursor to aggression? When I put them back in the big cage, I put Ben in first and waited a bit before adding the others one at a time. He seemed to be following (on guard) one of the older boys as if he was making his stand, but the older boy had no interest in him. Perhaps Ben's hormones are starting to come down? Will I have to watch him for aggression? He's normally sweet and quiet, but is always the last one out of the cage. Is her perhaps getting picked on by someone? He's shy and we love him dearly. Any thoughts or advice?

Thank you!

 

[JenD]

p.s. Benny is now snuggling with Chaulky, one of the "older boys"...so all is probably OK - I just don't know what that sound means and would like to be able to handle the situation appropriately. Thanks in advance for any advice!

Jen

 

[JenD]

I found this neat site where you can hear rat sounds, but you have to turn your volume way up to hear it. According to this, Ben made a "shriek". If you listen to the "Shriek" sound on the far right (636K) - at the very end - the monkey screeching noise - THAT is what Benny sounded like, but it was one continuous sound that lasted about 5 seconds before I picked him up. It was a bit lower in pitch and he was running back and forth between two of them who just stood there. There was no fight or anything that I think could have scared him (obviously something freaked him out that I missed or am incapable of hearing/understanding between the rattie language)...

http://www.ratbehavior.org/norway_rat_vocalizations.htm

HTH!

 

[jorats]

I've heard that sound before... it's more like a warning to the others, I'm not happy and don't even think of coming any closer. He's probably having an off moment, his hormones are acting up and he's having trouble with the signals the others are sending. I wouldn't worry about it though... especially since you've caught him sleeping with an older boy after all.

 

[JenD]

Thanks Jo. He seems to be more snuggly than usual with all the boys today, so maybe it's part of the pack mentality & he's established what he needed to. All four boys are great buddies, so I was alarmed when hearing that sound. It has been interesting to see that the two older boys like to play fight with each other mainly and the younger two seek each other oyt to play fight. But when it comes to snuggling, each younger one seems to pair with an older one :cuddle: so I think everyone is happy! I sure am! We're really so happy with the decision to welcome them into our home. I can't imagine how much love is in your house with all your babies :heart: