What a sound the rats make. What sounds does a decorative rat make? Learning to understand "rat language. Interesting video: ultrasound on Android

Some are confused german name wild rats living in nature - the gray rat-pasuk.

Rats that are kept at home or in laboratories are descended from the black rat.

This rat used to be widespread, but now in some European countries it is already listed in the Red Book of Endangered Animal Species.

The black rat is significantly smaller, slimmer than its widespread gray cousins, and its tail is longer than theirs. She prefers warm, dry living spaces such as attics. As a result of intense persecution and the construction of new buildings, their number has sharply declined.

On the other hand, the gray rats-pasyuk are real masters of survival. They can do a lot. They can burrow, climb, swim and run, but in some abilities, and they are superior to other animals.

There are few places surrounded by humans that are not inhabited by rats. Of course, gray rats prefer to inhabit areas that are underground, such as basements, canals or underground structures. From there they wander in search of food. They adapt their life to any conditions, but first of all they are active at night.

Gray rats communicate with each other in various ways. The language of smells plays the greatest role - their sense of smell is best developed. Group members recognize each other by smell. They mark the boundaries of the territory with odorous substances from special glands, excrement and urine.

It is rare for an observer to hear sounds made by rats, which humans cannot perceive because rats make high-frequency sounds. We can only hear the rustles of young rats in the nest, the noise of struggling and the fast running of very fearful animals.

Visual perception plays a minor role in rats, rats are myopic.

A person can learn to understand the body language of rats. If the animals are not familiar with each other, then they begin to sniff each other's back of the body - to check the genitals. When invited to take care of the body, the animal substitutes the corresponding part of the body for another.

When fighting for a hierarchical position or when an alien rat invades a group of rats, the rats first take a threatening pose, their hair stands on end, and they half close their eyes. Enemies approach each other slowly and snort. They wrestle on their hind legs. During this short struggle, they hit each other with their front limbs, if during this test of strength no one comes out victorious, then the animals begin to bite each other, which can sometimes even end in the death of one of them.

Needless to say, all kinds of electronic rodent repellents are at the peak of their popularity today. It is worth at least once to inquire about this topic - and then on all sites you will be caught up with ads for ultrasonic, electromagnetic and magnetic resonance devices. And if you listen to advertisements, then almost every one of them is positioned by all means as the most efficient and generating the same sound that scares away rats and mice. A sound that (quote from one of the sites) "will make rodents forget their way to your home forever ..."

Well, the idea is really tempting: you don't need to poison rats, you don't need to take out their carcasses with broken bones from rat traps, you don't even need to get a cat. To scare away rats from the house, it is enough to plug in a small "squeaker" - and, it seems, rodents will no longer appear in the room.

However, the reality is not that simple. In fact, it turns out that a drug that really "squeaks", that is, its sound is heard by a person, will not be able to scare away either rats or mice. Only ultrasonic scarers are effective against rodents, that is, such devices, the sound from which the human ear does not perceive (the vibration frequency is higher than 20,000 Hz).

Next, we will understand in more detail what specific sound is suitable for scaring away rats, but for now it is only worth noting that even ultrasonic devices are effective through one, and many devices on the market do not help to drive away rodents and generally have practically no effect on them.

On a note

Sometimes people seriously expect to scare away rats with their mobile phones. The logic here is simple: why spend money on a special device if the sound can be reproduced on a phone or, for example, a tablet? And if you download from the Internet and scroll exactly the sound that is unpleasant to rats and mice and which scares them away, then, it would seem, the animals in a panic should scatter from the room. Such sounds have indeed already been recorded and made publicly available.

However, the devil here, as always, lurks in the details: due to technical limitations, a phone will never replace a good scarer, since the speakers simply cannot reproduce ultrasound correctly.

However, it is quite possible to scare away rats from the house. And if you understand well what these animals are generally afraid of and how different devices work, then you can save a lot of time and money on the fight against rodents.

What sounds are afraid of rats and mice

Generally speaking, both rats and mice are afraid of sounds far from only in the ultrasonic range. First of all, they are afraid of quiet sounds - those created by their natural enemies (a creeping cat, the sound of the wings of a bird of prey). Experiments have shown that animals react to them sharper and faster than to loud sounds: roar, people's voices, or even the sounds of explosions.

This is understandable - most rats end their lives in the teeth and paws of cats, ferrets, snakes and falcons. These predators on the hunt just do not make noise, but try to move as quietly as possible.

It has also been experimentally established that rats are frightened by any unfamiliar sounds. Not knowing whether they are a sign of danger or not, the animal will prudently avoid them so as not to risk it until it realizes that these noises do not pose any threat. These can be sounds of completely different frequencies and loudness, the main thing is that they do not sound in this room before and the rats do not know them.

On a note

Therefore, by the way, a couple of times rats can be scared away by loud music or even screaming. But this will not give a long-term effect - the animals quickly get used to the musical predilections of the owners of the house and in the future feel quite comfortable with daily concerts.

Finally, the third and most important type of sounds that scare off rats are the animals' own signals, with which they notify each other about danger, or which they involuntarily emit in moments of aggression, severe fright or in death throes. Such noises are most effective because the animals are afraid of them instinctively and rarely get used to them.

There is another important detail - many sounds from the "rat lexicon" are not audible to humans. Rats and mice can hear and produce sounds with a frequency of up to 70 kHz - their human ear does not perceive them at all. Actually, that's why they are called "ultrasound" (from the Latin ultra - over, above, excessively, that is, they are outside the range available to humans).

It is these ultrasounds that are most convenient to use in the fight against rodents - creating discomfort for pests, they do not interfere with people at all. Agree, not every person (and even more so when it comes to neighbors) can withstand listening to the loud squeak emitted by the device for days on end. If an ultrasound generator works in the room, people will not hear it at all, but it will scare away rats. If it is, of course, a good generator ...

On a note

Scientists have found that male mice attract females with ultrasonic songs, as complex as the songs of birds. Perhaps if we could hear such singing, we would appreciate its beauty.

Of course, not every ultrasound scares rodents. In the entire ultrasonic range, there are frequencies that are neutral for them and that cause discomfort. And the task of generating a sound that really causes fear in rats, or is simply unpleasant for them, is quite difficult.

For example, in experiments, scientists have found that rats are afraid of noise in the following frequency ranges:

• 25-28 kHz. This is how a rat screams when it feels pain;
• 32-33 kHz is a danger signal. It is emitted, for example, by a rat that a cat is trying to catch;
• 35-60 kHz - in this range there is a "squeak" with which the animal simply expresses its discomfort.

(Of course, not only frequency is important here, but also signal modulation).

In mice, stress signals are also found in several frequency bands, with the highest of these capturing sounds at 96 kHz.

So, to scare off rats and mice, you need to create such sounds in the room from time to time. But here, as always, there are several difficulties ...

How to scare away rats with sound?

The main problem with using ultrasound is that it is almost impossible to accurately predict the frequency at which rats will fear it. Moreover, a device that will generate the same sound is likely to be ineffective: animals will quickly get used to its signal.

In good scarers, this problem is solved simply: the frequencies in them are constantly changing, and the device periodically necessarily produces exactly those sounds that cause discomfort or even fear in rats and mice. Due to the fact that the change of frequencies occurs in a random mode (random), the animals cannot get used to either them or to the intervals between frightening signals, and therefore quickly stop visiting the premises that seem to them dangerous.

The photo below shows an example of the Sititek 2D ultrasonic rodent repeller, for which the following operating mode is declared:

But it is unlikely that it will be possible to generate such a sound using improvised means. There are no household devices that would create noises scaring away rats in the ultrasonic range, and even with a randomly changing frequency (even high-quality computer speakers are not designed to reproduce ultrasound).

Good ultrasonic scarers are easier to buy than trying to do it yourself - here you just need to be able to choose a really high-quality device. A few words about the choice of a repeller are written below.

It is interesting

Among the people, there are still killing methods of scaring away rodents. For example, it is believed that if a live rat is nailed to the wall of a cowshed, chicken coop or goat's house, the companions will surely scatter in horror from her death cries. For the same purpose, someone is trying to burn rats alive indoors. The effectiveness of such methods is generally low: it is unlikely that it will be possible to scoff at the animals every day, and within a couple of days after the death of the tortured animal, his brothers will still return to the room. And just the cruelty of such methods makes them unacceptable for use.

Choosing an ultrasonic scare device

The practice of fighters with rats and mice shows that scarers, which cost more than 1000 rubles, work reliably. In the case of these devices, the price reflects the level of quality quite well: cheaper than 1000 rubles, obvious junk is usually sold, sometimes only imitating work due to the blinking of LEDs.

Moreover, special tests of several dozen devices were carried out in basement and free-living rats in abandoned enterprises. It turned out that powerful and more or less reliable means that can scare away pests are:

1. Chiston 2 (its price is approximately 2,200 rubles);
2. Chiston 2 PRO (costs about 2500 rubles);
3. Bioguard (4500 rubles);
4. TM-315 (costs more than 10,000 rubles);
5. WK-0600 (7,500 rubles);
6. UZU-03 (costs about 3000 rubles);
7. Spectrum (3500 rubles);
8. Tornado 800 (a popular device, the price is about 3,500 rubles);
9. Tsunami-2 (the cheapest from the list, costs a little less than 2,000 rubles);
10. KQ-202 A (about 8000 rubles).

The photo below shows the Chiston 2 repeller:

And here - Tornado 800:

These devices are more likely to scare away rats from a large apartment or medium-sized private house, basement or technical room. However, even they sometimes do not give a visible effect.

On a note

You can also scare a rat by using an ultrasonic dog shocker. However, it will not be possible to constantly use such a tool, since the battery in it runs out too quickly.

Sometimes the devices of the Electrokot, Grad, Typhoon brands work, and sometimes they do not help. They look effective in YouTube reviews when the device is turned on right in the cage with the mouse, but in a large house, the power of the repeller may not be enough.

Can a computer or phone be used to scare off rats?

A logical thought may occur to a modern active user of electronic gadgets: should he try to scare off rats with a sound recorded on a phone or computer?

In fact, this idea is not new, but it has already managed to fail many times. First of all, because the speakers of most devices "for people" are not designed to reproduce ultrasound. And not only the speakers, but the electronic part itself (amplifier) \u200b\u200bis not designed for such frequencies.

In addition, the power of the speakers of mobile devices is poor. "Ultrasonic" squeak from them already at the end of a medium-sized room will practically not be heard.

Nevertheless, the sounds supposedly scaring away rats from the house have already been recorded in mp3. For fun, you can download them and try to play them on your phone:

Just remember that it is the ultrasound that scares rats, which the human ear does not perceive. This means that if a clearly distinguishable squeak is recorded in mp3, then there is practically no hope for it.

On a note

For those who like to experiment today, an application has even been developed for the phone (smartphone), which is called the "Rat Scarer". This program not only generates sounds, but also changes their frequencies.

What else are rats afraid of and how can they be scared away?

Of course, rats are not only afraid of sounds. For example, they also avoid many odors, and they also try to use this to get rid of annoying rodents.

For example, rats are known to be deterred by:

1. Technical liquids with strong odors - gasoline, kerosene, turpentine, karbofos, vinegar, denatured alcohol;
2. Certain herbal scents (eg black root);
3. Strong scents of perfumery, including essential oils.

However, there is a nuance - pests get used to these means quickly enough. For example, if today turpentine or camphor oil scares away rats in the house, then in about a week the animals will be absolutely indifferent to it.

The main disadvantage of these funds is that their smell in the house is well felt by a person. To prevent rats from daring to enter the living quarters, there must be such a strong smell (in fact, stink) of gasoline or blackroot that people themselves cannot live in such conditions. That is why such means are rarely used: a sane person will not want to sacrifice comfort.

On a note

The cat is a good, but not always effective protector of the house from rats. If she really is a rat trap, then you will only know about the presence of rodents by the corpses that the pet will carry to you for praise. If the rats understand that the cat will not catch them (there are, in fact, a lot of such cats), then they will boldly visit the dwelling, no matter how much it smells like cat litter.

What exactly will not turn out to scare away the rats?

Finally, it will almost certainly not be possible to scare away rats with the numerous cheap Chinese repellents that are actively sold over the Internet. In fact, these tools do nothing, often their task is to simply blink a light bulb so that the user thinks that the device is working. They are bought in the hope of saving money and with the expectation that if the device does not help, then the money spent will not be a pity. Actually, this is exactly what happens.

It is useful to pay attention to the operation of the acquired repeller: if a device declared as ultrasonic clearly beeps, it means that it has nothing to do with ultrasound. Consequently, he is unlikely to drive the rats out of the house.

Also useless are the so-called magnetic resonance and electromagnetic devices, which supposedly create in electrical network apartment field, repelling insects and rodents. There is no theoretical explanation for this effect, but in practice, people find that rats and mice do not pay attention to such devices at all.

On a note

They almost always turn out to be useless and various folk remedies scaring away. For instance:

• Elder;
• Broken glass poured near the rat passages;
• Black beans;
• Red pepper, also scattered near rat shelters;
• Ash;
• Singe fur;
• Burned rubber ...

At best, these drugs can cause rats to be somewhat alert, but not for long. The animals quickly get used to it, and do not leave the house.

if you have personal experience scaring away rodents from the house (in any way) - be sure to share information by leaving a review at the bottom of this page.

Interesting video: ultrasound on Android

An example of how rodents do not pay any attention to a working repeller

15.12.2016

You know that of all types of domestic rodents, it is decorative rats that are easier and faster to tame and train and raise. Not hamsters, not guinea pigs, but rats. At the same time, unlike other species of rodents, rats can hardly tolerate a lack of attention from humans and suffer greatly from this. And, in order to somehow attract attention to themselves, they may even start making certain sounds.

About the sounds of rats they make and how to learn to understand your rat - we will tell you about this in our new publication ...

Features of the behavior of tame rats

Owners of rats will agree with me that these rodents value a good attitude, and even know how to adapt to the daily routine of their owners, to their diet, habits. And when you come home, the rat, in order to somehow attract your attention, is even ready to ... "speak." What you just do not go for your, human, attention. That's just what your rat tells you and how to understand it?

What sounds do rats make

Experts distinguish up to 9 types different types sounds that a rat can make in certain situations. Each of them means something. However, in order not to make a mistake with the translation, it is recommended to interpret rat sounds in a general context, that is, taking into account the situation in which you heard them, the state of the rat, its behavior. Then you definitely won't be wrong. So, our rats can make sounds like ..

Heart-rending screech

With a heart-rending squeal, the rats report that they are scared and hurt. If there is no reason for fear, but the rat squeals - examine the pet for visible injuries on its body, and if it needs veterinary care. If you did not find injuries, but the screeching does not stop, it is recommended to show the rat to the veterinarian as soon as possible - perhaps we are talking about internal injuries.

Hoarse screech

Typically, a hoarse squeal indicates that the rat is aggressive. Most often this happens during conflicts with relatives. However, if there are no other rats in the neighborhood, but there is your hand - you are going to take the rat in your arms - it is better to give up your idea. Now the rat is not in the mood for communication.

Ultrasonic whistle

Such a whistle can be heard when you take a rat in your arms. She kind of squeaks. Depending on the volume of such a squeak, you can judge whether the rat is happy with the move to your arms or not. By the way, some ratologists are sure that with the help of an ultrasonic whistle, males establish communication with females.

Grunt

Some rats can grunt with pleasure. However, from a veterinary point of view, the explanation for such sounds may not be very comforting - pneumonia, deviated nasal septum, rhinitis ... in order to make sure that everything is ok with your rat, and grunt with joy - show it to the veterinarian. It is better to make sure that you were worried in vain than to blame yourself later for not catching up on time.

Hiss

Hissing sounds indicate that the rat is not in the mood and is aggressive. It's better not to touch it now. If she hisses at other rats, then, in order to avoid rat fights, carefully so that she does not bite you, put her in another cage until she calms down.

Quiet cough

A cough may indicate not only that the animal has a cold and its lungs are affected, but also that it is angry, and also tries to show its dominant position.

Sneezing

As in the previous case, first consider the option of a cold, and only then proceed to the psychological interpretation of the sounds of a rat. If, in addition to sneezing and coughing, the rat has watery eyes, there is dischargeporphyrin , the rodent itself is weak and lethargic - do not delay the visit to the vet. This is not about conflicts, but about a serious illness.

Chirp

If your rat chirps, then with its sounds it is trying to warn its relatives, or maybe even you, about the danger. Take a close look at the room where the cage is. Perhaps a neighbor's cat climbed up to you, and it was he who smelled the rat. Be sure to pay attention to your rat's excited sounds.

Gritting teeth

If you hear that yourrat grits its teeth - you know, she is now very happy, and she does not creak her teeth at all from anger. Her creak is something likepurr of a cat... The squeak causes a slight vibration in the animal's body, so it seems that the rat even shivers.

Video about the sounds of rats

Today we met with the basics of the rat language. In any of these situations, it is worth not only considering the sound as an independent manifestation of the rodent's behavior, but looking at the state of the pet in a complex, then you will not miss the signal from his body that the rat needs veterinary care. What sounds do your decorative rats make? Upload pictures of your rodents in our Vkontakte group.

Of all the variety of rodents that exist in nature, rats are most easily domesticated. The animals are very difficult to tolerate loneliness, so they quickly make contact with humans. Despite the fact that it is designed for the amateur, many of their representatives become favorites of the whole family. A harmless pet easily masters new territory, adapting to the daily routine and food intake established by the owner. A tamed animal needs constant care and affection, it suffers greatly from lack of attention. Wanting to attract attention, the rodent even emits sound signals. What sounds the rat makes, what they mean, this article will tell.

Why does the rodent make a sound

Sounds in the life of the animal play an important role, since they are very weak. is that the whistle of an animal emitted in the ultrasonic range serves as a language of communication with congeners, without attracting the attention of their enemies. Moreover, they create this sound not with their lips, but with their throats.

Varieties of signals

Scientists were able to distinguish several types of such signals, differing in frequency.

• The cry of a rat signals pain and fear. Hearing such signals, you should carefully examine the pet for damage. In the absence of such, it is necessary to consult a veterinarian, as the cause of heart-rending screeching can be injury internal organs pet.
• The rat's hoarse squeaking voice is evidence of animal aggression. Such squeaking of rats can be heard during rodent conflict. If the animal lives alone, then it is better not to take it at such a moment - it is not in the mood for communication. Otherwise.
• The squeak of a rat, accompanied by a loud whistle, indicates the mood in this moment: This is how she may show dissatisfaction with the fact that you have taken her in hand. Also, in a similar way, the male pays attention to the female.
• The rodent manifests pleasure in the form of grunting sounds. However, it can also be a manifestation of pneumonia or rhinitis.
• The animal is even able to emit a chirp, which serves as a signal of impending danger.
• The rodent expresses emotions of happiness and positiveness by squeaking teeth, which is very reminiscent of a cat's purr. Making such sounds, the body of the animal vibrates slightly, which becomes like a slight tremor.
• Gnawing pets can even cough and sneeze. However, in most cases, this is the cause of the common cold.

Therefore, if rats squeak, then you should listen to the sounds that they reproduce. After all, they can indicate both the mood of the pets and the state of their health.