Post by Die Fledermaus on May 4, 2009 18:54:21 GMT -4
I did not make that up. 
www.ratbehavior.org/WhatIsMyRatDoingFAQ.htm#Sounds
>> 4.3.1 Should I pee on my rat?
No.
Some rat owners advocate rubbing human urine on their pet rats in order to 'gain dominance' over them and thus (the theory goes) stop aggression between rats. This odd recommendation is known as the 'dixie cup method' because you're supposed to urinate in a small cup first. This recommendation stems from a misunderstanding of rat urine marking. It may also come from concepts borrowed from dog training literature on the controversial practice of 'gaining dominance' over pet dogs.
However, there is no evidence to suggest that dabbing your own urine on a pet rat will stop a rat's aggression toward other rats in the future.
For one, rat urine is a complex chemical signal that is intimately connected to the rat's biochemistry. Urine contains information about the rat's species, sex, age, reproductive status, social status, and stress level. This information cannot be faked. Humans produce human urine, not dominant rat urine. Rats have a sophisticated sense of smell and are quite capable of telling the difference.
Secondly, urine marking by a rat does not catapult that rat into dominant status. All rats urine mark each other to some extent: juveniles mark adults, females mark males, subordinates mark dominants. These different types of marking have a variety of functions, many of which have nothing to do with social dominance (e.g. adult marks serve as a sexual advertisement to the opposite sex). Therefore, the mere act of urine marking does not automatically confer social dominance.
Lastly, the copious urine marking by a dominant adult male is a consequence of his dominant status, not a cause of that status: a dominant rat copiously marks subordinates because he is dominant. The reverse notion, that rat becomes dominant by peeing on others, is false. Instead, rats create their social order by engaging in multiple aggressive interactions over time. A winner gradually emerges and seizes certain perks (best sleeping spots, most matings, best treats), including the ability to walk over others with relative impunity. All the rats walk over each other and deposit urine on each other's fur from time to time, but subordinate rats can't walk over the dominant rat as often as he walks over them, so the net result is that he marks them more often than vice versa. The winner's urine chemistry and copious marking therefore reflect this new social reality.
So, what happens if you dab your own urine on a rat? The rat will probably sniff it curiously. Other rats may come over and sniff it too. After all, it's a new smell. It's like you just handed them a book of personal information. Then they'll groom it off. Rats are clean animals; they don't like foreign stuff on their fur. End of story. <<
www.ratbehavior.org/WhatIsMyRatDoingFAQ.htm#Sounds
>> 4.3.1 Should I pee on my rat?
No.
Some rat owners advocate rubbing human urine on their pet rats in order to 'gain dominance' over them and thus (the theory goes) stop aggression between rats. This odd recommendation is known as the 'dixie cup method' because you're supposed to urinate in a small cup first. This recommendation stems from a misunderstanding of rat urine marking. It may also come from concepts borrowed from dog training literature on the controversial practice of 'gaining dominance' over pet dogs.
However, there is no evidence to suggest that dabbing your own urine on a pet rat will stop a rat's aggression toward other rats in the future.
For one, rat urine is a complex chemical signal that is intimately connected to the rat's biochemistry. Urine contains information about the rat's species, sex, age, reproductive status, social status, and stress level. This information cannot be faked. Humans produce human urine, not dominant rat urine. Rats have a sophisticated sense of smell and are quite capable of telling the difference.
Secondly, urine marking by a rat does not catapult that rat into dominant status. All rats urine mark each other to some extent: juveniles mark adults, females mark males, subordinates mark dominants. These different types of marking have a variety of functions, many of which have nothing to do with social dominance (e.g. adult marks serve as a sexual advertisement to the opposite sex). Therefore, the mere act of urine marking does not automatically confer social dominance.
Lastly, the copious urine marking by a dominant adult male is a consequence of his dominant status, not a cause of that status: a dominant rat copiously marks subordinates because he is dominant. The reverse notion, that rat becomes dominant by peeing on others, is false. Instead, rats create their social order by engaging in multiple aggressive interactions over time. A winner gradually emerges and seizes certain perks (best sleeping spots, most matings, best treats), including the ability to walk over others with relative impunity. All the rats walk over each other and deposit urine on each other's fur from time to time, but subordinate rats can't walk over the dominant rat as often as he walks over them, so the net result is that he marks them more often than vice versa. The winner's urine chemistry and copious marking therefore reflect this new social reality.
So, what happens if you dab your own urine on a rat? The rat will probably sniff it curiously. Other rats may come over and sniff it too. After all, it's a new smell. It's like you just handed them a book of personal information. Then they'll groom it off. Rats are clean animals; they don't like foreign stuff on their fur. End of story. <<
Just saw that ad at the top of the page! 