A pet owner has left the internet in hysterics after sharing her unusual pet's reaction to getting petted in a clip that has gone viral on social media.
The hilarious video, shared on TikTok on Thursday under the username Several__Rats, shows the poster petting her pet rat, who can clearly be seen enjoying the interaction, wagging his tail just like a dog.
"Can anyone tell me why he's doing this???" says a caption shared along with the viral video.
The Spruce Pets explains that most per rats are a type called the Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus), which is also known as common rat, brown rat, street rat, sewer rat, Hanover rat, Norwegian rat or wharf rat.
The average lifespan on these pet rats is usually around 18 to 36 months, and their body is typically 9 to 11 inches long, with an additional 7 to 9 inches of tail.
Rats are nocturnal, so they will be most active at night, and they're also social creatures, which means they will thrive if kept with other rats.
"When handled gently and cared for properly, rats will be comfortable interacting with you and won't be aggressive; however, they can bite if they're scared, traumatized, or threatened," the website added.
Pet rats are bests kept in large enclosures. Their cage should ideally be 2 feet by 2 feet by 2 feet at least, for two rats to have enough space to hang around and enjoy their daily exercise. They also need toys and hiding spaces for enrichment.
The video quickly went viral on social media, getting viewers from across Reddit. It has so far received over 23,000 upvotes and 697 comments on the platform.
One user, Blacklambbb, commented: "He's a tail wagger! very cute, he's enjoying being pet/playing with you."
No_Salary5918 said: "Generally, if you do something to a rat and it doesn't flinch/ flee, scratch, or squeak - congrats. you need to keep doing that until the end of time, because that is the highest honor a rat can bestow."
Kilen13 added: "A friend of mine in college had 3 rats and somehow they all developed the same love for playing fetch except each one had their own 'thing' they wanted to fetch (one was a button, one was a plastic bottle cap, one was a small dice).
"She used to joke she almost failed out of second year because playing fetch took up so much time she couldn't study."
Newsweek reached out to Several__Rats for comment via Reddit messages. We could not verify the details of the case.
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