My rat is grinding her teeth together?

i just bathed my rat and she started grinding her teeth together. she also does that when i hold her and rub her neck

My rat is grinding her teeth together?
The act of grinding their teeth is known as Bruxing in the Rat Fancy


http://www.ratbehavior.org/Glossary.htm#...





Many people believe that bruxing is a sign of contentment in the rat, just like a cat purring. This is true, but just like a cat%26#039;s purr changes with the mood of the cat, so does the brux change with the mood of the rat.





Rats brux because of contentment, happiness, illness, pain, anger, and near death, wherever there would be a strong emotion. It%26#039;s her body language that will give you the clue to her mood when she bruxes. She may have been nervous about the bath and brux to calm herself down, but the neck rub brings out a contented brux.





Rats bruxing:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6-UmBvtI...





Unlike other rodents who chew materials to keep their ever-growing teeth trim, rats keep their teeth trim by bruxing. Rats chew these materials because they can, not because they have to wear down their teeth.





Oh, and if you can get her to brux really hard, she might even give you an eye boggle.


http://search.yahoo.com/search?search=Ey...





spazrats


%26quot;my life has gone to the Rats%26quot;
Reply:Yep, they do that. It%26#039;s kind of a purr for a rat. In addition, they grind their teeth to wear them down. The front ones keep growing so they grind them to keep them at a manageable length. Hope this helps!!
Reply:Yay! Congratulations! That means she%26#039;s happy! When rats grind their teeth together, it%26#039;s called bruxing. It%26#039;s like when a cat purrs. It represents happiness and being content. Rats also boggle, which is when their eyes sort of vibrate. This also represents extreme happiness and them being very comforable with you. =) Give your rattie lots of pets for me!
Reply:First, a rat’s teeth never stop growing; they keep the length under control by constantly grinding their teeth and gnawing on hard objects (this is why your rat may keep you awake at night chewing on the bars of his cage). This constant growth enables rats to spend their lives gnawing on things without wearing their teeth down to the gum. They also do it when they%26#039;re happy, stressed, or experiencing pain.
Reply:That is probably good for him\her. Rats like all rodents have ever-growing teeth that they may choose to help keep down by grinding together. Give your rat some chew toys and see if he\she prefers to chew on them, but it is not a big problem.





-Wes





(Go vegetarian and save lives every day!!)
Reply:Well, seeing as you just bathed her shes probably a bit annoyed. Rats will brux when happy, and also for a bunch of different emotions. Make sure she%26#039;s dry and warm first, and offer her some treats to get her over the fact that you just gave her a bath. Mine usually get that %26#039;how dare you%26#039; look on their face for about a half hour after their baths, while they re-clean their entire bodies.
Reply:I notice mine only do it when theyre happy .



my dog