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Wiggley Tail The brown rat uses its tail for balance, stability, and as a temperature regulator. If you watch a pet rat running along a flat surface it will keep its tail straight and raised slightly off the ground. As soon as a pet rat decides to start climbing, its tail takes on a life of its own and will act as a counterbalance or grappling hook in the same way a tightrope walker or mountain climber will use their tools. The brown rat has a minimal covering of fur over its tail and its easy to see the skin. The 'mangy looking rat tail' as it's referred to by the fearful is actually a very essential organ. If the brown rat is hot its specialised blood vessels in its tail will expand and increase blood flow and allow heat to radiate away from the body. When the brown rat is cold the blood vessels in the tail can contract and the reduced blood flow helps to retain heat and protect the rat from chill. In addition to these important functions served by the tail, it has also been observed to 'wag'. While I'll never get the chance to witness a brown rat in the wild wag its tail, it's something I've seen my pet rats do with varying frequency. The first time I saw it was with my first rat Cloud). He was standing on the ground by my feet and, just before he launched into a leg climb, I saw his tail start to writhe from side to side. In the pet rat community the rat wag is the preferred name, but in my opinion, calling it a wag doesn't really describe this behaviour properly as my perception of a wag is where a tail is swayed from side to side in repetitive motion that maintains a somewhat similar frequency and pattern. This rat wag is more like a wiggle motion that is best compared to the writhing of a snake that is not happy about being handled with hints of the agitated tail flick of a cat. I prefer to call this behaviour 'wiggley tail'. The wiggley tail motion has been associated with stress, aggression, and excitement. I've witnessed wiggley tail when my rats are excited, sparring aggressively, and also at ease and relaxed while being stroked. Some pet rat owners recommend stroking around the head and jaw to stimulate this behaviour but my wife seems to get the best results by cupping the rat's head in one hand and stroking down its back along the spinal column. The stroking process to initiate this behaviour reminds me of 'snakey snakey down your back' games when I was a little 'un. One student would slowly run their finger down your back near the spinal column and send 'shivers down the spine'.
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