The sounds of decorative rats. Strange sounds made by house rats. Can a computer or phone be used to scare off rats?

Needless to say, all kinds of electronic rodent repellents are at the peak of their popularity today. It is worth taking an interest in this topic at least once - 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, 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, in reality, everything is not so 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 drive out rodents and generally have practically no effect on them.

On a note

Sometimes people seriously expect to scare away rats with their mobile phone... 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 that 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, the phone will never replace a good scarer, since the speakers simply will not be able to 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 that are 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.

And 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 of danger, or which they spontaneously 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 - the human ear does not perceive them at all. Actually, that is 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 - while 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 this 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 such 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, in order 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 the use of 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 the frightening signals, and therefore they quickly stop visiting the premises that seem to them to be dangerous.

The photo below shows as an example 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 such household devices that would create noises scaring away rats in the ultrasonic range, and even with a randomly varying frequency (even high-quality computer speakers are not designed to reproduce ultrasound).

Good ultrasonic scarers are easier to buy than trying to make 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 the rats alive indoors. The effectiveness of such methods is generally low: it is unlikely that it will be possible to mock animals like this 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 for 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 8,000 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 utility 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, you will not be able 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 several times. Primarily because the speakers of most devices "for people" are not designed to reproduce ultrasound. And not only the speakers, but also the electronic part (amplifier) ​​itself is not designed for such frequencies.

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

Nevertheless, the sounds supposedly scaring away rats from the house have already been recorded in mp3. For the sake of interest, you can download them and try to reproduce 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, even an application has been developed for the phone (smartphone), which is called the "Rat Repeller". 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. They, for example, 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 aromas (eg black root);
3. Strong smells 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, it must smell so strongly (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 off 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 purchased 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 a field in the electrical network of the apartment that repels 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 agents 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

My rat makes strange sounds

According to the owners of rats (the author of these lines is no exception), rats are rather silent animals. In the sense that they practically do not bother their owners with loud and harsh specific sounds. However, we also encountered a completely different letter. The author reports that his one-year-old rat often makes an interesting sound - it does not squeak, does not wheeze, but, as it were, wails, if this verb is appropriate. The sound is pretty strong. At the same time, no oddities in the behavior of the animal are noted - the rodent is very friendly, absolutely not aggressive, has a good appetite, is cheerful and active. What does this mean?

Everything was noticed correctly - rats are quite quiet animals that do not create much noise in the process of their own life. But there are times when you can still hear something. So, little rat pups squeak quite loudly, especially when they feed on their mother's milk. However, as they grow older this feature disappears by itself. Rats, being herd animals by nature, can make noise when they play, sort things out among themselves or in pain. This noise is quite recognizable - everyone knows a piercing squeak.

But in the arsenal of rats there is another completely unique sound that few people know about. This sound is strong, but pleasant to the ear. It can be heard when an animal grinds its teeth to keep them always sharp as a razor.

This phenomenon (experts call it "bruxism") is typical not only for rats, but also for us humans. Usually the word "bruxism" is used in a negative connotation - some people, for a variety of reasons, grind their teeth in their sleep, causing a lot of problems to their loved ones and those around them.

The rat's grinding is completely different. From the side it seems that the rodent is quickly chewing, rubbing something solid. As we already know, this is absolutely normal from the point of view of physiology. However, you will be interested to know that bruxism in rats tells their owners that they are completely happy and in high spirits. Almost like "popcorn" in guinea pigs.

If the rat begins to make other sounds, unlike those described by us, then this is already a cause for concern.

It should be noted that rats are highly susceptible to various respiratory infections. The slightest breeze or draft - and the rats are already sneezing and coughing. From the outside, the animal continues to look quite healthy, and this is the main danger. The owner begins to think that the problem will "resolve" by itself. Finding a veterinarian who specializes in rodent management is advised. We emphasize that there are few such specialists, and they are all worth their weight in gold. If you want to see your pet vigorous and healthy - be sure to find such a doctor and maintain close contact with him.

Original publication: Rat Makes Strange Sound. Quoted from: Carol Lawton. Source and photo:

The rat sometimes makes strange sounds

Small rodents are calm, but sometimes the house rat makes strange sounds that arouse genuine interest. Smart animals adapt to the life of the owner and even adopt their habits. Let's get acquainted with the main features and figure out what the sounds they make mean.

Try to turn the guilty rodent on its back. In the conditions of nature, such a punishment is used by the leader of the pack, so the rat realizes guilt and is filled with respect.

The only punishment for a rodent is to turn it into a subordinate position.

With a good attitude, the pet is imbued with love and begins to show talkativeness (cooing, chirping, grunting). But even in this case, all sounds have their own interpretation and contain obligatory subtext.

The meaning of sounds

Familiarity with rat signals will help you better understand the rodent and, if necessary, provide timely assistance at home.

Hoarse screech

Expresses aggression and is used to sort things out with roommates in the cage.

IMPORTANT! If the pet lives alone, then the screeching signals a bad mood. It is dangerous to touch the animal at this moment.

Grunt

The rat transmits a lot of different information with strange sounds.

It means pleasure, but also indicates a number of diseases (rhinitis, curvature of the nasal septum). Consult your doctor to rule out pathology.

Coughing

The appearance of a cough in rodents does not always signal disease. This sound is accompanied by anger and a demonstration of leadership.

Chirping

A chirping rat signals the presence of a danger. Such a signal cannot be ignored, because sometimes the threat hangs over a person (earthquakes, floods, fire and other natural disasters).

Shrill squeak

The animal is severely frightened or in pain.

IMPORTANT! In the absence of obvious injuries, immediately contact a veterinarian. Internal damage is not always amenable to self-diagnosis.

Whistle in the ultrasonic range

With the help of a whistling throat sound, the pet demonstrates. When the volume is increased, the animal is not disposed to weasel. Also, this frequency helps to establish contact with females.

Hiss

Another way to express aggression. Stay away from a hissing rodent. For the safety of other small residents, place the bully in another cage, providing an opportunity to cool off the ardor.

Threatening hiss warns of a pet's foul mood

Sneeze

If a pet has a discharge from its eyes and nose (red discharge, which is not blood), then the likelihood of a cold is high.

IMPORTANT! If a rat makes sounds like a cooing pigeon, be sure to take it for an x-ray. The appearance of such a tone signals breathing problems.

Tooth creak

The animal trembles under the influence of light vibrations, and resembles a cat's purr. This behavior speaks of the highest degree of happiness of the little rodent.

Due to the high risk of respiratory infections, rodents require mandatory prophylaxis. There are few rodentologists (veterinarians who specialize in rodents), so before purchasing a small pet, it is important to find such a person and maintain constant contact with him.

Video: the rat talks and sighs

Conclusion

If the decorative rat makes strange sounds, use the suggested guide based on the pet's condition. In most cases, unusual sound is a simple communication method used by a small animal. Learn to understand the changes in his behavior, do not bother with excessive petting and be sure to consult with your veterinarian about any questions.

Strange sounds made by house rats

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You know that of all types of domestic rodents, decorative rats are easier and faster to tame and train and educate (read more about their maintenance at home). Not hamsters, not guinea pigs, but rats. At the same time, unlike other rodent species, 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

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 mistaken. So, our rats can make sounds like ..

Heart-rending screech

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

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 fine with your rat, and grunt with joy - show it to the veterinarian. It’s better to make sure that you 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. Now it is better not to touch it. If she hisses at other rats, then it is better to avoid rat fights, carefully so that she does not bite you, put her in another cage until she calms down.