If you’ve been hearing the term heart rat, you’ve probably wondered what the term means. Rat owners have formed quite a community filled with people who share a common interest. As with any community, members use some “insider” words and expressions that only the insiders understand. If you are wondering what a heart rat is, you’ve come to the right place. In this post, I will explain the term as well as I can, as well as give some insight on its origin.
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What Is A Heart Rat?
The phrase Hearth Rat is used to describe one’s favorite rat. Similar to how we have best friends, rat owners typically have one rat that they love a little bit more than the others. A person’s “heart rat” is often the first one they adopt or just one that they have bonded well with.
Heart rats are like your best friends. You’ll likely appreciate all your rats, but one of them will often bond with you in a special way. This is the rat you’ll think the most about, miss the most when you are apart, and have the most fun spending time with.
It is important to stress that just because you have a heart rat, it doesn’t mean that you won’t love all of your rats. People in the rat community usually treat all of their rats with the same amount of love and attention. Regardless, you can help getting especially attached to one of them.
You could think of this as the difference between liking and loving someone. The person you love will have an even more special place in your heart, and is even more important than all of the people (or rats) that you like.
At one point a few years ago, my family owned 3 pet rats. While we treated all of them with lots and lots of love, one had a special place in my heart. Squib, the first rat we adopted, was the one I had the strongest feelings for. While Squib was my heart rat, my wife had bonded with another one.
As humans, we form bonds with animals in different ways and because of different reasons. My wife simply connected with her heart rat in a way I never did.
What makes a rat a “heart rat”?
This comes down to how well you bond with each other. In my case, I had a special relation to the first rat we ever adopted. Why this was is hard to determine, but I would guess that it comes down to chemistry. Just like humans, pet rats have different personalities, and whether you like them more than others comes down to your chemistry.
Maybe a rat stands out to you in the pet shop, or at the breeder. Even before you decided to adopt them. Maybe it felt like the animal “chose you” before you had the chance to choose them. This could be the start of a great, loving relationship.
For me, it was the first rat I adopted. We got 2 others a year later, but I always felt something extra for Squib. There was something special in the way we behaved towards each other. It felt like was the happiest to see me when I got home from work, and was just a fun pet in general. Squib was the most playful, and I just enjoyed hanging out with him more than the others.
Your heart rat will like you more than other humans as well. It will seek you out, and prefer to be close to you, rather than other people. I remember that whenever Squib got picked up by someone else, he would try to get back to me, and that made our relationship even more special.
It might sound strange that you’ll love one of the little pets more than others, but I assure you it’s completely natural once it happens. It does not mean that you don’t love the others as well, but you’ll feel the special relationship.
Is it wrong to have a heart rat?
Not at all! I would say it is completely natural. As long as you don’t neglect your other rats and show them lots of love as well, there’s nothing wrong with having a favorite. We don’t choose who we love, right?
I hope it goes without saying, but don’t spend all of your time playing with your favorite. Care for all of them by playing, grooming, and feeding them equally.
Is it wrong to have a best friend? No, it’s not. We can’t control who we feel strongly about, and these connections often come unexpectedly. Before you know it, there’s someone special that you think about more than usual. You should embrace this, as everyone isn’t lucky enough to feel this strongly about someone.
Conclusion
A heart rat is your favorite rat. All people won’t have one, but many rat owners do have a favorite. It’s only natural, in the same way that we have a best friend, or feel extra love towards our partners. While I felt something special towards my first rat, there are endless reasons for bonding with pets.
Having a heart rat was one of the most exciting parts of pet ownership for me. It’s always great to have a special bond with someone, and it really made me happier. If you have rats or plan to adopt, I hope you’ll find someone you love!
Hey, I’m Peter. During the last 25 years, I have owned and raised over 20 pet animals. On this blog, I do my best to share my learnings during this time, to hopefully help others.