Since pet rats are nocturnal animals, they can make some noise during the night. It’s their natural state, so they’ll probably be more active at later hours.
So how loud are pet rats at night? Pet rats will eat, drink and play at night, so that will make some noise. But if you’re a heavy sleeper this won’t bother you at all!
Still, there are a few ways to minimize the noise of a pet rat at night. Keep reading to see really how loud are pet rats at night and what you can do about it.
Is Your Pet Rat Young?
Just like us and many other species, younglings have much more energy. This means that they’ll make more noise.
Pet rats should live in a group of at least two elements. They’re very social, so they need a partner to play, sleep and eat with.
For that reason, while your ratties are at a younger age, they’ll be more playful and have lots of energy to spend. You’ll often see them playing with each other or running up and down the cage, playing with their toys.
As they get older, pet rats don’t have as much energy and will be quieter during the night.
This all depends on your ratties personality. Some pet rats are more energetic and playful than others. For that reason, your ratties might be more or less noisy during the night.
Of course, we can’t exactly know their personality at first, unless you’ve been with said pet rats more than once and know their behaviors.
However, even if the noise pet rats make at night bothers you, there are solutions.
This way both you and your ratties can live comfortably!
Try Keeping The Cage In Another Room
If your place has available rooms, try moving the cage to a room away from your bedroom. I always recommend for pet rats owners to keep their cages where they spend most of their time in.
For example, for us, it’s our office. We spend a lot of our time working there, and this way, we can play and give attention to our ratties more easily.
Remember that pet rats will create bonds with their owners, so it’s important to interact with them.
Having your little rodents in the same place as you is already a great step to create some affinity. They like the company!
So try to choose a place where you spend most of the time when you’re at home. Maybe it’s your living room, an office, or even the kitchen.
It doesn’t matter, as long as you’re sure that during the night their noise won’t reach your bedroom.
But maybe you actually spend most of the time in your bedroom and that’s the place you prefer to have their cage during your waking hours, so you can interact with your ratties.
Alright, that’s also good.
One thing you can do is let them be in your bedroom during the day and, at night, move their cage to another room so you can sleep without interruptions!
Alternatively, you can have two cages for them. One where they stay during the day, for example, in your bedroom. And then, you can get another one, that stays in a separate room.
If you need recommendations for pet rat cages, check out this article!
This second cage should also be filled with their basic necessities, like food, water, litter, and some toys.
When night comes, you can bring them there, so they can play comfortably without bothering you!
Set Some Playtime During The Day
Even though pet rats are nocturnal, they can actually revert their schedules so it fits their owners.
So a good way to avoid noise during the night is to do just that!
It might take some time, but it’s possible. One way of doing this is setting their playtime during the day.
Pick up a time that is good for you. Set up a playground outside the cage, so they can play. Fill it with some of their toys and play with them.
There are many games you can play with your pet rats and you can even teach them some tricks through this process.
But what’s important here is that they’re using most of their energy during the day while creating or fortifying their bond with you.
When night comes, they won’t be as active and loud.
Another thing you can do, to promote their change of habits is to remove most of their toys from their cage during the night.
This way they’ll get into the habit of playing during the day when their toys are out and sleep during the night when there aren’t as many distractions around!
Some Pet Rats Are Noisier Than Others
As I mentioned before, pet rats might be more or less noisy depending on their personality.
Some pet rats have more energy than others. However, as a rule of thumb, female pet rats tend to be more energetic than males.
So this is something to have into account when getting your ratties.
Female pet rats are more about roaming about, discovering new things, and playing, while male ratties are more into cuddles and naps.
Of course, apart from their gender, their personalities might differ as well!
Another option is, if possible, before adopting a pet rat, to try to have several meetings with them.
See how they behave, how energetic or cuddly they are.
This way, you’ll start creating a bond with specific ratties and will understand better their personality and that might make your choice easier.
In the end, even if pet rats tend to be noisier during the night, I feel like it’s not something that bothersome and with the right conditions, you’ll barely hear them.
We sure never hear ours during the night and we know they like to play around at that time!
With that said, it’s still very worth it to have a pet rat around you! But if you really want to know what it’s really like to own a pet rat, check out this post.
