Rats – Basic Biology, Housing and Handling

These online modules introduce the foundational biology, behaviour, and welfare needs of rats (Rattus norvegicus), offering practical insight into how to care for these intelligent and social animals with empathy, confidence, and scientific awareness. Whether in research, veterinary practice, education, animal care settings, or the home, the modules equip participants with the knowledge to support rat wellbeing and ensure humane, species-appropriate care.

Participants explore the evolutionary origins and domestication of rats, their physical and sensory adaptations, and the implications of these traits for housing, handling, enrichment, and husbandry. Topics include strain and breeding differences, social behaviour, communication, reproductive physiology, and the environmental and emotional needs of rats in captive settings. Emphasis is placed on understanding stress-related behaviour, recognising signs of pain and distress, and supporting positive welfare through thoughtful cage design, enrichment, and human–animal interaction.

Scientific and ethical frameworks such as the Five Domains model, welfare score sheets, pain assessment techniques (including the Rat Grimace Scale), and rat tickling are introduced as practical tools to assess and promote welfare. The module also addresses the importance of considering rats’ sensory world—including light, sound, scent, and touch—to improve both welfare, quality of care, and biological outcomes.

This module is ideal for anyone who works with or cares about rats, including scientists, researchers, veterinarians, veterinary nurses, animal welfare personnel, animal ethics committee members, technicians, students in animal-related fields, and pet rat owners.