If you leave a hamster wheel out in the forest, wild mice will come and run on it.
that is my favorite fact
Bobcats and lynx will sit in cardboard boxes abandoned in the middle of the forest.
I asked the lynx researcher who told me this why, and he said “Cats, man” and shrugged.
I had to see this for myself and it is better than I imagined:
“Rats, shrews, and even frogs found their way to the wheel—more than
200,000 animals over 3 years. The creatures seemed to relish the feeling
of running without going anywhere.“ (Link)
This is a great example of voluntary engagement for petting – something we’ve talked about a lot with dogs and cats, but can apply to any pet species! If you’re not sure if your animal wants to be touched, or how, do exactly what this person did. When the animal moves away, keep your handout, and wait for them to re-engage; pretty much every time they’ll stick the bit they want skritched into your fingers, or move away to let you know it’s not touching time.
And one more. I think that this video is adorable, but I get the idea it might be less so to somebody who doesn’t like baby rats. This was their immediate reaction to me putting the plastic flowers down on the bed.
Anyone who hasn’t ever had rats has no idea how much they love things. Any things. More than possibly any other animal you can imagine.
Whenever I see rats scurrying over something scary in a movie like a fake dead body or whatever all I can think about is how much fun the babies are having on their playground
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