Pet Forum / Mammals / Rats / January 2006

Rats' tails vary. I had three, of which one had a much thicker and
shorter tail than the others; but then she was a Rex, and the mutation
may have affected her tail as well as her claws and whiskers.

As for belly buttons... it's a bit difficult to tell under the fur!
I've never seen them on any other animal, but as I say the fur
generally makes it hard to tell -- nothing like as obvious as on
humans, anyway.

I believe that the length of the tail largely depends on the size of the rat
in question. But I've also read somewhere that rats that live in a warmer
climate generally have longer tails, but I don't know the specifics. (If
fact I don't even know for sure whether this is true for Norway rats.)

That's a good question, you obviously have a very smart daughter. I really
have no idea; I haven't found belly buttons on my rats yet, that's for sure.

- Tale

--
"Oh, rats!"
http://www.taletn.com/rats/

Catch rat, give _huge_ treat, turn over and poke around belly with impunity
(until Rat finishes the treat, then it's squirm time..)

It's been my experience, and maybe someone can back this up or refute it
with ugly facts, that a rat tail is the same length as the rest of the rat.
All the rats I've measured (I had some BIG rats and wanted to know how big)
were 50% tail.  Otis was 18 inches (46 centimeters) long from nose to tip of
his tail.  That's a 9 inch (23 centimeter) tail on a 9 inch torso and head.
Whereas lovely Paris was only a foot (30.5 centimeters) from nose to tip of
tail, and had a six inch (15.25 centimeter) tail.

I've seen something of a belly button on cats, dogs and rabbits when they
were spayed.  Not an inny or outty, but more of a scar with no hair growing
on it.  With these observations, I would assume even ratties have a belly
button of a sort.  Afterall they are mammals that are connected to their
mother via an umbelical cord.

Julia and
The Mischief Makers