Once upon a time my sister gave us a pair of white rats for Christmas. They were tame, affectionate, playful… with us humans.
But when it was bed-time and we turned out the lights, we would hear, coming from the rats’ aquarium, thump-thump-thump-thud-SQUEEEEEAK! And I’d turn the light back on, only to find the two little characters innocently sitting in the cedar shavings… as if to say “Fight? What fight? Who’s fightin’? We don’t know what you’re talking about, boss.”
At least they never hurt each other.
Animal play is thought to be a sign of intelligence. It requires imagination and helps them to build survival skills. These two seemed to be having lots of rodent fun. Just before watching this video, my cat ambushed me as I walked across the living room. No teeth, no claws, but it probably looked scary. 🙂
Cats, dogs, rats… but mice and lizards are more businesslike.
Indeed.