Ezra Mushala 
If you’ve ever kept rats as pets or dealt with a rat infestation, you’ve probably noticed something pretty gross: they pee everywhere. Unlike dogs or cats that can be house-trained, rats seem to just let loose wherever they happen to be. Are rats incontinent? Can they actually control their bladder at all? Rats are not … Read more
New York City and rats go together like pizza and cheese. If you’ve ever walked through the subway or past a pile of garbage bags on the street, you’ve probably seen at least one of these furry creatures scurrying around. But why are there so many rats in New York? What makes this city such … Read more
You work hard on your garden. You plant vegetables, water regularly, and keep things looking nice. Then one day you notice holes dug near your tomato plants. You find droppings by the compost bin. Maybe you even spot a rat darting under the shed at dusk. Suddenly your peaceful garden has become a rat habitat, … Read more
One of the strangest and most disturbing images you can find of rats is what’s called a “rat king.” Multiple rats literally stuck together by their tails, creating a writhing mass of bodies that can’t separate. It looks like something out of a horror movie. Historical accounts describe finding these tangled groups of rats, sometimes … Read more
You hear scratching in the walls at night. You find droppings in the back of a cabinet. Maybe you actually see one dart across the kitchen floor when you flip on the light. Suddenly you’re dealing with rats in your house, and the question hits you hard. Why here? Why your house? You keep things … Read more
Watch a rat move around in dim light and you’ll notice something interesting. Its whiskers are constantly moving, sweeping forward and back like little antennas. They’re not just decorative. Those long, stiff hairs sticking out from their face are doing serious work. Rats use them to gather information about their environment in ways that might … Read more
Mention rats at a party and watch people’s faces change. Some people shudder. Others launch into stories about seeing one in the subway or their basement. Almost everyone has a negative reaction, even people who’ve never actually had a problem with rats. This hatred seems almost universal across cultures and time periods. But rats are … Read more
Walk into any hardware store and you’ll find peppermint oil marketed as a natural rat repellent. Online forums are full of people swearing it works, while others say it’s completely useless. The idea makes sense on the surface. Peppermint oil has a strong smell that many people find pleasant but overwhelming in large amounts. So … Read more
Anyone who’s walked through New York City at night has probably seen them. Rats the size of small cats, waddling across subway tracks or digging through garbage bags like they own the place. Videos of these giant rodents go viral regularly, with people shocked at just how massive they are. Some look more like small … Read more
Rats have a reputation that’s hard to shake. Most people see them as dirty pests that spread disease and ruin food. But there’s another side to these rodents that scientists have known about for years. Rats can solve puzzles, remember complex routes, and even show empathy for other rats. They’ve been used in lab studies … Read more