You might be surprised to learn that rats actually do sleep quite a lot. They are just one of those creatures on the planet that sleeps most of its life away. It doesn't sound like that when they're scuffling away int he attic above you, or in the walls beside you all night, but they sleep a lot, and when they do, they sleep deeply too.
It depends what is happening around the rat, but for the majority of the daylight hours, it will snooze. It won't be continuous, but more on and off, taking a time out in between nap hours for time to groom, play or socialise with other rats, and having a little bite to eat. Rats will often choose to sleep together when they do nap throughout the day. They are very sociable creatures, which is why you will never keep just the one pet rat, and they get incredibly depressed when they are left alone.
Nocturnal, like most other wild animals, rats will be alert and more active during the night. After napping away the majority of their day, the rat will wake up and head out when the sun goes down, looking for food and hunting for mates if the time is right … which it regularly is.
It is predicted that the average rat will spend over 75% of his or her daytime asleep. During the 12 hours of sunlight you might get, 9 hours of that will be spent asleep. I think it's pretty safe to assume that rats do sleep during the day, and they do it a lot too!
Go back to the Rats in the Attic home page.
