Rats naturally live in complex social groups, this contains a set hierarchy where a rat knows their place. A rat with a stable hierarchy is generally a happy one, problems usually occur when the social structure changes for some reason, whether this be the addition of new rats, illness, a surge in hormones triggering one of the rats to want to change it’s status or some other environmental disruption. Understanding your rats position in there group can help you understand more about there behaviour and better understand some of the interactions witnessed. Hierarchy’s are much easier to observe in larger groups group sizes over 4 generally giving a much richer picture of social interaction. The terms, Alpha, Beta and Zeta rats are often used in scientific research, as far as I am aware gamma rats are my own invention to split the normally broader beta group into those with an interest in cage politics and those without.
This is the most important position in a rat group, the alpha rat generally has the biggest effect on how rats go about there daily life as well as how the group as a whole functions and feels. The Alpha is the dominant rat of the group, often also the strongest and most confident rat. This is partially due to their ability to win fights and in buck groups partially to do with the presence of an Alpha rat in a group possibly stunting the growth of other bucks. Occasionally a small rat with sufficient attitude may become alpha of a cage, more due to laziness and lack of drive in the others than anything else. A good Alpha is a blessing on the cage, they are also often hard to spot. A good Alpha will not often fight with their subordinates, though they may step in to settle disputes and they will generally win most of the battles they take part in. They will generally rule gently and from afar, acting much like a normal rat most of the time. Even in the presence of sudden changes in the hierarchy, such as the addition of a new rat, the good Alpha will normally take in his stride, with only the minimum necessary dominating, assuming the incomer submits.
A poor Alpha is one that takes their position to extremes, they will often spend much of their time harassing their subordinates and may become territorial towards rats and humans alike. This can range from outright aggressive behaviour to persistent bullying of one or two rats in the cage. It is often triggered by an excess of hormones (more common in bucks than does) and can often be resolved by neutering the offending party. A cage containing a bad Alpha is rarely settled, the subordinates often take part in more fights themselves as the whole group becomes on edge. Often the only way to resolve this is to shift the balance of power, though sometimes if caused by a testosterone surge it may settle down again over time. It can be very hard to introduce new rats into a group led by a bad Alpha. A bad Alpha may also benefit from more dominant handling by the owner as this helps reassure them that they can relax and not be in charge in some situations.
Alpha rats can experience stress from chance more profoundly than other rats. You may notice your Alpha show signs of behavioural changes, even scumming to illnesses or general ill health after a significant disruption to their world. This is due to there greater responsability, they feel the need to protect and maintain stability for their pack. In times of change and upheaval, look to your Alpha first to judge your general group.
A beta is typically the number 2 rat, or several rats in the group who remain dominant but are submissive to the Alpha. To fully observe beta behaviour you need a group over 3-4 large with the right range of characters. This may lead to more than one beta in the cage and adds an extra dimension to cage politics. Within the beta group there will be a structured hierarchy, with the top beta acting as the alpha’s number 2. Often the beta is the more actively dominating rat in the cage so can often be mistaken for the alpha. This is also the rat who will often take over should something force the alpha down in the rankings. In a group with a good solid Alpha the main source of trouble can be caused by young beta’s desiring alphadom. Beta’s are also the most likely to take offense at newcomers into the cage, feeling their need to establish their position more strongly than an alpha who knows that he is boss and has little problem communicating it.
These are rats that typically have little desire to be dominant rats, they are well liked by all in the cage and occupy the position that gels much of the group together. They are normally very submissive to their humans and their ratty cage mates and spend much of there time grooming each other and their cage mates. There is also often a informal hierarchy within gamma rats but this is rarely easy to place and more flexible, for instance one rat may end up with more food than another ‘gamma rat’ whereas that rat may get the better sleeping positions. Gamma rats rarely ever become aggressive though they may be subjected to bullying or slide down to zeta status when singled out by an alpha or beta. A neutered rat will normally fall into this category once their hormones have settled down, unless there are no other alphas or betas present.
These rats are generally those at the bottom of the pile, but more than this they are often outcasts to a certain extent. In our pet colonies we very rarely see this in it’s extreme form however in the wild these rats are often isolated from companionship and seem to give up and die without a cause. In our pet colonies it is generally seen in a much milder form, with a rat actively avoiding certain rats in the group, mainly the alpha and beta rats. They will still spend time with other rats but should one of the more dominant rats appear, particularly one who has chosen to bully them, they will leave and sleep elsewhere. They can also be the victim of bullying activities, seemingly being chased around and excluded by an individual or group of dominant rats. This position can often be occupied by rats who don’t understand rat social signals so fail at communication. They could have been lone rats in the past for a long period or been raised in tiny groups with little interaction from their mother. This slot can also be occupied by rats who just don’t understand there position in the group, often young ‘teenage’ bucks or does who have the attitude but none of the brawn necessary to act on it. Their refusal to send to right ‘submissive signals’ to the dominant rats can be as much or more of an issue than any excessive dominance by the aggressor. In some cases the Zeta rat is in this position through no fault of their own, for some reason it has been selected as the object of bullying or similar behaviour. This would mean looking to the aggressor to resolve the issue. It can also help to move zeta rats to other cage groups if that option is open to you, they may flourish in a different environment.
There is not always a Zeta rat in a cage, especially not in settled groups, however they can generally fail to thrive and do seem to be more susceptible to infections, though no doubt due to the better availability of food and human interaction they are not likely to give up in the same way there wild counterparts are. If a zeta rat is skinny, struggling to eat or drink or obviously distressed the experience it is worth attempting to step in. Short term food should be scatter fed at different levels in the cage (if you do not already do this) and multiple water bottles should be provided. To do this you should try and identify what I causing the behaviour, does the zeta rat display submissive behaviour, does it just avoid all confrontation and run. If it does it may be worth considering neutering the zeta rat
The grooming of others is a very important part of rat society. As with most other social animals it’s used to maintain group bonds, show affection or dominance and get to know each other better. It also serves to help keep the group healthy, grooming places that the other rat can’t reach on its own and so ensuring the group as a whole doesn’t have a mass breakout of parasites. Rats will generally groom each other on the heads, shoulders or necks as these are the hardest to reach places for a lone rat. More aggressive grooming (to show dominance) will normally happen on the belly or flank and is usually coupled with some squeaks of protest from the groomed rat. This isn’t from pain as much as showing subservience and should not be interrupted unless true screams occur (see rat fight section later).
Rats will groom anything they consider part of their family, including humans and any other animals that they bond with. This can be very pleasant and is at least a boost to your self-esteem. It can sometimes be a little painful though, in the same way as repeatedly scratching the same place can become sore. Whilst rats have fur to protect them from nibbling teeth the humans impractical skin just isn’t designed for excessive grooming, however few rat owners can turn their rats down when they begin grooming them and normally it’s a pleasant experience for both rat and human. It’s particularly pleasant if you have a rat who likes to groom your head.
