To read more, visit Why do rats pee everywhere?
• For a more technical discussion, see Urine marking in Norway rats 4.3.1 Should I pee on my rat? No. Some rat owners advocate rubbing human urine on their pet rats in order to ‘gain dominance’ over them and thus (the theory goes) stop aggression between rats. This odd recommendation is known as the ‘dixie cup method’ because you’re supposed to urinate in a small cup first. This recommendation stems from a misunderstanding of rat urine marking. It may also come from concepts borrowed from dog training literature on the controversial practice of ‘gaining dominance’ over pet dogs. However, there is no evidence to suggest that dabbing your own urine on a pet rat will stop a rat’s aggression toward other rats in the future. For one, rat urine is a complex chemical signal that is intimately connected to the rat’s biochemistry. Urine contains information about the rat’s species, sex, age, reproductive status, social status, and stress level. This information cannot be faked. Humans produce h
