Rats show empathy - article with video

[babyknees]

I just loved this and figured people on here would appreciate it as well.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/nation...jfO_story.html

[Bluebonnet Herp]

Why must they only live for 2 years!?

[babyknees]

Why must they only live for 2 years!?

I KNOW! That is their only draw back as a pet. I'm so bonded with my girls and one is coming up on 1.5 years

[Coleslaw007]

Huh...that was a cool read. Thanks!

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[babyknees]

Huh...that was a cool read. Thanks!

Sent from my PG86100 using Tapatalk 2

No problem! I bought a full copy of the study so I could use it for a research paper.

[RoseyReps]

I must be one of the few people here that really does not like rats. Most rodents actually.

This is very intriguing though! Very interesting read for sure!

Maybe I'll get past my rodent / rat issues one day...who knows.

[MrLang]

This is super awesome. A conclusion I've come to in my head without having any basis besides experience is this:

A major question that needs to be answered next is whether the free rat liberates the captive one to relieve its own stress or the stress of the other animal. “It’s more likely to be the former,” Mogil said. “But even if it is the former, I’m not sure that’s so different from humans.”


Excited to see where this research leads science!

[sorraia]

If the captive rat was giving distress calls, it begs me (thinking as a biologist) to question whether the free rat was showing true empathy, or was biologically driven to release the captive rat in order to quiet it and thus remain safe from detection by predators. If the rats were not confined in the same space, would the free rat have stuck around and freed the captive rat, or would it have moved off and left the captive rat to fend for itself?

But having said that...
When I was in high school, I had a bird cage converted so I could use it to keep rats. I had two rats living in it, and secured the sliding doors with paper clips. One day I came home to find the rats loose in my room. I put them back, and secured the doors, must have just forgotten to do so last time I fed them! Later that evening I watched as the rats not only undid the paper clips, but one rat held the door open for the other rat, and then proceeded to let itself out. That can't be explained so easily!

[RoseyReps]

If the captive rat was giving distress calls, it begs me (thinking as a biologist) to question whether the free rat was showing true empathy, or was biologically driven to release the captive rat in order to quiet it and thus remain safe from detection by predators. If the rats were not confined in the same space, would the free rat have stuck around and freed the captive rat, or would it have moved off and left the captive rat to fend for itself?

But having said that...
When I was in high school, I had a bird cage converted so I could use it to keep rats. I had two rats living in it, and secured the sliding doors with paper clips. One day I came home to find the rats loose in my room. I put them back, and secured the doors, must have just forgotten to do so last time I fed them! Later that evening I watched as the rats not only undid the paper clips, but one rat held the door open for the other rat, and then proceeded to let itself out. That can't be explained so easily!

Quoted from the article linked

"In 13 percent of the sessions, the trapped animal gave an alarm call, but vocalized distress was clearly not necessary to put the free rat to work."

So no, not every scenario the captive was giving distress calls. Also, (not exactly the same as what you described, but interesting nontheless)

"After liberation, the rats nuzzled and explored the experimental arena. But when the setup was changed so that the captive exited into a different area, the free rat still opened the door for the captive one."

Either way, pretty cool stuff! Did you see the bit about saving the chocolate chips for the captive? When alone, the rat would eat all 5 chips, when there was a captive, often they saved 1-1 1/2 chips for the captive. That's just crazy neat.

[carlson]

That was a good read couldn't watch the vid tho. I didn't like rats until I decided to start breeding them now I'm starting to grow a little attached specially to my blue girl