My rats are always making anxious whines, little grunts, almost like purrs or snorts when being petted. When excited small whines and excited little sounds, rats have a vocabulary! Every bark and little noise says something, you know you're a rat terrier when you talk.

Max "talks" to me alot

My Ben grunts and moans a lot.  So does Sasha - she was more vocal when she was younger, but if she's sleeping at night and when I bother her when I can't sleep, she grunts at me to leave her alone LOL...

Ratties are such amazing little critters..

Sue in NY

Alice is fairly quiet short of seeing a squirrel and Fred is a non-barker, for a JRT he is the exception. I find both dogs tend to express so much with their body language. Like Fred's "what is Alice into dance" where he comes up and paces and looks and runs to the room she is in then back to us, normally this means Alice is doing something that is going to get us in trouble.  Alice when she is super excited puts her ears back, gets in her bow and does her turbo frog all around. They are so funny!!

Oh my Sandy has the most expressive ears I've ever seen!!  When she's uncertain, she puts them straight out from her head, and I call her the flying nun LOL...

So does Sasha - when Sasha's mad, her ears go wayyyyyyyyyyy back and she curls up the tips.  I call them her horns.  LOL  I'll tell her "Sasha, put those horns away... or Don't give ME those horns" LOL

I'll have to see if I can get pix of them.  It's too funny!

Sue in NY

Smokey makes all sorts of noises especially when he is snuggling in bed at night. Sometimes we swear he purrs like a cat!

Usually when he is starving....and i am eating something way yummier than dog food.

Chloe is queen of Rattie speak and the "BIG Sigh"  she is so cute when she wants something all the noises and antics she makes are adorable..she will jump in half circles and look down her back at you with her little stub going a mile a minute and if you still dont act she will pounce on your leg in between all the other antics.  Best of all is what we call the "BIG Sigh" if you disturb her after she has gotten comfortable or heaven forbid ask her to move because she is crowding you out of your small alotted space on the bed she will just sigh. When my 16 year old son does something she thinks is stupid she will let out the biggest and longest sigh I have ever heard as if she is saying " OH brother will you just stop!!"  lol  its great!

First I would like to welcome Lyzzie and sasc1 to the site. You'll love it here.
Ratty talks all the time, when he is standing at my feet and I scratch both of his sides he grunts like a little piglet, which is what I almost named him when I saw him at 4 weeks old for the first time. His different whines, growls, and barks along with his body language tells me what he means. He even has this thing he does to let me know Phil is home from work. He'll start with a low whine, then go push the blinds aside on the door. His whole body starts to shake as I open the door. When he gets to the gate, Phil isn't even here yet mind, and he is giving this funny whine-bark sound. Then he runs back in, goes back out with that sound again and here comes Phil into the driveway. I always know when Ratty hears him. I have often said the words it look like he is saying to me with his body and his eyes.