The young are blind and naked at birth. Hair appears in about 7 days and eyes opening in 12-14 days. They are weaned at 3-4 weeks. Adults live an average of 612 months, but much longer in captivity. They.have rather poor vision and are color blind, but their senses of hearing, smell, touch, arid taste are keenly developed.
Touch is via their vibrissae or long whiskers.
They are good runners, climbers, jumpers, and swimmers. Fortunately, Prague has not been found in rats in the United States for many years. Another problem is tropical rat mite dermatitis which is caused by these mites when they feed on humans. Rats are primarily nocturnal in habit and they are cautious. Although they constantly explore their surroundings, they shy away from new objects and changes.