Can Rats Change Gender?
WouterRats have been the subject of much research due to their common nature. These common rodents are the most commonly used in lab experiments, and scientists have learned many interesting things about their sexual behavior. While it isn’t known if rats are able to change gender, scientists have shown that a rat’s chances of undergoing a transformation are significantly increased when it is exposed to estrogen.
Rats are nocturnal animals, but they do occasionally venture out into the day. Because they are so closely related to humans, they have become used to living near humans, and their natural instincts have been adapted to suit our needs. Occasionally, they will mark their bodies to mark their territory.
In one experiment, researchers changed the gender of a newborn rat by injecting it with hormones. Male rats held still when they were scared, but female rats fled around the cage in search of an escape route. This study has implications for the treatment of gender dysphoria, a condition where a person feels trapped in a body they don’t identify with. While hormone therapy and surgery are effective treatments for this disorder, they are expensive and intrusive. It would be ideal if there were a less intrusive, cheaper, and more efficient way to do it.
Rats are very social and easily breed. You may only find a single rat in your home, but there are multiple rats in the same colony. If the males and females are not separated, they will constantly breed. Usually, a nest contains five to 10 rats. In some cases, multiple colonies can exist that contain many young and adult rats.
