Can Rats Make You Throw Up?
WouterRats cannot vomit because their stomachs and diaphragms are not designed to deal with toxins. Rats cannot vomit because of this and develop other strategies to defend themselves against toxins. For instance, rats are constantly tasting new food, but do not vomit unless the food is toxic. In addition, rats will often eat non-food materials as a defense against nausea and vomiting. They do this because clay binds to some of the toxins in the stomach and dilutes their effect.
Rats also have difficulty swallowing food. This can be apparent by the way they flatten their ears and drool saliva. They may also paw at their mouth and rub their mouth on nearby surfaces. In most cases, rats will be able to breathe through this, but more serious cases require veterinary assistance. However, if the rats continue to regurgitate food, the rats may be experiencing nausea or vomiting.
Rats also experience nausea when they ingest toxins. To counteract this, they have evolved a way to avoid vomiting by eating non-nutritive substances such as clay, kaolin, dirt, and hardwood bedding. This method is known as pica and is an adaptation to the toxin.
Moreover, rats do not possess the necessary muscle strength to lift the esophageal sphincter. This prevents them from throwing up food because they lack the neural connections needed to control the muscles involved in vomiting.
