Do Rats Have a Gag Reflex?
WouterRats don’t have a typical gag reflex. They do not vomit in response to poisons, emetic drugs, or even motion sickness. Although they do not have a traditional heartburn reflex, they may regurgitate food occasionally. Regurgitation is different from vomiting as it does not require forceful abdominal contractions.
Rats’ gagging reflex is a response to a taste. It can cause them to retch, open their jaw, and flatten their ears. However, unlike humans, rats do not have the brainstem circuitry to generate these patterned emetic responses. However, if a rat chokes on a substance, it will often expel the food, which is not a true vomiting reflex. If it vomits, it is usually due to an influx of toxins into the circulation.
Rats will eat up to 40% of their own faeces, but they cannot fully digest the nutrients in it. This means that you should avoid giving your rat table scraps and soda as these can be harmful to their health. Likewise, sticky foods can cause choking in rats.
In the 1950s, psychologist John Garcia discovered that rats were able to experience a conditioned disgust response to food. This phenomenon was named the Garcia effect. Once researchers understood this mechanism, they were able to narrow down the underlying cause of nausea in rodents. The fact that rodents are incapable of telling scientists that they’re sick also suggests that their gagging reflex is a reaction to taste.
