Do Rats Have Claws?

You might be wondering, “Do rats have claws?” Rats have claws on all four of their feet. Their size and shape vary depending on what they’re used for, but they all help them keep their balance, dig holes, and grip surfaces. These claws also help them defend themselves from other rats and predators. Learn more about rats’ claws below. The short answer is, “yes.” But there’s also more to it than that.

Rats have 16 teeth–four incisors on the top and bottom, and twelve molars on each side. Their teeth wear down with gnawing and bruxing, which helps keep them sharp. Otherwise, their teeth would grow at an 86-degree angle and be so sharp that the rat would be unable to close its mouth. This would result in a fatality.

Rats have claws on their feet, but unlike cats and dogs, they cannot retract them. However, their hindfeet do not. While lizards and horses do not have claws, rats have paws. Their paws are also called “paws.” These paws make rat tracks visible in tracking tunnels.

Rat claws have a “core” of sensitive pink tissue. Just like our fingernails, rat claws have a nail bed. A nail bed is the flat, pink part of the fingernail.