this post was submitted on 18 Feb 2026
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Kind of true, but it's more like an ant scent marking. They know this is a place that's safe (rats have been here). With good absorbent natural substrate in the cage, and wiping down their free roam area if needed, it's mostly unnoticeable. I like to compare it to a person needing to change their t-shirt every day, probably not a deal-breaker for interacting, unless you don't clean for way too long.
It's not "kind of true", they mark scent with urine. And they'll mark all their cage mates too, and that includes their human.
But yes, rats are tiny and don't pee on you and your house much, that's true. They also absolutely have bladders (what a weird myth that is) and almost always potty train themselves to do most of their urinating in certain spots when not marking scent.