Watch the Shower Rat Clean Itself Like a Human Being

Yes, rats take showers just like we do.

View this video on YouTube

youtu.be

The life of a rat must be hard. If you live in New York City, or any large city, there's bound to be some rats on the creep tip, looking for that perfect moment to jump up and snatch your shit, be it your slice of pizza, a selfie or, sadly, another fucking rat. Maneuvering through the city in the back alleys and shadows can make for a dirty life, but whodathunk that a rat would be spotted taking a shower like we humans do?

The video blew up on Reddit, which shouldn't be a shock because IT'S A RAT TAKING A SHOWER LIKE A WHOLE HUMAN BEING. Many assumed that it was Splinter, the guy who taught the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles the way of ninjutsu, but apparently, this is a giant pouched rat? These sub-Saharan rodents are distant cousins to actual rats, and are said to have been banned from being imported to the United States after officials fingered them with a monkeypox outbreak in 2003. Maybe that's why he was taking a shower?

Well, no. Tuomas Aivelo, a researcher in urban-rat biology at the University of Helsinki, told Gizmodo that although it appears the rat is showering, that’s probably not the case. “The movements are pretty strange. A rat wouldn’t do that unless there’s something it really wants to get rid of. I think it’s soapy all over,” Aivelo said. “That’s probably a problem for the rat.” He also suggests it’s “totally possible” the rat was in pain from the irritating soap.

Latest in Life