While this video of a rat introducing her owner to her newborn baby rat looks sweet, there's more to it than it seems.
In the clip above, a mother rat takes her owner's hand in her little mouth and guides her to her new baby. The owner holds the rat in her hand as the mama rat hovers over it, almost like she's saying, "Look what I made!"
While it might appear as though the mother rat is showing off her young, her behavior is more likely fueled by pragmatism, according to Animal Behaviorist and Senior Lecturer at the University of Southampton Dr. Anne McBride.
"Unfortunately the rat has not been provided with sufficient nesting material and the substrate is just plastic," said McBride. "So it is possible the babies are quite chilled ... Certainly the nest box provided and material could be substantially improved."
Gambian pouched rats are social creatures. Female rats with young will gather to watch over each other's babies and keep them warm. It's more likely that the mother rat is bringing her owner to the baby to help warm it up because there isn't enough nesting material to insulate it.
It's still pretty cute, though.
