Animal Symbols | Dream Symbols

Rat Dream Meaning

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Did you have a dream about a rat? While we may not always think of rats as positive animals to see, understanding the meaning of a rat in a dream can help you understand your life better.

What Does it Mean to Dream About a Rat?

A Pet Rat
A Pet Rat

Dreaming about rats and what it means to you will all depend on your own personal feelings and associations towards rats. Someone who likes rats and keeps a rat as a pet is going to have a very different feeling about rats than someone who sees them as dirty rodents and dangerous!

In understanding what this dream means, it’s important to learn about all the different meanings and then identify what really resonates with you most. What matches the mood of the dream? Often times what feels right is your intuition nudging you into understanding the true meaning of whatever it is you dream about.

We associate rats with a number of different traits and characteristics. Some of these things are good – other things may not be so positive! Here we will go over some common themes and what you can learn from them.

Intelligence & Problem Solving

White Rat
White Rat

Rats are very intelligent, and so in our dreams it can sometimes be a symbol of needing to use logic or cleverness to help us with a situation. It can mean we must tap into our own intuitive wisdom on solving problems rather than relying on others.

This dream symbol can also mean that you need to be quick-thinking and resourceful. You may need to act quickly in order to not miss an opportunity.

This dream symbol can also remind us to be resourceful in problem-solving. Being able to identify what you need and to be able to go after it will help you achieve what you desire in life.

Lack of Trust

In many movies and stories that feature these animals, we often see them as being portrayed as the bad guys. They are often viewed as being manipulative.

Brown rat in darkness walking in water
Brown Rat In Darkness Walking In Water

Sometimes these rodents will appear in our dreams to remind us that we can’t always trust someone or something in a situation. Is there anything in your life right now that does not seem to be fair to you? Do you feel as if someone is trying to trick you or take advantage of you?

For example, if you are in real life working on a business deal and you are not sure about the person you are about to do business with – a dream of a rat could be a sign to pay attention to your own true gut feelings and to be careful of people who may not do what they promise.

The Pack Rat

The expression “pack rat” is used when someone has a tendency to hoard things. Dreaming of these animals could be a manifestation of your own feelings towards clutter and having too much stuff.

Many people who are trying to clean up and get rid of things they don’t need anymore will occasionally dream of these animals as a symbol of their pressing desires to clean things up.


Common Dreams About Rats & Their Meanings

Domestic black rat on a walk in the park
Domestic Black Rat On A Walk In The Park

Now that we understand some of the characteristics of rats, we can start to think about the different ways they may appear in our dreams and what it can mean. Learning How to Interpret Your Own Dreams can be useful for you in understanding the meaning of these different dreams interpreted.

A White Rat

hands hold a white rat that smells apple blossoms
Hands Hold A White Rat That Smells Apple Blossoms

Dreaming of a white rat in many cases is a symbol of trust and honesty. Pay attention to the overall mood of the dream – did you feel any feelings of distrust, uncertainty or anxiety?

Someone in your life may not be telling the whole truth, or you may have some apprehension about a situation. Occasionally, this dream symbol can also mean you do not trust yourself to do the right thing.

Dream About Rats Running Around

To see rats running around in your dream can mean that you feel disorganized or scattered. You might feel as if you are being pulled into multiple directions or you may feel like you are having trouble finding an obvious solution to a problem. If there are a lot of rats, it could mean that you are feeling overwhelmed by something going on in your life.

Being Chased by Rats

Dreaming of being chased can mean you feel overwhelmed by something, unable to escape. See the meaning of being trapped in a dream, as this is very similar in meaning.

Dreaming About A Giant Rat

Dreaming of a giant or large rat means that problems have become too large to continue to ignore. It is time to confront and face your challenges in life.

A Lab Rat

You may feel like you are under the scrutiny or control of another person. You may be concerned that others are not being fully transparent in their true motives.


The rat is also a Chinese Zodiac Symbol, which is worth noting and learning more about. This zodiac sign often suggests those who are born of this year are excellent at learning new skills and being able to solve problems. They have a keen sense of judgement and are able to make decisions easily.


Did you have a dream about a rat you would like to learn more about? Tell us your experiences with your dreams and what you think they might mean in the comments section below!

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34 Comments

  1. In my dream, I enter a room through a door size opening with no door that is like a standard room but built into a large rock. There is a pit at the far end and I can hear a scratching sound. My partner is present as an onlooker and not beside me. I start throwing cooked beetroot into the pit and I walk to the edge. At the bottom of the pit is the beetroot and a bunch of wrapped blood red roses. There is a normal brown rat scrambling up the wall making the noise. I back away and the rat heads toward the wall and towards me. As it gets close I tip my foot back and press down to squash it. There’s no blood and guts, the dream ends there.

  2. I dreamt I was lying down on the couch covered with a blanket. My dog was next to me but I felt something very large lying on top of me. I was extremely frightened and was trying to call out to my sister for help. But I couldn’t speak and I was frozen with fear. When my sister finally noticed me and threw the blanket off of me, it was a huge, skinny and long white rat. Can you help me figure out what this dream meant?

  3. I don’t remember most of the dream but what I do remember is a mutant rat running away. Woke up wondering what the heck does this mean?….

  4. I dreamed that I ordered chicken nuggets from McDonald’s and when I opened the box to start eating it was white rats instead of chicken nuggets ? Where in the world would this come from or mean ?

  5. I had a dream with a big dark gray rat that I pet him he kiss me and he was always looking to everything that s was doing some tracing for my student with a pencil and the rat pick up the the pencil and he was tracing was surprise with how much he can do I was talking to him and he under stand me.

  6. I dreamt my wall was decaying and some one picked at the decay and when I looked in the hole there was a huge rat. But I wasn’t afraid. I left it alone. Then I found a cat chasing the rat and stopped it. Then I found another decay spot on the wall and picked up the cat and told it to stop chasing the rat.

  7. I dreamt my wall was decaying and some one picked at the decay and when I looked in the hole there was a huge rat. But I wasn’t afraid. I left it alone. Then I found a cat chasing the rat and stopped it. Then I found another decay spot on the wall and picked up the cat and told it to stop chasing the rat.

  8. I dreamt of receiving a white rat in a triangle box. When I opened the box the rats head was peaking out of one of the corners. I can remember the feeling of picking up the rat ( the fur and beating heart) and setting it down on the table. Then I couldn’t see or open my eyes to see where the rat went.

  9. I dreamt ofabunch of rats packed on each other andI was about to clean up the area by removing them in plastic bag and there was a little greyish rat all wet who triedt to join the bunch andI was trying to prevent this…

  10. I dreamt that weird humpback looking rats kept appearing on my home but each one was with her baby rat and she would keep licking them.

  11. I had a dream that two metal shards were embedded in my gut. No blood was present. It was as if they had been there for years and my skin became healed around them like piercings. But they were about 6 inches deep in my belly right below my navel. I dreamt I slowly pulled each one out, then an animal licked them to heal them closed. I don’t remember what animal. Wish I could.
    What does it mean?

  12. I dreamt that my sweet pet rat was killed by a large, darker rat. My rats head popped off when it was wrapped around it like a snake and squeezed it to death. I watched this in horror and disbelief. I then ran away crying and wanting the other person’s rat to die. This happened inside the house’s basement, which was my room in the dream.
    What does it mean?

  13. I dreamt of a fat white or gray rat that was comfortably sitting on my chest . I was very playful with it , so much so that i was ignoring my dog . When i tried to move it off of me it had pooped on my chest

  14. My dream was of a grayish rat wasn’t doing anything particular I think I was headed to the kitchen and saw it this was the second night of a rat dream never had animal dreams.

  15. I had a dream about a black rat that was heavily pregnant. I gently stroke her belly and was talking to her. But then It was going to chew on my blanket in order to start making a nest for the babies. So then I ran to find her a box for her home. The rat scared a bit and run away and two babies were accidentally born…

  16. I dreamt that a huge rat was sitting on my bedsheet , and I throw it down, but it dies, though I hadn’t meant to kill it. What does it mean

  17. Dreamt about a dog that turned into a giant rat that started to chase me and some other groups of people. We ran to into a building to escape but somehow it manged to get in and trapped us inside. Afterwords the rat turned into the guy that I am seeing and I was held captive with the others. I tried to escape but couldn’t.

  18. I dreamed that a pack of rat is in my house and i told them to leave my house and they did leave my house and the leader of the pack is talking to me.

  19. I had a dream that a colony of rats was utilizing nano technology to gather information without the knowledge of people and for some reason i took it upon myself to hunt them and ended up getting stuck in a box. I then got furious and started punching the box continuously before i had awoken.

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