Objective To establish and evaluate a new rat model of visceral hypersensitivity (VH) induced by electric footshock. Methods Female SD rats were divided randomly into the normal control (NC) group, footshock stress (FSS) group, and water avoidance stress (WAS) group. The NC rats were placed in a footshock stress box for 1 h every day without stimulation. The FSS rats were placed in a footshock stress box for 1 h every day and stimulated by electric shock (U=40 v, t=1 s, f=20 times/ min) for 5 min, and WAS rats were placed in a WAS box for 1 h every day. All groups were treated for consecutive 10 days. The general status and defecation status of the rats were recorded every other day. Visceral sensitivity was evaluated with abdominal withdrawal reflex (AWR) test. The serum concentrations of CRF,ACTH, CORT, and 5-HT and the colonic concentration of 5-HT were measured by ELISA. Results 1) Compared with the WAS and NC rats, the visceral sensitivity of FSS rats was significantly increased ( P <0. 05). There were no significant pathological manifestations in the colons of FSS or WAS rats. (2) Compared with the WAS and NC rats, the serum concentrations of CRF, ACTH, CORT, and 5-HT and the colonic concentration of 5-HT were all significantly increased in the FSS rats ( P <0. 05). (3) The defecation quantity of FSS rats was significantly greater than those of WAS and NC rats ( P <0. 05). The water content of the feces of FSS rats was significantly higher than that of NC rats ( P <0. 05). The defecation quantity and water content in the feces of FSS rats were stable during the experiment. Conclusions FSS is an optimal method for establishing a rat model of VH and is superior to water avoidance stress.