Do rats let you hold them when you first bring them home from the pet store?

Question

Are they easy to pick up, even if they don't really want to be held?

Btw, a pet store is my only option, so no comments about that, please.

Answer 1

Yes it should be fine to pick them up but i would advise you to leave them for a day without coming on contact with them because there is new smells, new house, new people. Just new everything and they need to get used to the environment first before you handle them.

After a day or two you can gradually take them out. They may be a little frightened of you but with time they will learn to trust you.

I also find when bringing new rats home to hand give them treats and that helps them bond me quicker.

Also try getting them out about 10 minutes at a time 5 or more times a day, because getting them out for a long time for an hour or so can confuse them.

Answer 2

yes when i brought my female rat Alex home she could not stop being held she is sooo cute watch how the pet store person picks the rat up and just copy them

Answer 3

My neighbor got two baby male rats from the pet store(They're advertised as 'Small Rats'), and I went over the day after she got them. She was able to pick them up, and I was able to hold them no problem. They were adorable, too!

They would also climb the bars trying to get out of the cage, so I take it they liked human contact!

Answer 4

well you need to be careful about WHICH rats you buy,you can get ones that are scared of people but they are harder to train,if you get ones that already like people they are pretty easy,it all depends on the rat....(if they are babies make sure you don't hold them too much as they are babies and need alot of sleep for the first few months about 5 hrs a day is the max for a little one till about 4 months old, and its best not done all at once maybe 1-2 hours at a time)

(to later poster) first of all,an animal has to be exposed to rabies in order to have it,not many pet stores let their animals play with wild animals,and second rats cant get rabies anyway.

Answer 5

Well depends how old the rats are. I had many rats, the babies are usually frightened and wont let you hold them until the get use to you. If its an older rat and had had a previous owner or has been handled alot through petting stores.. then they probably wont mind being touched much, But like all pets they have to have a certain amount of trust and time to be able to be fully comfortable with you. :)

-Rats are amazing brilliant pets-

Answer 6

Well maby it all depends on what the pet store did. Try picking up the rat with gloves on if it bites you don't put it down just let if figure out that it cant rule over you give it some yogurt to help with the stress from moving to a new home( sometimes stress can disrupt the bacterias in the rats stomach witch helps digest the food yogurt will help regulate that any old yogurt with real digesting enzymes will work) or any other treat then set him back in the cage with some more treat or yogurt to show him/her that it is OK and then leave. Hope this helps! :) :)

Answer 7

all depends on the rat, they have personalities just like us.

Answer 8

Usally, If the petstore hasn't handeled them enough, They will bite a few times.

But Its a risk I take because you have to socilize them and after human contact everyday they will feel comfortable and not bite anylonger.

If your really worried wear gloves at first.

Answer 9

The real question should be-

"If I hold a rat, will it bite me and give me rabies?"

Most pet stores have rats as food for snakes. Take care in making sure the rats you are chosing from are for pets, and not food for other pets.