I need help about my rats!!! Please help!

Question

I adopted two rats a few days ago. When they were babies they were tame but after five months at the shelter they are basically wild.

When we reach our hand into the cage they bite us.

When we offer them food in our hand they bite our hand.

I tried to pet one today and take it out of the cage but it tried so hard to get away from me that its nails cut my hands.

Since we got them it seems like they are getting worse and worse. When we got them they would eat out of our hands. We don't play loud music and we don't yell at them or scold them in any way so I don't know what the problem is. I donno what to do. I've had rats before but they were always tame when I got them.

*How long does it take to tame adult rats?

*Any advice one what I can do? I can't feed them by hand. I'm terrified to clean the cage (but I do anyways).

Any advice would be good... we are thinking of bringing them back to the shelter.

Answer 1

Almost all pet rodents can be tamed, but it looks like you'll have to work hard at it.  I had a rat that never gave me much trouble, but my previous hamster was an evil thing when we first got her.  She would roll on her back and hiss whenever I tried to pick her up.  For her, I just continued taking her out to play in a hamster proof area with lots tall boundries.  Talk to your rats, keep trying to feed them treats, pet them gently while they eat their treats, and eventually try holding them.  I used gloves when my hamster was mean beacuse I was afraid she would bite me.  Try some of those things.  If they don't improve in a week and you aren't too attached to them then you can take them back.

Answer 2

The rats need socialization. If you have only had them a couple of days you may need to let them settle in. Do not grab them or push your hands into their cage.

Put their cage somewhere where you are (desk, sofa, etc. The bed is good since they will likely not jump down). Leave the cage door open. Periodically offer the rats cheerio or other small, low cal treat. Don't try to pet them or reach into the cage  let them extend their own noses out and let them sniff you. Be sure you keep them in a place where you are moving around so that they can hear you. Periodically hold the back of your hand to the bars so they can sniff you.

Since biting is a concern, offer your hand with your fingers and thumb curled under and present the back of your hand. That will protect the sensitive parts of your hand. If they grab at your hand too hard, squeak loudly and pull away, which is how rats learn how hard they can bite litter mates.

If you do this and avoid grabbing and forcing them, they will hopefully gain socialization skills. Remember that all animals in shelter situations are extremely stressed. Shelters are never quiet - there is constant barking and the sounds of other animals in distress. These rats have likely not been handled and may have developed some fear of humans. Go slowly and gently and resist the desire to play and cuddle with them. It is not unheard of for a rat to be aggressive, but it is not very common. Since both are like this, I think there is a very good chance it is conditioning.

Gloves should be a last resort for your protection, not as a training tool. Rats will not learn that biting does not scare you and stop. Quite the opposite. You need to address the fear and give them rat-appropriate feedback as described above.

Good luck! Keep us posted how things go.

EDIT:  You may need to give them several days of you keeping them near you and holding the back of your hand to the bars (so that they cannot bite you) before you can progress to handing them treats. Also, you may want to start with a treat that is slightly larger and that will allow you to keep your hand well back. A thin pretzel stick or thinly cut carrots - the point is for them to gradually get the idea that you are a bringer of good things.

And I absolutely agree with the poster who said never ever feed through the bars. Rats eyesight is very bad and they learn to associate anything coming at them through the bars as a treat.

DO NOT try to force them out of the cage. That is making the issue worse. They are frightened and will see you as an aggressor if you do that. Let them come out in their own time.

Answer 3

Don't bring them back to the shelter, no matter what. If you decide that they are just too much for you to handle, try to find an experienced rat owner that is willing to take them.

Trust me, there's likely to be someone. :)

Scared they will hurt your cats? Why would they have access to them?

Start small. Sit by the cage and talk to them. Let them get use to your presence, scent, sound, etc. Put an article of your clothing into the cage, so they can further adjust to your scent and not see it as a threat.

Even if they take months to gain trust in you, it's worth it. I've only had 1 rat in my past that was deemed ''unable to be handled'' and I kept him for his lifespan anyways. Just because they're not perfect, doesn't mean they don't deserve a home. :)

Heck, if we lived near each other, and I had the room for more, I would take these cuties in a heartbeat.

Answer 4

thats very strange. could you describe what they look like? they might be the wild animal kind, you know the kind people want out of their attics.

and dont listen to jasmine DO NOT KILL THEM THAT IS ILLEGAL ITS ANIMAL ABUSE

Answer 5

bring them back and get younger ones.

Answer 6

Rats are not domesticated animals.... specially if you are dealling with adult rats. Why not get a Guinea pig, they are a lot cleaner and safer.

I have to remind you as well that since rats are non-domesticated creatures they may carry certain deceases that might be a threat to your very life. They may sometimes even carry Rabies and their bites can cause leptons pyrolysis all of wc very fatal, right?

I've trained 3 dogs over the past few years successfully but I'm not sure dogs and rats are similar but you can try a few of these tricks.

Trick # 1. Since rats are wild you can try choke training put a leash around their tiny necks and if they do something bad like bite you tighten the grip a bit so they can feel the pressure building around their necks.

Trick # 2. Electric shock. Using a tiny electrical device powered by a watch battery electricute the rats a little bit if they do something worng.

Trick #3. You can also try gentler ways like rewarding them with treats if they are good.

By the way, maybe your rats are not well fed? This could be the reason why they are so violent. Or another factor could be is that they are probably both male rats and this could cause aggravationtion at their end if this is the case because they may already have the urge to mate with a female or perhaps they are just really bored just imagine staying in a cage for the rest of your life try to put some toys inside their cages.

Hope this helps.

Answer 7

ask 50 cent...

he's rat

Answer 8

They are just scared. You need to earn their trust. Instead of handing them food in the cage, why not hand them food thorugh the cage so they can approach you on their own and they wont be able to harm you. Also try training them individualy because together they wont be as eager to be trained.

-Jean

Answer 9

You should never feed your rats through cage bars, or at the cage door. They will interpret any hand coming into the cage as food. They probably had that at the shelter, which explaing why they go to bite hwen they see your hand now.  It will take some time before they are "tame" again. You may want to give them more out of the cage play time-that way they can learn you are their friend. Patience is very important when adopting any animal from a shleter. They need someone to love them, and give them the attention they deserve.  

Answer 10

first of all for there nails, go to the pet store and get whats called a Wodent wheel, you might have to order it online b/c lots of petstores dont have it, and when you get the wodent wheel get the sandpaper type inserts so when they run the wheel it trims there nails, and then once they are short take the insert out.

about them biting i would get a pair of work gloves (the tough ones for like gardening) put those on, then reach in the cage and pet them, b/c if they bite you it wont hurt. If they see that the biting doesnt scare you anymore they will eventually stop! Give them treats when you go in to see them so they will be excited to see you, not scared ( i suggest yogert drops, once again at local pet stores). its giong to take time because they are grown, but give it a few more weeks before you take them back!

Answer 11

Dear Elizabeth,

It seems that you take good care of your rats, but I think they are just scared. If you take them back to the shelter nobody will get them. Give them another week or so. They need to adjust to being in a strange place. Hope this helped Elizabeth!

Kellie