Is it normal for our rat to lightly bite us?

Question

We just got him maybe an hour ago. He is the first rat we have ever had. I have been letting him crawl on me for about 10 minutes now and he approaches my hand and lightly bites my fingers. I washed my hands and dont have a trace of food on them. I dont know what he is thinking. Is there a good way to let him know that nipping isnt even okay?

Answer 1

my sister has 2 rats and they both lightly nibble (not drawing blood or breaking the skin) all the time

it doesnt hurt or anything, its natural for them.

Answer 2

He was either letting you know who's boss or attempting to groom you. ;)

To let them know it's not okay make a short, high-pitched squeak but do NOT hit them on the nose--that hurts them and does nothing.

Answer 3

he's just checking what your made of =P

rats do that to see how you will react, dont jump

or have big reactions... i dont know why, i just read that in a documentary.

Answer 4

yeah it is fine

Answer 5

If you're playing with him or bugging him too much, its pretty normal, but since he just randomly bites you, I think you should bring it to the pet store and ask about it.

Answer 6

all thngs like hamsters and rats need sumthng to keep their teeth from growing too long!! get him or her sumthng to chew on!!!   hpe i helped

Answer 7

you should let him get used to his surroundings before you tak him out

Answer 8

The light nibbling is their way of showing affection. There is another thing you might not know, but when they click their teeth by grinding them while getting affection it is alike to a cat purring. They like to be scratched behind their ears. They will eat anything you give them but seem especially fond of fruits and veggies and meats. You just got the best animal IMHO. I would recommend a friend or 2 of like s*x. They are a very social animal.

Answer 9

yes that's just their way of checking things out.

Answer 10

spray his face with water whenever he does it.

Answer 11

I find nothing wrong with it. As long as it doesn't seriously injure you. It's what dogs and cats do.

They're love bites!

:D

Answer 12

Rats have very terrible eyesight, so they rely on either smelling things or touching them. They will touch through their mouth, by gently nibbling on things in front of them. He's just testing your hand to learn what it is, it doesn't necessarily have anything to do with food.

If he ever bites to hard, probably whille testing and just biting down too hard, just give a little yelp of pain so he can learn that it hurts you. Most rats don't over-bite like that more than once after they realize that you get hurt. But he -needs- to nibble with his mouth, it isn't something you can or should stop. Besides, it's cute! It'll grow on you :)

And please get him a friend! Rats MUST not ever live alone! You need to get at least two, never one. They are extremely social, and you will be depriving it one of its needs by forcing it to live by itself. You cannot spend 24 hours with it after all, unlike another rat.

Some info for you: http://www.petratscanada.com/ratcare.htm...

EDIT: Teeth chattering in rats is almost equevalent to purring in cats. He's expressing happiness, probably from al lthat attention. =)

As for holding him right away, personally I would not. It sounds like he is comfortable enough right now, but remember that moving to a new place is EXTREMELY stressful to such a tiny ratlet, so it's better to take things slowly. Overwhelming stress causes myco, whch makes breathing hard for them. I would even leave him alone for another day just to get to kno his cage first.

Start slow by just petting and just cupping him with your hands as through you will pick him up. But don't start holding him until he's okay with being touched. And I hope you have supplied on ratty treats! I always use the routine of picking them up very briefly, then putting them back in their cage (don't let him jump back, hold him until he's fully in the cage) and then right away giving a treat. They learn that handling is a possitive thing quickly this way.

Answer 13

They will always nip at you! It's just their way of checking things out!

Answer 14

I'm pretty sure having a rat period is not normal.

Answer 15

i think so because i have a dog who does that and shes just playing. if he was actually biting you  then theirs a problem.

or maybe he like you. he might be a bit scared because he is in a new home so he has a bit of a nibble on your fingers.

Answer 16

Reprimand him with your voice.  If he is biting litely then you know he doesn't want to hurt you.  It could be grooming behaviour as well.