One of my 3 rats is unsociable and i need help!?

Question

so heres the down low

i have 3 gorgeous dumbo rat boys, they are about 10 months old.

2 of them are darlings and i couldn't ask for better company.

but the third one, an albino, is very unsocial towards humans.

he is afraid of me and if i stick my finger near the wire of his cage, he will lunge to attack it. (he isn't aggressive when he is out of the cage) but he seems terrified of me! i have tried all sorts of ways to get him used to humans, like:

holding him close to me and talking to him nicely

letting him crawl on me

doing the above with his brother close by

i have tried just making contact with him without taking him out of his home

i have tried simply talking to him

and giving him treats(which he will not take from me)

and a lot of other tactics

but nothing works.

and this is where i am stuck....

just in case your wondering here is a picture of him(his name is devendra)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/newpethamster/devendra.jpg

also i don't know if it matters but he is the largest of the 3 however im not sure which one of them is the dominant male

Answer 1

SAME THING WITH MY RAT!

i use some thick gardening gloves to hold him cuz he bites.

try getting him a playmate(unless he lives with the others) the  other rat will socialize him alot!

Answer 2

I know your situation can be really frustrating. Here is my advice about it. Since they are all about 10 months old, they are past their puberty stage, which is usually the setting point in determining the rat's nature. When some male rats go through puberty, they become more agressive and hostile, but it is mainly the fault of hormones. There are several things you can do. If you want to see immediate changes in your rat's aggressiveness, you could try having him neutered. It will be fairly expensive, but this usually helps in curbing agression. If you don't think that's the right choice for you, here's something else. You mentioned that you've tried using treats, but it didn't work. What I like to use is some yogurt on a spoon. Hold the spoon out of the cage a bit with the cage open. Make sure the other rats are not nearby to steal the food, or get in the way. Be patient with the spoon and see if he can be lured out of the cage, sometimes you will need to let him get a whiff of the yogurt before he can be lured. Once he's out and l*****g the spoon, close the cage door, and make sure you have some gloves handy so you can pick him up. I realize that if this happens, he will frantically be trying to either bite or escape, but don't resist. Handle him for as long as you can, and always get him out of the cage! The best thing you can do is to be patient with him...some rats are just more fearful and timid. I cannot stress how important it is that you get him out of the cage everyday for an hour. If he doesn't act so bad when he's out of the cage, then you are definitely making progress. Keep doing this and making sure you handle him. It may take a few months, but I am certain you will see some results. Hope I helped, goodluck!

Answer 3

There is a chance that he is the alpha male of the colony. He may also be cage dominant. If he does not bite you or attack you when he is out of his cage, but does while he is in his cage, he may be "protecting" the cage and therefore the colony. Some alphas become very cage dominant. It is their "job" to do so.

If his behavior is not aggressive outside the cage, then this may be the issue.

Does he power-groom the other ratties?

Sometimes you get a great alpha who is fair, and sometimes you get one that is more warrior like.

You can get him neutered and that should help. However, this will disrupt the power hierarchy that has already been established in the colony. That can lead to a fights for the new dominant rattie.

If it is this, than I would find an alternative way to take him out of the cage, such as letting him crawl out himself before picking him up. If his behavior is the same when not in the cage, then you may have to neuter or spend a heck of a lot more alone time with him.