Pet rat questions???

Question

I have two female rats, and have done much research, but I still have questions.. First, how do I get them to trust me??? I take them out and hold them, and try to give them treats.. but they don't seem to like it when I feed them by hand. They are girls, and I'm guessing about 3-6 months old. They don't seem to like to be held.. which is odd for rats ( or so I've heard ). Also, I'm trying to litter train them... any helpfull hints? Is there anything else I should put in or take out of their cage??? They have a large two story, and this is what I have in their cage:

thick, heavy duty cardboard lage tube

large wooden hut-thing

plastic play-hut

waterbottle

food dishes, one for dry food and one for vegetables and such

nesting material

litter tray

scraps of old denim jeans

piece of large PVC pipe

I know the food I have is great, and I hold them for an hour every day, plus they I let them run around my room sometimes. Is there anything Im not doing right? Any hints on rat-care?

Answer 1

I also have 2 pet female rats. you are doing fine. It takes a litttle while for them to trust you. I suggest petting them as you walk by the cage. call them before picking them up, and soon they may respond to their names. mine do now. if you hold them that long, they might get squirmy. if they dont want to be held any longer, put them back in the cage. sooner or later they will enjoy being held if you only hold them when they want to be held. good luck =)

Answer 2

Make sure you don't feed through the bars. That isn't something you want to start doing, because that encourages them to bite at whatever may come through. If you have a guest come over and they put their fingers through the bars before you remember to tell them, they could get bitten pretty hard because your rats will think they're getting a treat.

You can tempt them with treats, but do it through the cage door. Eventually they'll get to LOVE you coming over, because you've got the treats!

You've got girls, so they may never be very "cuddly." Girls tend to be more active and what to know what's going on, so they tend not to like to sit around on your lap as much as boys. Try putting an old sheet on your bed each day, sitting down on it with them and letting them run around on it.

Potty training is pretty simple! Get a littler box, it can be as simple as a plastic box, and put it in the corner you notice them going to the bathroom the most. Fill this litter box with a bedding DIFFERENT from the bedding they already have. Unscented cat litter ONLY if you're using cat litter. I like Yesterday's News. Once you've done that, you've got to collect the poops they've already made in the cage and put them in the litter box. This way they know what they're supposed to do in there! It may take a while for them to get it, so whenever they p**p outside it just pick it up and put it in the litter box.. not with bare hands, of course. ;)

Answer 3

Dear Pet Rat Inquirer,

I can answer those questions for you. Thank you for asking instead of neglecting your rat's needs. It's wise of you. First off, rats need training, just like pretty much any other animal except for pet flies. :-)

How to train your rat:

1) Put a treat that your pet likes on your hand, and feed it through the cage first, without picking it up.

2) Do this several times, and then a few days later, open up the cage door, and put your hand right in front of it with a treat on it, let it eat it, and when the rat walks off your hand, put it back in the cage.

3) Repeat step number two until your rat can sit on your hand without moving, because of trust.

Litter training is something very helpful, because it can eliminate the amount of bedding that you need to refresh every week.

How to litter train:

1) Buy a rodent litter box.

2) Observe which corner of the cage your rat goes to the bathroom in.

3) Place this in that spot

4) Your rat should go to the bathroom in there

5) Feel the convenience!

I think you're doing everything right, but your rats aren't fully trained yet. So if you need any additional help, please feel free to contact me via my profile.

Thanks so much,

Pet Rodent Expert

Answer 4

I had one rat, so she loved to be cuddled, but when I got her we had two together. To get her to trust me I gave her bits of anything she liked to eat that wouldn't harm her...

Put a blanket inside their cage, a little old tee shirt or something they can snuggle in. Also, when you feed them, let them smell your finger, if one bites, pay attention to the other one. It may just be like ''Miss Independents'' because they are so young and they have attitude.

Rats need to be out atleast 2-3 hours a day. When mine was alive, she was out about 30 minutes in the morning before school, an hour after school, and about 7 at night.

She learned to trust me, but when she was a baby she did btie alot. It's just a matter of getting to know the person.

Get some baby food. I know it sounds strange, but let them l**k it off your finger, if you're afraid of biting then put it on the edge of a spoon and put it close enough to your hand, they think it's your hand.

Get turkey, ham, or chicken. They'll l**k it up, and slowly add that to their diet. My rat had a diet of:

-Lettuce

-Oat meal (dried kind that comes in the container, used for cooking)

-Rat pellets (kept her teeth short)

-A type of meat baby food.

-A type of veggie/fruit baby food.

-A bit of a cracker

-Sometimes bits of fruits like apples.

Rats are not picky, as for your decorations in your cage I would remove the denim jeans. Rats like something fleecy they can snuggle into and get warm.

Also you may want to look into a large exercise ball, or two. That way they can run around the room while you clean them.

Hope that helps.

Answer 5

hi, i have they same problem when i  first owned rats but i just got 2 female rats 2days ago and they kindda dont like to be held but the thing is you have to hold them alot and talk to them sweetly and pet them gentlely and if that does not work try like dont pick them up just pet them while they are in the cage for a little than try to pik them up when they are calm and my rat were so scare 2 days ago and now they love being held and being loved and treated good luck