Plase help me i am a rat noob!?

Question

My rat Trinkett is 2 months old and i have had her for a week. she is really small though and wont fit her leash will she get bigger ? and also how tame should she be right now? all she can do right now is ride on my shoulder for hours lets me hold and pet her for a while and will occasionally let me take her on walks in a nesting box. should she be more tame? when shoold i start show training her?

Answer 1

First of all, she needs a same s*x friend. Rats are very social and should not be kept alone.

I'd recommend getting another rat from a reputable breeder or rescue as pet store rats are often ill or, in the case of females, pregnant. Plus, you don't want to support pet stores and their mills or backyard breeders:

http://www.petinfopackets.com/rats/ratin...

http://www.petinfopackets.com/rats/ratin...

Always make sure to quarantine a new rat:

http://www.petinfopackets.com/rats/rathe...

Before doing introductions slowly and on neutral ground:

http://ratguide.com/care/behavior/introd...

http://www.ratfanclub.org/newrat.html

http://www.ratpalace.com/rat-articles/ra...

Small animal leashes rarely work well on rats. She sounds pretty tame for having had her for only a week, you're off to a good start.

Answer 2

Leashes that you buy in stores dont work for rats. You might go onto a couple breeder sites that sell harnesses for rats. They usually work better. As for shouldnt she be tamer. You have only had her for a week so you may have to give her more time. Some rats are just more leary than others. She will grow dont worry. Show training is something you need to talk to other breeders about that actually do this. When showing a rat they dont just look at its tameness. Rats that are show quality have to have perfect markings and color. They also have to be free of tumors or abcesses which unforntunatly females are prone to get. I remember watching something on this and they disqualified one ladies rat because he was missing a t******e. Its not something you want to go into lightly. But good luck. Hope I helped and have fun with your new furball.

Answer 3

1 Yes, she will grow more.

2 It depends how much the breeder handled her, when he had her.

3 You can train her as soon as you like.