Please help! How do I get my male rat to stop biting me?

Question

My rat is a couple months short of a year old and I got him when he was only a couple weeks old. Everything wen t great at first, and I read in a rat book that I have that you can play with ur rat by nudging him and such. So I did that and he'd bite me and I thought he was jus playing. But now, for a month or started to bite me when ever I try to pet him. At first he was hard but I would tell him no and so now it's just little nips, but one, it's annoying, and two, I don't want those nips to regress back into something more serious- I don't want him to think it's ok. So whenever he'd bite me I decided I would hold him firly and say "No biting". But he kept doing it. So then I would pick him up and say it. And then I try putting him on his back and holding him in that submissive position to assure him that I was boss, and say it. But he keeps doing it and it makes me sad that he's behaving this way. I get him at everyday and he knows me so I'm lost. I've heard that tapping him on the nose might help? Please help if you have any advice.

Answer 1

another thing you might try is putting a little yogurt or soymilk on your finger and letting him l**k it off.  that way he learns to associate you with getting delicious treats, and he learns to l**k fingers rather than bite them.

Answer 2

Stop nudging him!!!

Answer 3

idk just throw him around a bit lolz

Answer 4

Rat bites are dangerous. Get rid of it.

Answer 5

why is everyone assuming he is not a fancy rat? lol You cannot let a fancy rat into the wild - they would be too domesticated.

when my hamster kept biting we took him to the petshop where we brought him and a guy who worked there offered to take him for 2 weeks to try and 'tame' him...

It worked! (:

Answer 6

It's a rat...they're not meant to live in a cage.  He probably is coming in to his own and wants to find a girl rat.  It's unnatural for him to live like a pet.

Answer 7

You are mistakenly thinking that you can domesticate your rat, just as you would a dog or cat. This is silly. Biting humans is what rats do in captivity. It means they want to get away and live the way they were bred to. If you have any compassion for your pet -- as opposed to your own selfish motives -- then you will do the right thing and release your rat into his natural habitat.

Answer 8

It's hilarious how some of these people seem to think that people are keeping wild rats in captivity or something. Domesticated rats ARE like dogs in that they are DOMESTICATED. If she were to let that rat free it would DIE. These rats make wonderful pets, so please do not tell her she's doing something wrong when you don't have any idea what you are talking about.

ANYWAY, on to your question!

Rats aren't trained the way dogs are, and tapping him on the nose may be perceived as threatening behavior which will make him more frightened of you. When he bites you, SQUEAK loudly and stop playing with him for a few minutes. This mimics what another rat would do if he were to play too rough. Since he isn't biting you hard, it's likely not meant to be aggressive. One of my boys is a bit of a biter, but not in an aggressive way. He just likes to taste you a bit to see where you've been. I don't mind it, so I don't train it out of him and he has not bitten me any harder. Some rats just tend to do that. If I were you, I'd stop the nudging and play attempts until his biting stops. Just pet him and scratch his ears and belly or whatever he likes when you take him out. Then, if you want to, start to play with him again.

Also, if he is alone please consider getting another rat. They are not meant to be kept alone and really NEED a companion.

Good luck!

Answer 9

dip your finger in hot chili sauce or put bitter apple on your finger. he might not like the taste of it and stop

Answer 10

ew. who has a rat for a pet? let it free.

Answer 11

whenever he bites you, stop the snuggling and put him in his cage for a while. rats love attention and cant stand being deprived of it. if hes good and calm, give him a treat and congratulate him. it could take a while to stop the biting completely, but hang in there.