Scared rat help?

Question

i recently got 2 rats, 2day i had let them out to explore, this was fine, but they were SOOOO jumpy and nervous. any ideas?

i couldnt even stroke them, let alone pick them up, because they were so jumpy.....

i was going to put my hand in the cage let them sniff it but im scared they will bite me! :(

Answer 1

usually when you get a small animal you are suposed to give them 2 days to get used to the place before you pet them so this is normal. and it is also normal to be scared that the'll bite you so first in 2 days or i guess if you wanted today you could put on a glove and see if they will bite your hand in the glove. with the glove on if they do bite it won't hurt

if they bite give them 2 days to get used the place  and try again

Answer 2

i had gotten a rat from a lady who had badly neglected the rat. i tried to comfort her and take care of her but she was soo vicious and it was hard to clean the cage, feed her or anything b/c if i stuck my hand in shed try and bight me. I felt bad but i had to give her to a pet store. They said all they needed to do was put her in a room and put blankets over the cage to make it dark for 24 hrs or so and it would relax her and make her better. try that i guess id say?

Answer 3

if it's for a science project or something like that ask somewon u know to take care of them and if you just like rats don't stick you're hand in the cage or get a rat playpin 4 them.

Answer 4

Yeah, just take it slow. I wouldn't recommend putting your hand in the cage. They need time to acclimate. Try hand feeding them (lettuce, carrots, cheese in moderation, fruit) and talk soothingly to them. Eventually they will likely come around ; rats are very social and affectionate. When you hand feed them be careful, but don't be jerky.

Also, I wouldn't let them out until they are comfortable. They can run away or hurt themselves and they will probably be overwhelmed anyway.

My rat went through a traumatic experience, my dog bit him. I was very remiss as I've raised dogs cats and rats together for years. I was being careful when I introduced them , but not careful enough. My dog was young and just didn't get it. It took alot of patience and about a year, but my rat now will come out and sit on my lap and he will interact with my  dog  cats (more than I like him to). So, if yours are just shy they will come around..just take it slowly.

Answer 5

It's going to take time for them to warm up, they are very new yet. It's a new environment for them which is very scary. Remember that rats are prey animals. It's really best to give them at least a day to settle in before trying to handle them.

Here's some trust training information:

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

http://www.afrma.org/trusttraining.htm

http://members.aol.com/juliesrats/behavi...

Answer 6

The sad truth is at some point or another during the taming process you are likely to get nibbled by your rats. But rats in general aren't vicious and it's more likely to happen if you're nervous with them.

Start off by spending some time near their cage each day, just sit and talk to them and let them get used to you. They need to learn that you're not a preditor.

Then slowly start to interact with them, offer them treats in the cage but don't try to stroke or pick them up yet, they will begin to learn that your hand coming into the cage is a good thing.

Slowly work up to stroking them and picking them up inside the cage. It won't happen over night but if you do it everyday they will son build trust.

If your rats are female then they aren't likely to want to sit around and be cuddled, females naturally seem to be more active and wriggly! Males are more docile.

Good luck with your new friends and keep up the work, it'll be worth it :)