My new rats - Paw Talk

Doubledime · #1 07-20-2008, 02:30 PM

Well i just got two new rats, One hairless one not
They get along fine, but theyre very skittish, and the hairless even likes to bite. I wanna know how to stop the biting from the hairless

Their names are Marvin and Rambo(hairless)

Any help would be great

I used to own rats before and even when new, they never bit, but they were females, maybe because theyre males has somthing to do with it.

Susinko · #2 07-20-2008, 02:43 PM

Does Rambo draw blood? If he is a pet store rat, he could just be testing if you are/have food. If he is drawing blood, it could be fear. It could be fear anyway!

I have six male rats and none of them bite me. Some like to nibble/groom on my fingers, but there is no pain. Each rat is different and you may have gotten one who is a bit more fearful than most. He also could have had a bad experiance with humans before and is very frightened.

I would give him treats and hold him as much as possible. My new baby rats spend a lot of time on my shoulders and lap. They were very afraid when I got them but they love me now and race to the door of the cage when I get close!

mulder · #3 07-20-2008, 06:39 PM

nah being male isnt what's making him bite. he's testing to see what you are. just open the cage door and sit there with your hand in it. talk to them, give treats, soon enough you'll be getting licks. I also find that rearranging and sprucing up their cage makes them like me more lol

MzKityLvsBrdsTo · #4 07-20-2008, 11:37 PM

My rat, "Mousie-Mousie", when I give them treats every night, GRABS her treat with a vengence - sp? and takes off with it. I swear, you would think I never feed them, which is just the opposite! LOL But, I have a problem that when I put my hand in the cage, she just thinks my fingers are there to give her treats and so, she bites them.... but, it scares me a bit, so I pull back. This delights her to no end. I need to get over it, I know. But, who likes to get bitten? See, in the past, I have been bitten by a gerbil, more than once, who bit me clear through my finger and I could not get him to release, hence, the fear on my part of being bitten. Kinda hard to get that picture out of my mind! But, I know in my heart that my rat is just looking for that "treat".

Is it o.k. to use a glove that can't be "bitten through" until your rat gets over the "biting" habit? Maybe try that? I just don't handle my rats enough. I got my rats for my son initially and then he never played with them. They are mine now and I simply adore them. I talk to them all the time, they have a HUGE cage and I give them treats all the time, but I don't hold them. Plus, I saved them from being feeders. I know if I worked with them, they would be fine. Good luck.

laydeerodentzz · #5 07-21-2008, 05:32 AM

Yeah, I know what you mean mzkit, I had an untamable spiny mouse that would bite me and when he bit me he would not let go, he would just hang on... OUCH LOL!
My rats, esp Arthur will get a bit nippy if I tease them with food. Because Arthur is used to me now he won't nip as such, he will just try to nuzzle his way through my fingers and be a bit rough. Just try to get them used to you and let them sniff you and get used to your scent and the way you sound. Talk to them and let them know your not a danger. Let them out in a small room and sit in the middle of it, I'm sure they'll come and explore you, once they know you and your body I'm pretty sure he'll be fine, pet store rats are not the best bred though, so thats probably the problem.

mulder · #6 07-21-2008, 05:47 AM

oooh I had evil spinies too! *cringes* lol

luvboyrats · #7 07-21-2008, 09:51 AM

The big thing is not to let it bother you. If it is a fear response and he figures out he can make you go away by biting you, you'll reinforce the behavior so don't pull back or act scared if he nips at you. If you need to wear some gloves at first in order to feel more confident then that's fine. Also it will help to just leave the cage door open and let him come to you and get curious instead of reaching in and picking him up at first.

How old are the two males? How big is their cage? Is he only biting you when you reach in the cage? Sometimes adult males in a cage that's too small will get very territorial and they'll bite when you stick your hand in the cage but not once you have him outside of the cage.

Doubledime · #8 07-21-2008, 02:33 PM

The good thing now is, after some tests, he doesnt bite me any longer, infact he comes to me

Now to just keep it that way

Vanilla_Rat · #9 07-21-2008, 04:49 PM

CongRATS on the rats.

Everyone gave some good suggestions,info and advice.
However I just wanted to add - sometimes male rats will produce too much testostarone and can start biting/attacking you,cagemates and even random objects.The only way to stop this behaviour is neutering.

Since your boy has since stopped biting,I doubt it's that.But I just wanted to mention it for future reference.

He was probably biting due to fear/stress since you just got them.
Do you have any pictures???