My pet rat keeps biting me!!!

Sorry, I think rats are icky... and they smell, too, so my suggestion might hurt your feelings. I won't even say it. <grin>

There are some very nice small animals. I like the chipmunk who lives outside my kitchen window and I think squirrels are cute. Rats... not so much.

A ferret is what you need. Can you take the rat back?


BTW -- Welcome to a2k. Maybe a rat-lover will come along and give you some really good advice.

Hello Sadie. If you only got the rat recently then it just needs time to get to know you and it's new house. Call it gently when you approach it's cage and to start with offer it a treat whenever you reach into the cage. Then leave it alone for a while. It will soon get to know that you are a friend.

Rats are kinda like cats. They have to decide to like YOU.

Spooky, Nermal, and Barney are in disagreement, Adrian about being like rats, but you may be right about the rest.

Sorry Sadie 'enjoys interaction with humans' is rat-talk for 'I will bite you with my big teeth, but I will enjoy it'.

Welcome to A2K, Sadie. Sorry about your initial unpleasant experience with your rat. Maybe, as Adrian says, give her/him a chance to settle down in it's new environment & get to know you better, bit by bit. I've seen some beautiful pet rats, with lots of personality. Hope yours turns out well, too. Good luck!

Actually, a lot depends on socialization. One, buy a rat from a breeder or adopt one from a reputable rattie rescue. Two, don't house one rat by his/herself unless it's absolutely necessary (isolation from illness, surgery etc.) Since you didn't get this rat from a good source, and from what I gather, she's alone, you'll have a harder time than if you had adopted from a rescue or a breeder. Your best bet would be to find a good breeder or rescue around you, adopt one and let that rat be a teacher to your current rat. (Work on her in the meantime, since it may take awhile to find a rat from a reputable source.)

I would suggest you try getting some heavy gloves that it can't bite through. The next time you put your hand in the cage, leave it there. The rat will bit until it realizes that doesn't work. But don't just take your hand out. Keep it there for a while. You can offer it food. But you want to get it comfortable. Eventually you could try forced socialization as described on this page:

http://members.aol.com/juliesrats/behavior.html

It's not as scary as it sounds. It's just a matter of staying within the rat's comfort zone at greater and greater levels for a length of time that does not allow it to stay scared. It can only stay scared for a certain amount of time and then it will basically give up on being scared. Basically it's holding the rat every day for 20 minutes.

And the greatest place for rat questions is this board:

http://www.goosemoose.com/rfc/index.php#1

They're wonderful people and very knowledgable.

And here I am.

Sadie, rats, for whatever reason, are frightened by clothing. I would suggest removing all of your clothes before approaching the rat.

He should feel comfortable with your nudity and allow you to pick him up.

I would also suggest you have this photographed, and post the photographs so I may examine the rat's behavior.

Maybe I'll be able to pick up a few clues.

I'll just sit here and wait for the photos.

Your new friend and resident rat expert,

Gustav

< tapping fingers impatiently on desk >

Nice try, Gus!

Oh, thanks, msolga.

Say..... you don't happen to own a rat?

Don't answer msolga, he's angling for some 'quality time' with your ostrich........

Oh my!

I looked up some sites for you:

http://www.dapper.com.au/links.htm#behaviour


http://www.rmca.org/Articles/aggression.htm

http://goto.glocalnet.net/rat/gen/ratscale.htm

http://www.dapper.com.au/links.htm


Good luck! I like rats - but have never owned one - just babysat.

Ignore Gus, Sadie - unless you find him amusing.

Or set your rat on him.

Be wary of the Hantavirus. Feed rats to snakes.

i also need some help my rats simply scratch and bite everythim i try n pick them up and it hurts and its really annouying i got my rats 3 weeks ago and i picked one of them up for a while and handled him etc but then he escaped and bites me all the time or scratches

I can't stop laughing Gus !!!!

Do you feed your rat by hand a lot? Rats can't see well in light so if you do feed your rat with your hands a lot your rat is confused becuase it thinks that your hand is food or somthing. Your rat might be scard to be by itself too. Rats live in colonies so it might be a good idea to get another rat. If it bights when you try to pick up your new rat your first rat could be thinking its protecting your new rat if its not the food thing.