rat bite

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rat_family

Member
Joined
Dec 31, 2014
Messages
20
Location
Ontario
Hi. I was just bitten by one of our rats. He got loose and I caught him which of course scared the jumpings out of him and he bite me at least twice drawing lots of blood. He is back in his cage unharmed. I am sitting in the hospital freaking out.

Will they make us kill him???? We are in Ontario, he has never bit before. I know it was out of fear. They are required by law to notify public health :(

Plus I'm honestly scared of rat bite fever. I don't know much about it. But I know some people die from it.

Waiting to see if I need stitches. Sounds like I'll be getting tetanus and rabies shots. Fun times.

Reaching out to fellow rat lovers for support because I don't know how the doctor will react to a pet rat. The nurse seemed to think I was crazy by the look on her face.
 
I've never went to the hospital for a rat bite, how bad was the bite? I think the shots are unneccesary but don't worry about rat bite fever. It is incredibly rare.

I'm not sure if they would look into a rat bite very much but I'm honestly not sure...
 
Finally back from the hospital. No stitches. My fingers are swollen and hurt like heck. Doctor put me on antibiotics "just in case" since we can't clean inside the bite or "punctures" as he calls them.

He kept saying how he heard rats are super smart but doesn't understand why anyone would choose them over hamsters or guinea pigs or bunnies. I said they are more affectionate and rarely bite which of course he raised his eyebrow. He didn't understand why it would bite if it knows me even if it was scared.

I asked if he sees bites often. He said yes, never from a rat though. It's always bunnies and gerbils and other rodents. I said "see, rats rarely bite". He had a hard time arguing that one. Said he gets bit by his rabbit all the time.

But there was still no selling him on rats.

Got home and checked on the boys. Rico, the biter, looks angry. The others greeted me with caution but curious too.

Any advice from others who've been bitten would still be appreciated. I'm not as worried about myself now. But I am worried about Rico. Will he get over this?

Can you keep a rat that drew blood or do they develop a "taste" for it?

I'm not scared of him. Just concerned for him. Should I wait before trying to handle him?

Also, with my open wounds (wrapped in bandaides now), can they smell the blood and will they go after it in any way? I've had dogs and cats before these guys and they always tried to lick the wound to heal it. Should I wait until fully healed?
 
They don't develope a taste for blood, I've had tons of biters that are completely social now. I think he will get over it. Has he shown,any signs of aggression beside this? If not it was probably a one time thing. Before you handle him now, maybe let him smell you before you grab or pet him. He won't be surprised. Also you should be fine with the wounds, he my try to lick them. I aleays keep a bandaid on mine.

Hopefully it was just a fear bite. :)
 
I think we have all been bitten by a rat at some point. Last time I got bit I stuck my hand between two girls I was introing as I saw things going south, so I got the bite meant for the other girl. Boy, did that hurt! It healed up just fine.
They do not develop a 'taste' for blood. That is a myth.
You need to assess the situation the bite happened in. It sounds like it went something like this:
"I was out exploring and then this big scary person started chasing me and I tried to get away but then they caught me and I thought they were going to eat me so I bit them so they would let me go! Oh wait, it's my human... Geez, you scared the crap out of me!"
If you notice that his behaviour is changing overall, then he may be at that stage where the hormones are taking over and he's becoming more dominant/aggressive. If that's the case, then a neuter is a great solution. How old is he?
 
Thanks everyone.

It was a fear situation. I had opened up the cage to put some more food in and he snuck out. He has escaped before but this was the first time resulting in a bite. I had no choice but to catch him for his own safety, which he obviously didn't know.

I truly don't feel this was a mean intention bite. It was for sure a "look at me, I'm out, oh wait, I'm not familiar with this area, oh crap a giant has me and is going to eat me!" situation.

He is nearly 8 months old. We have four from the same litter (all male). He gets in tiffs with the others but I would not say he is the alpha. He did try at one point for that role, came in second, fluctuates to third some days.

He has always been the nibbler....meaning he "tests" by gently scraping his teeth on your skin or doing a test bute? Not sure what to call it. He'll take the bite form on your finger but there is no pressure to it. Then once he does that he kisses. He has always done this from day one.

He is very aggressive when getting a treat though. Two of the boys take the treat confidently but careful not to get your fingers in the way. One takes the treat with a timid and overly gentle approach. He takes the treat as if you've been starving him his whole life. (yes he gets to eat because when he was younger we paid extra attention thinking maybe he was bullied when it came to food....no...he is not....he does just fine for his share).

He does not seem territorial at all with the cage, or in regards to the other rats.

I talked to them this morning, for the most part the three that did not get out seem fine and actually concerned if that makes sense. The alpha came and rubbed on me. The super shy one even came out to give love without coaxing. Rico attacked. I did not approach him. I think he is still shaken.

I honestly don't remember if I screamed when he bit. I just know I was talking nice when trying to catch him, then once back in the cage I was telling them it was ok in a nice voice as I stared in horror at the blood dripping everywhere. Right now I think he views me as a threat still.
 
He's at the perfect age for his hormones to get the best of him. This is quite common in rats and a neuter should settle him right down. Poor guy just can't deal with the stress.
It's funny how each doctor reacts differently. Some are convinced you will have the plague while others don't think much of it. Usually doctors do not stitch up what they call a dirty bite. A dirty bite is any bite from an animal. Are they making you get the rabies shot? I really think that's overkill and unnecessary.
 
No, no rabies shot. I did get an updated tetanus shot and am on antibiotics as a precaution.

Public health called. The gentleman was much more understanding and open to pet rats which helped. They are not concerned but I am to keep an eye on him and if he passes on or escapes and can't be caught they will want me to get the rabies shot. As long as Rico is alive after 14 days they will dismiss the case. Again the man was very nice and kept assuring me that it is extremely unlikely for a problem to arise so that helped.

I did open the cage this afternoon to offer up comfort to anyone wanting it. Only Parker (the very social one) came for loving. Everyone received a treat. Parker took it as usual. Clue took it much more gentle than usual, think he is a bit shaken up by what happened between me and Rico. Onchow was his normal self. Rico approached with extreme caution then snatched the treat and took off to a hiding place. I want to work on that trust again for him.

Is it better to get him neutered sooner than later or should I try to build back some of the trust first?

I don't think he will let anyone handle him anytime soon.

If I just neuter him will his brothers bully him? The others are all extremely gentle with us. They have their tiffs with each other but it's never turned scary. So I'd rather not put them through surgery unless it's going to cause Rico problems.
 
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