At the beginning I was worried my ratties would never come around, being that I purchased them from the pet store I work. I also was worried they'd succumb to Myco but they seem to be doing well because I was diligent and caught it very early. But now, I have to come and(excuse me), brag, about them because I'm proud of myself and them!
It seems like they've come along way. They wouldn't let me touch them or pick them up in the beginning, they'd just sit quietly in their cage and stay as far away from me as possible. They were skittish and extremely jumpy. Simon would fear poop when I picked him up and Luffy would try and run even when in my arms and they would run away from my hand whenever it went in the cage. But with a lot of treats and positive reinforcement they're coming around expertly, at least in my opinion! I thought I'd share and get more of the rat community's input because it counts! They still have a ways to go, but this is simply a progress report, a recording of where we are and how far we've come.
Simon now comes to the cage door nearly every time I open it and when it's out time he hops up onto my lap for treats and pets if he's in the mood. He still doesn't like to explore but he likes too bu Luffy. I think he's still young and going through rat puberty because he's constantly trying to mount Luffy which has gotten him flipped many times. He's gotta work on it cause it does annoy Luffy, I can tell. Luffy likes to run around and explore and he's constantly being nagged by Simon.
He's alright with being picked up, but doesn't enjoy it. He tries to escape my hand, but no nearly as badly as in the beginning. Once he's up he seems fine and no longer fear poops. They only time they were fear pooping is when I placed them into the restroom yesterday to do a full clean on their cage. But, I think Simon is going to be the more mellow and cuddly of the two. He tolerates my scratches more than Luffy does and enjoys being around me and treats more than his actual play time.
Now, Luffy. Luffy has been the slower one to come around but he has shown the most excitement from the two. He loves to run around an explore, play with my hand sometimes. He also comes up onto my lap for treats and if I have a blanket draped over my legs while sitting Indian style in their play pen he likes to run around underneath it, which tickles like hell. X3 He's the more outgoing when he's outside the walls of his cage and will explore every inch of his play area, going so far as to escape a couple of times but it seems to me it's purely out of curiosity. Inside his cage he's the more fearful of the two. He likes to stay in the back of the cage and can only be brought to the front with delicious treats. But I have to lure him still while Simon comes on his own free will. Hopefully he'll get better at it. He's doing a lot better with being handled, but he's still frightened. Today, It took him out to hang out with me in his new bonding pouch that I got. When I first brought him out, he tensed up but didn't run away from my hand. He did some, what I believe to be, nervous vibrating in my hands and in the pouch at first. I settled down with him on the couch and he seems to really enjoy the pouch. I let him explore the couch a bit, which he loved. He became very comfortable in the pouch, nearly falling asleep and even doing some bruxing! Which he's done only once before. It's still hard for me to tell whether it's bruxing, but I believe so. The sound of sand being ground between their teeth is what it can be described as. While in the pouch, he was letting me pet his head and shoulders and seemed to enjoy it a little bit cause he was half closing his eyes. In the pouch he was also grooming himself which I interpret as a sign of comfort. I'm still learning to understand their body language though.
From what they were, I think they've come along nicely. Your input, advice, suggestions are welcomed! Maybe you guys have some ideas what else I can do to warm them up to me even further, maybe from experience. Anyways, thanks for reading and letting me share! <3
It seems like they've come along way. They wouldn't let me touch them or pick them up in the beginning, they'd just sit quietly in their cage and stay as far away from me as possible. They were skittish and extremely jumpy. Simon would fear poop when I picked him up and Luffy would try and run even when in my arms and they would run away from my hand whenever it went in the cage. But with a lot of treats and positive reinforcement they're coming around expertly, at least in my opinion! I thought I'd share and get more of the rat community's input because it counts! They still have a ways to go, but this is simply a progress report, a recording of where we are and how far we've come.
Simon now comes to the cage door nearly every time I open it and when it's out time he hops up onto my lap for treats and pets if he's in the mood. He still doesn't like to explore but he likes too bu Luffy. I think he's still young and going through rat puberty because he's constantly trying to mount Luffy which has gotten him flipped many times. He's gotta work on it cause it does annoy Luffy, I can tell. Luffy likes to run around and explore and he's constantly being nagged by Simon.
He's alright with being picked up, but doesn't enjoy it. He tries to escape my hand, but no nearly as badly as in the beginning. Once he's up he seems fine and no longer fear poops. They only time they were fear pooping is when I placed them into the restroom yesterday to do a full clean on their cage. But, I think Simon is going to be the more mellow and cuddly of the two. He tolerates my scratches more than Luffy does and enjoys being around me and treats more than his actual play time. Now, Luffy. Luffy has been the slower one to come around but he has shown the most excitement from the two. He loves to run around an explore, play with my hand sometimes. He also comes up onto my lap for treats and if I have a blanket draped over my legs while sitting Indian style in their play pen he likes to run around underneath it, which tickles like hell. X3 He's the more outgoing when he's outside the walls of his cage and will explore every inch of his play area, going so far as to escape a couple of times but it seems to me it's purely out of curiosity. Inside his cage he's the more fearful of the two. He likes to stay in the back of the cage and can only be brought to the front with delicious treats. But I have to lure him still while Simon comes on his own free will. Hopefully he'll get better at it. He's doing a lot better with being handled, but he's still frightened. Today, It took him out to hang out with me in his new bonding pouch that I got. When I first brought him out, he tensed up but didn't run away from my hand. He did some, what I believe to be, nervous vibrating in my hands and in the pouch at first. I settled down with him on the couch and he seems to really enjoy the pouch. I let him explore the couch a bit, which he loved. He became very comfortable in the pouch, nearly falling asleep and even doing some bruxing! Which he's done only once before. It's still hard for me to tell whether it's bruxing, but I believe so. The sound of sand being ground between their teeth is what it can be described as. While in the pouch, he was letting me pet his head and shoulders and seemed to enjoy it a little bit cause he was half closing his eyes. In the pouch he was also grooming himself which I interpret as a sign of comfort. I'm still learning to understand their body language though.
From what they were, I think they've come along nicely. Your input, advice, suggestions are welcomed! Maybe you guys have some ideas what else I can do to warm them up to me even further, maybe from experience. Anyways, thanks for reading and letting me share! <3
