New rat owner here : )

Hello everyone. This seems like a very nice community!

I have been a fan of rats all my life, but unfortunately my mother never was. In result of that I owned mostly guinea pigs and hamsters throughout my childhood and teen years. I am now living with my father, and he likes rats. For the past year I researched rats, wanting to learn as much as I can before getting one. I had it in mind to go to my nearest breeder and pick up a pair. My grandmother, however, thought it would be nice to surprise me with a rat. She picked up my first rat from the nearby PetCo.

His name is Hector : ) I am hoping to get him a rattie friend soon.

I'll probably make another thread to talk about Hector more : ) For now, I am just glad to be welcomed into the community!

Welcome! Rats really are great pets, I can never understand why people don't like them! I'm sure Hector would love a new friend or two. Rats in groups are generally much happier than when they're on their own

Maybe someone on the forum in your area can help you find some rats in need of rescue to come live with you and Hector.

Welcome! I'm not sure about rescues in Jersey but I know there is one in Philly. It would be a bit of a drive but maybe they would be willing to meet halfway for an exchange. Another good idea is to check craigslist.
Have you found an exotic vet near you?

:welcome: to the shack. We like pictures! Please rescue and give a rat in need a home.

Hi! They have already said it all. Welcome to the Shack!

Hi and welcome! Looking forward to seeing more of Hector and his soon to be friend.

Welcome!
I bet Hector will be very happy to have a friend soon.

Thank you all so much for the welcome!

As of now I am still in the midst of trust training. Hector doesn't seem to be afraid of me anymore. I allow him to come to me all the time. I let him come to the door for treats and he takes cheerios gently from my fingers. However, if I try to pet him with the back of my fingers he goes to bite (in fear, not aggression). I assume it's because he was never handled well to begin with (being a pet store rat) but he is very friendly and loves it when I sit by his cage and feed him and talk to him. My dad and I made a large playpen for him with 2ft by 2ft wood pieces. I block off half of my room with it but so far I have not been successful in getting him into the pen (my cage is elevated and so is the front door and it is difficult to just leave the door open and let him go into the playpen himself. I don't want to pick him up just yet and destroy any trust he has for me).

Any suggestions? Like I said, I have owned many small critters, including hamsters and guinea pigs, but never any rats. So Hector is my first. Any advice or suggestions would be great, because Hector is very playful and friendly. I know he wants to badly come out of his cage and play, but he's still not 100% trustworthy of me.

And my next rat (hopefully VERY soon) will definitely be a rescue. I will post as many pictures as I take : )

I do have an exotic vet here. The closest one is 17 minutes from my home.

I know many owners neuter their male rats. Hector is not neutered. Is that something I should look into?

Sorry for all the questions, but I want to learn as much as I can : )

Steph said:

Welcome! I'm not sure about rescues in Jersey but I know there is one in Philly. It would be a bit of a drive but maybe they would be willing to meet halfway for an exchange. Another good idea is to check craigslist.
Have you found an exotic vet near you?

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My manager at work actually goes to Philly often, and I sometimes go with her just to visit the area. So maybe the Philly rescue will be one of my options.

New Jersey of course would be easier on both me and the rat, but I'll have to do my research and see if I can find any around here.

Generally neuters are recommend for males because it helps with aggression issues and females because it lowers the chances of PT. And getting rats fixed in general allows you to mix genders. Like I have a boy and a girl living together and they are both spayed/neutered.
A lot of people also recommend "forced" trust training in which you let the rat sit between your shirt and a sweatshirt. It makes them feel safer and they get used to your smell.
I never had a biting issue with my rats. But I think unless you are trapping them they generally try to run instead of bite when scared...
Don't think I can be much more help with that. Hopefully someone else with more experience will come along soon.

My new rescue is fearful too. I do take him out of the cage, but if I can't get a hold of him easily and gently, I will take the top off the cage, lift the hide, etc. I don't want to corner him because that is when they will bite. I think he feels more comfortable in the presence of other rats (I get the impression he was an only rat), so I actually put his cage on top of the DCN so he can hear, smell, and even feel the vibrations of other rats. If the other rats are happy, then hopefully that will give him confidence. I would encourage you to find another rat that is happy and confident. Hopefully this will convince him you are OK. I talk to my new boy, and give him treats whenever I can (fastest way to a rat's heart is through their stomach? LOL) Then he looks forward to 'the hand' approaching.
Neutering can also help with anxiety by lowering the level of hormones overall. My guy is scheduled in 1.5 weeks.
So I guess I do believe in 'forced socialization', but in a very gentle, low key way. Even if it is just hiding down next to me on the couch for a while, he is still out, getting used to the sights, sounds, and smells of daily life.
The first couple of days he would hide in a little box, so I would just pick up the whole box out of the cage. That way he felt a little safe, and I didn't have to handle him to take him out. Once he was out of the cage, I wasn't as worried about the biting.
So, I hope this helps a little. Good luck! Persistence and patience will win his heart.

rattieSyndr0me said:

My manager at work actually goes to Philly often, and I sometimes go with her just to visit the area. So maybe the Philly rescue will be one of my options.

New Jersey of course would be easier on both me and the rat, but I'll have to do my research and see if I can find any around here.

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Hey Rattiesyndr0me a late welcome to the forum, I saw your handsome little rat in the rat registry on here and noticed one of the pictures of Henctor in his cage. I just want to suggest a cage with a plastic tray, wire bottom cages are hard on the Ratties and can cause bumble foot and generally uncomfortable for them, hence the reason he is perched on the soft cloth. I know decent cages can be pricey but Hector would greatly appreciate not living on a wire floor, if you can't afford a new cage maybe you could talk to your dad about making a plexiglass floor to fit in the cage and add some bedding for him on top of that. Keep in mind that pine bedding is toxic for Ratties. Also what kind of food is Hector eating? Oxbow is a very good food for rats and a lot of other food that people say are for rats have a lot of added junk that they don't need, Oxbow Adult Rat food is healthier for them. Hope you and Hector are making great friends and keep us updated on how he's doing with his trust training!

Many have said anything I would have.
But of course I will say welcome!
As for picking him up and breaking any trust I don't see that happening. Once he starts getting picked up even if he's very hesitant at first to be ok with it he will learn that it means snuggle and play time out of the cage. I have a new guy Porter that was not well handled and is 6 months already so he's had a long time to learn NOT to trust hands. If he comes to the door looking for attention he gets scooped out of the cage and taken to the couch for snuggles. He is already (in 3 days) building a routine to this that yes he still stiffens when my hand reaches as its likely just an uncomfortable feeling being picked up (as you can imagine for a prey animal) but he then goes right up to my shoulder and when we get to the couch he goes for his favourite spot on top between my carebears and he relaxed enough lastnight to have a nap. If his trust was broken he'd hide when I came up to the cage rather then waiting at the door anyway.
I also have a 1.5yr old rat who has been man handled by everyone who comes over since he was 5-6weeks old. He still doesn't like the pick up part but he's the first to jumo to the couch and run around like a madman happy as a clam! Just one of those things where I personally wouldn't wait to try to pick him up. Obviously if he's really fighting it and posed to bite then finding a gentle way to persuade or coax him out would be better.
Good luck and can't wait to hear of a new buddy.