Cage happy rats don't want to come outside!

[littlemissrodent]

Hello,

I've got 4 female rats (2 from a breeder and 2 from a rescue). They are all very friendly and when i put my hand in they often come and groom my fingernails and climb up my arm and onto my shoulders and down again. They also love playing with my hair when I lean into their cage. But my problem is that when I open the cage door for them to come out and play, they all run and hide. I leave the door open for ages but they won't come out. If I lift them out, they are petrified and run back to the cage as soon as they have figured out how to. But when I interact with them in the cage, they are so friendly and fearless.

Does anyone know what could be causing this? They have a large cage but I'm worried they won't get enough exercise without outside play time and am not sure how to get them out. I've tried enticing them with toys and treat trails but they just hide!

Any help would be much appreciated!
Thank you.

 

[jorats]

How old are your girls? How long have you had them? Any other pets that live in the home too?

 

[littlemissrodent]

Two of the girls are 10 weeks old and were from a breeder and I've had them for 4 weeks now. The other two are 14 weeks and from a rescue and I've had them for 2 weeks now.

There are no other pets in the flat. I've recently had the carpets steam cleaned so I don't think there is anything on there putting them off.

I'm mostly concerned because they are completely fine with me in the cage and love to groom my fingernails and hair. But they are not interested in coming out at all!

 

[julia_silve:)]

my boy fivel used to be like that, i found him and he had major anxiety issues and was afraid to leave his cage. i fixed that by taking him out and putting him in my shirt or on my lap or arm, whatever he felt safest on ( if your rats love your hair put them on your shoulder) and sat on the couch. when he started calming down i would put him on they couch but next to me so he would feel safe. its possible that your rescues had a similar past that scarred them slightly and often when one rat acts afraid the others will be to. it might also help to take something from their cage and putting it on the couch so they don't freak out, slowly they will realize not to be afraid and you can take the house, toy , or other object from the cage off the couch and put them farther from you!

 

[Tonz]

My girls are like this. They're fine in the cage, love my hands in there but not keen on coming out. Like you, I leave the cage door open for ages. Sometimes curiosity gets the better of them and they come out, but stick to the edges of the room. What's weird though is that when I clean their cage out, they love to come and "help"! They're straight out, running across the floor and anywhere they can get to. Very odd.
I think its just their personalities, they like being.tickled but don't like being picked up. They're friendly and dont bite.or.nip, just don't like being handled. When I first got them, flop pretty much lived in my jumper and flip liked to sit on ny lap. They don't anymore, to big and fast and want to jump all over the cage. O don't think it does them any harm, they're out when I clean them and maybe one other time a week and I spend time with their cage every day with part of me in it. It's not like they're scared...just like being home.
Rfor is totally.different.....I open.his cage and have to be ready to catch him cos he's like a rocket. Loves to be out. Brought him to mum and dads for Christmas hols and he's not sure what's going on...still jumps out of cage, but sits on my neck in my hair and watches all the strange people. If someone else handles him he spends the whole time watching me...and if I move he goes crazy. Nice to know I'm loved. Lol
Tonz

 

[jorats]

Some of my rats are like that too, some with time come around and really enjoy playing outside the cage. Add treats for out time, that might entice them.

 

[littlemissrodent]

Thanks everyone for your replies!

julia_silve: Yes I'll definitely try that this weekend. Maybe if I leave a trail of stuff from the cage coming out, they might not even realise they are outside!! I'll definitely give it a go tomorrow.

Tonz: That's so cute about your boy!! He sounds adorable!

jorat: Yes, I think if nothing works, I'll just have to accept that they are like that. I'll probably end up getting a bigger cage that I could get more of me into!

Last night though, something strange did happen. I woke up to scratching under the sofa and was looking around but nothing. Went back to sleep and woke up again to a little rat face twitching i front of me! One of the girls had escaped but I have NO IDEA how! It's only me home and the cage is strong with no plastic to chew through and none of the doors were open! I'm still baffled but maybe this will be the start of a more adventurous era for them! Fingers crossed!

 

[jorats]

Oh boy... you have one of those. I had a few like that, love the escapees, they are full of character.

 

[julia_silve:)]

my girls did that ( wouldnt have minded but i have cats dogs, ferrets ect.) one would push the door and the other would squeeze out! three locks fixed that problem!!!!!!` :giggle:

 

[Tonz]

He is adorable. Completely. Nuts. But adorable. Too fast for photos though, I havnt got 1 good one of him.yet! He either runs away or tries to eat the camera!