Female biting! Help!!!!!!!!!!!!

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R

Rat Whisperer

Member
Joined
Jan 6, 2013
Messages
22
Location
Canada
So I had my 3 girls (Pandora, Hestia, and Aphrodite) about a month and a half and they never bit me at all. One day I climbed over their CN to clean the floor because their play room is to thin to go around, as I was climbing back over my fingers were in between the bars for grip and Pandora bit one very hard (drew blood!). I opened the cage right away to calm her down and see why she bit me until she sniffed my hand and then bit again! My hand was dripping with blood!. Ever since she has bit me and drew blood. She only does this in her cage or near it, not on my bed or play time. Then another day after holding my ferret I forgot to wash my hands and I went to pet Aphrodite and she bit me hard but didn't draw blood (although I know it was my fault this time). I've been looking up why Pandora bites me and I think it's either cage aggression or raging hormones/pms. Is there a way to fix cage aggression or hormonal aggression? Or is this something else. Also what can I do to stop myself from being terrified of my rats? I barley play with them now because I'm so scared they'll bite me. If it doesn't stop I want to give them away since I can't take it.
Please HHHEEEELLLLPPP!!!!!!!!! :gaah: :cry5: :panic: :praying:
 
I play teach them to "spin" inside their cage about 20 min a day and for like 10 min I kind of just move around their toys. I only pet them when their faces are away from my hand and I always keep my hand at least an inch from their nose when they sniff (to scared to be bit). If they try getting closer I pull my hand slowly away. Sometimes they open their mouth as if to bite.
 
If you are acting afraid and pulling away from them, they will sense that and it will make them nervous... which really only makes the problem worse. If they bite you and you pull away quickly, they will learn that biting your hand makes it go away, and if they are nervous/cage aggressive, then you showing them that biting works is not a good thing at all.

Basically, you need to be calm and relaxed around them. Obviously it hurts to be bit, but it's not the end of the world and it's not gonna kill you or anything, so don't pull away quickly. Let them sniff you, and if they come near you, do not pull away. You want them to trust your hand and see you as a part of their family, not a scary intruder. Try giving them treats when you first put your hand in to say hello. Avoiding contact with them is just going to make it worse, so you need to find a way to work through your fear of being bit.
 
Thank you, I'll try letting them sniff, but sometimes they open their moth and I pull away, idk if it's just nibbles or aggressive biting.
 
I feel your pain, rat bites suck. I once had one (it was my own fault) that swelled up so bad I had to be put on abs lol. Yours sounds like cage aggression mixed with the fact they can sense your fear. How are they with you when you have them out of the cage?
 
Rats have bad eye site and will use their mouths to feel what things are. My rats will nibble my finger to see if I have food, but it isn't hard and I never pull away because it would make them nervous of me.
 
OMG!!!! They have stopped biting! So today I gave them tons of treats and stuck my hand in front of their noses, they kept exploring it and sometimes nibble on it! Pandora bit me but only a little blood came out, I think she thought my finger was food lol so I make a high pitched "eeeeeee". Now they all knid om gently nibble my fingers. They let me now pick them up!!!!
:bananas: :tumkiss: :cookie1:
 

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