Free roam with baby rats

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Pepper_rat

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 8, 2020
Messages
135
Location
New York
Hello! My adult rats are doing great and since one is getting older I decided to get two sister younger rats. They’re adorable little dumbos and I love them to pieces but they’re still scared of me ☹️ I’ve worked on trust training for the last month and thought we were making real progress. They let me pet them and gently lift them. They’ll come to my hand but the second we started free roam they don’t want to come near me. That’s fine as I want them to explore but when free roam is over this gets difficult. How do I catch them, or lure them back into the cage without scaring them even more? I’ve tried treats but they’re not interested enough. I’m just not sure if I’m doing something wrong or not doing something? Any advice helps thanks!
 
It sounds like your doing great with trust training! I think the best thing to do is to teach them to come, it's a safety thing and can help bond. I trained mine one by one by putting them on my bed and luring them to me while making kissy noises and walking around the bed, then as they got faster I put them on the floor. Besides for teaching them to come you can get them used to coming out of hidey places to you with luring. It takes confidence for rats to come out of their safe place so the more you work on it the more confident they become. A tip for bonding is you can also spend time with them in a smaller space like your bed or a bathroom with only you as a hidey spot while also giving treats as they come to you and explore.
 
Thanks! I will definitely try working on coming when called. They get scared by quick hand movements so it’s hard to reach my hand out to them to lure so I will work in a smaller area. I was thinking that I should use a smaller area but also always worry that I’m doing something wrong or could be doing more to help them be less afraid. The adults are doing great and the babies follow them everywhere so I’m hoping too that the babies learn from the adults. I’ll let you know how it goes!
 
It sounds like your doing great with trust training! I think the best thing to do is to teach them to come, it's a safety thing and can help bond. I trained mine one by one by putting them on my bed and luring them to me while making kissy noises and walking around the bed, then as they got faster I put them on the floor. Besides for teaching them to come you can get them used to coming out of hidey places to you with luring. It takes confidence for rats to come out of their safe place so the more you work on it the more confident they become. A tip for bonding is you can also spend time with them in a smaller space like your bed or a bathroom with only you as a hidey spot while also giving treats as they come to you and explore.
I put up cardboard walls around a small part of my room and sit inside while they explore the smaller area and they are so much better. They come over and climb all over me and take treats as I pet them. I think we’re starting to form a good bond and I’m so happy! Thank you!
 
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