I’ve had my rats for a couple of months now and one of them is great with being handled and stroked the other one hates it. He’s friendly and will take treats from my hand (both inside and outside the cage) he will put his front paws on me and is more than happy to come right up to my face when he is out of the cage to say hello. If I try to touch him he runs away and really doesn’t like being picked up. I was wondering if anyone has any advice on how to move on to handling him as other than this he is very friendly towards us. (They come out of their cage everyday and I interact with them and provide games so I’m not sure what else to try to get that trust)
Handling
- Thread starter E Hawtin
- Start date
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Coffee Babies
Active Member
It's great that they are both so comfortable with you! To get him used to being handled you might want to start of slow, reward him after quickly touching him or have a licking treat on your hand then quickly touch him. Eventually get him used to quick strokes, pets, and then being held.
aoadoc
Member
My three girls are are 12 weeks old and have been with me for a little over a month now. They are just getting to the point where they will let me pet them in the cage and a little bit while free roaming. I'm not pushing that yet. Every day they seem to be a little more receptive. I just think it's a slow process that takes considerable time. Give them a place to hide but that you can reach into while you pet them.
What I've done with my rats who don't like to be handled, or touched, is every time I walk by the cage, I pick them up, put them on my chest, say hello, and immediately put them back in the cage and give a treat. Then I do the same with their cagemates, so they can see its OK, and associate my touch and voice with treats and something good. It's a win for both of us! It usually doesn't take long either.
