I need help taming my rats!

[neener]

I bought two young female rats who were destined to become snake food had I not taken them (the store was overrun with them, and selling them for just a few dollars each!). They have never been handled before, and are so scared when my hands get anywhere near them. I wish so much to be able to hold them and get to know them better, but I don't even know where to begin to start taming them. I built them a nice big two story cage (out of an old dresser), and moved them from my spare room, into the living room because I thought it would be better if they were near me and my son more, to get more comfortable with us and our noise. They are more social now, and will come to the side of the cage to see us, and smell us. They are much more curious than before, but when I go into the cage, they run to thier nest in the hammock, and hide. They also will have nothing to do with being picked up at all. Does anyone out there have any tips on how to gain thier trust? I would really appreciate any advice anyone may have. Thank you so much. Kristina.

 

[jorats]

This is typical behavior for feeders. How old are the now?
I would do the down the shirt trick. Put on a t-shirt and a sweatshirt over top. Put your babies in between and keep them there for an hour or two. Do this several times a day, this usually helps bond the rats to their humans. Eventually they will come out and want to be with you. But keep in mind, there are rats that are skittish all their lives, and need tons of human interactions.

 

[Moon]

You might consider introducing an item that can take the place of your hands. A cloth bag, a tiny cat bed, or even a box. Try putting it in the cage for a bit, and let them decide it is something "fun".. then you can take it out and "offer" it to them later by putting the opening at the cage door. They might prefer leaving the cage that way, instead of dealing with scary hands.