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ratdomain105

Member
Joined
Nov 26, 2007
Messages
20
Hi. I don't have a picture of my rat right now. I kind of don't know about rats so can someone please help me?

I just got a rat. She keeps staying on the the corner of the cage. She won't come out. I tried petting her and she kind of nipped me a little bit. She bit me a while ago...can anyone tell me why?
 
Your little sweetie is probably scared. I'd suggest getting her another female rat to keep her company and help her feel more secure. You also should socialize them more, interact with her more.
How old is she?
 
Where and when did you get her? Did she have friends there in her cage/tank?

As Jo said she sounds frightened...new place, new smells, no friend to cuddle up with, etc. She definitely needs a friend.
 
Also does she have a hiding space? like an igloo. Somewhere where she feels she can go to feel secure so she doesn't feel so open and vulnerable?
 
I was planning on getting her a friend soon. I can't get one right now...I'm afraid she will bite me again. She's 2-3 months old.


I got her from a pet store. Yes, she only had 1 friend. It was a hairless rat, I wanted to get it but my mom didn't like that one so I couldn't get it.


No, she doesn't. I bought her one but it was too small...and the cage doesn't fit that much stuff. The cage we bought isn't really big...it was all we could afford. I bought her a ladder though
 
If you go to the dollar store they have plastic baskets in all sizes for practically nothing, you can easily cut a hole in one side and put it in upside-down so she has a little hidey-house. You could use a cut-down box in the meantime...

A friend is very important. You should start checking Craig's list and other buy/sell sites every day, quite often in the pet section you'll find someone giving away a rattie in it's own cage and so get a better cage and a friend for free or cheap - just make certain it's also a girl rattie of course.
 
Also, you need to save up for a bigger cage. If that cage is too small for any toys and igloos, your rat won't be happy and it will be hard to socialize her.
When you take her out of the cage, let her try to walk out on you. Don't grab her, she's probably frightened.
 
Thanks for the idea, fidget! This lady was walking by and she saw my rat, she said she had some rats that were babies right now. She said I might be able to get some from her in a few weeks...does the age matter when a rat gets a new friend?

Jo, my friends were trying to get her out of her cage by grabbing her...is that okay? My rat was trying to get out of her hand at the same time. My friends grabbed her and put her on their shoulders...will they scare her a lot?

Thank you, mamarat.
 
If they are gentle with her while doing this, it should be ok. She will get scared at first but should get used to it. But if she's nipping you, they shouldn't be grabbing her out, they should allow her to come out on her own.
 
I guess they were kind of gentle. When we were holding her, she just sniffed us. I was wondering...how can I get my rat to socialize with me? On the first day I got her, should I have left her alone for a day?
 
Personally, I don't leave them alone. I like to keep them on me for awhile when they are new, get them used to my smell. This helps them bond to you.
 
If you are afraid, they will pick up on that. So do your best to not be nervous when you are interacting. Try taking the cage, putting it on your bed and opening it up. Just watch tv or busy yourself with something else until she starts coming out to explore. Then maybe you can stroke her, and if she's uncomfortable she can retreat to her cage. With so little cage to hide in, she may feel more stress, with less places to run to in attempt to get away from the scary hand.

Also take time to put your hand in the cage without trying to grab her. Just sit it in there, and let her sniff around when she's comfortable. If your hand ONLY goes in to grab at her, she will find it uncomfortable if she's not used to being held.

And, as said before, start saving for a bigger cage, and get her a buddy when you do!
 

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