New Boys! - Intro vids

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So I'm kind of annoyed right now. Peachblossom bit me. I knew they were skittish and nervous, but I was not expecting to get bit. The other thing is that they're older than I was originally told. In the original email from the rescue I was told 8-10 weeks (and another 4-5 weeks of quarantine/evaluation), but the foster said they were already 5-6 months when the rescue got them. This didn't seem like as big of an issue last night, but after getting bitten today... "Skittish", to me, has a completely different meaning when you're talking about babies. The younger they are, the easier they are to socialize. At this age... I know it's doable, but it's going to take a lot more work than I was prepared for. :wallbang:
 
I'm sorry you got bitten. I hope it's not too bad!
Maybe they are just scared because everything is new. Give them a few days to settle in and maybe it will be a one-time event.
 
*sigh* Peach bit me again last night, not as hard this time, but still enough to break the skin. I've never had to deal with rats this nervous before, and it doesn't help that I'm now a little scared of them. (i.e. I don't want them anywhere near my face or hands)

Not really sure where to go from here. I've been feeding them babyfood off a spoon to try and help them get used to me, but it's hard to give them out time when I don't want to pick them up. :gaah:


Help?
 
Spork said:
*sigh* Peach bit me again last night, not as hard this time, but still enough to break the skin. I've never had to deal with rats this nervous before, and it doesn't help that I'm now a little scared of them. (i.e. I don't want them anywhere near my face or hands)

Not really sure where to go from here. I've been feeding them babyfood off a spoon to try and help them get used to me, but it's hard to give them out time when I don't want to pick them up. :gaah:


Help?
Click to expand...

I was in the same situation after my rat Charlie bit me a couple of times. I was scared of him and I would never let him near my fingers or my face... the fear slowly went away after he calmed down (after his neuter - I now let him lick my face everywhere)... but I'm sure your boys will calm down once they get used to their surroundings and they wont need a neuter.

I can't help you on the biting issue, but I can tell you that your fear will go away eventually.

have you tried the down the shirt trick?
 
So I tried a tabletop intro with the boys and Paya tonight, and I think it went rather well :D
There was lots and lots of sniffing from the boys, and Paya didn't seem to ever manage to relax, but I saw no puffiness or aggression :thumbup:

A more detailed post with videos will happen later if I have the motivation.
 
We now have 3 incidents to give us insight into Peachblossom's biting:

1. The boys were out for playtime on the bed, at the time the were both in the crinkle tube with Peach in the end nearest to me. I was scratching my fingernails in the fabric of the tube, Peach was watching. I had been doing it for probably less than a minute, but definitely more than a few seconds when he bit. I pulled my hand back and made lots of loud noises, possibly flailed a bit, he let go right away. It bled a surprising amount and my finger ached for a few hours.

2. The boys were in their cage, I was feeding them babyfood off a spoon. I had my non-spoon arm resting along the doorway to the cage with my hand hanging just inside. after he'd lost interest in the babyfood he casually walked up to my hand and bit my pinky. Again, I pulled my hand back and made loud noises, again he let go right away. This bite wasn't nearly as deep, only a drop or two of blood, though I did get the feeling he would have bit harder had I not scared him off.

3. Playtime on the bed again, the boys had been out for nearly an hour. I had my hand resting on the laptop. I was a bit zoned out, so when Peachblossom approached I didn't quite realize it was him and not stormy, and I didn't hide my hand like I had been. He calmly walked up and bit my hand, bit didn't manage to break the skin before I made a noise and startled him. I didn't pull my hand back this time, actually managed to keep pretty still, and the quick intake of breath that comes from expecting pain was enough to startle him out of it, though again it did feel as though he would have bit harder had I not made a noise.



General update:
The boys seem to be adjusting, though they are still pretty skittish. I find it very odd what startles them and what doesn't. If I'm feeding babyfood off a spoon, all I have to do is sigh or shift my weight for them to bolt, but if they're trying to climb out of the cage they have no fear of my arm blocking them or trying to push them back in. During playtime on the bed they come up to me and climb over me (Stormy has even climbed up the pillows to check out my shoulder and sniff my face) but any sudden movements or noises, they run. Unless of course they're hanging over the edge of the bed thinking about jumping, then all the snapping fingers in the world won't phase them.

I'll try to do another photo update soon, but I am very lazy, so we'll see :giggle:
 
Well, it's good news that the bites are getting less serious. What if, when he tries next time, you eeeeep! loudly, and then that same hand hops on top of him and dominates him? Where are our rat behaviourists? Would that make things better or worse?

My kids scatter at the smallest move sometimes too. While sitting on the floor, just raising my knees up was enough one day to send everyone running. Or bringing my hand up from below their sight line. I think it's because that's a predatory move, something coming up at them. And I have cats, so the scent of predators is everywhere.
 
He may need a lot of training. With toby I would call his name, give him a treat when he would come get it. That boy got a lot of treats that first week. I wouldnt touch him or pick him up at all. I then went on to the spoon feeding, while doing that, I would stroke his head just a bit while he would eat. I never put my hand at him, without food. I never let him near my hand without food. He was bar aggressive too he would attack like a mad man. I would always say no in a stern voice when he tried to bite me. After two weeks, he was licking my hand and never bite me again. If he continues one of two things can happen, he will need a neuter or he may always be a bit bitey. Mally has being biting me for a long time. Regardless of what I did to stop it.
 
I had a scared little rat (used for snake food . . . half his tail gone but the snake didn't want the rest). To be perfectly honest, he never turned into a rat I could really love or cuddle. He bit me a number of times (often for no reason, just because my hand was there, the little bum!).

He was still a WONDERFUL pet. Perhaps this was the wrong approach, but after a while, I gave up trying to pick him up and force love him (down the shirt, etc.). I gave him treats and pet his little head/bum while he eat, which he tolerated. My boyfriend built a pen that adjoined to the cage door so that he could come out for play time without me handling him, which he loved. Often he would come and sit on my knee in the pen, just chilling out with me. I know he knew me and loved me - but he just wasn't a rat that wanted to be handled. I trained him to come to me for a treat whenever I clicked my tongue, and he would come bolting from wherever was to me. A few times when he made a great escape (once into the wall . . . moan), he'd come running as soon as I did that. I'd put the treat in the cage and he would just happily go.

When he bit me, I would let out a little Eep! in as close to a rat eep as I could make it. I think a lot of times they don't necessarily realise that biting is a bad idea. Sometimes I think he was hoping for yumminess on my fingers. As soon as I eeped he would stop immediately and saunter away.

Don't worry too much. Just because he may not be a cuddler doesn't mean he won't make a great pet or love you. Finnley certainly wasn't going to give me kisses on my face, but his little face right up at the door when I said his name, and the way he'd always want to sit on my knee in the pen (but not be pet!) spoke volumes.
 
Intro number two ended like this:

h3KT.jpeg
 

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