New Rat Owner; Need Advice Desperately

[Anna Gress]

Hey everyone,

I am a new rat owner and I just got three. I put them on hold before going on vacation for a month and when I got them they were 12 weeks old. These rats are VERY, VERY skittish and shy. If I so much as move quickly in front of their cage they scatter and hide. I have had them since the 31st and so far the only improvements in their skittish behavior is I can now pet them for about 10 minutes in their cage without them getting scared and running off. They will also eat food off my finger and hand but they get VERY afraid if I attempt to pick them up. They are still scared very easily and if I make any sudden movements they run and hide. I am struggling because I am not sure how long the socialization period lasts and what it looks like. I don't know if this is slower than normal for rats to adjust or if I'm just being a worry wart. I am also wondering if you guys have any tips for getting them litter trained. As well as just training in general. I don't think I should start training them until they are fully socialized and comfortable with me because again they scare very easily and if I do anything reprimanding I am afraid I will undo all our progress. Any advice you guys have would be very helpful. Thanks so much.

 

[jorats]

CongRATS on your new babies. It can be frustrating when the rats are skittish. But with time and patience, they usually come around. Unfortunately, I've noticed that rats who move homes at the 3 months mark are usually the most scared. joinrats.com is a great site full of wonderful tips on training. Also, training and socializing go hand in hand when using positive reinforcement. I'd start right away. Find their favourite treat and use that to bribe them. lol When you pick them up, scoop them with two hands. That is less scary than a hand over their head. As for litter training, that can be hit or miss. But what I did was have several litter box, each day I cleaned it out and several times during the day, I would pick up all poops and place in litter boxes. My rats were 80% trained and I was happy with that.