Please Help!

[Jess<3Rats]

Hiya
I have not long got two girl rats called Angella and Cristina. Angella is very sociable and allows me to pick her up and stroke her. She is fine with me and sometimes falls to sleep on me which i find so cute! Although Cristina is very shy and runs away and hides even when i stand too close to the cage! Ive tempted her with treats but nothing seems to work. The closest Ive gotten to her is putting my hand close to her, she came up and sniffed my hand and then bit it hard. It really hurt! I keep trying but nothing works and they've both started to have little fights at night and one of them makes a high pitched squeaking noise like its hurt. Is this normal or will they have to be separated?
I'm sorry this was such a long essay I didn't know where else to turn!
Jess

 

[jorats]

Rats will play and sometimes fighting is part of their play. A lot of the time the squeaking is just them protesting and not really in pain. If they are young, I would guess that they are just playing together and having fun.

 

[LA]

Just a question, did you have any food smell on your fingers. Had you eaten anything beforehand. That can cause a rat to bite harder then the normal 'is that food' test bite.

 

[Jess<3Rats]

Just a question, did you have any food smell on your fingers. Had you eaten anything beforehand. That can cause a rat to bite harder then the normal 'is that food' test bite.

No I dont think I so :? I'll wash my hands before I try and stroke her to see if that will work. I feel really bad though because the other one always comes out at night and has a run around but the shy one hasn't been out her cage for about 2 weeks now! Even when I clean their cage I have to clean around the tube she hides in which is really difficult as I can't clean the cage as well as I should be.
Thanks for your advice

 

[SQ]

Here are some ideas.

http://ratfanclub.org/trust.html