Rats trying to run away?

[Pepper_rat]

I am a new rat owner and have two girls. Peanut is younger and has lots of energy. She loves free roam time and will come up to me a climb all over me but hates being petted or picked up. Her sister Pepper is much more willing to be handled and I have slowly gotten her comfortable with being held. She will chill on my lap and is usually relaxed. I have a large play area for them outside their cage that is blocked out from the rest of the room. They run around and love to explore and receive treats from me but after a few minutes, they try very hard to escape. I am constantly thwarting their efforts as the rest of the room is not rat safe. The biggest problem is that Peanut doesn't like to be touched so in stopping her from escaping, I have to gently steer her in the right direction and I'm worried she will never trust me. They get plenty of free roam time and have lots of fun stuff in their area but they seem bored. Am I doing something wrong? I feel like a bad rat owner but I know they may just be curious and Peanut may never be ok with being held. I'm ok if that's the case but I want to know that I have done everything in my power to make them happy. Any advice is helpful. Thank you!

 

[Dena]

How long have you had them? How old are they? Babies tend to have WAY more energy, and always seem to be on the go. Girls in general are usually more energetic for much longer than boys. It could be that she's just a shy girl. Or a super busy, or dramatic girl. They all have different personalities just like people do. Here is a page that has lots of info on socializing, and introducing, when the time comes to do so.

Www.ratguide.com

Don't get discouraged. Some rats just take longer to come around.

 

[Coffee Babies]

Another thing is that even if your rats have tons of toys, they still like to explore new things so they'll be determined to see what's on the other side. My rats have a room to run around with tons of fun but they still like to try to pull the towel from under the door, they used to do it more but after awhile they gave up, I'm sure your rats will be the same.

 

[Pepper_rat]

How long have you had them? How old are they? Babies tend to have WAY more energy, and always seem to be on the go. Girls in general are usually more energetic for much longer than boys. It could be that she's just a shy girl. Or a super busy, or dramatic girl. They all have different personalities just like people do. Here is a page that has lots of info on socializing, and introducing, when the time comes to do so.

Www.ratguide.com

Don't get discouraged. Some rats just take longer to come around.

Thank you for the advice! I got them from a pet store before I knew the bad things about rats from pet stores, I won't do that again. That means I'm not certain of their ages but Peanut was definitely smaller when I got her so I'm assuming she's very young. I've had them for about 4 months now. I've been spending more time with them and Peanut seems to be coming out of her shell, I think I just need to get to know her personality. I'll love her no matter what! Thank you again for your advice!

 

[Pepper_rat]

Another thing is that even if your rats have tons of toys, they still like to explore new things so they'll be determined to see what's on the other side. My rats have a room to run around with tons of fun but they still like to try to pull the towel from under the door, they used to do it more but after awhile they gave up, I'm sure your rats will be the same.

Thank you! I think they may just be curious and I've started playing with them more and they seem to be more excited about staying with me. I also think that the more time we spend outside the cage, the less cool it'll be and they more they'll relax on free roam. This is my first time using this forum and I love how fast someone responded. Thank you!