Rescued rats BITING

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Roxymachado

Active Member
Joined
Dec 7, 2017
Messages
32
Location
San Francisco
I rescue 2 rats off of Craigslist, that were marked as free. They seemed a little scared, they have been handled, but I don't think in a while. They came in their own cage, so I'm not going to introduce them to my rats for quite some time. They came with a prevue hendryx 40 inch tall cage, $100 on Amazon, these people really didn't want their rats, didn't care about the money. One of the two is biting, I know she's afraid. how can I deal with this? I've let them have free roam time with my rats everything seemed fine she just doesn't like my hand. I haven't done any rescues, before. So any help is greatly appreciated! thank you in advance😀👍

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How long have you had them?
They may need some time to adjust and to realise they are in a good, safe place
Does she nip you, or draw blood?
When does she bite you?
I would suggest that you take it slow.

Please see joinrats.com for some useful suggestions
 
Out of the two bite both drew blood(one more then the other). As of now, I've had them for little less than 24hrs. The first time was because she borrowed under the cage liner and I tried to pull her out, she was scared I realize that. The second time I tried to give her some food. So now I've just been leaving her be, letting them adjust. I have one of the blankets from their old house on the backside of the cage so it smells like home. I've been putting my fist in the cage, so they could come up and smell it no biting there. I think she'll be okay. I just hope she doesn't adopt biting Behavior.
 
It's so good of you to have rescued these two poor little girls. I'm glad you realize that her biting is just because she is scared. You will need to take things slow with her and gain her trust. I would do a lot of talking, singing, treats. With time, she will realize she is safe. Also, she will see how the other rats interact with you and that too will make her feel safe.
 
Ok so this thread is about a week old, but she keeps biting. The bites are not as aggressive as the first couple, but she still gets me. I was doing a weekly full cage clean(new fleece, wash hammocks, and wipe down all platforms). So it takes a while, I set up the play pen AROUND the cage, so they could go in and out as they pleased. I was bitten 3 times during this, once she got me through the bars. I was holding the corner for balance while I was hooking a hammock to the top, the other few bites were similar, I wasn't trying to touch her or bother her. So what I'm wondering is how long should I wait before joining the cages together? They all seem ok during free range playtime, but I'm worried if she is so territorial about my hand being in or near her cage, Is she likely to show territorial aggression issues, once she is sharing the cage with 4 new rats, that she is ok with in the playpen? My other girls were sharing a cage in less than a week after meeting each other, no scraps, bullying, or fights. During playtime everyone seems ok a little dominance issues back and forth, pinning, jumping on backs, and power grooming and sniffing. But that's about it, nobody is puffed up they all borrow in the same tissue box together, no fights there. Anybody's thoughts, personal experience, and/or tips would be great. Should I switch them back and forth between cages. Maybe switch hammocks back and so that everything starts to smell like everyone?Thanks in advance

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It's my experience that when rats are nippy with humans, they usually aren't with rats. And when rats are nippy with rats, they aren't with humans. If they are doing great during out time, I would try to add them to the main colony. Be sure to wash down the cage completely to remove any smells. Also if you can move toys around or add new toys and such, that will help the cage become a neutral zone.

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It's my experience that when rats are nippy with humans, they usually aren't with rats. And when rats are nippy with rats, they aren't with humans. If they are doing great during out time, I would try to add them to the main colony. Be sure to wash down the cage completely to remove any smells. Also if you can move toys around or add new toys and such, that will help the cage become a neutral zone.

Thank you that makes me feel so much better.
I didn't even think about switching out toys and rearranging everything. I know to deep clean, but rearranging and new toys etc. Is a great idea

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