Some advice please!

[willow4578]

Hi all,
I have kept rats for the last 20 odd years and i have never ever come across some of the issues i need advice on so here goes....
I have rescued rats or taken them in many times for many reasons. Today i brought home 4 rats from the same address. These rats were kept in pairs, the first pair being around 4 months old and the second being around 10 weeks old. They have been kept in separate cages that i would have said were far too small and lacked any entertainment. They were also very rarely handled and from what i could gather were only socialised with humans when the cages were changed. When i went to see them the older pair did look very depressed i have to say, the younger ones again were cuddled up together but looked miserable . Apart from this they were healthy and clean. They totally freaked when i took them out of the cages two of them covering me in wee and one sounded like it screamed it was heartbreaking! I have now put them in cages with lots of toys and plenty of room and as with my other rats intend on trying to socialise them.
There are a few things i am worried about however and could do with some advice on. I have had rats that came to me not handled much but not like this, how do people think i should go about it? they are OK with me stroking them in the cage but that is it and i think they are just so frightened they don't move!
The second bit of advice is some behaviour that i have never seen before and that is that all four of them are head swaying in unison! They were not displaying this behaviour in their previous environment? They are red eyed, which i have never had before, and i do know there is a thing where the head sway due to vision issues but they were not doing this a few hours ago? Would it be because i have put them into a different environment? with more space and toys? also is it permanent??? please help!!!!

 

[Dena]

I think head swaying is pretty normal. Almost all of mine do it from time to time. Mostly when they are in an area that's different from their cage, or if they get frightened, and are unsure of what may have happened. My red or pink eyed ones do it the most. It kinda does look funny, especially if one starts and others join in! As far as the socializing, go check out www.joinrats.com for some good info on intros and socializing.

 

[Big Schpog]

You'll have fun socializing them. SOunds like a challenge but one well worth taking. My ruby eyed girl sways a lot too. It's normal.

 

[lilspaz68]

When a rat is nervous or unsure and since pink/ruby eyed rats have the poorest vision they will sway more than a rat that is confident. Nothing worrying here. Good luck with your socializing.