This enough ?

[Clairebee1]

Well since i got my little kittens/Cats my 2 rattie boys have been acting COMPLETELY different ..
they don't want to come out or nothing but thats a different post ..

Well they have improved a bit not much tho .. they still dont really want to come out just want to poke their heads out..
so i dont really see much i can do when i force them out they panic and run back in .. this has been going on for about 11 days now i think.
so my QUESTION is ..
How much time should i spend working with them ive been trying at least 2 times a day for about 15minutes is this enough? its hard just sitting there coaxing them out when they dont want to.

Should i be spending more time but nothing seems to work i go in every morning with a big BOWL of treats they eat it but they don't get excited.

Also .. because nothing is improving i am thinking of asking my mom can i move the rats in to me and my familys house instead of at my boyfriends house where they stay, i sleep at my OH's house every night but during the day im at my mums house so would this be a better option but if she lets me it wont happen for another 2 weeks or so ..

Any advice and answers would be really helpful!

 

[user 78]

If the cats are allowed in the area you're wanting them to come out into, then they will most likely continue to be wary and skittish about it. They can smell them, and it scares them. They know that the cats are predators.

All of my rats have been very wary about leaving the cage on their own, and I encourage this reaction. I have two cats who wouldn't think twice about going after them and I don't want anyone to get hurt because of an accident. I get the girls out of the cage by picking them up and putting them in their play area, which is a room the cats aren't allowed to go in to. Their totally free range time is in a bathroom, and they also have a Martin's pen in my sewing room.

If you want them to come out of the cage on their own, then you don't need to coax them. Just sitting there by the open door and doing something will be enough. Read a book, watch tv, check your email. Whatever is closest and easiest for you to do in that area.

 

[CardboardCastles]

I brought my girls home to a house with cats, one a hunter, the other one a wuss (the cats). It took them about three days of my leaving the cage door open and essentially "ignoring" them while I was working on the computer for them to come out and poke around on the desk. Even the slightest movement from me sends them hightailing it back to the cage though, still. The cats don't seem to bother them anymore, though. Jinx (the hunter) has no interest in them, its like he knows they're pets. Granted I'd never risk leaving him alone. And Tonka (the wuss), has this bedtime ritual with them where I climb into bed, he climbs up on the desk and lays with his nose pressed into the bars, and Lucy and Wil bathe his whiskers that poke through. If they're out and they get near him he freaks out and hides under the bed, though.

 

[Clairebee1]

Yeah ive tried sitting at the cage for HRS but nothing seems to work but i was really wanting to know if 2 times a day for 15minutes trying to get them out is enough ? because i don't want to spend my time being sad and i always feel let down when they won't budge so i give them kisses and go back to bed or whatever.

Would 2 times a day for 15 MINUTES be ok ?

x

 

[user 78]

I don't think 15minutes is long enough for what you're wanting them to do. If you were actually taking them out of the cage and putting them in their play area, I'd even suggest trying to get them used to something more like 30min or so. Is there any particular reason why you want them come out of the cage themselves?

Not every rat will willingly come out of their cage, no matter how comfortable they may be. Some rats just need to be taken out, and once they're out they're fine. My girl Penn is a very skittish rat, has been her whole life. She's avoided the open door for ages, but once I put her in her play area she's perfectly fine.

 

[jorats]

I've got 3 cats and they walk around the cages, my rats get used to them.
15 min. 2x a day is definitely not enough. When I have new rats, I'm in their cage several times a day. I will pull them out of the cage, put them down my shirt for a long time while watching tv or reading a book. This gets them used to my smell and relate it to warm cozy place. Can you bring the rats home with you during the day and back with you to OH's place? That would mean having two cages.
Unless mom falls in love with them too and will spend time with them in the evenings.
Do whatever that will give them the most exposure to humans.

 

[Clairebee1]

No i don't mean i want them out of the cage themselves.
Before i got the kittens i would sit in the hall with them for about an hr and they would come out of the cage themselves and play with me for an hr.
But now they won't even come out of the cage and when i take them out of the cage they try their hardest to get back in.
So i put their cage up high so they could'nt run back in and they hide behind something.
My vet told me to keep my kittens away from the rats and away from the rats room so the rats feel like that room is theirs.

I do try my hardest to spend time with them but they don't want me their they just lie and sleep when i sit at the cage they act like im not there and i take them out and cuddle them and they try to get back to their cage.

I asked my mom and she is going to let them stay here with me in our house when i move into a bigger room no i don't mean they will be by themselves all evening i will be their from about 6am to 11pm so im sure thats enough time with me.

I know you's may think i don't care about them but i do i wouldnt be asking questions like this. Its just so hard for me to sit in there and them not even caring im there it breaks my heart i sat and cried the other night because they just didnt care i was there its hard.
And i know ive made a mistake getting the kittens but i never thought the rats would change.

 

[jorats]

Nobody thinks you don't like your rats and trust me, many people have asked the very same questions as you. Some rats take longer to come around.
I think it's wise to move the rats to your mom's place. You are there more often anyways. Try the "down the shirt" trick. Put on a t-shirt and a sweatshirt over top, put them down there several times a day for at least 30 minutes at a time.

 

[user 78]

I meant if there was a specific reason why you wanted them to come out of the cage on their own, and not just have you pick them up and take them to their play area.

Are they running and hiding in their play area, or is it that they're trying to run back to the cage from you, or just that they seem more skittish all around? It seems that there's some confusion on what exactly the problem is, in the end. If they don't want to come out of the cage on their own, then I think that question's been mostly answered. If it's that they seem to have gotten more skittish since you got the kittens, then they just need time to get accustomed to the cats and their smell. It will eventually happen, but it just takes time. Giving them lots of places to hide in their play area may help them be more comfortable while they're in there. If it's that they seem to be not interested in you, I would really think it's because they're scared of something, specifically the new cats. Especially if they were interacting with you just fine prior to you getting the cats. Giving them a place to hide on you, like in your shirt or in a sack or something, will help them feel more secure while still spending time with you. Them trying to get back to the cage is just because they see it as the safest spot, not because they don't like you or anything.

 

[Clairebee1]

Thanks for the advice.
Well when i go into their room they come up to the cage sometimes then i would fuss over them and then when i lift them they try their best to get into their cage.
When i lift them out of the cage to put them on the ground with their boxes and toys they grab hold of the bars in their cage and try their best to stay their and if i do get them out they will run behind everything and anything. If im sitting there and move my feet of make a noise they jump and run.
They are completely differnt when they are in their cage but when they come out they hate it!
They just have completely changed when we got the kittens.
Before i used to call their names and they would run out and straight onto my lap for kisses and treats then used to play with me pounce groom everything used to greet me everytime i went near them.
Now they act like they have never been out of their cage before in their lives!!!

I will try the sweater thing tonight! thanks for the tip, x

 

[user 78]

Yea, it really sounds like it's just the kittens being introduced to your home. Since they were acting just fine before the kittens, and are now acting skittish after the kittens, it's a fairly safe bet.

Rats tend to hide under and behind things naturally, and when they feel a little too exposed it can become really apparent. They'll make mad dashes under and behind things so as to hide from what they think is a scary situation. I honestly think it's just the introduction of the cats. Spend as much time as you can with them in their play area, maybe even put a blanket over your lap so they can cuddle with you and still feel secure under the blanket. My girls still find this to be the most absolute fun thing ever. Stick them in a sweater or hoodie that you're wearing when you can spend some time just doing something else. This again gives them somewhere they feel secure while still spending time with you.

ETA : It's just going to take time for them to adjust to the cats. Making sure they feel secure when they're outside of the cage is the first big step. They'll progress from there. Every rat I've brought home goes through this due to my own two cats. It's a natural instinct and it can take a little time for them to get used to the smell/sight of a natural predator.