Too much stress...

The Rat Shack Forum

Help Support The Rat Shack Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Jack's_Girl

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 11, 2007
Messages
88
So I brought home three baby boys yesterday. But they are very skittish. They engage in freezing behaviour whenever I am visible to them and they hide. :(
Now I'm stressing. I don't know what to do.
They're not bitey, just afraid. :cry:
 
Others will be able to help you more. But they have to become use to you. They are in a strange place, with a strange person. Just give them some time to adjust to everything. Mine were skittish too.
 
Hrm. If it were me, I'd let them be for a few days so they can adjust to the new sights and smells. It's a lot to take in of course. To tame my babies I'd strictly handfeed (takes some time and patience to make sure they get enough food!) and I'd put a cloth somewhere like in my pantleg all day (tight pants make it possible) and put it in the cage at night so they have my smell. By the time they've adjusted and relaxed a bit I end up carrying them around the house in a hoodie so they can hide but still be exposed to me.

It's been many years since I had a young rat to tame for myself, lol.
 
Be patient with them, giving them a few days to settle in is probably a good idea. They are still probably really scared and have no clue why they are there with you, if it is a good thing or bad. The cloth thing is a good idea or if you have an old tshirt to sleep in and then donate to their cage. :D
 
Time, patience, soft reassuring voice, slow deliberate movements. Offer baby cereal or something liquid in a spoon. They will creep out (flat to the ground and ready to flee at any signs that you will attack them...they see you as a big predator right now).
I take it they weren't hand-raised and socialized as most oops litters are?

Put your hand in the cage and let them get over their fears and approach the scary thing in their own time.

Eventually the natural ebullient nature of babies will return and you will wonder how they ever seemed shy.

Let them relax in the cage first, even sit by their cage and read to them so they get used to you. Most babies experiences with people are The Big Scary Hand swooping down like a bird of prey, and grabbing them, hauling them out and away from the safety of their littermates and their home. Think of all your actions from their perspective and watch their body language. :D
 
Jack's_Girl said:
So I brought home three baby boys yesterday. But they are very skittish. They engage in freezing behaviour whenever I am visible to them and they hide. :(
Now I'm stressing. I don't know what to do.
They're not bitey, just afraid. :cry:

Don't lose faith sweetie. Trust me, even those rats who are very used to humans behave that way when they arrive in a new home.

Ben and Jerry did exactly the same thing and it took me over a month before they realized that there were no threats.

Basil was as cuddly and warm as possible when I met him at the Small Angels adoption event. He cleaned my whole face and hands and rested in my lap. You would have thought that it would have been a match made in heaven... then I got him home. OY!!! :shock:

He was terrified and would not let me touch him without making a run for it. I wore an old t-shirt to bed and then stuck it in his cage to burrow in. I shared finger fulls of fat free vanilla yogurt, bananas, raisins, fresh fruit and vegetables with him and always greeted him in gentle tones.

His quarantine cage was on a dresser so I was able to open up the cage door and let him wander out on his own. After a few days he started looking for me when he came out and before I knew it, he was trying to climb across my arm to the bed.

He now follows me around the living room and will climb right up my pant leg onto my shoulder.

Once your boys determine that sounds and smells remain the same (meaning there are no predators in the house, dogs/cats/snakes/birds, etc.) they will ease up and begin to explore.

Park yourself in front of their cage, if possible, and busy yourself with something like reading, studying or doing a hobby that you enjoy. Curiosity is huge in rats and eventually they will want to taste your book ends, steal your beads, marbles, fabric pieces. :D

When they do come to investigate, greet them in soft tones and carefully place your hand where they can sniff it.

Don't lose faith Jack's Girl. What your boys are doing is completely normal!

Whatever you do, do not get agitated with them. They are sensitive little souls and they will remember any upsets they have had.

Understand their situation. Life is still new to them and they have their instincts to contend with. Poor little fuzz forms... :love6:

You will be fine!!! Give them some time to acquaint themselves with you and your home and they will take off from there.

You will eventually have the pleasure of watching them peel paint off of your walls... yank the pyle out of your carpet, shred the couch covers, steal food off of your plate... mark their territory on your sheets, pillows and comforters and, above all, stick their noses into your ears to see if there is anything inside worth stealing... :laugh4: :heart: :bananas:
 
I got two babies on Sunday...both girls...one is super feisty and crazy, rolls and bounces all around, tries to dominate the timid one...and the other is very timid and shy. I could reach in and touch her but she shys away very easy. She kind brushes me away...I don't take either of them out yet...it has been only two days....what I found helpful for the really shy one is I Just open their cage....stand there with my hand at the door and of course the silly one climbs in and out of the cage and all over me....but the little shy one, she creeps up and smells me and watches me, I talk to her. This afternoon...I went to see them and did that, opened the cage and she actually climbed up on my hand....I had it just outside her door...the other one was out, she climbed up, I didn't try and pet her or anything, let her do what she wanted, she stayed for a minute then hoped back in.....so progress.....in just two days.

I have also tried the other suggestions people has made on this thread....I hand fed them both a little here and there and sometimes just stick my hand in the cage and stay still and let them smell.

I want to get them out and play with them so bad i can't stand...I am so impatient....but they need some time.

Hang in there.

Paula
 
Update:
The three baby boys don't hide at the sight of me anymore... they still are quite skittish- but not petrified anymore.
I've been fatting them up a bit, they were a tad thin when I got them. But progress is slow... won't take food from my hand yet.
I haven't tried leaving the door open yet as they are currently sitting on a dresser... I'm afraid of them falling... the R695 barely fits on the dresser.

Anyways, Paula, I'm glad to hear your babies are doing well. :)
 
Just continue to give them some time. When you take them out of the cage for playtime, try sitting with them with a blanket over your lap and an oversized shirt on. Hiding in the blanket and shirt helps them feel alot safer while they explore you.

When I have newbies, I start their treats off in a bowl, with the cage door closed and I watch them eat. When they get comfortable with that, I get a teaspoon and put whatever I've found they love best on it and just hold it there for them to eat off of. After they come to the spoon with no problems, I move onto feeding them food off my fingers. I've learned that half the battle is figuring out what's irresistible to them. One girl I had would do anything for papaya baby food.
 
Still skittish as ever...
Unfortunately the three babies are smelly and I had to clean out the cage a bit today... terrified them I'm afraid.
I am trying everything I can (most of the suggestions I have been given) still no real improvement. *sigh*
Any words of encouragement?
 
Patience. That is the best thing. One other thing to try to get them used to your voice, may sound silly but it works, find a good book to read and sit next to their cage while you are reading your book. Read out loud. It gets them used to your voice and your presence.
 
What I like to do when I have skittish rats, I yank them out of the cage and I put them down my shirt for a couple of hours a day, a few times a day.

I put on a sweatshirt over a tshirt and they go "live" in between while I watch a movie or read a book. This forces them to get used to my smell and eventually bonds them to me.
 
I guess I will read one of my text books aloud tonight to my ratties.
I hope they like Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. ^_^
I will try the sweater/t-shirt tactic tomorrow. Wish me luck. :) I will update often... and maybe soon include pictures of the skittish babies.
 
Back
Top