Why is she all of a sudden scared of me?Maybe she is sick???

[Jems71]

OK so had my two baies for 2 weeks now...the first week they were happy and very social...wanting to come out to see you every time we entered the room...second week...the little one Lucy is starting to not want to see you so much...not so eager to come out for play and visit you...still eating and grooming as I can see it, but has become antisocial. When your around she would rather hide in her grass tube bed thingy.if you put your hand near the bed she will stick her head out and lick you...and she might even venture out a bit to see you but then runs right back in if you move or make noise. She seems very nervous all of a sudden. This is strange cause she was definately not shy before.
Oh and the other one seems to deliver her food. When I put in fresh veggies/fruit Diamond will take some up to the bed and give to Lucy, then go back for more for herself.
Also this might be important...and might answer my concerns...when Lucy does come out to see you and ventures down from the platform the grass hut bed is on, she is not out long before Diamond will get into a scuffle with her then she runs back up to the bed and hides again...maybe Diamond is the boss and wants Lucy to stay where she is???
I have checked her over and she seems ok, no wheezy breathing I can hear...no visable injuries, eyes, ears nose look clear...just seems very nervous...I was hoping to put them into the new FN cage this weekend but if she is stressed out I don't want to stress her more!

I know my dogs went through fear periods as they grew but do rats do things like this?

Thanks
T

 

[mamarat]

How old are they? They get afraid around 5 months or so and yes I've had rats that would stay in the cage because the alpha would not let him come out. I would take him out myself.

 

[Jems71]

they are only 7weeks old had them 2 weeks and were approx 5weeks when we got them.
they are tiny still.
sooo will she always have to hide if this is a alpha thing? I feel bad for her...hard for em to know if she is doing ok if she will not come out for us to see her...I mean I take her out, and handle her anyway not for too long cause she seems stressed... but then she runs up my sleeve and hides there too...the world has become a big scary place to her...poor little Lucy!

And OMG if you move a plastic bag...its like terror for her. I just hope she comes out of this...I loved her sweet little personality and friendly nature she came with...but will love her nervous little self if she stays this way too...

We have been thinking about possibly rescuing another one or two more girls...would a bigger group help so she is not the only one picked on? I have a single FN so I could easily do 3 and maybe even 4 females...I just not sure how to go about this...
Should I get babies more their size or young adults around a year?
Or not any more at all???
I don't know!!!

 

[mamarat]

I would try a couple more at about their ages though. I find intros to young ones so easy.

 

[Jems71]

Do you think moving them into the FN this weekend might be too much for her to deal with right now where she seems stressed?
Their current cage is big enough for 2. But I was sooo hoping to move them this weekend...being a long weekend I would be around more to see how they are doing with the move...

Also I have been reading over some stuff on dominance on the forum, and this mounting (climbing on backs) and super grooming done by the dominant one is actually more behaviour that Lucy (the fearful one) has been doing to Diamond, and she was forever stealing food from Diamond...now Diamond delivers it to her highness in her bed...

Now I am really confused! haha!

 

[jorats]

I would suggest lots of socializing with your ratties. Lots of talking and touching. Keep a radio on nearby or the tv so that sounds don't scare her so she gets used to the ruckus of daily living.
My guess is that adding new rats will do her some good. I would wait to move her into the FN until you are ready to make the move with all the new buddies. New cage always makes intros much easier.

 

[Moon]

Just because a rat is fearful in certain situations, it does not mean that they're not alpha

It sounds like your kiddo is hitting a major fear period. Just keep working with her... putting her down your sweatshirt, and as Jo said, add noise to their day to day living so she become desensitized.

 

[SQ]

I wonder if she might possibly be afraid of the smell of predators ... your dogs and cats.
Wonder if something may have happened that you are not aware of that frightened her.

As others said, continue to work on socialization.

With respect to new rats, babies see other rats as new playmates so are the easiest to intro, just put them together.
Babies intro easily to older rats as the older rats do not view them as a threat but you do need to go through the intro steps. Babies shuld be around 10 weeks before being put with an unfamiliar adult. Rats are considered to be babies until 3 months old.

 

[Jems71]

I was thinking might be the smell of the dogs and cats...or even the Bearded Dragon that lives in the same room maybe...I don't feed my Beardie pinkies as one of his foods, but doesn't mean he would not want to eat one...or attack a little rattie. They are predators to anything smaller than they are...
But the dragon is well kept in an escape proof enclosure and is pretty lazy so no worries, and I always wash my hands before and after handling him.

I have been watching my little rat girls and I think...the tables have tured and Diamond is the alfa now...and she does chase poor little Lucy back to her bed but the kids say its only when I am there...when I am not there she lets Lucy come out...Diamond wants me all to herself!!! Little stinker...I will have to be sure to pay a bit more attention to Lucy...will this work in helping bring her out of her new shell? Or will it make Diamond more jelous? I know with my dogs they see me as the alpha followed by my husband and children...Oh and the cats...then they have worked out their own little pecking order between them...but the alpha of their little group does get jelous if I pay attention to someone more than her but I am quite familiar how to spot this and correct it before someone gets in a mood...works great and all is well...wish my children would see me as the alpha and be so easy to deal with!

I assume right now that they are too little for me to do the dominance pinch I read about? For when Diamond chases lucy away from me or tries to groom her agressively?

 

[anita1216]

Rats can be strabge little creatures and babies continually mystify me I had a pair of brthers that were petrified of the noises Star Trek shows made LOL They would run squeaking when they heard the "transporter" noises. They eventually grew out of that phase. Wembley was ultimately the alpha of the colony and ran it with an iron paw, but he did love newbies. He took care of Fergus (the other rat in that pair of sissies lol) until the day Fergus left us.

Lucy will be fine, just give her love and attention

 

[blytherue]

my ratties have always been afraid of kissy noises. make kissy noises at them and watch them flinch or run and hide. =( i have no idea why they're like this. but make raspberry noises and they come running. there's a reason for this...my boys are still trying to figure out who's dominant or whatever, so they're constantly trying to pin each other. i let them go at it unless i hear louder than normal squeaking. (so far no blood! good boys!) umm and i don't know why i started doing this, but i'll hold one in my hand on his back and blow raspberries on his belly (maybe it popped into my head cause i used to do it to one of the cats i used to have)...and then i'll usually do it to the other one...i guess i was trying to show them that no matter who pins who i'm the dominant one so it's not worth hurting each other...but i don't know if they got the message. i just know that now if i make a raspberry noise, they come running over...i guess my boys are just weird like me! sorry for rambling, not sure if that had a point!

 

[Jems71]

Good News!!!
Lucy is a little social butterfly again! Maybe not as much as Diamond, but she comes out and wants to climb up my sleeve and seems very interested in the dogs! :shock:
NO worries all the interest is done through the cage and only when I am in the room! when we are not home the room door is shut so no cats in there tormenting, and our dogs have their own area for when we are out they do not get free roam of the house while we are out...
But I was thinking that maybe the smells of the animals were scaring her..and maybe this was true and she is just starting to get used to it...so used to it that she seems to want to get out and see my smallest dog Dexter..she tries to get her face out the bars to smell him...maybe its the beard and likely food stuck in it she does love dog kibble! :lol: (only given as treats ocasonally)
But the sound of plastic bags still freaks her out! :giggle: silly little Lucy!

 

[eagle]

Awe that's great news Jem. Keep up the good work. :thumbup: