# Nervous rats



## chasq123 (Apr 6, 2009)

Hey everyone! I have three female rats, Sally, Toastie, and Panda. Sally I bought from a pet store back sometime in April, along with a cage mate who died suddenly of a stroke. I later adopted two rats to befriend Sally, Toastie and Panda. Panda and Sally became great friends and now are practically inseparable. Toastie is a bit more of a loner but he is very friendly still (note: I describe Toastie as a 'he' only because to me that fits in their little rattie household XD. Actually, I have all three female rats). Toastie and Panda are both about a year old, and Sally six months. I notice lots of more energy from Sally than from Toastie and Panda, Toastie in particular. Toastie moves very slowly and is skinny. They're amazing rats and always come up to the cage to greet me! They also are a bit mischeivious though, and have taken to reaching to my curtains and pulling them into their cage. Apparently it makes a great snack XD. 

Which leads me to my question. During the night time, when they start rustling with activity, I close my bedroom door and open all the doors of their cage. However, its as if they don't even notice! I usually lift Toastie and Panda out of the cage but for some reason Sally is increadiable relucant to leave and grasps at the bars and clutches out for them while I try to gently lift her out. Once I get her out, she scampers back into her cage. I think this must be some sort of trust issue, because I know she is a very social rat. After she retreats back to the cage, she stares at me and walks on the edge of the cage exit as if gathering courage. Toastie and Panda continue to do normal rat type business outside of the cage, but after a while, Panda notice's Sally's absence and goes back inside. Toastie is unable to really go back into the cage on his own because I think his limbs are more stiff with age. The cage door is a little elevated and requires a little bit of acrobatics to reach, and Toastie has never been very limber. However, Sally and Panda just love climbing all over it XD. 

Can I get some tips and solutions to having my rats out without yanking them out of their cage and leaving them fearful?


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## jarchi (Jul 13, 2009)

I would suggest making sure that the cage is mutual territory. Put your hands in the cage and let them walk around your hands. Get your smell in there and let them know that it's your cage, too. It might take a few days, but after they become more comfortable with you being in the cage, they will be more comfortable with you handling them in the cage. 

After this, hopefully your rat will be more comfortable being picked up. We've been training our rats to know when we are picking them up by saying, "Step up." Perhaps you could say something every time you pick them up to let them know what's happening and that you are not trying to harm them. Good luck, let me know if this helps.


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## chasq123 (Apr 6, 2009)

Thanks for the advice! For the past few days I have been doing just that, allowing them to sniff my hands and explore them. Their reactions have been generally positive, and have allowed me to stroke them and were very curious with other miscellaneous healthy rat behavior  

Thanks a million! I'll post an update after a while.


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## notscaredtodance (May 5, 2009)

Honestly, I don't think it's too big of a deal to just scoop them up and set them outside of the cage. Sure for a few seconds they'll be like, "woah, what the.. " but then when they realize all the fun stuff there is to do, aren't to bent out of shape! Besides, if they really really want to go back in, they can (you can make a ramp out of just about anything for the older one).


Also, giving a verbal signal before you pick them up is a really great idea, I second the person above me who suggested it. My rats are used to random scoops by now, but I bet they'd appreciate more being warned haha.


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## chasq123 (Apr 6, 2009)

I have tried scooping them out of their cage but they always rush back in! Could this be because maybe I don't have enough toys etc to capture their intrest outside of their cage? Also, thanks for the tip Notscaredtodance, I'm gonna scrounge for ramp building materials today XD


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## Ratnoob523 (May 8, 2009)

One of my rats use to behave this way. I actually thought it was pretty awesome. I could take her out and put her down in the middle of the living room floor and she would make a B line for me or her cage, whichever was closest. I would take her out and put her on my big L shaped couch and she would never leave it, she would just run and play on it or go hide in a blanket that was always on it.

Unfortunately one day she realized that there was more to the world than the couch/cage and once she figured that out she was all over the place. They just need time to adjust and get comfortable with their environment. You should be thankful they are like this because you will miss it when it's gone! I currently have a little one free in my room because I was only able to get 2/3 back into the cage before leaving for work. Just give them some time, eventually they will get comfortable and want to be anywhere but their cage.

If you really want to speed up the process you could always take them out of their cage and shut it so they can't get back in. Just make sure to make the room fun and interesting for them so they enjoy the experience. Cardboard boxes are an easy way to make exploring fun. Just get some of different shapes and sizes and cut random holes in them or even connect some, mine love that. Scatter some treats around too.


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## chasq123 (Apr 6, 2009)

Thanks! I've noticed over time my rats are growing braver and once they gather the courage to leave, the are all over the place! But one question I have is what are some healthy treats? I know giving them yogies a ton can't be healthy, the first item on the ingredient list is sugar! I know they love cheese, would that be a good treat to give in 'large' quantities?


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## Stace87 (Jun 24, 2008)

chasq123 said:


> I know giving them yogies a ton can't be healthy, the first item on the ingredient list is sugar!


Some people freeze blobs of yoghurt to make a healthy alternative.


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## Ratnoob523 (May 8, 2009)

Mine absolutley love "extreme puffs" I think they're called. The only problem is the ones I got are a little too small for rats. I think they might come in different sizes. I don't know if this is exactly what I have because I don't think the bag was black but here's what they look like.

http://www.givingspirit.com/shop/index.php?page=shop/flypage&product_id=24124

I've been experimenting with different things. So far they like lettuce, broccoli, any kind of cheese flavored chips, cheese flavored chex mix, blueberries.. just be creative and think to yourself "If I were a rat, what would I like". Chances are they will like it. Also I'm pretty sure what's healthy for you is healthy for them (except oranges for males) so just use your own judgement.


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## chasq123 (Apr 6, 2009)

So when giving treats, anything like fruits and veggies are good? I also bought a can of pumpkin seeds that they like. I guess my treat search for my girls is starting off! Thanks for your help everyone!


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## Stace87 (Jun 24, 2008)

I would just give the pumpkin seeds as an occasional treat and not many of them. They're fattening.


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## chasq123 (Apr 6, 2009)

ah I see, don't want chubby little rats  I'll use them occasionally. Thanks for the advice everyone! I really needed it XD


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## Lea (May 15, 2009)

My rats took quite a while to get really comfortable playing on the bed, and even though I had it so they could get down on the floor if they wanted, they didn't. Well, they just recently figured out that the floor isn't made of quicksand, first the intrepid Coco, and then the others when they saw her running around on it.

Once they got down there they were immediately comfortable with it, ran around having a blast exploring and didn't want to go back to their cage. But it was so funny to see Shasta 2 inches above the floor, watching Coco and realizing it must be safe yet acting like she was about to take a mighty leap into the unknown, and finally getting the courage to step on the floor, LOL.


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## notscaredtodance (May 5, 2009)

Ratnoob523 said:


> Mine absolutley love "extreme puffs" I think they're called. The only problem is the ones I got are a little too small for rats. I think they might come in different sizes. I don't know if this is exactly what I have because I don't think the bag was black but here's what they look like.
> 
> http://www.givingspirit.com/shop/index.php?page=shop/flypage&product_id=24124
> 
> I've been experimenting with different things. So far they like lettuce, broccoli, any kind of cheese flavored chips, cheese flavored chex mix, blueberries.. just be creative and think to yourself "If I were a rat, what would I like". Chances are they will like it. Also I'm pretty sure what's healthy for you is healthy for them (except oranges for males) so just use your own judgement.


Broccoli really shouldn't be fed to rats, actually.


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## Lea (May 15, 2009)

> Broccoli really shouldn't be fed to rats, actually.


It's on the "good for your rats to eat" list in the sticky.


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## notscaredtodance (May 5, 2009)

It should at least be on the feed with caution list. It causes gastrointestinal irritation if you feed too much.


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## chasq123 (Apr 6, 2009)

Ah thanks for the warning! I printed out the food list but I'll make sure to add that edit! Also, my rats are very similar to yours Lea. After a while, they all gathered the gumption to scurry around and once they started, they had a blast! So far, Sally still is a little shy and won't come out every once and a while, but for Panda, she's grown to be quite the little explorer! They've all come a long way. Sally still needs the most work, but I've seen her out there couragously before so I know she'll be out and about again, hopefully more frequently. Thanks a million everyone!


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## Stace87 (Jun 24, 2008)

notscaredtodance said:


> Broccoli really shouldn't be fed to rats, actually.


Where have you read this? I've never found anything saying broccoli shouldn't be fed to rats, in fact I've only found good things. 

An example:


> Broccoli is great, and some studies claim to show it can reduce the rate of tumors in rats.


http://www-personal.umich.edu/~bclee/ratfood.html


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## notscaredtodance (May 5, 2009)

Stace87 said:


> notscaredtodance said:
> 
> 
> > Broccoli really shouldn't be fed to rats, actually.
> ...


In general, Brassica family plants such as broccoli are rich in sulforaphane in its glucosinolate precursor form. However, the evidence suggests that broccoli must be eaten in large quantities to substantially reduce the risk of cancer. In addition, supermarket broccoli varies considerably in sulforaphane content, whereas certain varieties of young broccoli sprouts, grown under standardized conditions, contain large and highly uniform quantities of the compound. 
http://www.broccosprouts.com/health/health.htm



Broccoli toxicity to dogs concerned a bit of confusion. Broccoli is not bad for dogs if it is given in right amount. Actually it is a nice food for your beloved pet. However, if the daily ingestion exceeds more than 10% of the animal’s diet, problems can occur. The toxic substance is isothiocyanate and can cause gastrointestinal irritation. This vegetable contain high amount of oxalic acid which interferes with calcium absorption. So you should only give your dog quite small quantities for it to be safe.

http://gardeningtips.org/Roundtable/articles/article-100.html


And yes I obviously realize dogs and rats are not the same, but since rats can get upset stomachs pretty easily, I wouldn't take the chance feeding them a lot of broccoli on the hope that it will prevent cancer in them. 

I think in general people can go overboard on the healthy snacks, and they figure if it's healthy, they can eat as much as they want, and broccoli definitely is not one of those foods.


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