# My Rat is Scared of the Floor



## NocturnalNerd (Mar 14, 2014)

I've tried a few times to put my rat down to let him explore. In quiet rooms with spaces and things to look at and check out, etc. The problem is he doesn't like it! I'll talk to and pet him, but he just scrambles to hide under my legs or climb into the cranny of my elbow (he is admittedly cute when he runs to me for safety) and fight if I put him down. If I stand up so he can't hide on me, he'll cower in a corner and stay there. I'm not sure what to do. I want him to be able to roam and play and explore. I'm a little afraid that my rat is becoming very dependent on me (more than may be healthy for him). He did bond rather quickly. Any advice on helping him get over his fear?


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## SneakyLord (Mar 22, 2014)

Put down his favourite treats and food and get up on a high place he cannot reach. If he does, just simply put him back down. Also, do you have any other rats? Or has he had to live on his own due to death of other rats or abuse? If you have only had him then I insist you get another, he is so dependant on you because he has no one else. Rats in the wild live in colony's if hundreds if not thousands, they are very social, much like us. Humans aren't enough of a friend, just like you can't call your rat a true friend. I'm sure you know this already and I hope you have more but I'm just clarifying.


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## NocturnalNerd (Mar 14, 2014)

I know that a second rat is a good idea but I've only had Huckleberry for a week and a half. I plan on getting him a companion. However, since rats have a natural instinct to roam and rats will play by themselves, I don't think that's why he's doing it. But I'll try the treat idea. There's not really anywhere for me to climb higher except on a chair (I have vertigo).


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## Leraine (Feb 21, 2014)

My girl used to be afraid of the floor. She loved the couch, so I thought it'd be a good idea to put her down on the floor one day. She freaked out and pooped in fear. 

I decided to take things more gradually by putting her cage on the floor, and opening the door to allow her to come out on her own accord. Usually when I open her cage door, she will climb out of her cage onto my lap, where she feels safe, and stand on my legs while sniffing/looking at the floor. For weeks, she wouldn't touch the floor, but she'd sniff it. Then after a while, she became more curious and brave, and would leave my lap and explore the floor on her own.

So it may just take Huckleberry some time! If he feels safe in your lap, maybe you can try sitting on the floor with him in your lap, and just letting him explore. It may take a while, so you can bring a book, and sit for an hour... or maybe just do it everyday for 10 minutes. Another alternative is putting the cage on the floor and opening it to give him the option of climbing out and checking out the floor. Curiosity may eventually motivate him to explore. 

Also, if a rat is bonded to you, they may be affected by your emotional state. If you freak out when he becomes afraid, it may be contributing to perpetuating his fear. If your rat sees you as the alpha rat, and you remain a calm source of stability, they may take that as a signal that things are okay and stop being afraid. I sometimes will get way too concerned about my rat's change in behaviors (like when she acts nervous/scared), and my boyfriend pointed out that my worry and anxiety may actually be contributing to her behavior change. He is very good at remaining calm, so I would let him hold my rat, and she would calm down within 10 minutes (vs my 2 hour attempts to calm her when *I* was nervous). Anyway - my point is, it may be helpful for you to check whether or not you become nervous or agitated when Huckleberry reacts to being on the floor, because he may be sensitive to your emotions.


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## dr.zapp (Dec 24, 2012)

Rats are naturally afraid of open areas like your floor, because that is where they are easy prey for hawks or owls flying overhead. Some rats can overcome this instinct, others can't. Don't force the issue because it can cause them a lot of stress. Always supply boxes or other hideouts in the middle of the floor that they can explore around and in to feel safe.


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## NocturnalNerd (Mar 14, 2014)

I tried giving him spots but he prefers me. He won't sit in my lap. He'll hide in my elbow or scramble up onto my shoulder. But maybe I'll try making him like a box playhouse and see if he likes that. The funny part is he'll climb onto things on the floor, just not the floor itself. Huckleberry is weird in what he's okay with and not. Loves baths, hates the floor.


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## Scott (Dec 11, 2013)

I dont know your set up, but I had this problem. 

I wanted to free roam my rats while I was in and awake only - previously I had only taken them out into one section of the house (the hall) where this was rat proofed and I put come toys around where they can play and hide. But when I come for them to free range the lounge - which is a big space, they didnt like this at all.

The way I got around this was I just opened the cage door and let them go in and out as they wished. All 3 took different times to go out of the cage and explore, but once confidence were higher in being left to their own devices in a big open space they are now happy hop out of cage and run around. If I sit away from the cage they will go out of cage and run to me. They tend to give me some fuss, run off for 10 minutes and come back to me to make sure I have not left them lol.


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## nanashi7 (Jun 5, 2013)

I laid on the floor and pretended to explore the area with them. I hid treats and toys all around and would show them them.


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## Chove (Mar 23, 2014)

Mine have just visited the floor for the first time. There was a bit of hesitation but they seemed to like the small cardboard boxes spread in the middle of the room as they started looking around. And then I had to spend 20 mins luring them back into the cage D:


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## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

I get this problem when I train rats outdoors... If you see what your rat's going through... now imagine no walls or ceiling... and bright daylight and birds and people in the distance....

We sit down under a small tree and near some natural cover and play with our rat there. This is really where you start to get a feel for the rat you are training.

And Dr. Zapp is right... one rat in some astronomical number takes to it like a fish to water and will explore to the first bush, shrub or tree she finds after hanging out in your lap for a few minutes. No rat will really run out into an open field right away but the rat with true shoulder rat potential will cover some open territory to get to natural cover from which they will start to explore. Within the first half hour outside and at less than a month old Fuzzy Rat was gone... She took off into the hostas and the shrubs and didn't come back for at least 45 minutes. No she didn't run out into the open, but she did explore her new universe before coming back. Within a few weeks she was chasing the kids around the playground.

I have a scratch on my leg from another ratm that hasn't healed properly in over a year, that actually climbed my bare leg and never adapted to exploring on her own outdoors... All my rats have become indoor competent though. 

So if your not planning to train a true shoulder rat, don't worry; in time your rat will adapt to exploring your home. First it will run to dark places, like under the furniture then it will start coming out more on it's own. It takes time.... depending on the rat.

This all can look pretty traumatic to a rat... and likely it is... but rats are designed for trauma. Unlike humans they live in real time. Their stress levels go up fast and come down fast. Rats get into dangerous situations all of the time and then they get back to safety and calm back down... wild rats may have to do this several times a day during their food foraging activities. Every rat in the pack may have to dash from under the chicken coop to the barn and then out to the garden across open farmyard to get dinner, sure they will follow natural cover, but at some point they will be out there in the open... If you are more urban, consider the rats that cross the platform to get from one subway tunnel to another. Sure it's stressful, but rats deal with the stress and adapt to it. Some urban rats get almost as comfortable around people as pigeons while most will lurk in the shadows. But all will have to deal with lots of stress and danger in their lives...

All of us who have raised human children are mindful of not screwing up our children for life with stressful situations... to be honest, most kids get over things pretty fast too. Kids fall out of trees and if they don't break any bones most climb back up. Rats are even more durable... with repeated exposure they get over most experiences we might consider traumatic to them very quickly. Like teaching a kid to ride a bicycle, training rats is full of stressful moments, but like kids get over the fear and learn to ride most rats adapt to a certain amount of stress in exploring their environments... be comforting and reassuring and don't take initial fear as failure. And don't freak out whenever your rats do, it's all about the way rats learn and become more competent.

This is Fuzzy Rat, she had practically no comprehension of stress.

















This is Max and yes she's stressed under the fireworks, but handling it very well. This was her final true shoulder rat exam.








This is Amelia... uncomfortable just sitting in a chair on a pillow....









and hiding in the tree while a very old and debilitated Fuzzy Rat still explores the park below her...

















As much as these rats had very different stress tolerances and Amelia never became a true shoulder rat, she was also never permanently traumatized by stressful experiences, once back inside she calmed down and got back to normal within a few minutes so don't sweat the small stuff.

Best luck.


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## NocturnalNerd (Mar 14, 2014)

I like the fact Huckleberry is a shoulder rat, but I don't want it to be his only time out. I'll have to do that though, think of him as I would a child. Cause I helped in the raising of my niece and nephew, so that's familiar to me. Thanks everyone for the advice. I'll try again today with some things for him to climb on and in and maybe that will make a difference. I'm hoping once I move into my new place that has a big quiet area he will be better about it.


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