# Ahoy, can somebody help me with my pest please?



## SinisterWeasel (Mar 26, 2009)

Hi, just joined the forum for some advice. 

I got my rat Jerry about 2 months ago as a rescue rat, it said his owners moved house but that seems like a weak excuse to me. I think the real reason is that he has a lump on his side and they don't want to pay vet bills, but its not causing him any problem and has been seen by a vet. He's living in an xxl dog cage, full of toys and boxes and rope etc. I also get him out every evening for a couple of hours, he mostly runs around and stashes but i have also trained him to come when called, stand on his back legs and walk, climb up to my shoulder etc and all seemed very well. But then he bit and scratched me with enthusiasm completely un-provoked. It was a bit of a shock but i didn't take it personally, but it is my understanding that rats like most animals need to be quite harassed before they attack. Anyway it happened again, then again, then again and my hands look like i have leprosy. I know it works with puppies and other animals so next time he did it i squeaked so he knew it hurt, but then discovered thats not a clever thing to do so i haven't done it again. 
Moving on, he chilled out a bit but last night i was playing with him trying to teach him to play fetch and he did it again. I have to say i have hand tamed some ferocious ferrets, gotten chewed by dozens of baby ferrets too but nothing compares to a rat bite. I consider myself quite good at understanding animal behaviour but this is entirely unprovoked so i am left to conclude it must be a hormonal thing, as he is well cared for, handled and stimulated. Could this be the sole reason? Should thou remove poor jerrys balls? Or am i too arrogant to see i am making a funadmental mistake.

Any advice would be appreciated.


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## Little-Fizz (Mar 5, 2009)

Soo... It's just started to happen? Or it's happened since you got him? I'm no expert but that does sound like hormones. Unless he got treated like poop with his old owners.


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## FeffOx (Feb 8, 2009)

Maybe he wanted to play instead of being taught tricks?


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## SinisterWeasel (Mar 26, 2009)

It started as soon as he seemed settled in, he was very lazy and didn't explore much but gradually got the courage and then got a bit big for his boots. 

Feffox, no idea what you mean bugger off.


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## FeffOx (Feb 8, 2009)

You asked for advice I tried to help? :-\


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## SinisterWeasel (Mar 26, 2009)

didn't mean it like the way it looks, text isn't the best medium. Just mean, i have no idea what you mean by a rat not wanting to learn things, i think its bloody useful for him to come when called too.


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## zombunny (Dec 9, 2008)

Wow, what on earth has been going around the forum lately that's making everyone so pissy?


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## FeffOx (Feb 8, 2009)

SinisterWeasel said:


> didn't mean it like the way it looks, text isn't the best medium. Just mean, i have no idea what you mean by a rat not wanting to learn things, i think its bloody useful for him to come when called too.


Yes but you said you were teaching him to learn 'fetch', it just sounded like you were learning him tricks and not playing with him.



zombunny said:


> Wow, what on earth has been going around the forum lately that's making everyone so pissy?


*ALOT* of trolls have been here, winding everyone up


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## zombunny (Dec 9, 2008)

Yes, rats can be trained and it can really come in handy (especially when they get lost) but they have a limited amount of patience for training. Most experts recommend training for just a few minutes a day. Also, text or no text, I'm pretty sure "bugger off" has only one meaning.


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## sabricent (Mar 24, 2009)

I'm not sure how well this will work. but have you tried ending the fun once he's started biting and scratching. Its what i do when my bird starts acting bratty, the fun and attention are over. Maybe he thinks youre his rat buddy and wants to wrestle and play rough with you. Probably hormonal, not a rat behavior expert at all though.

Just keep loving him though.


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## SinisterWeasel (Mar 26, 2009)

The fun is definitely over when i'm wrapping my bleeding fingers in tissues. I will continue playing with him as normal, and get him booked into the vet for a de-balling if it continues and I am sure thats the issue. But i am still sure i must be doing something to provoke it...


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## Stace87 (Jun 24, 2008)

SinisterWeasel said:


> But i am still sure i must be doing something to provoke it...


What have you been doing?


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## SinisterWeasel (Mar 26, 2009)

Well i don't know how to make him stop doing something, everything i have read is to just reward for good behaviour. But if he starts chewing your clothes what do you do


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## Stace87 (Jun 24, 2008)

SinisterWeasel said:


> Well i don't know how to make him stop doing something, everything i have read is to just reward for good behaviour. But if he starts chewing your clothes what do you do


Move him away? Some rats will chew, there's nothing you can do about that.


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## dodgingflames (Apr 1, 2009)

If it's out-of-cage aggression then i'd def take him in to be neutered. That's VERY odd. I've never had a rat who bit outside of the cage. 

Are you sure you aren't accidentally hurting him somehow? Like by touching his lump or anything?


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## HappyMooCow (Jan 10, 2009)

if he has a lump on the side of the head, then it can be a tumor that is affecting his brain, and if that is the case that would explain the behavioral changes... esp since he was nice to start with..

I have a rat that now as he has grown older is a biter, he will be neutered here soon as well.. hormones is no fun..
usually I get a warning though, he starts huffin against me and Ill just move away..

good luck with your rattie..


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## SinisterWeasel (Mar 26, 2009)

the lump is on his side/shoulder area and has been seen by a vet who says it causes him no pain.

The problem is, if he is chewing my clothes and i try and move him he 'may' bite and simultaneously scratch which is almost as bad). But its the unprovoked attacks that confuse me. A couple of days ago my girlfriend accidentally let him out putting some food in the cage and he was wandering around which he tends to do. But she said he was biting her slippers, so i came in and he walked over and attacked my foot. So there was no physical contact. 

I'll get his balls cut off and hope that fixes it, otherwise does anyone live in lincolnshire with a bit of experience who might be up for meeting up to help the little chap? The next step after that is finding him a new home i'm afraid because it wouldn't be fair to leave him in a cage.


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## AMJ087 (Aug 27, 2008)

How long have you had him? Maybe he wants to be close but hes not completly comfortable yet? If you ahve had him for some time and are bonding well then maybe he does get sick of training? Do you wear lotions or perfumes he may be attracted to?


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## CalicoJenn (Aug 29, 2008)

i had a rat who had a pt tumor and would bite unexpectedly.. they best thing in the world for him were his rat cage mates, i just did my best to stay on good terms with him. towards the end of his life he would just lay on my lap. I have plenty of scars to remind me of him. It broke my heart when he went to the bridge. He came to us after he had been surrendered to petsmart and they were going to put him to sleep because he kept biting their employees bad enough to send them to the hospital (they know my husband and i are rat lovers so the called us ). His original owners had sprayed perfume on him because he smelled.. >.< You never know what the guy could have been through. Does he have a rat friend? Cujo was only human aggressive, he loved other rats and settled down a lot after he got cage mates.


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