# Mentally Unstable Rat..?



## Hopethefangirl (Aug 30, 2011)

I have a rat... her name is Honey. She's my first rat along with her companion Fiesty. Maybe it's just because I'm a first-time owner but I'm horrified of Honey. Since I bought her, she has escaped from her cage and has forever been dead set on escaping since then. I'd take her out of the cage but the first time I ever did she bit my finger really deep to the point of I still have a small gash in my skin and the wound was created two months ago, I think. Since then I've been terrified of her. Every time I try to touch her, she shrieks like something's killing her. Just a few moments ago she launched out of the cage and I was horrified to get her back to the cage because of my prior experience with her... she screamed when I touched her and I had to resort to dragging her by her tail, which I know is not good to do, I'm sorry... but I can't touch her without her screeching at me and biting me. Whenever I try to offer her a treat she bites me. Whenever I try to pet her she bites me. Whenever I try to take her out of the cage, she screams and bites me and runs away. She picks on Fiesty a lot too to the point of Fiesty having scabs and cuts from it. I don't know what to do... I'm honestly regretting getting this rat because she really scares me and I wish I had picked another rat that was available for purchase at the time... I can't play with her or even care for her because she scares me. I don't know what to do... I'm at a loss... sorry if I sound like a pathetic owner but I just don't know what to do.


----------



## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

Hopethefangirl said:


> I have a rat... her name is Honey. She's my first rat along with her companion Fiesty. Maybe it's just because I'm a first-time owner but I'm horrified of Honey. Since I bought her, she has escaped from her cage and has forever been dead set on escaping since then. I'd take her out of the cage but the first time I ever did she bit my finger really deep to the point of I still have a small gash in my skin and the wound was created two months ago, I think. Since then I've been terrified of her. Every time I try to touch her, she shrieks like something's killing her. Just a few moments ago she launched out of the cage and I was horrified to get her back to the cage because of my prior experience with her... she screamed when I touched her and I had to resort to dragging her by her tail, which I know is not good to do, I'm sorry... but I can't touch her without her screeching at me and biting me. Whenever I try to offer her a treat she bites me. Whenever I try to pet her she bites me. Whenever I try to take her out of the cage, she screams and bites me and runs away. She picks on Fiesty a lot too to the point of Fiesty having scabs and cuts from it. I don't know what to do... I'm honestly regretting getting this rat because she really scares me and I wish I had picked another rat that was available for purchase at the time... I can't play with her or even care for her because she scares me. I don't know what to do... I'm at a loss... sorry if I sound like a pathetic owner but I just don't know what to do.


She sounds extremely fearful and the biting is defensive, not aggressive as such. 

Since you cannot examine your spooky girl and you said her cagemate has cuts and scabs, she very well might have mites which are sadly common but relatively easy to treat (I think there's a thread in health on it?)

This is my most recent rescue to come in...she was forced to have 2 litters, her 2nd litter was killed in front of her and she had a terrible case of mites.

Being bitten constantly by mites can make the nicest rat irritable and the unsocialized ones bitey and unhandleable...everything hurts.

Here she is looking scared but you don't really see anything do you?










I felt her over and then wet her down and took these pics'



















So the first thing to do is get them both treated for mites (either Ivermectin oral paste CAREFULLY dosed or Revolution for cats and dogs, just one drop and you are done).

If you use paper or wood based beddings you will need to freeze them for 48 hours before using to kill any buggy stowaways.

After this we can start work on your unsocialized girl. I have worked with many biters and most if not all of them have stopped biting completely with some work. is your cage big enough? Most new rat owners listen to pet store people and get a cage that is completely unsuitable and too small for rats. If she feels trapped she may want to escape. What have you done to work with her on learning to trust you? I don't want to repeat anything you are doing.


----------



## Hopethefangirl (Aug 30, 2011)

Okay... I will try to handle them to see if the mites are the issue, and then I will treat them. I'm horrified of Honey, though... any possible way you could try to help me figure out how to handle her without her freaking out on me and trying to kill me? Ha...

As for socialization, I've tried gradual socialization and she will occasionally take treats out of my hand but will quickly scamper away... I did that for a long time but it didn't seem to help anything so I tried the forced socialization, but she wriggled out of my grasp and that's when she hid under my bed, and bit me really hard like I described in my thread post. I found these methods in the behavior thread, I'm pretty sure... As for the cage, I made my own decision and got a pretty sized cage for them, but maybe I could take out a few things to make more room for her. I tend to put some small boxes for them to climb around on and in and chew on.


----------



## Kiko (Sep 18, 2009)

When you need to treat her, what I do with REALLY aggressive rats I have interacted with it use thick oven mits or garden gloves so if they do bite you are not harmed.


----------



## 1a1a (May 6, 2011)

Don't lose hope with trust training, it can take a really long time.


----------



## stephaniechung (Mar 9, 2010)

If you manage to get her calm for a few minutes, try rubbing some olive oil on her fur. It will help soothe the skin and relieve some of the pain. If mites isn't the issue, you might want to consider taking her to the vet to get looked at. Usually rats scream when they're in pain. I had a girl that would scream every time I picked her up. She ended up being pregnant.

Just never know! Better to be safe though.


----------



## Critter Aficionado (Jan 30, 2011)

That is so horrible, Lilspaz. No wonder she was afraid.


----------



## Crisper (Oct 24, 2011)

*Honey*

You should seperate Honey from Fiesty if she starts attacking her too bad. As for the rats attitude I would guess it was from a bad past exsperience and dosen't trust others(humans), shes just scared it's not aggression. If shes a new rat she just might need more time too get comfortable in her new surrounding and with you. Try keeping her in the cage but have it around you so she can watch you at home, feeding them treats is a great way to get rats to like you. If shes bitting you just keep her in the cage and feed her the treat through the bars. When shes to the point where you can pick her up without bitting take her somewhere like a bed where she can run around near you and cant really get away. If she squeeks or trys to jolt away when you pick her up it's normal shes just nervous it will eventually pass when she becomes more use to it. Eventually all she'll want to do is come out of the cage and spend time with you.


----------

