# new rat owner with a skittish rat--help?



## dizzy (Aug 12, 2013)

hi,

i'm a first time rat owner and got a pair of females about a month and a half ago. one of them, naomi, adjusted to her new surroundings and me very quickly and was comfortable being held within the first three days and after about a week was ready to come play outside of the cage. she's very tame and loving. i've been having some problems with her cagemate, pree. she seems curious and friendly about people but is still very skittish about being handled--for example, when someone comes into the room, she runs up to the cage bars to see who it is; if you put your hand inside the cage she'll come up, grab a finger with her front paws and try to groom it; and she'll take treats from your hand. but if you try to pet her or pick her up, she gets scared and runs away. every time i've tried to hold her and take her out of the cage she flails around and makes unhappy noises, and the few times i've actually been able to get her onto my lap she acts very frightened and tenses up and doesn't move. when she's eating she's better about being touched and you're able to pet her, but when she finishes she runs off again. does anyone know what might be causing this behavior, or how best to go about getting her comfortable with me? 

thanks


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## fxrsteve (Apr 7, 2013)

Read the thread on immersion. Sit in a chair or lay on a bed with just Pree and maybe a handful of treats. Do this for as long as you can , if you have to get up , take her with you.


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## dizzy (Aug 12, 2013)

fxrsteve said:


> Read the thread on immersion. Sit in a chair or lay on a bed with just Pree and maybe a handful of treats. Do this for as long as you can , if you have to get up , take her with you.


i'm having trouble getting her out of the cage in order to do that though. whenever i try to pick her up she either bolts off when she sees my hand coming towards her or worms her way free while making unhappy noises


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## nanashi7 (Jun 5, 2013)

You are going to have to force her. Corner her, and scoop with both hands. Cradle your arms around her to prevent escape. If possible, you can deposit her into a box or something. As she is skittish, make sure you go to the bathroom or something that is ratproof that she cannot escape or hide from you.

For immersion, just try to cuddle her in your shirt. Bring Naomi with you for comfort, but let her just run around and explore while you cuddle Pree. For Pree, don't worry about treats so much. You should probably take a book because for the first hour you want her close and feeling safe. Then, when you feel she is a bit more confident, let her explore you. Try not to bother her much. Once she has explored you, try to gently stroke her and add in more attention -- but stop if she starts to freak out. Then, start again when she seems better. End goal is to get her asleep or to get her bruxing. Either don't indicate the end, just success. Wait a bit, then put her back. Make sure to have like 3 hours set aside.


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## fxrsteve (Apr 7, 2013)

her figits and unhappy noises may make it seem like you're being mean but Pree will be much happier once she bonds with you.


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## watts300 (Aug 3, 2013)

Aside from the ages and gender, sounds exactly like one of my two. Frank likes me and is easy to pick up while Sammy is easy going until I want to touch him. He'll touch me all he wants (which isn't often) but if I return the gesture even 2 seconds later, he cowers, gets low, and looks for a corner. For the last few days I've just been keeping the cage open when I'm in the room. He doesn't even try to come out. Occasionally I'll put my hand in with him... lower than he is so that I don't look like a big scary hand coming down on him. I'll try immersion in my bathroom this weekend maybe.


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## dizzy (Aug 12, 2013)

update:

i was able to get her out after a bit of trouble and held her inside a bathrobe and let her hide out in there for a while. eventually she came out and wandered around on me for a while and let me pet her a bit, although she was still skittish. she'd go back inside the robe sometimes. as it went on though she seemed to get more uncomfortable and scared and almost tried to jump off of the chair several times. i had to keep gently grabbing her and moving her away from the edge but as usual she squeaked and flailed around. at one point she ran up to my shoulder and climbed inside this box that i keep in the bathroom full of shredded paper and other toys but crawled back out onto me. she seemed calmer after this and i was able to get her to go to sleep briefly a few times. 

do you think this will help her?


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## nanashi7 (Jun 5, 2013)

If she falls asleep, yes. If she wants to explore, I'd let her. 

How are you picking her up? Do you use the scoop method?


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## dizzy (Aug 12, 2013)

nanashi7 said:


> If she falls asleep, yes. If she wants to explore, I'd let her.
> 
> How are you picking her up? Do you use the scoop method?


yes, that's what i use, but it usually takes a few attempts to get her because she's very squirmy


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## dizzy (Aug 12, 2013)

she seems even worse today. she's acting more suspicious and jumpy and mostly staying inside the hide box. i think the treatment scared her


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## fxrsteve (Apr 7, 2013)

it takes time. 

Coax her out with a treat. When bonding give her a treat every 20 minutes or so. Before you know it she will be delighted to see you reaching for her. 

I use Buncha Crunch for treats and my boys can hardly contain themselves when they hear that box shake


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## Timberlee Fields (Aug 2, 2013)

That doesn't sound like a very rat-friendly treat. How safe is that?


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