# Unsocialized Rat Help



## blakeduhh (Aug 9, 2015)

So I have two little ratties, Cindy and Rorie, who I bought from a feeder bin. They had little two no handling of socializing. When I got them I expected it to take a while to gain their trust like 3 months but they havnt made any real progress...

They haven't learned their names, don't like being held, and they don't like being outside their cage and when they are out they just run back to it. I have trained gaining their trust by giving them a treat everytime I open their cage (they only take treats while in the cage), playing with them everyday for atleast 20 minutes. I have had my little ratties for 5 months now. They do play right behind and on top of their cage but done go but that's as far as they've ever gone.

I'm wondering if y'all have any tips for how to get them to trust me and enjoy being outside their cage. 

Thank you in advanced!!
(here's a cute picture of them right now checking out things around their cage)


----------



## MousE190 (Oct 7, 2014)

They are very cute,,thank you for saving them. They are most likely bonded to each other and are afraid of being apart. Try this,,, slowly, take to the bath room, or tub, somewhere they cannot hide, bring some special treats, blueberries, cheerios, sit with them, on the floor or in the tub,, call their names, give them a reward,,, skratch their heads, just re-assure them. make it positive,,,do not scold, keep your voice positive,the cage is a haven, it is someplace they feel safe, another idea, just take the cage into the bathroom, or tub, if you can remove the top,,,the bars give them a sense of safety,,,(that nothing can harm them inside,), you may need do try this with each singly, they may to learn and trust, that is okay to be awy from each other, but you will be there , to calm them,,keep talking to them,,,reward them,,they will come learn, that you are there to look out for them....if you can, let me know,,,been there.the best,,,and again, thanks for giving the 2 cutiies a new home.


----------



## Emma13 (Aug 8, 2015)

They are adorable! Thank you for saving them  The first rat that I took in was very skittish, acted like she had never been held before in her life, and was not afraid to bite (hard!)… that was in July, and she's actually just starting to "unthaw" this week - up until now, she's always been kind of spacey, disengaged, and shown no interest in me, but for whatever reason, something's clicked and she's now interested in me, approaching me to take treats without being coaxed, visiting me at the side of her cage, and enthusiastic about coming out of her cage to explore…. which we're all kind of shocked about lol! Some of the things that have helped her make progress are using really, really good treats (cooked oatmeal, and small amounts of cheese, cooked chicken, scrambled eggs - in moderation, of course) and slowly having her come further out of the cage for them, being patient and talking softly to her, hanging out with her in the (empty) bathtub, introducing her to the hoods of sweatshirts (she loves to curl up in them), and I think perhaps the biggest help has been adding new rats to her family who are really outgoing and human-focused. Socializing Sophie wasn't the reason that I adopted them, but it's definitely had that effect! She was originally living with three of her grown babies (all who have similar, somewhat spacey personalities), but adding in three boys from a different litter who are more than enthusiastic to bond with me seems to be functioning as a way for her to learn behaviours that she may have never had the chance to learn before (or to teach her babies), as she was also a rescue (a very pregnant rescue). The babies are becoming more social and human focused now as well. I'm definitely not saying go out and get more rats lol, but just wanted to share my experience and let you know that it really does take time (especially if they've come from such a deprived environment where they only know what it's like to feel unsafe i.e. a feeder bin), but that it's definitely possible for them to make progress


----------



## crow (Nov 18, 2015)

I read that a rat's fear threshold is 30 minutes. So by only playing with them for 20 minutes at a time, you're not even coming close to break that.


----------



## raindear (Mar 3, 2015)

When I got Petey in April, he was a frightened unsocialized boy who had been intended to be snake food, but the snake wanted no part of him.

The first day or two we spent over an hour in the bathroom with me petting him, letting him run away, waiting for a few minutes, petting again. Then when this was less frightening for him I would pick him up, let him run away, wait a few minutes, pick him up again. Over about 10 days he became comfortable enough with me that we moved to my chaise for play time. Sessions do have to be longer than 30 minutes and the longer your session can be the more progress you can make. One longer session is better than several shorter sessions. In 1 2 hour session, you have 1 1/2 hours of actual bonding time. It would take 3 1 hour sessions to equal that.


----------

