# My Rat is Biting



## RubyRedSlippers (Apr 18, 2008)

I adopted my female rat, Vada, in late April. She was a surrender in a pet store. The vet says she is about 6 months old. Unfortunately, now I can see why someone gave her up. Not only does she give off a very foul odor (She has been bathed), she is a biter. I have learned to live with the odor, that is not the problem. She is only my second rat, so I have no experience in this what-so-ever. At first in her quarentine cage she was just very shy, and pretty submissive. Now that I have her in a new bigger cage with another female rat, who I must admit is a bit sassy and rambunctious, she now bites. There is no reason for it. I do not have food smell on my hands, and I can be petting her one minute on the head (She loves it!) and the next second she will just turn suddenly and attack. She has now drawn blood on me three times. I can't pick her up out of the cage to clean it, since she doesn't like to be picked up, and she attacks my hand while I clean the cage. I do love all of my pets very, very much and I want whats best for them, but it's really hard to have an animal I am scared of. I don't know what to do. Please help me or I am afraid I will have to find her a new home with someone with more experience.


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## Jingles (Feb 2, 2008)

how long have you had her??? Because she just might be testing you, when mine nip me. I just say no in a firm voice and they put there head down and go to there cage.


give it a month maybe 3......she probably has people issues.


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## A1APassion (Jul 29, 2007)

the odor thing concerns me because odor typically indicates illness & if she is ill then she is most likely very irritable thus explaining the nipping


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## RubyRedSlippers (Apr 18, 2008)

I do know that can be a sign of a bladder infection, but never have I seen any tint of red in her urine. She has also seen a vet twice and they said she's very healthy.


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## Ophelia (May 25, 2008)

The odor thing also concerns me slightly. Have you maybe thought about getting another vet's opinion? I think it can be hard to find a vet who is actually knowledgeable about small animals (and other exotics), but they will put it on their signs and advertising anyway because they want the business and then tell you things that aren't right.
I remember that my two rats never gave off an unpleasant odor. Actually I recall that their smell was always very inoffensive, even when they hadn't been bathed for a while.
She might be sick with something that your vet just isn't finding. That could also explain why she is biting now suddenly. She might be feeling worse and worse.
I don't know. I'm neither a vet nor an expert in anything. Just I think there is more to this odor business than meets the eye.


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## RubyRedSlippers (Apr 18, 2008)

Thank you very much for your opinions. I will look more into the odor thing. I have started using the bio-odor stuff that you put into their water and it seems to be helping a bit, could it still be a medical thing? Also, I was wondering if maybe she has a hard time seeing. She sometimes sways her head back and forth to try to get a feel for things. It's not wry neck, I have read the symptoms, and she does not have them. However, she does bite when the hand is moving. So I am wondering if maybe she's a little blind? And maybe biting out of fear?


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## Ophelia (May 25, 2008)

Well, rats have fairly poor vision to begin with. Also their vision is more panaromic (like a horse) than binocular (like a human or dog), so they might not be able to see things directly in front of their noses. Most prey animals have this type of vision as it allows them to be able to watch the largest amount of space without having to turn their heads, while most predators have vision like that of humans. Straight ahead.
Rats respond better to movement, so that explains why she is biting when you're moving. Movement is actually what almost always alerts a wild rat that there is a predator nearby. Based on what you say I think her vision is normal. Just she is very defensive/aggressive for reasons that we don't yet understand.


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## Ophelia (May 25, 2008)

However, is it possible that your rat is blind in one eye? This might be something to consider. Many animals with a blindness in one eye are highly sensitive, nervous and fearful. 
Maybe you can try testing her to see if she reacts to you from one eye, but not the other.


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## frost_love_bite (May 13, 2008)

Is she only bitting while in the cage?? because if so...

I also have a rat that had another owner before. I don't think she even got use to people (I think her owner never really paid attention to her) so she would bite whenever I put my hand in the cage, but never out of the cage. Because she wasn't used to people.

I think it was a territory thing. But she eventually gained my trust and now she hasn't bitten anyone since then. So as Jingles said just give her time.

I dont know if this will help but I used to wear wool gloves when I went to pick her up so she didn't smell me and didn't try and bite... weird but it worked for me.. Hopefully it will work for you... Good luck. I do hope its not a medical thing.


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## RubyRedSlippers (Apr 18, 2008)

Thank you for all of your posts. Yes, she does only bite me when she's in the cage. So, you are right, it may be territorial. If this is something that can be overcome, how can I work with her to kick the habit? I do have fleece gloves that I have been using, and she does not try to even bite or nibble those.


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## gefingerpoken (May 16, 2008)

It's so sad when that happens. My rat Spaz bites. As in, not just when you try to touch her, she actually goes AFTER the hand if it's in the cage. I had thought the other one, Saffron, was the aggressor. But, after finding a nasty bite on Saffron's thigh, I realized Spaz was the problem, so I separated them.

Spaz still attacks, and honestly, I have to take her back to the pet store today. I know you can work with an aggressive rat, but I have a small child to take care of, and everyone else in the house works all day, so it would fall upon me to train her. And, I simply don't have the time to devote to it.

But, if you have time (and no kids to worry about), I'm sure you can work with Vada. Perhaps she isn't getting along with the other rat. Most of the time, when I had female rats, I had to keep them in separate cages. Males were okay sharing a space, but for some reason females were not.

Saffron never bit anyone, but she was very frightened of people at first. The way I got past that was to make a little "bonding pouch" that goes around my neck. I'd open the cage, hold out the pouch, and Saffron would slowly approach the door and climb into the pouch. I'd keep her in the pouch for a couple of hours a day, occasionally reaching in to pet her.

It got to the point where eventually, she would see the pouch and go straight to the door to wait for it. I still can't pick her up directly out of the cage, I have to let her out onto the table first, then pick her up.

It's something about not wanting to be taken out of their cage. They seem to want to come out of their own accord. And that's fine. Let her feel like she is control of what happens inside the cage, and let her know that outside of the cage, you're in control. Saffron learned that.

Although, Saffron doesn't mind when I reach in to pet her, change the food, or hand her a treat. She doesn't care if my hand is in there, but she doesn't want to be taken out forcibly, she wants to come out on her own.

Do you ever give Vada treats through the bars? I know if you do that, they start snatching and will often bite your fingers because they aren't learning that they have to be careful. I guess the guys used to give Spaz treats through the bars, but I never let anyone do that with Saffron, so that might have had an effect.


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## frost_love_bite (May 13, 2008)

When shes out of the cage handle her and play with her as much as possible. Get her used to your smell and let her know your a nice person. It will take time but she will accept you eventually.


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## RubyRedSlippers (Apr 18, 2008)

To gefingerpoken, thank you for your advice. I am sorry one of your rats is not working out for you, that is sad when you do everything you can, and they just can't be helped. I do have the time, especially right now since in the summer I get home at 3:30 p.m. So I will try to get her to trust me. The woman at the pet shop told me she used to live with children, who did God only knows what to her, and also they did feed her through the bars. Unfortunately, they taught her a bad habit. I have never fed her or my other rat through the bars. Vada does like to come out of her cage alot, so I will have to just work with her then, on her own terms.


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## RubyRedSlippers (Apr 18, 2008)

It's now been a few weeks, and I have definitely noticed it's a territory thing. She only does it when my hand goes into her cage. I can pet her and pick her up as much as I like, just as long as she is out of her cage. I have started to figure out what sets her off, like using a baby wipe to clean the cage or just pet her if she feels cornered. Thank you so much for all of your advice, I am happy to say Vada and I have figured out a happy medium, and she should do just fine here for the rest of her days


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## Marysmuse (Apr 28, 2008)

Congrats on your happy ending!

Rejoicing in the day,
-Mary


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## frost_love_bite (May 13, 2008)

Thats good to hear ^_^


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