# Strange, confused and sometimes violent behaviour from Rat.



## Hellvern (Jun 28, 2012)

Hey everyone. 

I just joined this forum today because I can honestly say I'am utterly lost. I've had a lot of pet rats in my experience, but i've never experienced the situation i've had today! Recently, after about 6 years not owning any rats at all, I was informed that a friend of the family was close to dying of cancer and they needed a new home for their pet rats. I volunteered, being the only person who's had any experience of them, I've owned at different times, two males, and 3 females. I was slightly worried at first, because I was unsure as to what condition the rats could be in: Apparently they'd been going from house to house, and looked after by people who didn't particularly like rats, and the constant stress of being moved continuously or even dealing with unsocial beings would for any creature have been exhaustingly stressful. 

However upon arrival, aside from being very worried, they were not aggressive, they are Albino's and Female (2 of them). We gave them items to play with and treats everyday. For a week, we also took them out once a day for handling, and on the seventh day they were allowed to roam around my room. They got a little panicked, but still no aggression, so instead their play area was reduced to my bed. They've been fairly friendly, and i'm guessing if they've had a troubled past it will take a lot of time to eventually gain their complete trust.

And for the three weeks i've had them they've been great, they hate pooping/weeing outside the cage and they rarely ever chew items outside of their domain. They can occasionally give peoples fingers a squeeze with their mouths if they stick them though the cage, of if your doing something they dislike, or even when curious, but I have taken this to simply be a form of communication, nothing out of the ordinary. 

One of them is far more social than the other; it doesn't mind being picked up, or stroked, and will happily run all over you. The other hates being picked up, and will squeak sometimes when your doing it, but aside from this sometimes comes up and says hello, and will sit on you. At first I thought it just hated being picked up/handled. But this one has become nasty. 

Today it was thundering, now granted this upsets any animal. But when the Thunder died down , I went over to the cage and said hello, poked my finger in to stroke the latter Rat; and for the first time after sniffing me slightly gave me a whopping bite that caused a lot of bleeding. The speed of it gave me a shock and i admittedly had my hand bounce of the cage as I withdrew my finger causing a bit of a racket; They freaked out and began ducking and diving under things. So I decided to leave them for 30 minutes and come back. 

When I returned I took them out of the cage, I allowed them to sniff me (I covered the wound with plasters and washed of the blood); they were fine. The nice one was slightly weary but within 5 minutes was clambering on my arm so I took her out and placed her on the bed. The trouble rat also came out no problem. So I thought they'd just been frightened momentarily. 

I was wrong. 

I decided i'd let them roam for a bit longer on the floor. But when I went to put them in the cage, the Trouble Rat began acting erratic, It began fleeing in terror, and when I tried to pick her up, she started biting fiercely (though luckily she bit into the hard plaster on my finger). I put a glove on, but she holds back and tries to find the skin. 

I've never had this happen before. I've had rats panic, but never become so aggressive all so suddenly. I've had issues with Albino's being horrendously unsocial, even with their fellow rats, but this sort of a behaviour is a first. And I'm at a loss of what to do, I think this rat may well me more traumatised than I originally thought. Her friend isn't taking any notice, and although she is a bit upset, has reacted normally. 

Its an extremely upsetting/stressful event, I'm worried that any more attempts to pick her up will only do more damage and will send her over the edge; What do I do?


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

How old are these girls? Are you able to take a video of the scared one?

sounds like you have a fear biter on your hands...they take patience and time. These poor rats have been traumatized so badly being taken from one home to another over and over (same cage I assume?) that she is probably cage aggressive...its the only stable thing in her environment beyond her friend.  A friendly confident rat will adapt but a nervous, timid one might take to biting. 

With these rats you do not stick your fingers through the bars ever..when they test bite you eep at them loudly to let them know that this is not acceptable behaviour. Offer the back of your hand to sniff as its much harder to grip and bite down on then a tasty round finger. Start socializing scared girl (do they have names?) like you would a very skitty unsure petstore baby...go right back to the basics so she can learn to trust you.
A PEW (pink-eyed white) has really terrible vision so you have to be careful about that as well. Does she sway back and forth trying to focus? its also nervousness. her holding your finger is communication but it means "I am scared, please stop doing what you are doing...slow down...I may bite if you don't"


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## Hellvern (Jun 28, 2012)

Thanks for responding.

They are called Peaches and Dangerous Beans. The only way I can identify them is the nervous behaviour of the other (which has been called Dangerous Beans) I could take a video but I can say that when on the bed or in the cage her behaviour is quite normal, she will even come over to me and clamber around, but today with the cage biting incident and when she was allowed off the bed she became extremely aggressive and frightened. I just offered them some treats and stroked them (finally got Dangerous Beans in the cage), and aside from being a bit scared, especially Dangerous Beans they were fine. Peaches seems largely unaffected by it all. They both accepted the treats quite quickly. 

And yes you are correct, its the very same cage they have been in from home to home. And yes, they do wobble from side to side, though this has decreased (in fact last week unless you entered the room from the far side, they had stopped doing it), they'd often come up and say hello. 

I have found the whole episode troubling; i'd have said yesterday they were becoming very friendly, with a few occasions where they'd panic or wobble from side to side, or mouth your hand hard, but these were uncommon and I thought were just bad experiences surfacing. They are still relatively unsure of my family, but have only ever been nervous, not frightened or aggressive, and have even gone over to them and said hello. Only today has Dangerous Beans ever shown an aggressive or extremely frightened streak. 

My only thoughts are could it be the first bite when I put my fingers through the cage due to the thunder which scared her? And when I took her out, when she was allowed to roam ground she is doesn't know much this could have really offset this Fear Biter character?


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## 1a1a (May 6, 2011)

Don't get discouraged, trust takes time but I am sure they will both come good.


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## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

You have three choices, first she's afraid and it's a fear response, second it's a pack dominence issue and third it's a health issue.

If she attacks and stands her ground, it's pack dominance, and you are going to have to flip her and scratch her belly or otherwise show her your the boss. She finally feels comfortable enough in your home to take charge.

If it's fear related, she'll usually bite when cornered or retreat, bite, then retreat again. Even perfectly tame rats bite at band-aids and latex gloves for some strange reason so that doesn't count. Otherwise she might have been afraid of you, the thunder or something you were wearing like the same nail polish someone who abused her wore.

If it's a medical problem you'll need a vet to check her out.

Before trying to fix the problem, you really have to determine the cause because different causes have different treatments.

Stay with it, be patient and keep working with the rats outside the cage where you have room to maneuver. Your rat is trying to tell you what's wrong, just listen and observe.


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