# Need help with aggressive rats... fast, please



## FallDeere (Sep 29, 2011)

I need an answer before 7 PM Central Time today.

I have two rats that bite me. Blackie was stressed because I was trying to pick her up so I could clean the cage, and the other, Bo-Bo seems to think my fingers are treats. Blackie has actually come up to bite me while I play with Silver. Both of them are super stressed out here, so I wonder if they would be better somewhere else. I’m new to rats. Silver, Blackie, and Bo-Bo are my first ones.

Would Blackie and Bo-Bo be better with someone who knows what they’re doing? Should I give them up and get Silver new friends? Is there hope that I, as someone who has no idea what to do with stressed out, slightly aggressive rats, could get them to at least not bite me when I put my hand near them?

I have to decide today. My parents want me to give Blackie and Bo-Bo back and get two new friends for Silver, but I love them even if they hate me.

Please, let me know what I can do. This has me in tears because I love them so much, but I can’t help but think they would be better somewhere else.

Also, Bo-Bo is always fighting with Silver. Silver had a little cut on her foot yesterday because of it, so I worry about her and Bo being together, which is another reason I am thinking I should get Silver new friends.

I’m just so… upset about this whole situation. Please help… fast, because I have to decide today.


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## jd882 (Sep 16, 2012)

I'm very new to rats too but maybe I can pass along some tips people from here gave me. How long have you had them for? Are they related or did they come from the same place? I just got my rats about a week ago and one of them (Cecil) thinks my fingers are either filet mignon or out to get him. I've decided to take it just really slow with him and so far (knock on wood) it's been 3 days since I've been bit. Cecil's brother Zeek is the total opposite. He is sweet, doesn't bite at all, and very silly. 

From what people have told me, biting can be them being territorial, hormonal, or just out of fear because "who the heck are you to pick me up when I'm perfectly fine with all four paws on the ground?!". Perhaps they weren't handled correctly in their younger days? Best advice I can give you is don't get upset. Observe. Be patient. Move slowly and let them know you're their alpha! You hold their fate in YOUR hands! These things take time and I'm sure with some persistance and patience on your part, you'll be able to determine the reason for your rat's aggression and be able to take the right road to correct it!


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## FallDeere (Sep 29, 2011)

Everyone will hate me when I say this, but at the moment, I don't care. I too upset to care...

I got them from Petsmart exactly two weeks ago. Blackie and Silver were in the same cage and poor Bo was by herself. Bo and Blackie get along fine and Blackie and Silver get along fine, but Bo seems very insecure and seems to take it out on Silver.

The thing about being "patient" is that the 14 day guarantee is up at the end of today and my parents want me to give them back to Petsmart and get two different rats. I really don’t want to give them away or anything, and if I did, I would rather make sure they go to someone who knows and loves rats, but I’m being pressured from all sides here.

Both my parents don’t want me to be afraid to put my hand in the cage so they want me to get the two super sweet rats I saw at Petsmart yesterday when I was getting a new spare cage (the old one broke). Stupid me let the rats there climb all over me and they were so sweet, even sweeter then Silver which is saying something…

But I love Blackie and Bo-Bo so much… but I don’t know if I have the knowledge to tame them.


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## Isobella (Sep 20, 2012)

I too am a new rat owner, but from my experience with my two girls and two boys and the help I've got on here, maybe I can help a little. If you've had them for a short amount of time (less than a couple of months) then they likely have some trust issues with you, but also they're trying to get to grips with a new home and new cagemates. If it is just the one rat relationship which is stressed (Bo Bo and Silver) there may be a dominance issue particularly if one rat is favoured by all. The mistaking fingers for treats thing is pretty common from what I've read, my Markus tries his teeth on everything. Be clear as to whether they are scrapping aggressively, or whether a play fight resulted in a sharp nail nicking a foot. I wouldn't give up on them, if we all gave up on our rats at stage one because they take a little effort and patience then none of us would have success stories. Rats are little beings in their own right, you have to figure out their personalities and adapt your training/handling accordingly. You could separate them in to two sets of pairs and see if Bo Bo's behaviour alters away from Silver - then you know that Silver is the trigger. Also, you acquire the knowledge to tame them, it's surprising how much you pick up from places like this forum. I really hope you keep them - Unlikelyfather and Gal5150 on this forum have helped a huge amount with tips and advice about aggression and taming. You could search them and ask them some specific questions. Don't give up!


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

Are your rats drawing blood from you? Do they bite inside or outside the cage or both?
How old are all 3 of them?

Do they come out and chomp down on your fingers or slashy bite?


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## FallDeere (Sep 29, 2011)

I really think these two need someone with experience. I have no idea what I'm doing and reading posts in a forum can only help so much... I'm a newbie and they sense it and now BLackie knows that I'm afraid of her which isn't helping... I'll try to interact with Bo Bo without Silver around and see how it goes, but I don't have high hopes...


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## FallDeere (Sep 29, 2011)

Blackie bit really hard yesterday, hard enough that it still hurts to move that finger today, and Bo has drawn blood once but it was a fairly small bite. They're all "six months" according to the store, but Silver is smaller than both of them. Blackie is the biggest, nearly twice the size of Silver, and Bo Bo is a tad bigger than Silver. I don't take them out of the cage, so they only bite inside. I can't take them out because... well, they'll bite me and Bo Bo has already gotten loose once. Silver is the only one that lets me pick her up or really do anything with her.


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

Sigh, I wish you had started with babies...these girls were probably returned and no one bothered to socialize the poor rats and you don't sound like you are sure of what you are doing. As much as I hate to say this, return them.  I work with rats like this all the time, but you don't have the experience to do so. What I am actually most worried about is, are your parents going to be paying any vet bills or are you? Rats are not cheap pets by any means...they will need vet visits and antibiotics and possibly surgery (not always but there's a possibility) and usually a human euthanasia at the end of their too-short lives.


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## IOVERATS (Aug 25, 2012)

How do you know that they will bite you outside of the cage? If they do, then fine, but you don't know if they do or not because you haven't tried! My cousin has had plenty of these kinds of rats, and she tried forced socialisation and it works wonders, I'm sure if your interested in force socialisation then I'm sure people would be more than happy to run you through it. 

Trust me, or you think silver is causing this behaviour then separate them, you have given up too easily. What happens if you get some more rats and they start biting? Are you gonna give up on them too? 

My cousin told me that you should wear a hoodie round the wrong way so the hood is on your front and put the rats in the hood, obviously she threw a towel over the offending rat and scooped it up, then gently placed it in the hood. It works,,you just have to try. 

If your intentions was to give them up anyway, then I'm not sure what else we can do apart from give some advice... Good luck  keep trying, if the situation doesn't get any better then I'm not sure there is much else we can do. It does seem like you are giving up on them because you are being given the opportunity to get potentially nicer rats... But even they may not be nice, pet shops don't have enough time to socialise their animals so don't be surprised if they aren't as nice as you think. I'm not trying to sound rude or mean, but you've got to think of all the possibilities. Breeders are a better option, but try all the options first an sum up everything before making any hard and fast decisions.

And if you haven't had them long, then they may be stressed from moving homes etc, just think how you would feel, if you were taken from your house and thrown in with some strange people, you wouldn't feel very comfortable around them for awhile. Just think about EVERYTHING! 

Good luck  


A wise t-shirt once said 'my rats think your gross too!' directed at all you rat haters out there!


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## FallDeere (Sep 29, 2011)

I know I sound like I got rats on a whim, but I’ve been researching them for at least three years. I planned togo to a breeder and even found one that I really really like near here, but then I fell in love with Silver at the store, so I brought her, Blackie, and Bo Bo home.

I paid for them, their cage, their food, even the $60 vet bill last week when I thought Silver had a URI. My parents are offering to pay for a $200 cage (for reasons I cannot comprehend…) but aside from that, all the financial responsibility falls on me and I only rely on them to drive me to the vet and store because I don’t have a car.

Please don’t think that I know nothing about rats. I know about tumors, URIs and their extremely short lives and how to care for them and everything. However, once put into practice, I don’t have the actual experience to know what to do with aggressive rats.

With that out of the way, I agree, lilspaz68. Blackie looks so much older than the other two that both my parents and I suspect someone brought her back because she took a chomp on some little kid’s finger.

I am NOT giving up! I want to keep them and try to socialize them, but there is pressure from all sides to give them to someone who knows how to handle rats like this. I am very certain that poor Blackie’s experiences have shaped her to be a biter and while I don’t want to give her up, she’s not happy here and neither is Bo Bo. Sure, I can try that “forced socialization” thing, but what if it makes it worse? Or what if she gets loose and either hurts my little sister or gets attacked by my dogs? I tried letting them loose in the bathroom, but only Silver ever came near me while the other two were huddled in a corner, wondering what in the world was going on.

What do you mean if my intention was the give them up anyways? I never had any intention to give them up… I still don’t want to, but I want for them to be happy and they aren’t happy with me and I don’t know how to make them better. I don’t care if they never want to cuddle with me or ride on my shoulder, but I sure don’t want them to huddle in a corner, fearing for their lives. I know it’s only been two weeks, and I want to give it more time, but Petsmart will only take them back today. I’d much rather give them to someone personally (like someone here who knows how to handle rats like this) than give them to Petsmart, but the people at this Petsmart are super nice (much nicer than any pet store I’ve EVER been in) and told me they would work with these two to try to make them better.

I know I sound like a horrible rat owner, but I love my babies and I want what’s best for them. I’m just afraid I’m not what’s best for them because I have no experience with rats, especially not biters.

By the way, if someone here is in Texas (either around the Dallas area or willing to travel there), and wants to try their hand with them… let me know. I just don’t think I can handle these two and I want them to go to someone with experience with rats and behavioral issues.

I already feel horrible for this (I’ve been crying non-stop for nearly 24 hours), but I don’t know how to handle biters.


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

OK I am glad to hear you can get vet care, so many people just don't realize until they have to take them to the vet and cannot *whew*

It sucks, I know, and I am sure you don't want to give them up, but I agree, you do not have the mindset yet for difficult rats, especially as you haven't even really got them out of the cage in 2 weeks. Get babies...then any behaviours are mild and you can learn as they grow. Ask questions if you aren't sure, its better to ask a "stupid" question than do the wrong thing. I am not a person who likes anyone buying from petstores as I am a rescuer, but I also don't condemn newbies for already having done it. When you pick babies, look for ones that run to you and are curious and brave . If the babies or even rats are hiding themselves in corners they are unsocialized and not a good start for a newbie owner like yourself.


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## FallDeere (Sep 29, 2011)

I tracked down an AWESOME vet in my area that has had rats in the past. She’s great and Silver loved her and the other person there who also loves rats. We’re even taking our dogs there now.

Anyways, I just now tried to work with Blackie and Bo Bo, but… if my hand was within reach, Blackie would head straight for it and I don’t know if she planned to bite or not, but I’d bet that she was being territorial. Bo Bo, the poor thing, is just so frightened… I think Bo has potential and would be a great pet with proper socialization, but I can’t give it to her.

Thanks lilspaz68. I still really don’t want to give them up, but I get attached to animals so easily. (I cried when a horse that lived next door that I never even knew left). I know I’m horrible for getting pet store rats and it was an impulse decision to do it despite my years of research and preparation. Still, Silver is as good as any breeder rat and has only nibbled me a few times to see if I was food or not.

The thing about Bo Bo was that I wanted to rescue her because she was all alone and being mistreated by the employees there. The Petsmart I’m taking them to is a different one where they are much nicer to the animals. The rats there climbed all over me and were asking to be picked up. One that looked just like Silver decided my head was the place to be…

I’m about to head to Petsmart now… I’ll be crying my eyes out, but it’s for the best… I can’t handle this.


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## Isobella (Sep 20, 2012)

It sounds like you already know what you want to do, to be honest. If people are saying 'keep trying' and you're finding reasons why you shouldn't then your mind is made up and people's advice on here is largely redundant. Nothing in my post, or IOVERATS, is meant in a judgemental or critical way, please don't read it as such. But I do think that it is very easy to become frustrated with rats in the initial stages because they take a lot of time and training - you wouldn't get a puppy and expect it to be perfect right from the get go.

My two girls were 24 months when I got them from a pet store in the UK called Pets at Home, which is similar to Petsmart/ Petco etc. They had been returned by their first owner because 'they couldn't look after them'. They were timid, withdrawn, inquisitive with their teeth and skittish. My two boys are rescue boys - very badly treated with the scars to show it. With help and research my girls are great and my boys are warming up nicely - but it's not been without bites on their part and tears on mine. But I am really glad that I didn't give up.


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## Isobella (Sep 20, 2012)

P.S. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.  x


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## trematode (Sep 8, 2012)

I know this is contradictory to what most people are saying... but I feel I should say this.

I am new to rats as well. My two girls were handled since they were born. They are almost 3 months old and I have them for about 3 weeks now. Although none of them had nipped me or drawn blood, they are still getting used to me as well. I'm being patient with them. Reading the forum is quite helpful.

I have had gerbils in the past. I had two males that were raised together. They were great. They never bit. One day, while at a reputable pet shop, I purchased a male who had been alone in the enclosure for a least a month. I had a spare set-up, so I took him home on a whim. His name is Mac. I have had him for 1.5 years. He was skittish of me at first. Then he would lunge at my fingers. He never drew blood on me, but he did draw blood on 3 people who were dumb enough to put their fingers in the cage after I warned them. I handled him with gloves on... and I still handle him with gloves on. He never quite curved that habit. I have since given up trying to get him used to me. He responds to my voice. Occasionally I'll give him treats with gloves on. Other than that, he's pretty much a lost cause. He's still with me though. And he'll be with me until he passes away. This is how I see it:

If I had given him up and brought him back to the pet store, he may have ended up in a worse situation. I couldn't bear to let that happen.

Even though I have limited interaction with him, he's anything but boring. He has a personality that is different than my other gerbils. He comes when he hears my voice. He always jumps on his wheel between 11pm and 1am for a run (every night!). He LOVES cardboard. As soon as the cardboard enters the cage, he grabs on and goes chew-crazy. Every time he hears the food bag, he runs to his bowl. He loves all kinds of treats.

I still spoil him. I sort of have to. Gerbil introductions have a high chance of not working out. I wasn't in the position to try it and then buy a whole new set-up if it failed. He never goes short on cardboard. Or treats.

Anyway...


I was wondering if anyone would recommend wearing gloves with rats. I use a pair of light winter gloves for Mac. He can't hurt me when I have them on. Would this work with socializing rats that bite?

I wish you the best of luck with whatever you decide. Getting bitten can be very scary. I was bitten by a mouse as a child. It has made me very wary of the body language of the animal. I try not to disturb them when they are resting or appear spooked by my presence. It is also nice that you have parents that look out for your best interest.


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## IOVERATS (Aug 25, 2012)

I didn't mean it like that, I know I probably sounded like a horrible little brat, but its just that I didn't realise how bad it had got so I just assumed that it was easier than it actually is. I'm so sorry if I made you upset, but I just didn't realise. I know if must be hard giving them up, but seeing as you have tried as much as your comfortable with (especially since these are you first ratties) I think giving them up is probably in the best interest for you and the rats, if my cousin lived near you, she would help you! She has dealt with loads of difficult rats before and she currently has got 3 rats who are terrible and sound like they are heading towards what you are dealing with. 

Again, I'm so sorry! I wish you luck with any future rats, and I hope I didn't upset you too much. I actually feel really bad now :| 


A wise t-shirt once said 'my rats think your gross too!' directed at all you rat haters out there!


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## Rat-1- (Jul 22, 2012)

I disagree. You said you have researched rats for 3 years didn't you? You can handle this. Wear gloves. Have they bitten anyone else. Maybe they like a kind of soap you use. Don't give them back to a petshop they will be better with you.


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## jd882 (Sep 16, 2012)

Animals choose us when they're ready to just as quickly as they let go when they're ready to. If you made the really difficult choice to return them, maybe you can contact your vet that is experienced with rats and let her know the situation? Perhaps she knows of someone who could rescue them quicky out of the petstore enviornment or could give you some guidance on how to handle the situation if it arises in the future? 

Whatever your choice, I'm very sorry you were put in the position to have to choose. If you need to talk, you can send me a PM... I'm still new at the rat family thing but I'm a good listener if you just need to vent...


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## FallDeere (Sep 29, 2011)

I just gave them back, but the Petsmart people are going to contact me after the "three day quarantine."

Rat-1, As for my researching rats for three years so I should be able to handle it... Research doesn't teach you exactly how to pick them up without scaring them, or how to avoid being bitten. Sure, it told me "everything I needed to know" but it didn't give me experience. That can only come from hands on experiences. In addition, research doesn't exactly help my emotional state or stress level. My emotional state and stress was transferring on to poor Blackie and Bo-Bo and not helping one bit.

So I should have to wear thick leather gloves while I’m playing with Silver, the sweet one, because I’m afraid Blackie will come up and bite me? I can’t live in fear of my own rats. I know they would be better someplace other than Petsmart, but I wouldn’t say they would be better with me… I doubt there was much difference, honestly. They’re overly stressed out messes either way. At least people at Petsmart have dealt with it before…

ILOVERATS, Sorry if I snapped at you… It’s just that you said what I was feeling. I did feel like I was giving up, but I just didn’t see a choice… I don’t want to live in fear of my rats. I still think Bo-Bo might have a chance at being a good pet, but I don’t have the experience to know what or what not to do to make her good. Sure, everyone talks about trust training and everything, but I’m still working on getting Silver, the only one not scared to death of me, to trust me. If I’m having trouble with her, what chance do I have at the moment for two skittish rats?

Either way, they’re at Petsmart now and the people there are really nice. I know they don’t get socialized much there, but… Ugh, I don’t even know what to say. Either way, I still can get them back if I choose to. They’re going to call me in about three days. I just couldn’t handle and you can say I gave up if you want. Maybe I did, but I couldn’t deal with it anymore. I couldn’t live in fear of playing with Silver while Blackie was waiting to sink her teeth into me. I just couldn’t. I’m crying my eyes out now, so you can say I gave up but don’t ever think it was an easy choice, okay?

Thanks for everyone’s input. I really appreciate it and I’m sorry if I sounded mean or anything…


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## Demonardae (Apr 10, 2011)

Don't beat yourself up over it, they were out of your league and there is no shame in that. Any amount of research will never truly prepare you for an animal (it justs give you an idea of what to expect), the only way to do that is hands on experience. Just keep an eye out for someone in your area who can take on these difficult girls and give them a home.


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