# Need help, babies too timid?



## christyt (Mar 1, 2017)

Hi, so I just got 2 new male babies which have been handled every day from a breeder. This is day two and they will not come out of their igloo. The breeder said they had a fright from a cat so have been more skittish anyway recently but I'm worried that this will continue. I just need some reassurance that they will eventually come out so I can start the usual trust training or what do I do if they don't?


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## Rattielover965 (Apr 26, 2016)

Are you in the U.S.A.?If so (and depending on where) did the breeder get them tested for the Seoul virus?


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## Coffeebean (Jan 6, 2017)

Don't worry, a lot of babies are scared at first. I usually handle new babies from the second I get in the car and give them lots of hands on time and they adjust much faster.


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## christyt (Mar 1, 2017)

Rattielover965 said:


> Are you in the U.S.A.?If so (and depending on where) did the breeder get them tested for the Seoul virus?


No I'm in the UK


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## christyt (Mar 1, 2017)

Coffeebean said:


> Don't worry, a lot of babies are scared at first. I usually handle new babies from the second I get in the car and give them lots of hands on time and they adjust much faster.


I don't want to grab them from their house as I dont feel that will helo them trust me so dont really know how I'm going to handle them


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## Okeedoke22 (Dec 31, 2016)

Could be that they were scared by the Cat and haven't come around yet. It also could mean the breeder is not breeding for temperament and the cat story was an excuse. I think its wrong that the breeder would sell them in that state of mind. 

Also you mention the breeder handled the babies daily. This could be a double edged sword. A month ago if a breeder told me they handled babies daily I would be ecstatic but it seems a lot of breeders try to keep handling to a minimum since they are trying to breed natural good temperament. The self control not to play with them daily must be amazing but it will help when they temperament test. I'm actually really interested in the 2 opposing opinions. I'm not experienced enough to say which is better or even if there is a right answer. 

The advice I received when I brought home my boys was if they are out exploring they should be fine to handle. If they find the first hiding spot and don't come out then give it time. My boys were out exploring their cage. They actually didn't even hide in the transport cage during the 3-4 hour ride home. 

Since they are hiding talk to them in a gentle voice. It doesn't even matter what you are saying as long as tone is calm and nurturing(politics, religion, sports so you can have the worlds most well rounded and intelligent rats Joke lol). Let them get use to your smell and hopefully they will come to you. Don't be surprised if 1 comes but the other is more shy. Its amazing how different they are personality wise. After you talk to them for awhile offer treats. This can be by hand or spoon. 

Good Luck.


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## Ratologist (Nov 24, 2016)

Have you tried enticing them with treats? You could try putting a little baby food on your finger and see if they'll come out & lick it.


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## christyt (Mar 1, 2017)

I've left them little treats on tissues that I've rubbed on my hands. If I'm near the cage though they wont come out. I spent 2 hours sat about half a metre from thecage and one braved coming out for a drink once.


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## christyt (Mar 1, 2017)

Okeedoke22 said:


> Could be that they were scared by the Cat and haven't come around yet. It also could mean the breeder is not breeding for temperament and the cat story was an excuse. I think its wrong that the breeder would sell them in that state of mind.
> 
> Also you mention the breeder handled the babies daily. This could be a double edged sword. A month ago if a breeder told me they handled babies daily I would be ecstatic but it seems a lot of breeders try to keep handling to a minimum since they are trying to breed natural good temperament. The self control not to play with them daily must be amazing but it will help when they temperament test. I'm actually really interested in the 2 opposing opinions. I'm not experienced enough to say which is better or even if there is a right answer.
> 
> ...


Thank you that's really helpful


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## christyt (Mar 1, 2017)

Update... I feel like i'm getting nowhere. They will lock peanut butter from my fingers granted but that's it. They still run away all the time when I go near the cage and just don't seem to want to trust me  last night I lifted their house up with my hand in just to see if they would eventually calm down but just cowered in a corner so dear I've totally ruined it. Can anyone help?


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## Nieve5552 (May 20, 2014)

If they are running away and hiding at your presence or movement, I'd be more inclined to think that they werent handled super well or naturally more afraid. Dont worry though, give them some time (like a few days, be patient) and they'll come around eventually. With a lot of rats, it doesnt happen overnight. My first boys were from a rescue (unsure if they were born in the rescue from a surrendered pregnant rat or surrendered after birth) and handled well from at least 3 weeks of age but were still afraid when I first got them at around 10 weeks of age. It took many weeks of trust training for them to be entirely comfortable with me being around, so I think it was just their genes. Chamois became very friendly but Wolf stayed a little aloof and more responsive to sudden noises so there was personality difference between the siblings too. Have you tried offering them a treat by putting the treat right in front of their faces? Or is the igloo one of those that have quite narrow openings?
Honestly, they definitely will get used to you. You just need to keep trying, they need time to realise that you are not a threat to them. 
This is Chamois and Wolf hiding in a tissue box when I first got them  








Did trust training with them, took a long time (more than a month) for them to really start trusting me. My second pair, Jag and Coyo, only took an hour or so of immersion training for them to cuddle up and fall asleep on me. I attribute the difference to both their breeding and the method of training, but probably more the breeding side as the second pair were relaxed enough to eat in the carrier on the way home from where I got them from. 
Is your breeder a reputable and trustworthy one? Good breeders' rats should always be friendly and inquisitive, and more neophilic than neophobic.


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## Asiposea (Dec 16, 2016)

Perhaps try sitting with them in a small room or a bathtub? With my babies I do the same thing Coffeebean does- I just pick them up right from the start.


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## Ratologist (Nov 24, 2016)

About how old are they? 

I would keep enticing them with things they need to lick off your fingers. Change it up a little by offering different sorts of things - applesauce, mashed sweet potato, mashed banana, etc... And see if they'll come further and further out in order to get whatever you have on your finger. 

I would also talk all the time around them. I'd talk in a normal voice - not shouting or yelling, but not whispering and soft, either. Our rats seemed less anxious if we'd talk while handling them actually. It sort of makes sense, if you think about it. Others animals sneak up silently if their intent is to attack. If we're not being quiet, we probably don't mean any harm.


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## Mr_Mooster (May 9, 2015)

I would say give them more time to adjust. They were taken from their family. They are in an unfamiliar place. Even rats with great temperaments can be frightened and made uncomfortable by changes in environment. I did not get my first two rats from a breeder, but one of my girls, Edna, would not move from the same corner, unless to eat or drink, for two weeks! She was very frightened and would even poop on me out of fear. She was very human friendly but changes in environment scared her a lot. Let them adjust, keep talking to them, and give them treats and they should come around soon.


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