# Tame a petstore rat?



## Fusion200 (Apr 30, 2014)

I have a petstore rat which is a little scared of me, she runs away at some sudden movement and she actually escaped into my room, she squealed loudly when we caught her and she was under my dusty furniture for mintes, she didn't run away from me when she ended up there, but she jumped out of the pen. I think she touched hay? Either way, she is a little scared, I can pick her up and hold her and she doesn't squeal unless she wants to explore, then she might squeak a little, she has only pooped on me once. She is 4 and a half months old, she hasn't really been handled for what I believe to be 2,5 months, but she comes from a breeder originaly, before she was in the store. Can I tame her? She wont really eat right now, she just sits under the house.


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## Kitterpuss (May 9, 2014)

I would read the immersion thread that RatDaddy wrote and give that a try. I had one very skittish rat who is much better now - the immersion techniques really helped me.


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## Fusion200 (Apr 30, 2014)

Where is this thread? Did she/he ever become so tame that he/she runs up to the bars and greet? how long did it take?


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## Aeyna (Jun 16, 2014)

Rat Daddy wrote the thread, and his rat was Fuzzy Rat. Fuzzy Rat would go outside on trips to the park and such, and was super tame and all around awesome. Basically the kind of rat that we all wish we had or would have had the opportunity to meet. The thread is a sticky under the rat behavior section.


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## Mitsy (Apr 8, 2013)

It's a sticky in the behavior section, plus I would like to add there is nothing different with a pet store rat to a breeder's rat, they most likely will have the same reaction. 

All of mine are from the pet store and do what your looking for. The immersion guide helped a lot, and the rats bond really quickly. Also I will add fuzzy rat was a scared little pet store rat as well, Rat Daddy i've seen said that she basically taught him how to bond with rats.


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## gooseyp (May 29, 2014)

Agreeing with everyone else. RatDaddy knows his stuff. All three of my rats were skittish and scared in the beginning. You just need to keep handling her. Maybe put her on your bed and let her exlore. Pet her cheeks and head with one finger, and let her come to you! Try and coax her over to you when she seems interested. Don't be fast to grab her either. My newest adoptee (a feeder rat named Waldau) screams every time I pick him up suddenly. He's a big baby, but I've had him for a month or so now and he's really starting to warm up to me, It's EXTREMELY possible to tame her, it just takes time!


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## Kitterpuss (May 9, 2014)

http://www.ratforum.com/showthread.php?67442-Immersion-Training-The-Guide

I've had my three rats for 6 weeks, and in the past two weeks the most skittish has had a sudden change in behavior. 
They all now come to the cage door to greet me, and will come when I call their names, run on to me etc. 
I did about a week of immersion sessions in a small room, and following that lots of handling, lifting them up inside the cage, tempting them to come onto my arm with a treat, and allowing them to run off my arm. 
My most skittish rat in would wriggle and leap off of me risking injury and hide during free range. He now enjoys running around chasing his brothers and will respond to his name and allow me to lift him. Consistency and confident firm handling, lots of love and treats when he behaved positively seemed to be key with him.


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## Fusion200 (Apr 30, 2014)

She drank water from my finger, I haven't seen her drink just yet, but she managed to flip a thing that had water in it upside down during the night.


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## rileys-mom (May 26, 2014)

About a month or so ago I adopted two little chocolate sisters (Rosie and Raven) from a guy who took good care of them but had little time to spend socializing them. They grew up in an aquarium with little human contact. Both were very shy and nippy when I got them. My first job was to introduce them to Riley, my neutered male, and have them all live happily ever after. Took about a week of off and on contact and they were all in the same cage.

My next task was to socialize them to me. I have my rat cage right next to my couch. When I'm sitting there there cage door is always open and the rats can come and go as they please. Rosie was the first to come out. She's definitely the braver of the sisters. I didn't touch her. I just let her explore. At the slightest sound or movement she'd race to the cage, but that was OK. She knew that was her safe place. The one day she let me stroke her head. She became less skittish as time went on. Now she climbs all over me and loves to spend time with Riley outside the cage.

Raven, on the other hand, is still very shy. I don't push her. Sometimes she will venture out, but she's not as comfortable being handled as her sister. If that's her personality, I respect that. I do take her out sometimes for some playtime in the spare bedroom or on my bed, but I don't force her to be touched or held. Hopefully, in time she'll come to trust me like her sister has; but, if not, then I'll love her for who she is.


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## Fusion200 (Apr 30, 2014)

She almost got away again, she was on the roof of the cage and I could barely get her back in, I don't know if I will be able to handle her as I have slow reflexes, what do I do she doesn't improve and I can't keep her? I'm a bit concerned, and I have like a million cables in my room and stuff, she could die if she gets away.


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## Kitterpuss (May 9, 2014)

I would spend the next week or so free ranging her in a small space like a bathroom. Mine now get free range in my living room, but I waited until the rats where more confident with me as I didn't want them hiding under furniture and not coming out. Remember its not going to be an overnight process - taming her will take time and patience. Minimize your anxieties by either rat proofing your room or finding a safer place to have her out, as rats will a way want to explore things they shouldn't, and can be very persistent. You can tidy cables with cable ties, duct tape, those cable tidy hoses work well too.


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## Fusion200 (Apr 30, 2014)

There is kitty litter in the bathroom, isn't there like toxoplasmos in it or something? Like, even if removed, it's still there on the floor? I have a cat that (on accident) poops on the floor sometimes, and the bathroom generally doesn't really seem clean enough. Kitchen? Easier to proof, but I don't know if I'm allowed to incase she jumps up on the table and stuff.


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## Kitterpuss (May 9, 2014)

How about a hallway? I'd wouldnt go for kitchen - could get behind the fridge, holes for pipes etc


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## Fusion200 (Apr 30, 2014)

We have cats (and dog), and ALLOT of shoes everywhere, a table and more, getting behind the fridge is impossible, every piece of the kitchen is like a line, one furniture blocking off the other, and I have a couple walls I can put up, theres no exposed pipes in this kitchen, don't know if that ever hapens in a Swedish house.


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## Kitterpuss (May 9, 2014)

Thats good, sometimes older houses have exposed pipes. If you think the kitchen is safe then maybe go for that. Or you could make a pen/playground out of either cardboard, or mdf/plastic boards for your room. I made on myself using binder clips and plastic corrox/corrolax sheets, but in the end I decided to re arrange my living room and tidy it so that they could be safe free ranging there. I used the plastic boards to block off my tv, tied up my cables and moved ornaments.


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## Fusion200 (Apr 30, 2014)

The first time she escaped it was out of a cardboard box with a transport box in the middle, I have some grid/net for gardening that can be used for a room, had it on the old self made cage, BUT, I don't know if it contains zinc?


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## Kitterpuss (May 9, 2014)

I would try not to worry too much about various things containing harmful substances. I know rats can be somewhat sensitive to things, but if you worry about the possibility of everything harming your rat then you run the risk of not being able to relax and properly enjoy your pet. 

The plastic sheets I used where very high - they couldn't jump out. Here is where I got them to give you an idea of the height. http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=390195626455


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## Fusion200 (Apr 30, 2014)

She is sitting near my belly right now, she sniffs all the time and looks around, she doesn't seem very scared right now.She closes her eyes and soimnetimes have her ears down like a dumbo.


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## Kitterpuss (May 9, 2014)

Sounds like progress! Good luck with her, I'm sure she will come round soon


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## Fusion200 (Apr 30, 2014)

sometimes when I pet her her back moves a little stange? She licked my finger while grooming and she seems to be more of a cuddle rat than a normal female.


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