# Husband wants to euthanize aggressive rat that draws blood -- is there hope?



## toomanycats (Aug 2, 2013)

I got 2 female adult dumbo rats from Petsmart 3 weeks ago. One of the rats has gotten very used to me and is generally very sweet and gentle and loves to come out of her cage and be social, but the other rat is having behavioral issues. She will seem to be fine with me, but then suddenly out of the blue bite me VERY hard -- not in a nipping to see if you are food way, but in an I WANT TO HURT YOU way. I want to be able to take her out of the cage but she is drawing blood multiple times per day when I try to work with her. Sometimes she seems to like it when I pet her, but then for no apparent reason, she lunges at me. I'm not sure what to try. The usual bonding methods are failing. I don't want her to spend her whole life in her cage, but handling her is such an ordeal that I have to wear gloves before I reach for her now. My husband wants to euthanize her, but I'd rather not go down that road if possible.

Has anyone ever successfully rehabilitated a vicous rat, or is this a genetic issue, and is it a losing battle?


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## nanashi7 (Jun 5, 2013)

Rehome her if you must, but don't euthanize!
I would suggest immersion if trust-training is unsuccessful. Gloves will only make the issue worse, so it is not a good idea to wear them, you lose the sensation of rat and could hurt her.


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## Daniel (Jun 24, 2013)

Sounds like a rat who was abused. Very possible with PetSmart, since they have a long return period (a month I think), I imagine this rat was a return from someone who harmed her. They aren't born that way.

Nanashi is right. Rehome, or even return to the store, if you must. Don't euth her if you can't handle her - someone else might be able to.

I've had a few not-so-friendly rats, but never an outright vicious one.


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## Finnebon (Jul 15, 2013)

Read Rat Daddy's Immersion thread. It's not the first post, but scroll down (or it might be on a different page) he talks about what to do to "fix" an aggressive rat. It makes a lot of sense too. It might also take up your entire weekend, but it will be worth it if he can be happy again and get a long with you and your family.


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## Crezzard (Jul 20, 2013)

There could be an underlying problem if she's nice some of the time. She might be experiencing pain from an injury or illness that you just can't see. If I was you I wouldn't try to pick her up for a while. Lay your hand flat in the cage and offer treats and maybe a scratch and try to spend lots of time around her to observe her behaviour. 

I have a rat that bites me randomly. Sometimes she can be so sweet but in the cage occasionally she goes crazy, my hands are covered in plasters she bites So hard! She's been rehomes many times from owner to owner so it's no wonder she's abit grumpy. I just try and spend the most time with her and she is getting better but I think mainly its my confidence because I don't just leave her alone after she's bit me. I pin her on her back and then get her out and lock her in a room with me for an hour for kisses and cuddles


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## toomanycats (Aug 2, 2013)

Update on my nasty rat -- she has made HUGE progress in the last 4 days! I went ahead and wore leather gloves and did a couple of light "forced grooming" sessions on her like her dominant rat friend does, and it seems she now has more respect for me. NO sign of aggression in the least for 4 days now, and she is actually coming to me for treats, crawling out of the cage onto my lap to explore, and being more sociable in general. Treating her like the other rat treats her seemed to do the trick for now! Not sure if this was the "right" thing to do, but I'm not complaining about the results!


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## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

If I may add a comment regarding gloves... While some really unintelligent animals actually see your hands as being different from you, rats are generally bright enough to figure your hands are part of you, they may need a little while to get used to your gloves but if your rat is biting you, by all means wear gloves.

We've fixed several really screwed up rats with immersion and there's no way to get around being hands on with the aggressive rat... Rats are smart and fast and they can do serious harm... If it takes gloves, oven mitts, coats or towels to keep you safe while immersing your rat always put your own safety first. Your rats will pretty much figure out that your hands are inside the gloves soon enough. Even if it causes immersion to take an extra hour or two, the time you would otherwise spend in your doctor's office or emergency room would most likely be greater.


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## toomanycats (Aug 2, 2013)

Wow....I am truly shocked! Tonight my little "monster" rolled over on her back and started grooming me very gently for quite awhile. There has been no more dominant behavior coming from her.  Maybe I am officially part of the "rat pack" now???


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## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

Yup, sounds like your in!


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