# Rat screaming and hissing at me?



## ratclaws (Nov 11, 2012)

I've had my rats for almost 3 months now, well my two sisters (I got my younger one Rosie later on about 3 weeks after). Since I've had Hazel and Storm, I noticed that Storm was really relaxed and Hazel was more skittish and didn't like to be held. Forward a couple of months and Hazel has calmed down a lot (or so I thought). She got used to being picked up and held for a few seconds. But recently again her behaviour has been terrible during free range time. Whenever I try to gently pick her up she zooms off, and if I even touch her she squeaks. I show her my hands before I do so. When I pick her up she starts wriggling frantically and gets free; I'm only picking her up to inspect her and her nails (they're very long) and to give her a stroke but she's having none of it. Earlier she started hissing and screaming at me really loud and desperately trying to get away, so I held her a bit tighter and stroked her head till she calmed then put her back in the cage. Why is she behaving like this? I thought I'd made a lot of progress knowing she was already a very nervy rat and now she's being ridiculous again. I treat all three of my girls the same and I don't understand why her behaviour keeps turning. She's not on heat either.

One thing I have noticed though is that she's the most submissive of my three girls, despite physically being the biggest and Rosie being younger. When my girlfriend's two girls are round she's also dominated by them, so technically she's the lowest ranked in the pack. I just wish she'd stop being ridiculous and let me handle her without freaking out; she was fine a week ago and a lot more relaxed and now she's acting all crazy again. I had no choice but to take her being Storm's sister from a pet shop and those two being the only two in that particular litter; if there were more I'd have picked a girl with a better temperament. It's just difficult when Storm's so great in almost every way and her sister just makes everything so difficult. :|


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## Pixxie (Jun 3, 2012)

Is she getting picked on by one of the rats? Only thought that I have to explain it. You could try forced socialization, like sitting in a bathtub with her. I know male rats can sometimes react like this due to hormones...maybe a spay would help? Not even close to 100% sure on that, but it is possibly worth considering if other more experienced folks think it could help.


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## LightningWolf (Jun 8, 2012)

Her squeking when picked up could just mean she does not like being held. Some rats are like this.

My rat Storm is similar. He will try to struggle when held, sometimes squek when touched. yesterday he had a huge fit with me picking him up. Though he is the Dominant of my 4 guys. However he is just an odd rat. he has hypothyroidism (which actually relates to this a bit) and he has a weird way of showing he likes people. He will go crazy boggling when he is on someone's lap, he loves people, just not being touched. He even has a thing of nipping (not biting) people's noses when he is happy (he runs off boggling every time).He loves to sleep under my chair as well and when it's on his terms being petted behind the ears (On his terms only). Some rats just have difficulties communicating with humans. Think of them like the weird geeks in School that have issues making friends.

Now as for screaming and hissing at you, especially within the last week, I do not know. is it possible she got hurt? My rat Soda's nail got caught on something when I picked him up and it freaked it out for a week, so he was scared of me and my room.


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## ratclaws (Nov 11, 2012)

She definitely doesn't like being held, but it's the point where she's literally hissing at me where it becomes an issue. How can I trim her nails when she acts like this? I've accepted she's a skittish rat and definitely has socialisation issues but I'd like her to at least be a bit calmer. She was calming down though and then suddenly started acting up again like she's afraid of me touching her when nothing has changed. She is definitely a strange one, I never realised how difficult it would be to try and look after such an anti-social rat, it's like one step forward and two steps back. I think I'm going to start doing forced socialisation just with her alone over the Christmas period with a jumper and treats. A spay is a possibility after Christmas but I only recently had my alpha Storm spayed so I'm out of money right now (I've had to spend £200 on two mammary tumour removals and a spay for her over the past 2 months!).


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## ratclaws (Nov 11, 2012)

And Pixxie well she's the least dominant of all three of my girls, so she's always on her back being put in a submissive position. But my other two girls are very soft and they've never had a proper fight. Storm always plays and dominates but never harms, in fact she usually just grooms them when she's standing over them gently. Storm is definitely the most personable and better with people. So strange that sisters could have temperaments so different from one another, despite the exact same handling.


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## LightningWolf (Jun 8, 2012)

Is it possible in the last few weeks she got injured, that you picking her up aggravated and so she associates you with it now? I would look her over the best you can for wounds or injuries. 

I would take her to the vet when you can. She might have something physically wrong, like a Thyroid issue.


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## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

Have you considered that you are performing a particular behavior that she might have associated with the unpleasant activity of nail clipping?

Our big girl has lost a few nails due to rough kiddie play and now they just don't seem to get long anymore... maybe she trims them herself? But we've never clipped on purpose. I'm pretty sure that would be stressful to our girls.


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## Pixxie (Jun 3, 2012)

Hmm... I don't know then. Rat Daddy and LightningWolf have given any other explanation I could think of. Unless she regressed after your other rat was spayed I have no other ideas. Do try forced socialization and if that doesn't work take her to the vet. A vet check might be worth it now even, but I don't know how much money you are able to throw at this without trying other free things first. I know I like to exhaust other options if possible as I don't have much money being a college student. I do hope she gets better.


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## ratclaws (Nov 11, 2012)

Thanks for all the suggestions guys. I've checked her for injuries but there aren't any at the moment and there doesn't seem to be signs of growths or anything. None of my rats chew their own nails down, I have a problem with their nails all being too long (I've tried putting a rough slate in the cage but it's not helped much)! She's always been skittish since I first had her, a lot more than her sister. She's been fine the past couple days but she just gets really weird sometimes... I'm gonna give forced socialisation a go and consider spaying after Christmas.


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