# Fraidy rat!



## Ivor_Freyrsson (May 15, 2010)

I have a pair of young females. They are about four months old. One of them, Polly Morph, has no problem being held and loved on, she just likes to run off and explore a lot, and my home isn't rat-proof AT ALL. I don't mind so much, but it is a bit of a hassle to keep her on my shoulder or on my table, away from my laptop, as she likes to pee on it. 

The other, Pocket Lint, is a little odd. When I walk by, both girls tend to run to the corner of the cage, climb all up it and beg for love, and I usually give them my fingers through the bars along with some kind, loving words. They don't bite, and Polly seems just fine with this. Pocket, on the other hand, will inspect my fingers and place her front paws on them to look at me. If I move them, she darts off to a corner as though I were a cat ****-bent on eating her, and stares at me in fear. When I reach in to pick her up, she does this ninja-like squirming and cage-climbing to get away. But she will always come back to inspect me if I leave my hand still. She has even climbed up on it once or twice, only to dart off the instant I twitched. This is so at odds with her loving personality that we saw the day we got her, when she would just curl up in our shirt pocket and groom herself, or fall asleep. I'm at a loss as to what to do, and she shows no signs of coming near.

This is so unlike my boys. They were loving and social from the first moments I had them to their dying breaths. Literally. 

Any ideas?


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## kit9999 (May 27, 2010)

Hi there 

I have the same problem with one of my rats, and what I'm doing to try and get him used to me is, take a treat, let him see it and then let him follow it onto my hand. The further he gets, along my hand/arm, he gets given the treat. I even got him to come onto my lap today with this method, which surprised me a fair bit. He does run back to the cage to eat it but that's where he feels comfortable I guess. It seems that your rat is really curious about you, which is a good sign. 

If she doesn't get any better, you could try taking her out and letting her sit in your jumper, as this is one of the best ways to get them used to you. Walk around with her on your shoulder/in your pocket/in your jumper, whichever you prefer, and just talk to her as you do  Physical interaction is the best way to get your rat to like you, along with food  You could sit on your bed/sofa/floor with the rat in your jumper and just let her go in and out as she likes. At first, she will probably go out of the jumper, sniff a bit and then dart back in, but she should get more confident with time. Someone on here suggested to me a play pen outside your rats cage that she can go into and out of as she pleases and hopefully get her to be more confident.

I'm not an expert but this is what I am doing to try and get my shy rat to like me, and it seems to be working now as he got on my hands without the incentive of a treat this morning  Hope this helps :]


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## PixieRei (May 22, 2010)

Sorry to barge in, just a quick question  
To walk around with your rat on your shoulder- would they not jump off and run away?


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## Capistrono (Apr 12, 2010)

PixieRei said:


> Sorry to barge in, just a quick question
> To walk around with your rat on your shoulder- would they not jump off and run away?


I do that all the time! They never try to jump off, mine don't at least.

My friend, if you've never walked around with a rat on your shoulder you are missing out. Go try it out!


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## clarry (May 19, 2008)

LOL, yeh, but wear a t-shirt not bare shoulders, otherwise you'll end up looking like you got in a fight with a small rake lol. They wont jusp off...not that ive ever heard of, i think its too high for them to even think about attempting, but they will cling on to you


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## VictorianVanity (Mar 18, 2010)

Yeah, I let my kids out on me regardless of what kind of shirt I'm wearing, and if I've got a tanktop I usually end up looking like a total mess. I've always got ratty scratches on me, it's just the way of life around here.


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## Nekopan (Mar 18, 2010)

My boys aren't fond of staying on my shoulder, but they will curl up in my hood or sit on my arms. Sometimes they jump down, but they don't run. Rats are neophobic so unless it is a place they know very well, they will stick to you.


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## yunafonfabre (May 31, 2010)

I like letting them roam freely around the area where I am, either by having a completely ratproofed desk or by letting them run around on the bed.

And shoulder-sitting is wonderful, though both myself and the missus have shoulders and arms completely covered with tiny scratches as a result. It's a small price to pay to us.


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