# Question about ear biting



## paralistalon (Mar 5, 2008)

Hey everyone. I just got a pair of female rats about 8 days ago. One is a little older than the other, and she is the one that has been giving me the most problems, not suprisingly. 

I've been holding them for at least an hour a day, usually in the evenings, although "hold" probably isn't the best word! It's more like they run around me while I'm on the couch watching TV. Tonight I was talking on the phone and had my rats crawling around me on the recliner, when suddenly, the older one jumped up on my shoulder and chomped my ear! It gushed for a good 15 minutes. >_> She was kind of nibbling at my ear earlier, but I didn't think anything of it since she has had the tendency to gently nibble fingers and the like. I thought that was a normal behavior for rats trying to learn who you are. 

I thought the socialization process was going reasonably well. When I open the cage, they walk out on to the grating to greet me and sometimes end up getting on either my hand or shirt. The older one is still jumpy though, although both try to escape my hand when I pick them up. My main question is this: I've been giving them a small piece of vegetable or fruit once a day as a treat, and I've put a small drop of yogurt on my arm as several guides have recommended. My primary worry is that I will become too associated with food, and perhaps that is one reason she bit me. Another hypothesis is that she is becoming more emboldened and is trying to assert dominance over me. It didn't seem like a frightened bite because she did willingly jump on my shoulder to get at my ear. I've tried to do the placing on the back thing, but they are quite good at squiggling around, and I'm not sure if it's too early to start doing that. 

I certainly don't want to have to wait for her to chomp me again to correct the behavior if at all possible. That did not exactly feel good. 

Thanks for any advice you rat experts can give!


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## ipopcorn (Feb 25, 2008)

Mine has never just leapt up my arm and bit my ear but I have been bit on the ear. One of mine was playing and seemed to get a little too excited. If they were playing maybe she got a little too excited and bit down with a bit much force. Im not exactly the expert but it only happened to me once I think my patches realized he was being a little too rough when I screamed.


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## mongoosedog1 (Mar 8, 2008)

I got my rats 7 days ago now and i'm having the exact same problem. My older one has bit both of my earlobes. The first time happened last night while she was running around on me and she just charged up my body, actually jumping part way, stuck her nose in my ear pulled out and chomped down on my right earlobe. The second time happened today. I figured last night must have been my fault or something so I was hanging out with them while they where in their cage. I had one hand in the cage so they could smell me and check me out, and she jumps up on my arm runs across my shoulder and then runs back into the cage, and she did this a few times before deciding to run out and chomp down on my other earlobe. If I can't find a way to fix this behavior or find out what i'm doing wrong, I may have to take her back to the pet store.


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## paralistalon (Mar 5, 2008)

Ah, that's what's mine is doing. She comes out on to me and then runs back in and repeats. That other night, she was also really jumpy. With the prevalence of this type of behavior problem, I'm suprised I haven't been able to find anything online so far about what exactly caused it or what the solution is, and my lack of finding anything positive is making me strongly consider taking her back to the pet store too.


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## nicemove10 (Dec 11, 2007)

I've had my rat for a little over 4 months now. He's very friendly and grooms everyone all of the time. However, when he's hanging out on my shoulder he will chomp on my ear. I have no idea why. He just seems to think its something he can pull off I guess.


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## mongoosedog1 (Mar 8, 2008)

That doesn't sound like the same thing, because my female is really skittish but then goes out her way to climb me to bite me. At the very least i don't think she's going to be on my shoulder anymore, and possibly not held at all much either. I know that sounds horrible, but if she's going to attack me every time I do what else can I do about it?


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## mongoosedog1 (Mar 8, 2008)

My little one has been sick the past couple days, I think she's starting to get over it. But my little one have something to do with my older one being so oddly aggressive?


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## irisfreamon (Nov 19, 2007)

BEFORE TAKING HER BACK TO THE PET STORE:

I've had my ears pierced by Smeagol a few times. He sat on my shoulder when he was new so I thought that maybe he was getting comfortable with me. He sniffed my ear a few times and then WHAM! he bit right through my ear lobe. I mean, all the way through. My reflexes told me to throw him across the room, luckily I didn't do that. But I grabbed him and dropped him on the bed pretty roughly. I put both of them back in their cage and attended to my ear. I was almost a little scared to bring them out the next day, but I did anyway. And what would you know, he bit me again, in the same place, on the other ear. 

This is how I broke him of this habit. The first time he did it, I think that he was trying to see if I was edible. The second time he got up on my shoulder, I tensed up and became anxious. I think that he picked up on that uneasiness and reacted to it. So, the next time I had them out, when he got up on my shoulder I covered my ears with my hands and tried to relax. He sniffed and licked my hand and then went on his merry way. I repeated this for a few weeks, and now that he's older, he doesn't do it anymore. He just likes to sit on my shoulder and watch tv now. He couldn't care less about my ear.

So, here's my advice to you. Relax and cover your ears if he gets to close. Repetition, along with growing up, will break her of the habit. Young rats are rambunctious. I got my pair when they were 10 weeks old. Now they're about 6 months and have grown up and out of that habit.


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## mongoosedog1 (Mar 8, 2008)

Its worth a try. I really don't want to have to take her back. But I can't keep a rat that I can't trust to be near me, or out of the cage.


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## irisfreamon (Nov 19, 2007)

mongoosedog1 said:


> Its worth a try. I really don't want to have to take her back. But I can't keep a rat that I can't trust to be near me, or out of the cage.


Well, every rats is different. But give it a try.


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## paralistalon (Mar 5, 2008)

Thanks for the encouragement. I've had the problem girl out a few times since then, and no bites (mostly because I won't let her climb up near my shoulder for the time being). She's not biting my fingers, thankfully. 

I also tell her on a daily basis that she's lucky I love her younger companion so dang much. Such a good rat. After playing for a bit, she sits and bruxes. The problem rat, on the other hand, runs around and chatters maniacally.


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## Katherose (Nov 20, 2007)

You also might try wearing a hat that covers your ears. I wear a stocking cap whenever I have my rats out and I sit on the floor with them because one of my rats, FizGig, just will not leave my ears alone. lol I have no clue how many times I've been bit by her. My other two girls, Whimsy and Pixel, though, are sweet as can be and have never bit my ears. Just FizGig. go figure.


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## OnlyOno (Apr 4, 2007)

i think ears are like socked toes, plain irresistible. possibly earrings also make them want a nibble, i know that earrings drive picasso crazy.


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## mongoosedog1 (Mar 8, 2008)

Well earrings aren't a possibility in my case since I didn't have pierced ears until she bit me. I've spent a lot of time handling since then though and she seems to be acting more sociable. Though I haven't let her be on my shoulders since the second bite.


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## phil11 (Oct 5, 2007)

Ears... No no no it's the nose thats the problem. I have two girls, one is very chilled likes to cuddle. The other is a little tear away. Maggie was sleeping under my chin and molly came jumped right up on top of maggie making her squeal and then proceeded to knosh on my snosh!!!

With the ears I suggest wearing some ear muffs or maybe a bike helmet. failing that maybe wearing a dog collar to stop all access to the face.

Good luck all.


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