# Please help my problem rat



## Electricgeek (Jun 26, 2012)

I am writing you as a man who is out of ideas. I have tried everything with my rat Delilah. She is extremely terrified of being picked up. I have tried slow socialization over several weeks, and have tried forced socialization as well. She is not very old, but was a pet store rat. We have made a lot of headway, but have reached a hurtle that seems impossible to get over. She will take treats from my hand, crawl on my hands and arms in the cage, and even let you hold her in your arms for short periods of time. The problem comes when we do play time. We try not to let her out anymore, but when she gets out, she seems to forget all of the good stuff we do, and just runs, hides, and screams when we try to pick her up and put her back in the cage. She will approach my hand sometimes, but as soon as I move the slightest to pick her up, she either runs, screams, or both. We have had rats that take a while to come around, but this girl has me at the end of my rope. I want to be able to let her out to have fun, but I'm starting to consider that an impossibility. Thank you all in advance for your help.James


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## cagedbirdsinging (May 28, 2012)

She needs a companion.

I bet that you'll find all of those concerns will drastically improve once she has a cagemate.


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## Electricgeek (Jun 26, 2012)

She actually has three cage mates. Bella, Lucy, and Daisy


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## aang (Feb 7, 2012)

Have you tried trust-training with her outside of her cage, during play time? 
It might be counter-productive, though, because whenever you pick her up to put her back it would scare her again... 
You could try putting a little hidey sack on the ground for her to hide in, so when its time to put her away, you could pick up her in the sack instead of picking just her up?


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## 1a1a (May 6, 2011)

I find rats sometimes flip out when they have access to places to hide, try bring her cage and all into somewhere like your bathroom or hallway where ther is no where to hide but space to run in, she can come out the cage in her own time and explore but won't be able to hide any place (except the cage, or yourself).


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## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

Every now and then it's hard to really understand the question... I sort of break it down something like this:

Will keeping your rattie in the cage ever make her comfortable roaming around your home? Not likely, roaming around your home will make her more comfortable outside the cage.

Should she aknowledge you the same way inside as well as outside the cage? Not at first. A rat that's comfortable with it's environment is more likely to play and a rat that's stressed is going to run to safety.

Why doesn't your rattie understand you are the same person inside and outside the cage? Perhaps she has a vision problem and can't tell you are the same person inside and outside the cage.

Why is she resisting when you pick her up and try to return her to the cage? Perhaps she doesn't want to go back yet.

My first thoughts as to addressing your problems, is try and keep her out of the cage as much as possible so she gets used to the larger world, gets tired of it and asks you to return her to her cage. Do the basic vision tests out to about 6-10 feet away. If it's a vision problem, talk to her before trying to pick her up and move slowly. My rats vision is well above average for a rat, but it's only "good" in bright light. When it starts getting dark and she can't see as well, she gets fidgety in open spaces and starts heading for cover. Rats with vision issues are often panicky and/or both shy and agressive.

I agree with what 1a1a meant, but not necessarily the way she put it... I might restate it as follows: Rats freak out in wide open places with nowhere to hide so provide a safe hiding place and yourself in an open area and work on coaxing your rat from the hiding place to you. Eventually you can ditch the safe hiding place and become the safe place for your rat to go to.

Otherwise I like your comment that you have made a lot of headway. Progress is good and not to worry, you have the rest of her life to get it right.


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## 1a1a (May 6, 2011)

I must clarify, I very specifically mean that in the past I've had semi friendly rats get access to impenetrable hiding places and once in them, their attitudes appear to change and their trust for me vanishes, they don't behave like this in other environments (with no hiding places other than myself and their home).

Rat daddy's right they freak out in wide open places too  and using food to coax is key.


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## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

Hi 1a1a

That's exactly what I thought you meant.


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## Electricgeek (Jun 26, 2012)

Excellent suggestions. We've started doing playtime in the bathroom for her, and she appears much more friendly and inquisitive. She really has a hang up about being picked up, but she will crawl into her bonding pouch for us to move her from the cage to the bathroom and back. Really a smart girl, probably just severely mishandled at the big box pet store.


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## shawnalaufer (Aug 21, 2011)

Here is my method of trust training:
http://ratwhisperer.blogspot.com/2012/06/q-trust-training.html

Works for me!


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

I use me and a blanket as the safe zone for really frightened rats...the rat can get to know you under the blanket, which takes away the instinctual fear of predators overhead...they are covered up and hidden. They will eventually wander around under the blanket, and then one day a tiny nose will poke out and eventually a head...etc. I usually "ignore" these fearsome rats, keep my energy calm and move very slowly and deliberately. If a rat butt goes by I might lean over and kiss it but I try to keep patting to a minimum as hands are very frightening to scared rats and a scared rat can become very instinctual...freeze and flee. Once you have gotten to a point where she is more comfortable with just you, I work on picking up. I had a girl who screamed whenever she was lifted. So I would lift her with both hands about an inch above the bed, kiss her back, put her down and tell her what a good girl she was. She didn't have time to work herself up into a tizzy and eventually this very frightened girl became my friendliest.


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## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

As to being picked up, I prefer to train rats to come on hand. Put your hand in front of them and say "up on hand"... it takes a bit of coaxing but most rats prefer it to being grabbed.


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## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

Naturally, it goes without saying that the rat should be safely beyond the biting point before you put your hand in front of her mouth.


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## Electricgeek (Jun 26, 2012)

Delilah (my problem rat) has shown remarkable improvement since we started doing her playtime in the bathroom. Doubly so since we started taking her adopted big sister in there with her. We can pick her up well enough to transport her, and even hold her in our arms for a while now. We plan to continue playtime in there for a couple more weeks, and then reintroduce her to the bigger room. Thank you all for your advice.


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## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

Your on the right track now! Just remember it's a matter of normal time not "quality time". The more time you put in, the more love and trust you get back. I count the time my rats spend sleeping on my desk as time with my rats, I give them occaisional scratches, and they occaisionally open their eyes just a little to make sure I'm still there and to see what I'm doing. In the world of rats even time spent sleeping together is time spent bonded whereas time spent locked in a cage is time wasted and opportunity lost.

Best luck with your ratties.


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