# Rat Biting Other Pets!



## envisionary333 (May 21, 2007)

I built my two female rats a cage a couple of months ago and moved it upstairs so they can be where I am most of the time. They love their new cage and I can tell especially that Panda loves all the commotion, she is always at the bars sniffing to check things out. The problem is that whenever my dog or three cats walk by the cage, she jams her nose as far as she can between the 1" bars and tries to bite them. She bites me too, but since I have been bringing her treats and socializing her she doesn't jump at me like that anymore. But with them, she is on a mission to cause some serious harm! :twisted: My pets don't even pay any attention to the rats, they got over it after a week, but they still haven't learned not to get too close to the cage. My dog sat next to it and inadvertently ended up with a serious puncture wound in her ear that bled all over the place! My cats rub against the cage when they want to be petted, and Panda pulls out a huge tuft of fur every time. I'm scared that she will cause some serious damage. I thought this might stop over time, but it hasn't. What should I do?


----------



## Forensic (Apr 12, 2007)

Move the cage up so she can't get at the other pets?

The large animals are foreign and threats to her, I really doubt Panda will stop. My roommate's dog has learned to run away from the cage whenever my black and white hoodie comes to the bars, he doesn't like her and will bite her (and has in the past). The rest of them only bite her if she shoves her nose at them.


----------



## Poppyseed (Feb 1, 2007)

Whenever my cats or other animals get around the rat cages, I stop them by telling them no or I go get them up. They are pretty good about not getting to close to them now. I've had two nose bites that healed quickly and that's it.

Maybe you could try putting the cage up higher?


----------



## Mana (Apr 22, 2007)

I think it's weird that the cats and dog haven't figured out that rat cage = pain! My grandma's cat got nipped at once (he had a small mark on his nose but it didn't even bleed) and now he rarely even comes in here, and avoids the cages like the plague when he does.

If you can't move the cage up somewhere, maybe you could rig up a barrier around it so they can't get close enough to get bitten.


----------



## Matt (Jun 14, 2007)

My Dogs Always Come to the Cage and mess with the boys.
They dont seem to mind cause they reach there arms through and try to grab the dogs...it pretty funny to watch.


----------



## chrisstrikeagain (Apr 10, 2007)

My cat loves my rats so much, she thinks they are hers. She loves to watch other animals. My rats love her to death. They go ip and sniff her. But i no longer let this happen because I saw her swat at them.


----------



## envisionary333 (May 21, 2007)

Will she always be like this? It's just this one rat, and she's used to the dogs and cats, she's been around them for a long time. They don't bother her at all, they just walk by the cage and sometimes the cat's tails will swing by it, and she goes out of her way to bite. She doesn't act scared, she seeks it out. My mom is here to visit and I told her not to put her hand near the cage, but she did so without realizing it and Panda gave her a huge puncture wound in her finger. My mom was really upset, she kept saying how "evil" she is. I'm really bothered by the whole thing. No matter how many treats I give her or how much I socialize her, she always bites extremely hard. My leather gloves have been chewed through entirely. I'm really don't enjoy the rats, sadly. I have eleven guinea pigs and none of them have ever bitten me a single time, so I'm finding this very frustrating.


----------

