# Alyssa's weird food fedish???



## Alyssa_Rat (Mar 19, 2007)

So like I was preparing alyssas food today and while I was preparing it I figured id give her a peice to snack on till her food was ready ((she seemed restless about it)) so I gave it to her then I remembered a game I heard about that you could play with your rat... "Food Tug-of-War", I thought it'd be cool to se how she reacted to the game so I sort of tugged on her food then let go ((to let her win)) and she freaked!!!

I'd never seen her act the way she did before!! I was sorta worried.. like she ran around the cage with her food and wouldnt stop.. so I tried the tug-of-war thing again and she freaked even more!!!! so I tried to pick her up to try and calm her down but she started sqeeking or something... I was worried... so I gave her her daily meal and left her alone to eat.
Any ideas on her behavior???

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Also:
She was acting pretty restless today also... like something was wrong or going to happen. She kept running around her cage, chewing on the bars, and hanging upside down in her cage!! I let her out for a while like I usually do and she was normal again but still once I put her back in the cage she was restless again, normal shes pretty quiet in her cage and calm... idk what to say, think or how to react to it.... any ideas???


----------



## Poppyseed (Feb 1, 2007)

Maybe she wants a friend? A same sex cage mate?


----------



## Alyssa_Rat (Mar 19, 2007)

i was thinking of getting her a friend... i just dont know if i can right now... i want to so bad. but could that be it... i mean i give her so much out of the cage time that she doesnt need half of it, and now that its getting warmer outside im ganna start taking her places with me ((i cant wait for her to grow into her harness))... i need to start training her for traveling properly anyway..,. but maybe i will get her a friend.


----------



## DonnaK (Feb 8, 2007)

Is her cage big enough? Our rats do that with the bars and hanging from them when I put them in a holding cage briefly, when I can't let them run around. The holding cage is too small for them, and so they are trying to find a way out. 

If the cage is big enough, then I would suggest that she is just bored and needs a bit more exercise.

As for the freaking out with the food thing, I read in a book that I have that you should never play with food or turn giving food into a game. I've been searching through the book, but I can't find it right away. I'll keep looking for you, though.


----------



## DonnaK (Feb 8, 2007)

Oh, it just says, under the section Rules for Preventing Rat Bites, "Never tease your rats, especially with food, and don't feed them through the wire of the cage". That's not much help with why she went nuts, though :lol: 

I wouldn't think it's an advisable thing to do though, really. Accidents can happen, and she obviously takes her food seriously, so it's just not worth the risk... that and it's probably stressful for her. I imagine when she was running around nuts, she was looking for somewhere "safe" to stash it.


----------



## Alyssa_Rat (Mar 19, 2007)

Yea.. maybe.... umm well with the feeding between the bars thing.. i always do that, i know i shouldnt but i do. she knows not to bite me.. like i didnt teach her not to either... also the cat will tease her every now and then and she'll attack ((or try to)) them and then she wont attack me through the cage... she just knows not to.. idk.

And her cage is more than big enough... it can fit 3 rats in it... hmm...?


----------



## Stephanie (Mar 25, 2007)

I would say that she was worried that you were trying to take her food I feed my boys and then leave them alone to eat. I think it is just don't right mean to tease any animal with food. I play tug of war with cloth and paper towels and things but never food. I would freak out if someone tried to take my plate away just as i was about to bite into something. Also she may be bored how many toys do you have in there for her? I always have those little cat balls with the bell on the inside in their cage with them i have to replace them daily cause they chew out the bells and run around with them in their mouths.


----------



## DonnaK (Feb 8, 2007)

Stephanie said:


> I would say that she was worried that you were trying to take her food I feed my boys and then leave them alone to eat. I think it is just don't right mean to tease any animal with food. I play tug of war with cloth and paper towels and things but never food. I would freak out if someone tried to take my plate away just as i was about to bite into something. Also she may be bored how many toys do you have in there for her? I always have those little cat balls with the bell on the inside in their cage with them i have to replace them daily cause they chew out the bells and run around with them in their mouths.


I agree. If her cage is big enough for 3 rats, I would go with the boredom thing and wanting out of the cage more often. I also play tug of war with paper towels, but never with food.


----------



## Stephanie (Mar 25, 2007)

I make sure that i take my boys out every day for at least an hour a peice most of the time i let them run around on the couch while i put my cats in the bedroom. I also give them the toys out of my kids happy meals constantly. rats need to stay stimulated i make them things out of cardboard boxes and yarn and i change it all the time i also change their cage set up constantly. LoL Steve is following my fingers as i type his little head is between my hands it is so cute sorry rat rant


----------



## Alyssa_Rat (Mar 19, 2007)

Well i dont usually do the food thing with the tug of war, i just wanted to experiment what she would do. I might consider buying her a friend.. it wont ruin our relationship will it?? my mom had her in her ball ((which she shouldnt have done without my permition)) for a lil bit earlier before i woke up and the moment i walked into the room she rolled right over to me  .. i thought it was so adorable!!! of course i took her out of her ball and played with her for a bit and gave her a couple cheerios... i wouldnt want that to get ruined.. although i want her to be happy.


----------



## Stephanie (Mar 25, 2007)

it depends really on how much you play with her i don't think it will whenever i get a new addition to my family i just spend extra time with my other boys to let them know i still love them just as much


----------



## DonnaK (Feb 8, 2007)

Alyssa_Rat said:


> I might consider buying her a friend.. it wont ruin our relationship will it??


I was concerned about that too, before I put our two ratties together, but nothing's changed - they still love us just as much.  I would highly recommend it.


----------



## Alyssa_Rat (Mar 19, 2007)

Ok.. good, its ganna take a couple days ((posibly 2 weeks)) before i can get Alyssa a friend, but i am ganna get her a friend. Thanx for helping guys.


----------



## DonnaK (Feb 8, 2007)

Alyssa_Rat said:


> Ok.. good, its ganna take a couple days ((posibly 2 weeks)) before i can get Alyssa a friend, but i am ganna get her a friend. Thanx for helping guys.


Very cool! Let us know how it goes.


----------

