# People with adopted rats, how long does it take for them to bond with you?



## preditor22000 (Aug 30, 2015)

I'm gonna adopt some rats in the near future. And I was wondering about how long it will take until they get pet-e. I figure they are probably a gonna be little distant for a while, but I wanted to get sence of about how long it will take before I can start snuggling them and teaching em tricks


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## cookiebear<3 (Aug 2, 2013)

Well it depends on their situation before they come to you, neglected rats are obviously usually more nervous than rats that have only had positive experiences with humans. Of course they're all individuals and the more work you put in will also affect it. As a general statement I'd say in probably about a month they'll be comfortable with you, but of course not all rats like doing tricks and snuggling so I'm not using those as markers of comfortableness


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## lost_whisper (Nov 11, 2014)

You can never know, It depends on the previous situation of the rats, their age and their personalities and on how much you insist on interacting with them. If you get a couple of rats and leave them alone for a week to "settle down" they will settle down to their cage but will be scared of the stranger that puts food on the bowls and leaves. I guess it's always best to handle them as much as possible, giving them healthy treats and spending time around them, even if you can't really play with them.

It could take from a couple days to even months just like with people and other animals I guess. The first I took in (Sake) accepted me from the 2nd day and started to be happy around me around the 4th day, From there she became a perfect companion, mostly since the other 3 girls arrived and she gained happiness and confidence in general. The three lab girls have been here for like 2 months and like me a lot but are really skittish, I think that's because they are wistars and they just don't like to cuddle as much as Sake, who can sleep for 4 hours on my lap as I pet her belly or even kiss her all over. So one can really never know what to expect I guess.


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## loveabull (May 28, 2015)

It might depend on breed. I don't know from rat breeds exactly but I well remember a black and white one and a brown one. The brown one was so terrified of human touch that she would screech when we got her out for cage cleaning. She never was tamed. The white ones with pink eyes have always seemed to be the most people friendly. I hug and kiss our pack regularly and they all wait at the cage door for me.


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## livenatso (Sep 14, 2014)

It really depends on their background. My first two were boys and were around 6 months old when I got them. They received very little human attention because they were kept in a tiny cage at the back of a barn for most of their life. They hated human touch, occasionally bit me, ran away often, and screeched whenever i picked them up for probably a few months. I never really managed to fully tame them. They were never snuggly, never wanted to leave their cage, and I couldn't get them to come at their names half the time. My new baby girls however were born at a different shelter and socialized from birth. They took to me immediately the second I got them home and took them out of their carrier.


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## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

It has a lot to do with which rats you adopt. If you adopt friendly pre-socialized rats from a breeder for example they will be generally friendly from the start. The same goes with many young pups. If you adopt rats that are older and have been screwed up by someone else, it's going to be harder and take longer.

Take some time when you meet your adoption candidates and handle them, play with them a little. If you are at a place where someone puts on welding gloves and handles the rats by the tail, there may be a reason they are being so cautious.

For the most part rats are born sweet, curious and friendly, but if they are neglected or mistreated they can get really screwed up.... Keep in mind rats have very sharp teeth and are generally very fast and agile. So try to make your life easier and more painless by adopting the right rats... 

I know that this might seem unfair to the rats that are harder to adopt, but friendly and sweet rats need good homes too.


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## JAnimal (Jul 23, 2014)

Some shelters have baby rats that are usually good with people. My shelter had a mama currently nursing a litter. (She was pregnant when she came in). And they had a pair of 6 week old baby boys which I took!


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