# I feel like I'll never successfully train my ratty.



## aurevoira (Jul 8, 2015)

I feel so overwhelmed. When I got my rat, I had no knowledge on rats or their mental capabilities. I didn't know how intuitively amazing they really are, and therefore I had no idea as to how to train. I've looked up so many things, and I've seen everyone else's successes, but I feel as if I'm getting nowhere. In my month of having Rufus I haven't managed to:

-teach him his name
-teach him to come to me
-teach him to willingly come out of his new cage onto my hand

It's so frustrating, because I give him so much time everyday. I would say that on a weekend, he receives a good 12 hours of out-of-cage and hands-on attention PER DAY. On an average weekday he gets about 5 hours. 

I don't know what I'm doing wrong. I talk to him constantly, making sure I use his name repetitively. We cuddle in my bed, and he loves napping with me in my blankets. We have a lot of bonding time, and he loves riding around on my shoulders, but no matter what I do it seems like each day resets our progress.

Along with that, to even get him out of his cage I have to pick him up and pull him out, which you would think was pure torture. He doesn't make any noises but he wriggles to get loose. I feel like each time I have to do that I'm knocking his trust in me down a peg, but he won't come out of his cage any other way. Today I tried trust training him with Cheerios to coax him out, but the farthest we got was two paws on my bedroom floors and the rest of his body in the cage. Then he would dart back in. I've tried using things such as yogurt and baby food so he can't run away, but with those things he just acts uninterested in. I know he's intelligent, and I simply think he's outsmarting me.

I see so much potential in him, and after extensive research I know exactly what he's capable of. I've tried to keep our communication open, listening to his needs and understanding what it is he wants. It's just that he ignores what I'm trying to say altogether.

I'm so exasperated and I've got this weight in my stomach like I'm never going to train him correctly, that it's too late for immersion.

I don't know what to do. I feel helpless.


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## LilCritter (Feb 25, 2014)

Try clicker training. Even though you're communicating, you're not really telling him what you want to get done. Nothing is getting associated with a cue.


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## aurevoira (Jul 8, 2015)

LilCritter said:


> Try clicker training. Even though you're communicating, you're not really telling him what you want to get done. Nothing is getting associated with a cue.


 How exactly would I go about doing that?


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## CosmicKat62 (Nov 24, 2014)

I completely feel for you. My rat, Remy, is the most frustrating rat I've ever personally met. (Well, I've only met two... but STILL.) 

I was not planning to buy him. I just saw him in the pet store and my brain just went "I have to have that rat" because he was just so intelligent looking. He listened when I talked, he understood when I talked, and he watched my every move. So yeah, I ended up with another rat.

However, soon, later in the week, realized that Remy was not just smart, but very skittish. Most of the time he hid in his cardboard box and would only poke his nose out to take a treat. When I tried to coax him out he'd just stand still like "I'm not moving that far" and when I moved the treat closer he'd snatch it and retreat into his shelter. It took a VERY long time to get him to willingly come to the door of the cage for food, maybe two weeks. Then we faced the problem of getting him OUT of the cage for free- ranging.

The cage is up on my dresser and its too big to move up and down everyday, so to do play time the rats have to either climb onto me to be put down or let me pick them up. Nico learned how to climb on my shoulder in 15 days. Remy refused to be picked up or move out of the safety of his home. The next month or was spent trying to get him to climb onto my arm by luring him out with some food, and a few attempts at picking him up and placing him on the ground (resulting in one terrified rat hiding under the bed and a pair of very scratched up arms) but he just wouldn't learn that he could trust me! Remy was very confident in his cage but I got so frustrated because each day he seemed to forget the progress he'd made the day before. Sometimes he'd come out onto my arms, no problem, but the later when opened up the door he'd freeze, terrified. Eventually, after 5 months of training, I had a rat that would willingly come out onto my arms when he wanted to.

When I managed to get Remy out of the cage he learned his name and come pretty quick, but yeah, like you said, I had a lot of trouble deciphering what he wanted. Also, unlike Rufus, Remy isn't incredibly social. Though he might become more cuddly with age. Now, currently, he's coming out of the cage, knows his name, will come when called, and is okay with being picked up, but has such a short attention span its hard to teach him tricks. I know he's smart, its just that he has a mind of his own.

Anyways, the point is that some rats just will take their time about trusting you, but just keep at it because Rufus sounds like a great rat to have and if he's cuddling its a very good sign. Maybe what you can do is lay a trail of treats out into the room and then sit still in a corner so that he can get used to coming out with you nearby, and can come to you if he feels ready. Actually, is it you he's afraid of, or the room? Because if he's cuddling with you, then it seems like coming out of the cage is scary because of something else, like a big open space or something. 

Hope this helps.


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## LilCritter (Feb 25, 2014)

I teach all of my rats their names by giving them a treat every time that I say their name when I first get them. From there, it's clicker training.


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## kksrats (Jul 25, 2014)

I honestly think that a lot of what you will get out of a rat depends on the rat itself. I have a group of 5 girls and 2 neutered boys and had 4 intact boys. All of them were treated exactly the same, given the same time out of the cage and trained the same way. Some picked it up the first day and were my best friends on day one, some it's been a year and even though they trust me, will come to me and I can handle them, I know it's not what they want or like. I've actually just started to really build a relationship with my rex girl, Astrid, who I've had since she was born. She's now almost a year and up until recently she acted like she was half wild or something. She knew her name and would come when called but one wrong move would send her flying across the room and I could forget about holding onto her for more than a few seconds. Now I have a video of her on instagram jumping up onto a big oatmeal container on command to get a treat. I'm not sure what changed with her or if she's just calming down with age, but she spends almost all of her free range time now climbing all over me when she's not speeding around the room looking for hidden snacks. Sorry for the ramble, but what I'm getting at is that rats are all individuals and what works for some might not work for others and if their personality traits don't mesh with what you're trying to do with them then it's just going to leave you both frustrated. I would still do immersion in a small area with him if you haven't already tried that; works wonders for some. On a side note, does he have a cage mate? I think that having "backup" makes rats a lot more confident in their interactions with humans. Right now what he has is his cage which he views as protection against you (unfortunately you're still the big scary giant). Putting another rat into the mix would likely make him much more confident especially outside of the cage seeing that he's got another of his kind there in the same situation.


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## Mojojuju (Nov 15, 2014)

Let me emphasize too that the cuddling is a big deal. My rats love me but won't fall asleep with me, with only one exception. And I've had him for a year, and he was socialized by a class of fifth graders who adored him and had him out constantly.

So he may wiggle to get out of your grasp, but he seems to enjoy the outings you have once he's out. That is fantastic!

So don't beat yourself up. You're doing fine. He's just more skittish. I still have one that hates to be picked up, even though he's happy once the process of scooping and moving him close to my body is over, and I've had him since he was like 4 weeks old. Your buddy loves you, he just has his own personal hangups. : )


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## Roonel (Jan 27, 2014)

I agree with Mojuju, don't beat yourself up. Our two rats are happy to spend time with us, and will come to greet us if we come into the room while they're free-ranging. BUT they always fuss when they're taken out of the cage. Once they're out they're fine, but there's usually that initial fussing. They are very friendly overall, so I don't take their reluctance personally! Also, to set your mind at ease: Our rats only know one command - a kissy noise which means food, and they respond immediately! I've not made much effort to teach them other commands though because I know I can get them to come if need be. You are doing great if your ratty is happy to cuddle up with you. He loves you.


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## FallDeere (Sep 29, 2011)

I don't think every rat is able to learn their name. I mean... I'm sure they have the capability, but some rats have selective hearing, lol. In my nearly three years of owning rats, I've had about fifteen rats in my care total, and only two knew their names. Interestingly, they were ones whose names are repeated. Gus-Gus and Pooka-Pooka (whose name was just Pooka, but Pooka-Pooka is fun to say). The rest of my rats come when called by the shaking of the treat bag.  

I'm not sure any of my rats really would come out of the cage, onto my hand... Usually I offer my shoulder or elbow since it is less wobbly. Maybe try that instead?

Not every rat will learn everything. Some rats take to shoulder riding with ease and some never learn to even climb to the shoulder. Some rats learn to come when called and others couldn't care less. Rats are extremely smart, but they are almost too smart for their own good. They'll only learn the "tricks" they want to learn. Sometimes it just takes learning how to help them understand what you want from them and figuring out how to make them want to do it. Clicker training is a great idea. I didn't use it to teach my rats a few simple tricks, but I plan to down the road.

Don't feel too discouraged after a month. Some rats take longer to learn than others. As I said above, some might never learn simply because they don't want to (I highly doubt they can't lol).

Just for funsies, here is a video of Pooka and Anya doing some tricks I taught them by leading them around with treats.
https://youtu.be/acfva3rgiZ8?list=PLWNPSi8gGvj081Grc6_Nmh4ih0XQbPY8g


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## moonkissed (Dec 26, 2011)

rats are very intelligent but not every rat will have the same potential, and unlike dogs for example they do not have the endlessly pleasing their "master" personality. Training wise I'd say they were more like between cats & dogs. 

Some rats are just going to be very difficult to train and some will be easy. I also think alot of it has to do with where the rat came from and how well bred and raised they were. Those young growing time in their lives holds alot of potential and if they were not properly exposed they are going to be very fearful and that can take alot of work to change.

I have 15 rats & they all have different personalities. Some are very confident and some are very shy. 

Time and patience definitely helps. You have to just keep working at it every single day. 

One thing I definitely would suggest is to get him a friend.Even better if u could get a well bred rat that was handled often. I have found that rats are amazing at helping each other build confidence. My shyest girls truly open up and have been more likely to follow along with their sisters. So one rat comes to me, the others will likely follow. 

Teaching them to come to u is fairly simple. I would get treats in a can or keep them in a can that u can shake. Start with him in his cage. Every day open the cage say his name, shake the can and then give him a treat. My rats get gerber baby puffs but u can use anything. Do this every single day, multiple times a day. 

After u r positive he knows and understands this. When he is out playing, do the same thing. Say his name and shake the can. When he comes, give him the treat. I would start out slow, have the treat ready and extended so he doesn't have to come super close to u. Over time bring it closer until he is in your lap.

This is basically the same as clicker training. I am a big fan of clicker training, I use it for my dogs. I have alot of experience dog training and even thought about pursuing it as a career. I dont use a clicker for the rats, i feel it is kindof loud but u can muffle clickers or use the top of a pen to click. U just "load" the clicker first. By clicking and then treating, click then treat, click then treat, etc... until they learn a click = treat. Then u can begin training them with it.

For better bonding, I would put him on your shoulder and then just go about your day. Start in small windows of time and then increase it. Sit and watch tv, just walk around, read a book. 

Coming out of the cage to you I think is a bit more difficult. Most of my rats will bolt the second the door is open lol. But I still have a couple girls who are not as confident at coming straight to me. I found putting my shoulder to the cage rather than my hand sometimes works well. But the real key is just time and patience. Once u have started doing the treat thing above, start making him take a one foot out of the door for the treat, then make it two feet, then get him to come all the way out, etc... going slow is the best. 

if at any time he gets scared or doesn't do what u want, go back a step. Slow is key. Goodluck!


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## aurevoira (Jul 8, 2015)

today i was able to get him to come completely out of his cage for Cheerios!


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