# My rats are fake biting me?



## Patches (Dec 22, 2013)

This is hard to describe but I will try my best. So my boys are beginning to get used to me finally but they have all began to bite me in a gentle but rough way. It never hurts or anything but I don't know if this is normal behavior. Like today I put my hand in their cage for them to explore and one ran over and bit at my finger like 5 times in a row really quickly, it didn't hurt but its still a bit shocking. This happens pretty frequently with 2 of the 3 and I don't know what it means or how I am supposed to react when they do it. I never pull back or anything since it doesn't hurt, I just sit there and take it I guess.


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## sophiestarfish (Feb 19, 2014)

I've been told this is your rats way of showing affection, aka they see you as a bigger rat to them. Be flattered!

[E] Also if you have had food on your fingers then gone near the cage rats will bite thinking there's food.


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## Siringo (May 7, 2012)

Are they very young? maybe they are just trying to get a feel for what you are made out of.. or if it feels kind of like they are scraping you with their teeth, maybe they are grooming you. I dunno. Maybe they are trying to tell you that they don't like your hand in their cage. Do they ever do it outside of the cage?


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## nanashi7 (Jun 5, 2013)

You really have to read the behavior. 

There is nipping which is attention seeking or dominance behavior, or even young/blind rats testing what's around them. Usually one nip a longer nip or nips that grow more forceful. 

There is biting. This means skin broken blood drawn. This is aggression or fear. This is bad. 

More likely, most new rat parents are alarmed when they get groomed. How do rats groom? With their teeth! It shouldn't hurt (they don't mean it to, they might not realize it does or they think it needs the force if it is your callused feet) and it is really lovely. They'll also dig in your ear, pull your hair, stick their face up your nose and pull eyelashes. It is done with affection. It is what you see them do to each other often.


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## MimiSkye (Feb 3, 2014)

Rats have very poor vision so sometimes they mistake your finger for a treat. I have read they they will bite your finger to test out whether it is food or not. That could be it


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## NeeNee (Feb 5, 2014)

Mine do this, one test bite...nope...next...ah...there's the treat! Never hurts but they can tell a treat is there, just can't see it between sausage fingers lol

Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

Young rats playfight, this is normal. Our part wild girl would launch herself off my desk and lay a dozen mock bites on my face before I could even swat her off, it was a bit scarey, but she did no harm... In fact she could get very scary during playfighting... but she never broke the skin.

By about 6-8 weeks old, rats get over playfighting, just when you start enjoying it, they grow up and stop.

I suppose you can tell playfighting because it isn't casual, your rats really pretend to be fierce and charge you, but they don't break your skin. And by the way you never lose during playfighting.... you play to win, and flip your rat over and skritch the heck out of their bellies, this is the way you show them who is in charge of the pack.... Naturally you are playing too so don't hurt them. It's just a game.


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## TatsuKitty (Feb 9, 2014)

my girls are a PEW and a pink eyed tan and I usually think they just can't see what it is! they give a little nibble and go "aww that's not a yogi!" and then sniff some more for the treat!


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