# Baby rat biting



## Brookelynn716 (Apr 21, 2013)

Hello 
I am a new rat owner and got a female rat a week ago. She is 6 weeks now. She was great the first week. My kids and I were able to hold her and play with her just fine. We introduced a second 5 week old female rat on Saturday. They have been great together ( I only got another because after research learned rats should not be housed alone). Now my original rat Opal is very skittish and squirming when we hold her. She squirms out of our hand and rand all over the place. She also started trying to bite. She has not broken our skin only puts her mouth on is when we try to pet her or pick her up. 
I am nervous now that she will become a bitter and it will be harder to hold her the older she gets. I don't understand why she is suddenly so hard to hold. She is definitely the alpha of the two. Any suggestions would be appreciated. 


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## Rumy91989 (Dec 31, 2012)

Female rats are big explorers, especially as babies. It's normal for them to wriggle out of your hands and run off to explore; it's usually a cause for concern if they aren't doing this. They become more used to you and more cuddly as they get older.
About the biting: is she mouthing you or actually biting? Do you feed her treats? What color are her eyes? Many rats will put their mouths on your fingers to see if it's food--this isn't aggressive or dangerous, it's just how they explore the world around them. If he hasn't actually nipped at you or bitten down enough to cause pain then you can safely assume she's just testing out what's in front of her face to see what it is. This is especially common in rats with red or pink eyes.
Just make sure you handle her with confidence and as often as possible--she'll get better about being held as time goes on. Feel free to hold her to you and not let go until she calms down--this will teach her that she can't run off to play until she's had some time with you, and that will quickly become her routine.


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## Brookelynn716 (Apr 21, 2013)

She has black eyes. She is afraid when we try to pick her up but when she is out she is crazy. I will keep at it. I'm trying really hard to not be nervous when I hold her but I am anticipating a bite. I know I shouldn't I'm just not experienced. She has not bit enough to make us bleed but when we do try to get her out she opens her mouth to try and bite. I look at it as almost a warning. 


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## Brookelynn716 (Apr 21, 2013)

I do just her treats after I read about trust training. Should I stop? Do you think she sees our fingers as treats?


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## Rumy91989 (Dec 31, 2012)

She doesn't see your fingers as treats but she associates it, which is why she opens her mouth. It's perfectly fine and she won't hurt you.  Just make sure you keep handling her all the time and if she nibbles on your hand to see if it's a treat say, "NO!" very firmly and blow a little bit in her face. She'll learn quickly not to do that, but it will make it a bit harder to give her treats because she'll be afraid to open her mouth for them.


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## Brookelynn716 (Apr 21, 2013)

Thank you!!! I was stressing over this because I didn't want my whole house to be afraid of her and not play with her. Her cage mate is so sweet and calm funny how different they can be. Everyone wants to hold the quiet calm one😉


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## Tufty+Flo (May 5, 2013)

My baby rat girl bit me 3 times and drew blood when I first got her. She is now a gorgeous soul and can be trusted with my 6 year old cousins (who know want a rat!) anyway the trick is not to approach to quickly or she won't see. My girl has red eyes and clearly cannot see very well so this may be a factor. I know it sounds mean to start with but to gain their trust you have to make them sit and scurry around you so they get used to you and this behaviour is stopped. I wouldn't worry unless she actully draws blood but try your best not to be nervous as rats can actully sense it and it puts the more on edge. It sounds like ur doing things correctly though  the best way to do this is to, though it sounds odd, sit in a confined space with them such as a bed or bath do they have to crawl on you. Be sure to handle them lots too. If you are worried about nipping, do not let ur rats eat food though the bars of their cage intill your more confident with them. I can feed mine and stick my fingers though and even feed them grains of rice without a nip but it takes time, you must be consistent and do it every day!
Good luck 


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