# 'Clingy' Rat?



## mink (Jun 24, 2007)

My Kane seems to be.. clingy. I've had quite a few females and know how they love to explore and be nosy all over. Most my other females have been more like 'kiss and run, busy busy'.

I spent like 1/2 an hour modifying empty wrapping paper tubes into all sorts of neat things for her to play with. 
I put her down on my bed and she just sat where I placed her. She wasn't petrified, she "washed up" and everything. She eventually went into one of the tubes and sat there for forever. I was also trying to get a photo shoot with my new camera. >_<

As soon as I got real close to her, she leaped onto my ankle and climbed all the way up to my shoulder. When I put her down again, she just paced the edge of the bed near me lol. I laid down with her and she sat on my bent knee for a long time. 

She has always been very prone to sitting still for long hours.. she loves to just lay on my neck while I watch Tv, since she was a little baby. Sometimes if I'm laying down I can get her to lay on my belly or chest, up against my hand or something, but otherwise, she just has an obsession with my shoulder and neck.

I can not be standing and hold her, she does not like that one bit, she refuses to be cupped against my chest or anything if I'm standing or sitting upright, she HAS to be on my shoulder and I get quite a few scratches from her scrambling in this way. 

She has given maybe 2 kisses ever, and she will not take any sort of treats outside her cage. When she lays on me she has 'accidents'. Its not scared accidents, she will just be laying still on me for sometimes 10 minutes, sometimes an hour, and 'alla sudden I am soaked or smell a stink. My fiance does not like to spend much time with her due to this unpredictable habit. I've had rats that would have a look or suddenly sit still when they had to go, but not Kane.. even if she did, I don't really have eyes in the side of my neck. I actually often get some eye and neck strain feelings from trying to talk to and look at her on my shoulder, lol.


Funny thing is, as clingy as she is outside the cage, she often runs or stiffens up when being taken out lol. She will run to the bars and be real nosy and a beggar when I am near, too. 
I enjoy her being cuddly a lot, I just feel maybe theres some fine-tuning that could be done for both our benefit, or maybe I'm missing something?

She really is unique, at least =^_^=.


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## mopydream44 (Jun 10, 2007)

She kinda sounds like my boy Avacado. He is super nervous when he's out of his cage, and it takes him a long time to chill out and relax. He refuses to leave my shoulder because that's his home away from home. It's like taking your ratties outside on the grass (which i have no experience with). They will explore little by little but always run back to their humans because it's their safe place. 

It sounds like you socialize her enough for her not to be frightened out of her cage, so it's probably just her personality. lol ya gotta love the big chickens....or in your case probably little chicken. My boys are big hunks of male rat! lol.


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## eclecticnoise (Jan 4, 2008)

One of my girls for the first almost 5 months would only go inside my hoodie when I took her out of the cage. If I didn't wear a hoodie she would just sit on my shoulder and look really pissed. She never ran around or tried to climb down my arm. It's only been the past few days really that she's started to explore. For the first time earlier today she ran down my arm onto my desk. I was a little shocked  Your girl may just be one of those types that just likes to sit in one spot and chill out. Although with the peeing thing - if you have her on your shoulder maybe just put a few hand towels between you and her to save on the laundry


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## Malta (Dec 7, 2007)

Mink, How's her eyesight? My Thalya was just like that but she had very bad eyes.


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## mink (Jun 24, 2007)

Her eyes look fine.. they are black and seem normal. It is hard to tell if she sees things or smells things first lol.

Come to think of it.. she has always had this white color to the corners of her eyes when I take pictures of her... I have not seen this with other rat pictures I have taken, but I have not taken as many of others as I have her. She has always had this white color though. 

I will be sure to post pics in a bit.


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## mink (Jun 24, 2007)

Heres pics of Kane where you can see the white color. 








































And when she was a baby too..













I always have thought that its just the way she is, maybe.. maybe not now I am thinking about it.


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## Gary26Uk (Oct 2, 2007)

Omg , Kane looks almost exactly like like my little Esme ! right down to the birthmark on her tail.


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## mink (Jun 24, 2007)

Yea, shes a pretty good marked Black Hooded.. almost perfect markings, only one tiny break in her "stripe" just above the base of her tail which has a black circle around it lol. 

I saw her in with a bunch of Pew's being sold for snake food and I could NOT believe it! I figured I would handle her and find out that shes a wreck.. but she just sat there blinking at me.. I was done for.


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