# Fry and Bender :)



## Bokaholic (Jan 4, 2012)

Hello folks.  Would you like to meet my boys? Fry and Bender! They are both wonderfully tame. We got Fry on a fluke when I worked at a petstore. A girl brought him in saying if she didn't get rid of him, her mom was going to kill him. She was so sad.. So my manager said 'Just put him in back and he can be sold as snakefood or a pet or whatever..' (Yes, this job was awful and didn't last long.. :I) Anyway.. Maybe a day went by and I kept seeing him.. And interacting with him.. And he was by far the most tame rat I've ever seen! (I grew up with rats as pets) And he wanted nothing more than just just sit on you and be held. So I took him home. And knowing very well that ratties are happier with more than one.. We found a local breeder here in Omaha and adopted Bender.. Bender is just like Bender! Aunre, but secretly a huge sweetheart.  Anyhoo. Onto the photos, huh?













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## binkyhoo (Sep 28, 2008)

Hello Fry and Bender!


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## A.ngelF.eathers (Jul 6, 2011)

Dem names xD Love those.
What handsome boys :3


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## Axelmyrat (Dec 5, 2010)

They are very handsome, so glad Fry is a pet and not digested snake food!


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## BigBen (Nov 22, 2011)

Wow, are they cute, or what? And the photos are superb! So glad to meet your ratties.


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## Rattymonday (Jun 22, 2011)

Very handsome rat men :3


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## Bokaholic (Jan 4, 2012)

Thanks guys  You sure know how to make a new comer feel welcome.

We adopted an OLD boy the other day. We wound up getting a Ferret Nation and couldn't bare the thought of not getting at least one more boy. So we went to the humane society and adopted one in good health. He lives on the topfloor and we call him Wornstrom. (ha!)

My hubby was attempting to pet him lightly today and got bit very badly! Yikes! It took some time for the bleeding to stop. It was a bite right beside the fingernail on his index finger.  He was shocked. he's had MANY rats before and this was the first time he's been bitten. Odear. The poor thing. Now I'm a little scared to touch the guy, to be honest. I've been attempting to win him over with food for a few days now. he will come up to me.. but as for petting, he's likely to not much like that.

The new guy is also on a diet. He's very fat.. I also think he may be close to blind. He tends to react more to touch and sound that sight. Even close up.

Have any of you been badly bitten before?


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## A.ngelF.eathers (Jul 6, 2011)

If he's losing his sight, that could be why your husband was bitten. He may have startled him. Try talking softly to him as you approach and let him know you're there. Even if he's not completely blind, he may be having trouble keeping up with movement.


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## CarolineRose (Nov 18, 2011)

I had gotten my girlies from a pet store (not a chain store but a small family owned one) that would have sold them as snake food. They were terrible under socialized and scared to death of me. I have had them for about a month and a half and they sometimes still run from cuddles (might be because they are girls). I have been nibbled before but never, ever legit bitten. 
The fact that he bit your partner so badly is definitely not a good sign, whatever experiences he has had with humans must have been a sad and frightening one. Many rats from rescues have had a rotten start and will have some emotional issues as a result of the neglect or abuse. 
Don't give up on the little guy, he will just take some more time to win over and will require some extra spoiling (yummy treats all the way!). Try to be calm around him because he will pick up on your stress and become even more frightened The fact that he is nearly blind shouldn't be too big of a problem, considering rats have pretty rotten vision anyway and rely mostly on their other senses. When you approach him make yourself known by talking to him or letting him smell you before you touch him. Rescue pets can be difficult at first, but from my experiences they always turn out the most loving and thankful little angels. Good luck!


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## Bokaholic (Jan 4, 2012)

Thanks guys.  I've been working with him.. He really loves carrots so I've been bribing him with carrots to come to me while I make a small clicking noise... He tends to come to me in-cage. 

But to be honest I don't want to be bit like that! D: Oh dear. I got all queezy watching him bleed everywhere. LOL

I'm not sure how long it'll be before I get the guts to pick him up..

It was very strange, too. At the human society Travis was holding him for about 5 minutes and everything was fine. Even when we got hom and I scooped him out of his travel box he was fine and didn't bite. Oof. Bipolar rat!  lol


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## Kinsey (Jun 14, 2009)

Be kind and good to him and always have snacks. I would suggest not letting him eat directly from your hand or he may mistake it for food and bite you. Talk softly, and let him know you love him, and he will settle down. 

It might also be worthwhile, when you start handling him, to teach him the command "come out?" so he knows he will be picked up.

When you first try to hold him do not let him know you are nervous or he could get nervous and bite out of fear. You don't need to worry. Rats are great animals. I've been bitten before and it was mostly accidental bites due to mistaking a hand for food or from hormonal aggression.


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## BigBen (Nov 22, 2011)

All the stuff I've read suggests that rats don't usually bite like that unless they feel seriously threatened. I wonder if perhaps your husband somehow startled your new old guy or maybe touched a sore spot? Panic and pain can certainly cause _anyone, _least of all a poor, wee ratty, to feel threatened. Rats are smart, however, and this guy is likely to figure out very soon that you and your hubby are trustworthy--unlike the people who mistreated him in the past.


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## CarolineRose (Nov 18, 2011)

As said above, patience and loads of yummy food is definitely the key. Rats are extremely smart and will quickly learn never to bite the hand that feeds them. I'd give him some stationary (for lack of a better term) food like oatmeal in a small bowl and as he is eating just gently stroke his back. Tasty treats and a back massage would make anything rodent or not happy to be in your presence.

Another thing I thought I'd mention as I haven't seen it listed above is whether he has a companion. I believe you said he lives on the top floor of a FN but I don't think you mentioned him having a friend up there. If he had been around other rats in the past, he could be displaying signs of separation anxiety from being lonely.


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## Bokaholic (Jan 4, 2012)

Thanks again guys. i'm being slow around him and talking softly. He comes out to me, mostly because i think he knows I have snacks. (Usually shoestring carrots, he seems to love those!) I have not yet petted him. he doesn't seem to want that yet. So I am not going to push it.


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## Razzbery (Jan 5, 2012)

Your photos are great! what camera do you use? and your rats are absolutely adorablle!


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## Bokaholic (Jan 4, 2012)

Razzbery said:


> Your photos are great! what camera do you use? and your rats are absolutely adorablle!


I have a Canon 30D. I should really take new photos. Those are about a year old. x.x I hardly touch my camera anymore. I use my iphone for most of my shots now. x.x; lazy. Pure lazy!


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## BigBen (Nov 22, 2011)

Bokaholic said:


> I have a Canon 30D. I should really take new photos. . . .


Yes, you should really take new photos . . . and you should post them as soon as you can! 


Please? Can't speak for anyone else on the board, but I _love _pics of people's rats.


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