# I finally got them!



## sarah424 (Sep 11, 2014)

I bet everyone was thinking I was never actually going to get them lol it took longer than I thought but they are here!! 

I picked the two who were most interested in me, kept climbing onto my hand and onto my arm, etc. Once I got them home they were pretty curious at first, but I think it's all been a bit too much for them and they have settled into a corner at the bottom of the cage. That's fine I will just give them some time to settle and take them back out when they are feeling a bit more active. 

Sorry for the bad pictures, all I could manage since I didn't think to take photos when they were exploring! I decided on a little bit different names than I had originally planned, I named the almost all white one with the beige face Dahlia, and the white and grey one Delilah. Dahlia seems to be the more hyper of the two and has already nipped me twice! It wasn't hard but it startled me, I flinched the first time but the second time I just moved my finger. They are dumbo rats


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## ratty213 (Aug 16, 2014)

Congrats they are so precious 😊


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## lovemyfurries (Aug 13, 2014)

Congrats on the new arrivals.  try squealing when she nips you. See if it makes a difference.


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## ksaxton (Apr 20, 2014)

Congrats! Getting a new pet is always so exciting and nerve wracking. Hope you enjoy them


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## sarah424 (Sep 11, 2014)

Thanks guys! Dahlia nipped me again so I squeaked and she just sort of wandered off lol. She is being a bit less shy then Delilah so she's actually stepped in my hand, but she won't take food from my hands whereas Delilah has taken several things from me. Dahlia loves to run on the wheel and has finally made it to the upper levels, tried the igloo and the hammock before deciding the top of the igloo was the best spot lol. 

Delilah has climbed all over the bottom level but still hides under the wheel when I'm around. She was actually the most calm of all the rats in the tank at the pet store, she sat in my hand and sniffed me while all the others scrambled all over my arm. She has been either hiding under the wheel or on my shoulder all night long! I think it's my hair, lol, she loves playing with it and cuddling up in it. Although when she sniffed inside of my ear I have to admit it took a lot not to jerk away! She doesn't like being put back in the cage  Dahlia doesn't mind being handled, she lets me scratch behind her ears and her shoulders and she'll lay there but when I grab her she's like let me go crazy lady I have things to do! 

Better photos of them and the cage


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## Nic (Sep 19, 2014)

Congrats, Make lots of lovely memories together  ... x


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## sarah424 (Sep 11, 2014)

Thank you! I love them already they are really fun to watch with their opposite personalities lol. 

First heart attack over my new girls, Dahlia seems to sway her head back and forth a lot. I looked it up and it says it's because of her red eyes and she is just trying to get a better look at me? It's when she's still and looking at me. When she's running around or going about her rat business she doesn't do it.


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## sarah424 (Sep 11, 2014)

I am now convinced Dahlia has some vision issues, I held out a sunflower seed to her and she looked at it for a bit, then accidentally chomped down on my finger instead! Lol it was actually more of a nibble and she realized instantly that she had missed and ran off. I'm very pleased that before I had to leave for work I was able to hold Dahlia for a couple of minutes, then she was done and went into the igloo to cuddle


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## lovemyfurries (Aug 13, 2014)

It's awesome Sarah. Glad the squeak worked. And sometimes even my boys now when handing them a treat grab finger, the minute they realize it's your flesh not their treat they either let go or start licking or take the food gently. My first pink eyed rat used to sway like that only in the doorway of her cage, but when running around not at all unless she stopped suddenly she'd sway a bit to I don't know, get her bearings or try focus. Nothing to worry about except that if they can't hear or smell you they can get frights easier because they're almost blind. 

Why did you want to jerk away when she sniffed your inside your ear? Still a bit nervous or just ticklish? I love it when they do that and my little pink eyed white loves to hide in my hair or he lies on right above my head on the pillow or at the bottom of my feet if I'm lying down. I love the feel of him under my feet, especially when he turns around or scratches which is weird because I'm normally incredibly ticklish under my feet. 

It's amazing first getting to know your new babies and seeing their different personalities emerge. Enjoy them


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## sarah424 (Sep 11, 2014)

I am loving them! Even my boyfriend is getting into them, I caught him holding Delilah today. He was raving about how she ran right up to the door and hopped right into his hands lol. 

I've only had to squeak one more time after Dahlia nibbled me, she seems to put her mouth on me a lot but it's getting much more gentle. Maybe she's tasting lol, Delilah nibbled on me last night but if I hadn't seen her actually doing it I would never have felt it. Dahlia really likes cheerios, so I've been using them to get her to come to me and chill for a second before she zooms off again  Maybe poor vision is part of why she doesn't like to be held as much as Delilah?


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## FinnishChick (Sep 25, 2012)

Congratulations, Sarah  you must he thrilled! Getting your first rats is very exciting (heck, getting any rat at any point in time is exciting, but I digress  ) I finally got my first 3 in early August  How long did you have to wait to finally get yours?


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## sarah424 (Sep 11, 2014)

I decided to get them around the beginning of September, I only had to wait a couple weeks but it felt like forever lol! They're so much fun to watch and play with. I got my first rat licks today, and I've only been peed on once since I got them, I couldn't be happier


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## Jessiferatu (Apr 30, 2014)

Congratulations! They're beautiful. One of my girls was a little nippy when I first brought her home, and she was very young. I think it was mostly curiosity, she learned pretty quickly not to do it.


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## sarah424 (Sep 11, 2014)

I think that's what it is, too, if I could compare it to anything it would be like a puppy mouthing, no pressure behind it just putting her teeth on my skin and kind of lightly scraping. Now that I'm more used to the sensation and Dahlia's being much gentler I'm just pretty much ignoring it and giving her treats for coming up to my hands at all. She's still being pretty hand shy but I can get her to come to me by shaking the little cheerios bowl and she'll take it from my hand. Progress! 

They are so cute, right now they are trying really hard to make their tunnel fit into their igloo


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## lovemyfurries (Aug 13, 2014)

Cute man!!  when they nibble groom you it's so awesome, don't confuse a nip with a nibble, the nibble grooming is kind of like the teeth scraping very quickly over your fingers with licks in between and it's their way of saying they've accepted you into their pack which is awesome. If you gently scratch the rump of their tails just where they can't reach they'll sometimes grab your finger and nibble groom you. It's so cute. 

Obviously if it's a genuine nip though carry on with the squeaks/squeals or just lightly tap on the nose and say no. But then give lots of love, which I'm sure you do anyway. 

So glad things are going well. Considering it's only been a couple of days they're pretty tame and accepting already. Some are shyer than others, some don't like to be picked up, but that doesn't mean they don't like you. My pink eye, Jerry, hates being picked up but if I manage to pick up his cage ( or ask my hubby to ) when I'm cleaning it or any other time the minute the door opens he runs out and loves his run around climbing all over us and they always come when I call. Started out giving treats every time I called them by name, even if I had to go find them. Now I don't even have to do the treats anymore they just come when called. Well I give treats anyway


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## sarah424 (Sep 11, 2014)

Oh I see! I think Delilah was grooming my hand when she licked me, she was nibbling/licking on my fingernails and hands lol. She's also really loving it when I scratch behind her ears, I'll have to try her rump and see how she likes it! I think her and I have really clicked already, and I know it's only a matter of time until Dahlia comes around. If she turns out to be a rat that doesn't like being picked up I'm ok with that but I'm going to try my best to change her mind! I'm going to try some yogurt on a spoon today to see if she'll hang around and eat instead of taking and running  

I agree that Dahlia is nibbling and not so much biting, it's been happening a lot less and much gentler, if she does it hard again I will still squeal, and you're right I have been giving them tons of love (and cheerios) and I think that plus their overall temperament to begin with is why we are getting along so well already. I'm really excited for how things play out over time since they seem to be very accepting right off the bat. 

So glad I found the forum, I think that has helped the most on my end to know how to interact with them so they bond with me quickly!


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## lovemyfurries (Aug 13, 2014)

That's awesome Sarah it's great that the forum can help with things, it's also nice to just have contact with others that love ratties as there still aren't that many around. Happy to hear your news and how things are.


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