# My rats eat my fingernails



## ~shopoholicfreak~

My rats bite my fingernails....... is there something about my fingernails that they like or am i just crazy!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Squishy

I've never knows a rat that bites :S but if your fingers smell nice to them they will usually have a test nibble to see if they are edable.


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## ratwings

My rats love to nibble on my finger nails. You must smell like food or something yummy. Otherwise they wouldnt do that-or they think its just something fun to chew on.


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## Star

My ratties do that too!! I think they just do it because it's something fun to chew on, tho. If its a problem, keep them from doing it, like when they start chewing move away.


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## ratwings

Another way you can stop your rat from bighting your finger nails is to make a quick high-pitched squeaking noise, like a rat squeeking disaproval. It works with my girls, especially Basil. :roll:


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## zeesajulie

It's so funny! I read your first posting and I thought that was cute and then my Clyde started to do the same thing! awwwww


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## Winifred

Mine does the same thing. No real harm is done, just a little tug, so I usually let her continue. She usually wraps it up with some licking. heh


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## fallinstar

after ive eaten using my hands/fingers if i have any food on my fingers before i get a chance 2 wash my hands me boys will come and lick it off as if they are grooming me i find it sweet!


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## WalkingAGH

I agree with pretty much everyone else. I think there is probably something salty or what they consider to be tasty underneath your nails and so they are just going after it with a gusto!

Cleaning your nails carefully and washing your hands should help, though they may have to unlearn that ther is now no more food underneath.


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## Lorenna

Well, if rats lick your hands they must be feeling the lack of salt. You can buy some salt circles for them to lick. But my rat bites my fingernails too. I wouldn't call that "bite" because she just touches it with her teeth ad lets go of it  It's sweet


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## Hotgirl1

Omg!!!! My two boys do the exact same thing!!!! I find it so sweet! When I put my finger through the bars of the cage and they cuddle up to my finger and then wrap their hands around it and nibble at my nail and follow through by licking my finger! When they do that I usually give them a trreat of some sort, I figure that they are a wee bit hungry, he he.


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## iwuvmyrat

You are not crazy at all. My friends rat did this. She/he is grooming you. That is why I got a rat because of my friends rat. I loved him so much. WAAHHH!! He was so cute. It seemed like he died suddenly, but I did not know about a rat's life span. My mom always says she will put me on suicide watch when one of my babies dies, I would NEVER do it, I would leave my others angels if I did. I have made arangements if I ever do die. Right now I am homicidal, and I am after Michael Vick's blood. Sorry for the long rambling response.  On the topic of animals, I can't stop myself.


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## sneakers88

I havnt had a rat before but i had alot of mice and all they did was nibble at my hangnails...It was cool cause the nail really hurt me and 1 day ,1 of my mice ''tempeltin''pulled my hang nail right of and it didnt even hurt lol..


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## OnlyOno

i think that salt blocks are not recommended for rats. they're not frowned upon but i don't think anyone ever says "hey you should get one". i honestly think they just lick you cuz you taste different. salt is so easy to get in their feed, even (or especially, i should say) if you're feeding a low-quality feed. my rats lick my fingers even if it's just water on them cuz it's a new sensation.


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## flyingsquid

well... i'm glad to find this post! one of my boys, duncan, recently started to bite the tip of my fingers, mostly the nails. i don't have long nails, mind you, so he's biting the wider part of my nail. he never bites hard, but since he is the only one that does it out of my three boys (all brothers) - i began to wonder if it had anything to do with boys and aggression. it seems though, drawing from the other people who have posted, that it has nothing to do with gender... so i'm hoping its truly has nothing to do with males, age and aggression.

as for licking... all three of my boys lick - whether my hands are just sweaty, from a day out at work, or just out of the shower - it does not matter, they lick. cowboy, most especially likes to groom me - he's teeth will rapidly nibble over my skin, almost like eating a corn cob. I don't think this has anything to do with salt - and more being loved and treated like one of the pack. they groom me, like they groom each other. black jack looooves to groom my scalp, which is hilarious and it makes me feel like a gigantic rat.

when i first got my boys i had bought them a salt wheel, which went ignored for months before i decided to take it out of the cage.


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## Whiskers

Winifred said:


> Mine does the same thing. No real harm is done, just a little tug, so I usually let her continue. She usually wraps it up with some licking. heh


[align=center]My rats and I do the same thing!  [/align]


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## SamsterAndRocky

heheh, my hamster looooves to groom me.....rocky does too.....and he's teaching his little 'brother' (hopefully i can keep him when they move) some tricks too....doncha just love being a giant rat...lol


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## luppihara

My new rat does that, too, but he chews my fingernails right off, and sometimes it hurts :/


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## shinzo-chan

Rats biting nails is just grooming, one of my girls used to bite my nails, then sit there and chew her own toenails too lol. Kiba DEVOURED nails though! O_O Seriously, I'd be sat there and would just leave my fingers poking in the cage whilst I was doing something, I'd look back and my nail would be GONE! I wouldn't even feel it either, but there would be nothing left, she'd get it right down to the pink bit, and then run off with my nail lol.


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## CarolineRose

My little girlies love to mouth (I can feel their teeth but they never bite down) my fingers all the time. Normally its to see if I have anything tasty on my hands. I try to wash my hands before I handle them but sometimes I forget and I haven't been bitten yet. If the nibbling, etc. doesn't bother you then there's nothing to worry about.


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## Bright.Side

Hooray! I'm not alone! Lol. My girls, one and all, try to chew on my fingernails. I try to keep them from doing it though because I paint them and I don't really want them ingesting that. I'm not really sure that skin licking is a salt thing, I really think it's a sign of affection. Three of my girls always lick me to death with I'm playing with them. Maybe I taste good, I don't know, lol.


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