# Controlling urine-spotting behavior



## yunafonfabre (May 31, 2010)

Hello!

I have four new girls between the ages of 3 and 4 months. All of them are exhibiting a behavior that ... well, isn't bad or annoying, but it's inconvenient.

In order to let them get exercise and get accustomed to me, I have their cage on the desk in my home office and I've ratproofed the surface. Whenever I'm sitting at my desk and can keep an eye on them I open the cage doors, allowing them to roam around freely. So far so good; it's working perfectly. Two of them already come running whenever they see me and the other two are coming around too.

I've noticed, though, that whenever my hand is on my (computer) mouse and the girls notice it, one of them comes running over, jumps over my hand, and leaves little spots of urine behind. I know they're scent-marking me and I'm okay with that ... it's just a little irritating to have to wipe my hand off every six minutes or so.

Is there some way I could KEEP myself scent-marked so they don't feel the need to keep repeating it?

I can't just ignore the pee because it will roll off my hand like any other liquid. I've thought about wrapping a cloth that they've already peed on around my wrist, but I'm not sure that would work. If worse comes to worst I can just ignore it and hope they grow out of it (my big girls did), but ...

Any suggestions?


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## Jenefer (Jun 12, 2010)

Im having the same prob with my boyss except my skin reacts to theurine, i get ichy and red, if anyone has any ideas that would be awsome. Yes, i have tried wearing a sweat shirt but its also summer here ..... it almost hit 40 the other day!!
Thanks, Jen


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## lilangel (Mar 26, 2009)

For boys i know that neutering them will help them stop marking. For girls i am not too sure >.<


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## dapples (Apr 24, 2010)

My boy is neutered and still marks me.


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## Alexc844 (Sep 8, 2008)

I haven't had this problem with any of my rats but Anaitis... She does it ALL the time. She likes people more than she likes rats so during free range, I am her playmate. Every six minutes for me would be too good to be true


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## eddricksmommy101 (Jul 16, 2010)

A ratty diaper? XD  jk but just give them time to adjust


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## Kinsey (Jun 14, 2009)

My two mark so excessivly that litter training became "how to teach kinsey to wash fleece from pee" training. It quite literally soaked it through. I have to wash my desk every time they're on it, and I destroyed a matress pad that they free-ranged on. It's something you have to get used to, and the more dominant they are the more they do it. (mine are large, dominant bucks...and I think they're equal in the heirarchy.)


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## brass_gears (Jun 15, 2010)

I have two 2.5 month old males, Fester and Sagan, and they're both trying to dominate the other...I was caught off guard when the started spotting like dogs. Unsure of how to go about stopping that habit, I now accept that its just part of their ratty nature. :


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## stephaniechung (Mar 9, 2010)

My two boys do it a lot. It's become just second nature to me that it doesn't bother me.


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## brass_gears (Jun 15, 2010)

Although I didn't think about it until now. It might have something to do with their age...I guess being young and frisky since mine are only a couple months old. It could calm down later in life. I don't know...its only a theory. These are me first set of rats...


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## mollyward05 (Aug 22, 2010)

WATCH THE DISCOVERY CHANNEL. RATS ARE A LARGELY SCENT BASED ANIMAL. THATS HOW THEY SHOW DOMINANCE, TERRITORY, AND A SCENT TRAIL BACK TO HOME. NATURAL INSTINCT.WHEN THEY START, PUT THEM AWAY. THEY SLOWLY LEARN IF THEY SPOT, THEY GO HOME. REPITITION IS KEY.


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