# Don't like to be touched



## Nickel (Jun 25, 2012)

My two girls are six months old and I've had them for a few months now. Training has gone really well. We play together often in the pen and they love to climb all over me, climb up onto my shoulders and my head. But I've had a really tough time getting them to tolerate being touched. I can kind of pet them now, but not for a long time. Just for a minute and then they're like, alright thats enough. The reason it bothers me is that it makes it stupid hard to pick them up. It always takes me a few tries at least. They squirm around like its the end of the world. And squeak even though they're normally quiet. Lately I have more or less stopped trying, I haven't picked either of them up in at least a week. When I see pictures of people holding their rats to their chest or something like that, I get so frustrated that mine won't let me. Any tips? I have tried picking them up from every angle possible, but they just hate being held in my hands at all.


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## Poodlepalooza (Aug 9, 2012)

I have better luck "scooping" my girl up with both hands. This lets their feet be supported til you can bring them to your chest. Maybe try putting both hands in the cage with your pinkie fingers and sides of your hands touching, let one crawl up on your hands, then scoop her up to your chest or shoulder.


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## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

You're going in the absolutely wrong direction. The absolutely worst way to hand train a rat is not to handle it... it's the only sure method that guarantees failure. (I don't mean to sound harsh, but I really want you to think about this).

When rats meet they often fight over dominence, sleeping space, etc, but they go at each other. Rats are in-your-face animals. They respect and trust their alphas and will reject those they feel are weak or withdrawn. Stay hands on, if you're not getting bit exert your alphaness and your rats will first tollerate being handled, then get used to it and eventually come to love a certain degree of cuddling... Now all rats won't become touchy-feely snugglers, but the only way to get there is to keep trying. 

Depending on how old and screwed up your rats were when you got them, this process can take a while, and it may take a few hours a day (every day) to overcome their reluctance to touch and handling, but the only way to get a snuggle rat is to snuggle it. 

For newbies reading this thread... it is actually quite common for people to bring unsocialized adult rats home to find that they initially reject human affection... so they back off and give the rattie more "time to adjust" after a month or two of being left alone they often find that their rattie has become completely antisocial and now bites... Now they can't handle it... this kind of scenerio usually ends up with "Free cage with rats" on craigs list. Please keep that in mind when buying adult rats or deciding to give your ratties "time to adjust". There's a good reason someone will give you a $100.00 cage to get a couple of small furry animals out of their house.

If the rattie isn't human friendly at the store, you are going to have issues socializing it. Those issues might even include painful bites. If the store won't let you handle the rat, they know what they are doing, so go elsewhere. If by some disturbance of your rational mental process you bring home an adult rat that isn't socialized or at least human hand friendly, you are going to have to do the work to socialize your rat. 

Think like a rat, never give up and never back down. Be the alpha.


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## ushiwakafox (Sep 4, 2012)

I was lurking on this thread and Rat Daddy you absolute blew me away! You're way of "thinking like a rat" has definitely helped me think differently about the way I handle my rats. Still in the beginning stages of trust training, but now thanks to you I won't feel so guilty handling my rats who obviously hate it right now  
Thanks!


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## Eden10 (Aug 11, 2012)

I also got something out of this post! I like the honesty  I'm certainly going to be more assertive and confident with my boys. One is pretty bold but my other just wants to run away and avoid me...makes sense that if I want him to be confident and snuggley I need to show him what I want, else he will get away with being shy. Guess its kind of like training dogs lol. Gotta be in control but at the same time be gentle and show kindness!


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## gal5150 (Aug 14, 2012)

Totally agree with ratdaddy. Im very big on gentle forced socialization. Timid handler = timid rat, apathetic handler = apathetic rat. While its true that some rats arent snugglers, I've never encountered a rat, even in labs, that wouldnt at least tolerate handling if they were handled by a confident handler regularly. What you put in to your relationship, you get back. Socialization isnt traumatizing, harmful, or deadly....now that you know that and believe that, communicate that to your rats. You'll all be much happier for it!


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## Eden10 (Aug 11, 2012)

Totally makes sense!


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## HelloClarice (Feb 1, 2012)

FYI It took me almost nine months for Clarice to tolerate my crazy need for snuggles and not freaking out when I pick her up and Nibs it took 3 months, depends on the rat, the situation and the handler.

Great advice every one =]


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## Blaze (Jul 16, 2012)

Female rats tend to be pickier about being held, anyway. I've got one that refuses to be held despite over a year of all kinds of socialization training.


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## Jan Jinkle (Sep 17, 2012)

I handled my boys a LOT when I first got them. I gave them about 16 hours to adjust to the cage before I was reaching in trying to pet them. By this point, Zeke seems to look forward to his daily scritching, but he still isn't too fond of it...they both really prefer to walk around, explore, and eat. Sev, on the other hand, still doesn't like being handled for more than a couple seconds...he really prefers just to be left alone, so besides the scritching he has to endure every day, I leave him to his own devices, and he seems pretty happy. I catch him bruxing away just sitting in his little bed, so he's definitely not unhappy. And plus he never bites (tends to use his teeth when grooming, though, so the few times he does lick me can be a bit painful ) 

But my favorite things: they're incredibly personable, and they love to ride on my shoulders. Combined, I'm hopeful about my chances of being able to bring them out in public once in a while.


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## JessicarrBrumm (Sep 25, 2012)

if you want them to trust you when you want to stoke them what i do with one of mine because she is still a bit timmid round people i just put my hand infront of her and she will lick my hand and have a little nibble sometimes shell let me stroke her but sometimes she runs away haha its quite normal xx


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## jd882 (Sep 16, 2012)

I was one of _"those"_ people that saw adoption and got taken in when I played with one of the adult males. Throw in a banter of "no one's looked at them. They will probably just be fed to the snakes" and I got myself two adult very unsocialized rats. Though the first couple days were hard and no amount of prior research mattered, I'm very happy with my little "mistakes". lol I just wake up now every day with a purpose to do what I can to socialize and teach these boys to love and trust. I'm just happy knowing I try.


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## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

I just took in a socialized but neglected 7 month old black berkshire blaze high white. I saw her as a pup and liked her and now the the danger of megacolon is long past and she is healthy and has an overall affectionate personality I like her even more. Still, she's going to take more work than a friendly little baby. So, I very much respect your choice to stick with your rats and make them the best they can be. 

Still for a newbie, I would always recommend a fresh young pup or a properly socialized young rat. It's just so much easier, it almost always works out well.


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