# Bats or rats?



## smyhls (Jul 28, 2014)

I have had my two girls less than a week. Sometimes they will take a treat or sniff my hand, but mostly they huddle in a corner. They don't like the light, it seems. If the light is on, they are hiding. If it is off, they are running around. It makes it very hard to socialize them! I know they are nocturnal, but their reaction has me baffled.

A question I had was if I am doing things wrong. I have read a lot on this forum and other places online about trust. My two girls are 10 weeks but never want to be involved with me. They try to leave the cage, but they don't like it when they are touched. They will let me pet them in the cage if they are huddled in a corner. I don't want to drag them kicking and screaming out of their cage, but they don't respond to sound or touching when there is light. They don't run from me exactly, they just sit in fear, I'm guessing.

I want to be able to hold them, let them run around ... but I can't let them do that in the dark. What do I do?! 


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## Dan203 (Jul 10, 2014)

Give it time. We got lucky with Buddy, he's been super friendly from day one, but Tempy is still a little skittish and we've had him for almost a month. But he's getting a lot better. You just have to be patient and force them to interact with you. For weeks I'd take Tempy into the bathtub with me every night and just let him roam free on me. He pooped/peed on me a lot at first, but eventually that lessened and he became more comfortable. But he didn't really turn the corner until this weekend when we got Buddy. As I said Buddy was super friendly right from the start and that's rubbed off a bit on Tempy. But I'm confident that even if we hadn't got Buddy He would have come around. He was already showing signs of becoming friendly, getting Buddy just accelerated the process.


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## ratmode (May 15, 2014)

Are your girls albinos? Rats with pink eyes are especially sensitive to light, but pretty much all rats hate it, at least initially. If they're taking treats out of your hand after a week and letting you pet them, you're doing great. My dudes are albinos and it took me a while to get them to "adapt" to my human schedule, but they do get used to it eventually. They are still more active at night but now they wake up during the day whenever I come home, come over to say hi to me etc., and I usually play with them in the evening and/or late at night.


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## smyhls (Jul 28, 2014)

No, they aren't albinos.
My next strategy will be to take their hiding hut out of the cage tonight (after they wake up) and try to be social then.


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## LeStan82 (Dec 31, 2013)

Their new and probably a little scared. They feel safer coming out at night. When they get use to the environment and more confident, they will get more active in the day.


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## Gannyaan (Dec 7, 2012)

I think all rats are different... I would say its best to try and socialize them as soon as possible... Don't be afraid to just take away their igloo for a little bit so that there are no hiding spaces, and you can pet them and interact with them... Taking away the igloos/hiding spaces at first/for a short period of time is a very common thing to do, since rats are naturally wary of new things but are very adaptable.
If they are hiding, it means they are wary... Sometimes the best way to help them get over it is just to go in to the cage (with your hand lol) and introduce yourself to them... Give them treats, pet them gently. Do this as much as you want/ as they'll allow so that they get used to you quickly . Also try picking them up gently  . (You have to rat proof a room)

If you are having trouble and need a guide, there's trust training and the newer immersion training. If you want to do a slower approach, check out trust training for rats. There's tons of articles youtube vids. If you would prefer, do some style of immersion training for rats.

With my paisley, it was difficult.. I had to pick her up slowly from the cage multiple times a day, every day, for short periods of time so that she could just get used to it and start trusting me,,,, I gave her treats, interacted with her in the cage, talked to her etc. it took her longer since she was really terrified so I went very slowly, day by day. 

But some rats don't even need that long! I socialized my other girls in a day or two  

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## smyhls (Jul 28, 2014)

They like to come out of the cage, and they don't run from me. They just aren't fond of my hand right now. I have found that they are the most sociable early in the morning and before I head to bed. 

I tried putting them in the bath tub, and they just jumped out repeatedly. Same with having them in a basket. They won't stay on my shoulder very long before wanting to scurry back to their cage. They have also quit taking treats. They loved Cheerios one day, but not the next; strawberry one day, not the next, etc., etc. Oh, some people's children!!!

I do feel like progress is being made, though. One of my girls played a little tug-of-war with my husband with some paper strips in her cage.


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## Dan203 (Jul 10, 2014)

smyhls said:


> I have found that they are the most sociable early in the morning and before I head to bed.


I think that's true of all rats. They're nocturnal. Mine seem to be the most active late at night before I go to bed 12am-2am and in the morning when I first get up around 9:30-10:00am. The rest of the day they're sleeping or very lazy.


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## smyhls (Jul 28, 2014)

Yup, that's my girls for sure. It's nice, though. Both my husband and I will be going to college full time in the fall (almost finished, yeah!), so we won't be home till after 6 at night. There will be no one home to disturb the little rascals during their beauty sleep.


I do have a question though. They bite my fingers a lot. Not licking, and they don't bite hard, but I generally have clean hands before playing with them ... So what are they biting for? At first I thought it might be grooming, but now I'm not so sure.


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## PawsandClaws (Jul 22, 2014)

Sounds like a lack of socialization to me which is fairly easy to work with. Next time they nibble, you can utter a high pitched 'Eep!'. It sounds ridiculous but most rats respond well to this and understand to avoid the behavior that caused the response. Generally speaking, new baby rats are curious and will affectionately nibble anything they are inquisitive about.


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## smyhls (Jul 28, 2014)

That is good to know. I will keep on trying to convince them that I'm the good guy lol


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