# Rat trying to gain dominance over me?



## CyborgSlayer (Dec 10, 2009)

I have a female rat who is about 10 months old now, and she has been displaying some odd behaviour. All of my rats know that the phrase "Come here" means "Come here". If I stand anywhere in my room and say "Come here", all my girls, even if out of sight, will be at my feet in a couple of seconds, expecting a cheerio.

One of my girls, however, does still come to the command when she knows she is getting a cheerio, but will not come when she knows she is going into her cage for what she was doing at the time. For example, this rat is the only one of my rats who will tear open the cardboard I have around my bed (ferociously I might add) and bolt into the box-spring. I sit there and call her over and over, and she refuses to come out... So I wait.

Even when she pokes her head out of the cardboard she ripped open, I call her, and she refuses to come. I wait as she slowly inches out, and when there is enough of her to grab her, I do, and start to bring her back to her cage for "time-out" so she can learn that when she goes under there, she goes in the cage for awhile.

This is where the problem lies. When I pick her up after she is under there, she starts squeeling ferociously (and I mean ferociously) and thrusting her body left and right, and up and down, flinging her head around and SQUEELING! I can pick her up any other time, and literally do whatever I want with her, and she is perfectly fine, unless it's after something she knows she is going into the cage for.

Once she is in the cage for awhile, I go and open it to allow her back out, and she will actually turn away from me and ignore me, as if she is scolding me for putting her in the cage! I worry that the behaviour will become more violent, and if she does bite me eventually (sorry to anybody who disagrees with me), I will be having her put down!

Any idea as to what this behaviour is?


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## kandyluvr (May 23, 2009)

It will cost more to have put down then to give her to a shelter(not that i agree with putting her down).And since you want to have her put down becuase she bit you, means that you werent ready for a normal rat, or a rat at all.


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## CyborgSlayer (Dec 10, 2009)

kandyluvr said:


> It will cost more to have put down then to give her to a shelter(not that i agree with putting her down).And since you want to have her put down becuase she bit you, means that you werent ready for a normal rat, or a rat at all.


If a dog bites out of anger, you put it down...

Same goes for any pet IMO... If they become violent towards humans, they aren't fit to be pets... That's how genetic selection works.

Thanks


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## kandyluvr (May 23, 2009)

If you really loved the animal you'd cope witht he fact that she bit you maybe once, and not automatically have her put down, atleast try to find a home for it before you think of the option of killing the animal.


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## kandyluvr (May 23, 2009)

If my dog bit me out of anger (which she does) i either put her outside or in her crate , it usually helps, i'd never kill my dog becuase she bit me.


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## Lea (May 15, 2009)

First, I can't believe the discussion is about having a rat put down for biting when she has never even tried to bite you! 

Second, she is squealing because she doesn't like (or is scared of) being grabbed and pulled out from the box springs--why would that be a surprise. Based on the approach you're taking, this is exactly the behavior to be expected. You are punishing her for coming back out, not for chewing the cardboard, which has already been forgotten by the time you've grabbed her. Once she's gotten into the box springs and she can tell you're mad at her (I assume you are scolding her at that point), obviously she's going to be scared to come out. 

You should only ever give positive reinforcement for coming to you (this applies to any type of pet). I'm not convinced the time out thing works very well with rats, but if it does, you would need to do that the second she starts chewing on the cardboard, not after she's already chewed through it and gotten into the bed. I also feel that the cage should not be associated in their mind as a place of punishment. Maybe use a different place for the time out.


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## kandyluvr (May 23, 2009)

Exactly, just today my rat Frankie bit me i never even touched her i just let her be.


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## CyborgSlayer (Dec 10, 2009)

kandyluvr said:


> If my dog bit me out of anger (which she does) i either put her outside or in her crate , it usually helps, i'd never kill my dog becuase she bit me.


And this is why I see people like you on the news in a HEAP of trouble when your dog rips the face off a toddler...

 Good job!


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## AMJ087 (Aug 27, 2008)

Whats with all the people getting rats and wanting to put them down for no good reason and wanting to do it cruely these days. Im dissapointed that you wouldnt work with her more. I agree posotive reinforcment must be used, I would react the same way she does. I think that training method would work best. She needs to know also she wont get grabbed and scared when she comes out. Giver her a cheerio for poking out and let her play some more. Then giver her one for coming all the way and let her play some more. Then put her away and give her a cheerio. As far as the chewing.....My female right now is a huge chewer too. Its just her personality. she needs lots of attention when out. Ive noticed if I giver her food, water, and a chew toy while shes out playing it does help a bit. Just dont give up or get frusterated, she can sense your mad and im sure it scares her.


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## kandyluvr (May 23, 2009)

And this is my point rats dont rip faces off of people, its unethical to put a rat down because it bit you at least try to find a home for it now because from what i see from your post your rat WILL bite you sooner or later and i really dont want to hear a post in the 'Over the Rainbow Bridge' forum about you 'having' to put your rat down becuase she bit you so just save your rats life and give it to the shelter or someone else.


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## kandyluvr (May 23, 2009)

Yeah, i wasnt suggesting for her to put her rat in the cage i was just telling her that i would automatically take her tot he vet and have her put down.


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## kandyluvr (May 23, 2009)

Usually when you pick up a rat and it squirms, and screams it means she is scared and scared rats DO bite it just depends on what kind of case you have.


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## kandyluvr (May 23, 2009)

Your rat is probably more used to you hence 'it depends on what case you have' but my point is like AMJ087 said you just need to try work with her more.


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## kandyluvr (May 23, 2009)

didnt i just say it though...


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## kandyluvr (May 23, 2009)

Okay this is silly please stop the eye rolling becuase its immature and that was my opinion not everyone has to agree with it.


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## Alexc844 (Sep 8, 2008)

Cyborgslayer, something you need to understand is that rats are not dogs. Putting a dog to sleep because it bit is totally different than putting a rat to sleep because it bit. Rats nip and bite. Period. I don't agree with putting a dog to sleep because it bit someone. Animals aren't normally aggressive unless they have a reason to be... just like a person doesn't normally walk around being a giant asshole unless they have a reason. (sorry for the language.) Sometimes we all just have bad days. Animals included. 
If your rat bites you, ship her to me. I'll even pay for it. Putting her to sleep isn't the answer.


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## AMJ087 (Aug 27, 2008)

Ava please stop posting one word responses and making sure you have the last word in every thread, it feels like you are just trying to boost your numbers sometimes. You have a lot of good advice and ideas but with all the tension and trolls on here lately it seems to make situations worse. Not trying to be mean just saying try not to take it personal becasue this forum is going to crap without a moderator. Anyway I hope Cyborg you make a good decisions but with your lack of response to everyones advice it seems you dont care, you're a troll too now, or you didnt get the response you wanted. Alex made a huge offer and gesture so I think we'd all prefer that over euthanizing.


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## CyborgSlayer (Dec 10, 2009)

AvaAdoreSmashing said:


> If she nips you once don't freak out! One bite isn't something to get worked up over and since she's never bit before, if she bit you it's because she's scared.
> 
> I had a similar issue with one of my girls. They were having free range time in the bathroom and she hid under a little table and I could not reach her!!! She wouldn't come out and wouldn't come for a treat. I managed to move the table and pull her out. Afterwards I was thinking about why she did that, she'd never done it before and is rather friendly. All I could come up with was, She just didn't feel like being out.
> 
> ...


The bed is cardboarded and duct taped all the way around... she refuses to not rip it open. And she has lots of little places she can go hide... lots of dig boxes, lots of houses and under lots of shelves in my room... even in my dresser, there is a whole section that is "theirs" because they can get in through one drawer, and climb their way to the rest.

And I'm not talking about a nip or a playful bite... My rats do this all the time and I know this is just their nature... Also, my rats have bitten me when I forget to take my socks off, or when I'm wearing a band-aid, and I realize that is MY fault because that is their nature. But if an animal bites out of anger, it is not suitable to be a pet!

And she knows that what she is doing is wrong, because when I do catch her before she goes under there, when I come around that side of the bed, she looks at me for a split-second and takes off... and I mean TAKES OFF, like a bat out of ****, and will continue to run as long as I follow her, because she knows she is getting a belly-rub, and she HATES these. She makes it to a "safe-spot" and I leave her be, hoping she will contemplate that the fear she just felt was because of what she was doing.

Lastly, normally she is VERY warm with me, grooming my hand and face and constantly running to where I am in the room, but sometimes she can be a bitch! Her name is Pandora for this and other reasons.


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## CyborgSlayer (Dec 10, 2009)

AMJ087 said:


> Ava please stop posting one word responses and making sure you have the last word in every thread, it feels like you are just trying to boost your numbers sometimes. You have a lot of good advice and ideas but with all the tension and trolls on here lately it seems to make situations worse. Not trying to be mean just saying try not to take it personal becasue this forum is going to crap without a moderator. Anyway I hope Cyborg you make a good decisions but with your *lack of response to everyones advice it seems you dont care, you're a troll too now, or you didnt get the response you wanted. *Alex made a huge offer and gesture so I think we'd all prefer that over euthanizing.


Actually, I have finals this week, so I'm busy with my real life... Sorry I don't check this rat-forum every day and make it the center of my life, but I have more important things to worry about! I feel sorry for you that you do not! Thanks though.


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## AMJ087 (Aug 27, 2008)

Unfortunatly your rats are not are not the center of your life either. People who choose to get rats and decide they no longer want to take care of them becasue they have other things they think are more important shouldnt have pets, period! Its a responsibility, something you choose to take on, if you cant accept the responsibilty or are not mature enough to its better you let them be adopted by others who are. My female can be a bitch too, its part of their personality. You wouldnt get rid of a child becasue they were mean now and again. In that case we'd all be gone. All Im saying is do the right thing, dont act like your the only one with a rat that has bitten or gets grumpy/scared because thats exactly what you are doing. No one pitties you, but we all pitty that poor poor rat.


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## kandyluvr (May 23, 2009)

Your being immature right now and i dont think any one wants to team up with you right now by the way your acting, i did nothing to offend you, i simply said noone has to agree with what I said and im tired of people calling me a troll because i sure think im not.


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## AMJ087 (Aug 27, 2008)

Ava i didnt mean to be mean its just frusterating with how this forum has been lately, please dont take offense. I know you are frusterated too. besides all the random poker and game stuff and people on here seeming to not ruly care about their rats (if they ahve any) is just getting ridiculous. Again i know that probablly sounded mean but dont take offense, sorry.


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## AMJ087 (Aug 27, 2008)

Brux if you have no rats why are you on here? Are you planning on getting some?! Any ideas on what kind?


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## kandyluvr (May 23, 2009)

For the last time, im not Brux...


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## Alexc844 (Sep 8, 2008)

ok, seriously? drop it.


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