# Best gloves for biters?



## susb8383 (Feb 24, 2007)

What are the best gloves to get for handling rats that bite? I have one that I'll be petting very gently and she seems like she's enjoying it, then without warning, CHOMP. I'd like to see if I can get her used to gloves.

Has anyone tried beekeeping gloves? Any other suggestions?

Thanks, Susie


----------



## Asteria (Jul 6, 2016)

Before moving on to gloves, I would suggest finding out the reason behind her biting. 
Does your hand smell like food? Is she biting out of fear? If you can find the root of why she is biting, you may be able to solve the problem. I think it would be worth a shot to change a few things and see if she stops.

-Whenever she bites you, try making a high pitched shriek. This is a behavior that rats do to show they are in pain. 
-Make sure that you wash your hands to make sure there is no scent of food remaining before handling her.
-If she is biting out of fear, you may need to get her used to being handled and stroked. Some rats just don't like being petted or handled, and it can be hard sometimes to tell if they are actually enjoying themselves.


----------



## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

Welding gloves or oven mitts are the most commonly used... I tend believe that the first thing you need to do is stop being bitten, then figure out why it's happening. 

I'm a big believer in protective wear when dealing with biting rats... The immersion thread will help you sort out why your rat is biting, which is essential in resolving your problems and getting your rat properly socialized, but during extreme immersions protective clothes are recommended. Most recently someone actually was dealing with a rat so vicious that they invented the immersion helmet... to protect their face and head... 

Stopping biting behavior is the second most important thing you can do in order to begin socializing a rat and determining why a rat is biting is critical to that process. But the first most important thing is not to get bitten along the way, basically to protect yourself. Rats can really hurt you, and the wounds can get infected. I'm no fan of gloves, but less of a fan of rat bites. 

So check out the immersion thread, armor up and best luck.


----------



## raindear (Mar 3, 2015)

Is there any chance that she doesn't think she is biting you? Petey and I had the hardest time over this. He would "bite" my finger. I would touch his nose and say "no". He would look confused and bite again more gently. After some time I came to recognize that he didn't really think of it as biting, it was a ratty greeting or grooming type of behavior or something ratty to him. Since he was very gentle and obviously not trying to hurt me, I turned it into a game. He nibbles, I grab him and kiss his belly. It's so cute to watch him now. He nibbles then either ducks watching for my hand or scampers away, but not fast enough to escape the belly kisses.


----------



## susb8383 (Feb 24, 2007)

Hi,

She definitely knows she's biting me. And I think it is out of fear. She's a PEW so she doesn't see very well. It's usually whenever my hand gets near her face, but even if she knows I'm there. For instance, the other day she had her head sticking out of the flower pot. I started petting her head, very gently. After about the 5th or 6th stroke, she bit me hard enough to draw blood.

I just got a pair of welding gloves in the mail, but...I don't know. They smell really chemically, probably because they must be ultra flame-resistant to be welding gloves. I think I'll send them back and try oven mitts.


----------

