# New rats wont eat from me and very scared



## Drew (May 13, 2008)

I got 2 baby male rats last night and their just terrified of me, one guy especialy he runs into the box when ever i enter the room and litteraly shivers in the corner. The other guy isn't as scared but makes allot of almost sneezing noises anyone know what this is? Also they wont eat treats at all i tried cherrios and banana i havent seen them eat ANY food or drink ANY water.


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## pinkyXstary (Apr 15, 2008)

*Re: Hmm my 2 new rats wont hang out.*

none of my boys did thios BUT my two females that i got did, i have no idea why.

I would of thought coming into a stange new home they'd huddle up together but no, not those two lol


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## Drew (May 13, 2008)

*Re: Hmm my 2 new rats wont hang out.*

Their in the same box now but in different corners :S


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## pinkyXstary (Apr 15, 2008)

*Re: Hmm my 2 new rats wont hang out.*

:S how bizzare!

I have no idea sorry iv'e only had it with my two girls as iv'e said but that was when i put them in their cage after bringing them home.

Sorry i couldn't be of more help.


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## Buggzter (Feb 13, 2008)

*Re: Hmm my 2 new rats wont hang out.*

No matter what they do, they will need an "adjustment period" - let them be if they want to be alone, but try to interact with them at least 15 minutes each day... They'll adjust quickly, most likely, and get to be great rats fairly quickly with a little effort on your side. After a few days or so, they'll be playing together - they just have to get used to the new stuff and maybe to being away from EVERYBODY else they were used to... Good luck!


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## Drew (May 13, 2008)

*Re: Hmm my 2 new rats wont hang out.*

Their hanging out now, but they are scared of me, one guy especialy when ever i enter the room he runs into his box, the other guy is a bit more social but still runs back to the box after a bit.


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

Think of it this way, Drew. These are babies...they were used to being with a pile of other rats, suddenly there's only 2 of them in a cage in a new place, new smells, etc. Its possible they weren't handled much during their formative weeks before weaning. They consider us "scary" and "possible predators". We have these hands that swoop down from above like a hawk, or our hands hold them and they think we are going to kill and eat them.

Imagine being that small and seeing YOU! Go slow with your babies, talk to them softly and lovingly, offer your hand in their cage to check out at their leisure. Try not to grab or frighten them. Offer treats on spoon with you holding it. The scary hands are far away and they might eat some. If not, leave the spoon in the cage so they can discover it themselves and then the next time might approach the spoon with the hand on the end :roll:

If you can get them out of the cage, I often let babies explore me with a blanket over all of us...they are covered up (from predators) which can take their fear down a notch. Frightened rats are very instinctual but they are also very intelligent and as long as your are kind and consistent they will come around


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## bffel3 (Apr 20, 2008)

maybe they were abused by the previouse owner and you need to show them that you are going to treat them fairly?


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## begoodtoanimals (Dec 6, 2007)

Shyness doesn't alway have to do with abuse but most likely due to lack of human contact. I got Harriet as a terrified, 4 month old rat from the snake food tankl. it's now 4 months later and she plays and runs all over me during free range time. She takes my finger in her hands and kisses it. What it took/ Just every day contact, picking her up, carrying her on my shoulder, holding my hands in her cage for sometimes 10 minutes at a time, feeding her treat. What helped most was her outgoing new friend Luna.
She is now a happy social rat and I am grateful I didn't give up on her when I see her having a ball with her friends.
Patience will do it. I am sure they'll come around.


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## lovinmyworm (Feb 18, 2008)

I had a rat like this once. I left him alone for 2 days, then started to slowly get him use to me. I would sit by his cage on and off all day. I would just sit there and read, do something quiet. After about a week of this I started sitting there with my hand in the cage still being quiet. I did this for another week. Then I started going in there and talking on my phone whenever anyone called next to their cage. Did this for a few days, then started taking with my hand in the cage. Then I started actually touching them, only with one finger not my entire hand, and I never chased them to pet them, if they walked past my hand I would reach my finger out and touch them. After about a month and 1/2 he was perfectly fine. He was jumping on me, would climb up my arm, ect. He's perfectly fine, just needed socializing.


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## bffel3 (Apr 20, 2008)

i dont always put shyness as an abused rat its just that this happend to me and i am just making a sudjestion!


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## Drew (May 13, 2008)

hmmm thanks for the help, i actually went and picked up the last guy at the store too keep him from being food. He was friendly with me when i put him in the cage. Then he started socializing with his 2 brothers, now all three wont come near me :S


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## Buggzter (Feb 13, 2008)

Give them time, and just go slow with their socialization. They'll adjust to you and become loving rats with patience, time, and love from you. Touch them when you can, but don't force them - unless it gets to the point you have to do forced socialization, in which case you have to do something COMPLETELY different. But we'll get to that bridge IF and WHEN that comes. Good luck - it will happen.


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## Drew (May 13, 2008)

I sure hope so, cause now they wont even come out if i'm in the room, they look at me and run away and hide.


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## Brizzle (Mar 26, 2008)

Aw, poor ratties. Give them time, they're just scared.


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## leilastroud (Apr 6, 2008)

it just sounds like a lot of change for them, like people say give them time, put things that smell of you in the cage, slowly slowly start putting your hand in and let them come up to it (this may take a hile as they are so scared) and take it from there.

Fingers crossed!

Leila :0)


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## Drew (May 13, 2008)

Well its been 5 days and nothing has changed :S


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

What are you trying Drew?


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## KayRatz (Apr 5, 2007)

Sounds like my newbies, Fizz and Cola. Glad you posted this, when I posted all I got was a reply from Twitch directing me to a forced socialization thread...


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## clarry (May 19, 2008)

The last one who was saved from being food probably wasnt handled if he wasnt aimed to be a pet.
my rats were a bit like that at first though, and they came from a breeder and were handled. It didnt help that one of their tails got caught in a ladder early on and he panicked but now they are pretty much fine. At the beginning we put their cage on the front room floor we'd dim the lights and just left it open sitting quietly on the floor with a trail of treats, both mine are piggy's so they would run out when they thought we werent looking, nick them and run back in. then eventually they would come to us.


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## Drew (May 13, 2008)

well i just put the cage in my room hoping that they will get use to my scent and voice. I just put them in my FN and their just hinding behind stuff. Starting to get a little frustrated.Well i've been putting my hand into their cage, one guy just took a piece of food from me. But they still hid in a corner BEHIND their nest box. Most of the time they run if i try to pet them. Tomrrow i would of hand them for 6 days. I'll try the sweater trick tomorrow after i let them setting into their new cage, I have a funny feeling this isn't going to help any. I had them in just a small one while i modified the FN.


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