# Little nips/nibbling. How do I read that?



## Maddie (Jan 13, 2014)

My boys are really active, but they are also still really young of course. Lately they have gotten to where they play a lot when I have them out individually and then they sit on my shoulder, arm ect and either relax or go to sleep. The last couple days when they have been relaxing (not actually asleep since I don't want to startle them). I've attempted to pet them softly or rub a little bit behind their head ears (since everyone seems to post so much that their rats like it). They haven't had a fit or anything and let me do it, one even went to sleep when I did it the other day. When I do it though they will let me do it a few minutes and then kinda lightly nibble on my fingers a while and sometimes lick them. Ty right now after I rubbed his back just a little bit is licking and nipping at my shirt. 

I'm still trying to "learn to read rat" I guess since it's new to me. When they do this is it a sort of "returning grooming" kind of reaction or are they telling me to stop it and not do it anymore? My boys aren't scared of me and we play all the time. They always come up to me when I open the cage and want attention, but I really haven't heard them brux much in our time together. They very rarely just sit around, so I'm not really used to them sitting quietly on me. Again though I've only had them about two weeks and we're still getting to know each other.

Big thing is I guess I need to determine if my petting them is upsetting them. That way I just won't do it and will tell them "no" for inappropriate nipping, or are they just trying to return the favor?


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## Maddie (Jan 13, 2014)

Alright to also add this time just now Rikki is resting on my chest. I did rub his head just a few seconds then he took my finger in paws to gently lick and nip it before going to sleep. Now he didn't act like he was angry and didn't chomp on me, but he did make it clear that he didn't want me to rub his head. I just don't know if I should take it as a "hey don't do that I'll groom you instead" or a gentle reminder of "I don't like it stop".


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## nanashi7 (Jun 5, 2013)

Two ways I can see this going. One, they're returning the grooming as kind ratfriends. The second option is they're asserting dominance over you ,"hey now stop that". In case of the latter, disregard their opinion and skritch again. 


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## Maddie (Jan 13, 2014)

Well I def don't want them thinking they can do something like that! Guess everyone will get a bit of rubbing today.


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## Hitmanthe3rd (Jul 16, 2013)

WHAT! Your Male rats are Sleeping ON you while free ranging? I'm so Jelly D:. If they didn't enjoy the petting, I don't think they'd come back. My smallest Dagon, When I pet him he licks me furiously and when he was younger would do tiny little nibbles. They never hurt, but as he got older he seemed to stop when he realized I was the dominant one. Now when I pet him, he returns the favor and then when I Stop, he stops and heads off on his merry little way. Question for you tho. Are you free ranging an entire house, your room, or just like On the chair with you?


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## Maddie (Jan 13, 2014)

Oooh no don't be jealous!When I play with them individually they are just roaming across the couch and lots of times come back to snuggle with me in my hoodie/robe and go to sleep. Rikki especially plays hard for thirty minutes or so then passes out. I'm sure he likes the body heat snuggling with me. Their free range is a mix of both. They have a room they live in, and I usually free range them both in that room for an hour or so. Usually they run around everywhere during it. I might sit and play with them for half the time, and then they roam and do their own thing. When I work with them individually usually we go somewhere else like the big chair or a couch ect. I've had them curl up next to my arm and "power nap" during the bigger room roaming play time but not sleep on me then. They are still pretty young though and are going all the time. Lol


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## Maddie (Jan 13, 2014)

Well a little update last night when I played with them individually and rubbed them they started the nibbling again. I just rubbed them a bit longer anyway till they stopped and let me rub them. 

Now just a little while ago I got Ty out of his cage and gave him a treat. He then about twenty minutes later went to my hand and gave it a small nip almost like demanding a treat, so I did tap him on the nose and tell him no. Then I went about rubbing him a bit. He's not a fan of the rubbing, but he didn't try to move my hand away and nibble on me instead. He kind of just took it in stride. Now he is running on my computer desk and then jumping in my sleeves again. The boys are about to hit eight weeks now, is it pretty common for hormones to kick in around this time? I've noticed in grooming each other they are starting to get a little more assertive. Yesterday before I let them out of the cage I heard Rikki squeak. I watched them and Ty was holding him down grooming him (which after reading lots of posts here I'm assuming he is trying to be dominant over his brother)? He didn't actually hurt Rikki since I checked him over when I got them out, but I hadn't really heard them squeak much yet. What Ty did do though is crawl inside my hoodie and nibble on my shirt. He did make a hole, so I got onto him. They seem to have gotten more confident and bold around me I guess and are testing the limits? 

What are some other good ways to assert myself as the alpha of the pair, so they don't get the wrong idea? Lol, I def don't want this to turn into me actually being nipped on or anything of the sort. After getting onto him for nibbling my shirt Ty went up on my shoulder and is asleep for the time being. @[email protected]


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## nanashi7 (Jun 5, 2013)

Twelve weeks is puberty. 

I'd Advise confident handling, dominant petting, and boops aplenty. You'll also start being peed on a lot so might want to use them as a rat sponge. 


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## Maddie (Jan 13, 2014)

Oh I mean I'm not afraid of them or anything. Lol I've had too many pets for that. Just trying to make sure I don't give them mixed signals about their status in the household. Thank you!Lol yeah I think I had to boop Ty three times earlier for his behavior. Oh, let me ask this. When they are doing something they shouldn't like the nibbling in appropriately I kinda I would call it tap at them and tell them no. How hard do you actually bop them? I don't want to hurt them just get my point across. Glad I have some old t-shirts to wear. We did have a peeing accident the other day, but it was the dog barking and scared Ty. I'll prepare myself or pee.


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## nanashi7 (Jun 5, 2013)

Bopping noses I find is nothing to my rats. It's less about pressure and more about getting their attention and communicating that you're unhappy. Earlier today Circe and I had a boop-off, where she'd go for the pizza box and I'd bop her and she'd retreat reconsider and try again. My displeasure is less a concern than that yummy pizza. 

You can also "pin" your rats; flip then gently and skritch their tummy when they chill out then release. Think about what you've seen them do and mimicked it. 


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## Maddie (Jan 13, 2014)

Lol, I'm learning the rougher I am with them the more entertaining it is to them. They have kinda gotten to where they like for me to fight with them and roll them over and pin them down. The last couple nights they have had me doing it for at least an hour before I kinda get tired and we just sit and watch t.v. I guess I was a bit concerned about hurting them since they are small, but they are def little stinkers and don't seem phased by it much. Rikki spent a good twenty minutes tonight running over to me, having me battle with him and flip him over then running away and coming back to do it again after I pinned him down for a bit. What does skritch mean? Lol, kinda feel silly for asking since I see everyone use it.


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## nanashi7 (Jun 5, 2013)

Is a playful scratch / itch. I'm not sure there's a definition per se. It's sorta the closest thing we can do that mimicks rats playing/grooming. 


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## Maddie (Jan 13, 2014)

Aww well they do seem to like it. I know everyone mentions rats bruxing when they are being rubbed, but do they do it when they are playing? I do believe Rikki was going at it earlier while I was fighting with him. lol 

Ty is going through a bad boy phase I do hope he grows out of. His new thing is if he wants something is to nip. Now, I've seen people posted that when their rats wanted to play they would run over and nip their ankles. Well Mr. Ty is nipping my boobs! Earlie he wanted in my shirt, but I wouldn't let him. He ran over and nipped at my boob, so I just told him no and gave him a bop. Later I was playing with his brother and not him, so he nipped me again and that time I did pin him down. Should I be worried about this behavior or attending to it in some other manner? While I'm thrilled he wants to spend time with me I'm not ok with his nipping for attention. It's a bit confusing to me because when I do roll Ty on his back and scratch at his belly he submits to it, he's been doing the same if I sit and rub him or bop him and tell him "no". Course obviously getting in trouble doesn't seem to deter him from wanting to do it again. This def reminds me of training puppies.


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## nanashi7 (Jun 5, 2013)

Ack. Maybe work on your mommy-voice, being a bit more stern. I would not want two foreseeable outcomes to occur : him to start biting harder, or him to start biting more sensitive areas. As per our other discussion in another thread, I had some cuddlers who felt my endowments were in the way and would be a bit forceful in trying to move them out. I would say don't be afraid to (more forcibly) bowl him away from you and then utterly ignore him or even get a travel cage and time-out him (not sure if time outs are effective, but bowling and ignoring gets the message across after two or three times.)


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## Maddie (Jan 13, 2014)

Lol see that's my biggest problem, not that I'm overly sweet because I'm actually kind of a jerk in the real world. I guess it's just because they are small and don't want to hurt him. Last night when I was holding and playing with him he nipped me twice for ignoring him while filling out some paperwork. I just promptly scooped him up, bopped him told him "no" and sat him on the computer desk and wouldn't hold him for a while. He did stop last night after the scolding a few times. I think you might be right in with him it's more effective to ignore him since it's attention that he's after. 

When I first got the pair Rikki was a bit more "eh" about attention or being played with. I spent equal amounts of time with them individually but sometimes with the free range floor time Ty got more attention since he wanted it. Well now Rikki is more involved and wants to play, so Ty is having to learn to share I guess.


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