# What is my rat doing?



## hatchethottie (Nov 7, 2010)

This is confusing me, I've looking for info on the net but it is all quite conflicting.

I have 2 rats, one is smaller, yet seems to be the alpha rat. he is out exploring first at free range time and doesn't make a noise when i pick him up / pet him.

the other (bigger) rat is much more shy, and when i pet him he peeps and squeaks in protest, when i pick him up he makes such a noise! Like a long loud squeak and lots of little squeaks. he does this thing where he will freeze in the same position (scared?) and then when i pet him....not a noise at all, just sitting there, and i think 'oh, he must be enjoying it' then suddenly he lets out this tremendous squeals and leaps like a kangaroo!

I'm guessing he just needs some gentle coaxing and he will learn to trust me? Is the smaller (alpha) one pushing him around causing him to be so nervous?

The main thing though, is when I have them out for free range, he will get curious and come to say hi, he will not run away when i stroke him, but rather move sideways, and follow my finger with his nose, its hard to explain but almost like he is challenging me, he will jump a little (but not away from me....just jump out of nervousness) and lift his back leg / half roll on his side, then back away from me in a circle. So its not like he's backing away in a scared way, he's a whole room to run away to if he wanted, but he backs away in a circle so he's curious as to what im doing (just 1 finger stroking lightly down his back) and to me he just looks like he really isnt enjoying it and i feel like im invading his privacy, i can't understand what he is doing? Is he going to bite me? He tries to get to my fingers while I'm stroking him and I keep thinking its because he wants to bite me to warn me off, its a funny thing to watch because he just looks so strange, walking backwards in a circle while trying to reach my fingers on his back. his little leg and one paw go into the air and he exposes his belly.




anyway, anyone who could shed light on this behaviour i would really appreciate it. Thanks!


----------



## Jaguar (Nov 15, 2009)

mm, yeah, he feels threatened by your hand and is trying to push it back/pin it down... it's like a warning not to mess with him. it's not really aggressive behavior, but if he starts puffing his fur, making hissing/huffing noises, arching his back, and so on, give him some space, that means he's serious.

where did you acquire him, and how old is he?


----------



## ema-leigh (Jan 24, 2010)

The fact hes not running away is good, but it sounds like hes not been handled that much before you got him. I'd get a bonding pouch and carry him around so he can get used to the sensation and just continue to work with him as much as you can.


----------



## hatchethottie (Nov 7, 2010)

Yeah, thats what I thought.


Funny you should ask how old he is, I when to a 'nursery' which sells animals. It's not a pet shop, but it's not a breeder, more like in-between. I went there to first see what they did with their rats, they kept them on Aspen bedding and fed them lab blocks so I presumed they knew what they were doing. Anyway, when I bought them, the woman said they were handled often and encouraged me to stick my arm inside the cage and pet them to choose which ones I wanted, I (naively) chose them based on colour as they all looked healthy. I only realised upon getting them home he was bigger than his friend, and after thinking about it, he was the only one of that colour - all the other males (about 8-10) were all identical in colour apart from him. Do you think he could have been a return? Could he be older than his friend?

Anyway, I have started carrying him around in my dressing gown, which seems to calm him a lot, do you think it will take long until he trusts me more? He doesn't puff up or hiss at me. Yet!


x


----------

