# first time having rats, need advise



## andyqt (Apr 3, 2010)

hey there.

i got 2 rats for my wife and daughter, they have wanted them for a while. got them 2 days ago and they are mostly hiding in there house and the girls wont take them out and naturally i am kind of afraid of them. how long should we wait to take them out without the worry that they will bite me or something. 

any help would be graet,

andyqt


----------



## AvaAdoreSmashing (Dec 31, 2009)

Did you get them at a pet store? Chances are if you did, they haven't been handled too much :-\ There's no real define timeline of how long it should take for them to warm up to you, it all depends. The more you handle them the better. 
If you're really worried about getting bit, try putting are gardening gloves when you take them out. Have the been aggressive towards you? Can you try cloaxing them out with treats? 

2 days isn't very long, I'm sure they're still getting used to their new home. You can try opening the door to their cage for a bit and see if they'll come to the door. Offering them a spoon of baby food or yogurt is a great way to get them to have to stay out while eating instead of grabing a treat and running off. 

Did you get males or females?


----------



## andyqt (Apr 3, 2010)

i did get them in a pet store and they are two females, i did give them a piece of popcorn last night "no salt" but as they were taking it with there mouth i dropped it.

if i leave it too long will it make it worse.
thanks for reply


----------



## Stace87 (Jun 24, 2008)

andyqt said:


> i did get them in a pet store and they are two females, i did give them a piece of popcorn last night "no salt" but as they were taking it with there mouth i dropped it.
> 
> if i leave it too long will it make it worse.


If they're taking food off you, that's a good start. 

I would get them used to being handled and touched asap, it makes things easier for cleaning them out and means they're scared (and you) for a shorter period of time in the long run.

Get them out for at least 20 minutes at a time - apparently rats can't hold fear for longer than this. You could wear a hoody or put a fleece/blanket on you and have them on your knee, so they have somewhere to hide if they wish but are still able to get used to you at the same time. If you wait until they're ready you may be waiting a long time and it might not happen at all - forced socialisation is usually best.

The only way to tame them and decrease the likelihood of being bitten is to handle them. You can't guarantee you won't get bitten, but it's not very common for rats to bite unless they're very scared or in pain.


----------



## andyqt (Apr 3, 2010)

thats great thanks, i'll let you know


----------



## Stace87 (Jun 24, 2008)

I tried a add a little extra to my post before and it keeps messing up... I have no idea why.... so I'll put that part here....

The only way to tame them and decrease the likelihood of being bitten is to handle them. You can't guarantee you won't get bitten, but it's not very common for rats to bite unless they're very scared or in pain. I've had rats since June 2007 with a total of 4 rats so far and never been bitten - they were all babies when I got them. The new rat I have, Ronnie, is very nervous as he hasn't been handled much (if at all) by his previous owner and has nipped/put teeth on skin (bit by boyfriend once) but he's getting a lot better now after almost 2 weeks of perseverance.


----------



## Kinsey (Jun 14, 2009)

Baby rats generally do not bite- I have never been bitten, by any rat, especially not a baby. They are very mouthy and like to "test" things, but they will not hurt you.

Most rats do not bite, but if you are afraid try the hoody or blanket thing. Yoghurt is excellent for trust training, as stace said.


----------



## Stace87 (Jun 24, 2008)

Kinsey said:


> Yoghurt is excellent for trust training, as stace said.


I did??? Lol.

I wouldn't say babies definitely won't hurt you... I'm sure some do bite out of fear occasionally - even is it is rare.


----------



## andyqt (Apr 3, 2010)

ok, done the blanket thing last night and got one of them out, remy. 

she went the toilet about 15 times in the space of about 10 minutes she was out, is this a nervous thing. 

star is still a bit more nervous of me so she may take more time. 

thanks for the help and encouragement so far


----------



## Stace87 (Jun 24, 2008)

andyqt said:


> she went the toilet about 15 times in the space of about 10 minutes she was out, is this a nervous thing.


Yeah, that's normal for some rats that are nervous. I believe they're termed "fear poops".


----------



## clarry (May 19, 2008)

yeh dont panic about getting bitten, i actually believe the more nervous you are, the more jumpy you will be around them, the more jumpy you will make them and the more likely they are to bite. I've just got my 8th rat, and ive never been bitten to drawing blood, like it has been said before, they may nip you to see if you are edible, or to try to play, or even as a bit of a warning like 'dont touch me again or i'll bite you harder' but ive never been bitten to the point where it really hurts and Ive had 3 pet shop rats that have been lone rats for quite a while before i took them, and 3 rescues who were also lone rats, one of whom we had no info about his past what so ever. My best advice is try to be confident around them, and they will feel that from you.

One great trick for bonding once youve got them out is baby food on your fingers. They may nibble you a little at first because they are confused but once they get the hang of licking ive never know a rat to refuse. You could also try this in the cage


----------



## andyqt (Apr 3, 2010)

ok, last night star started nesting, didnt know what was going on.

came home from work and she was after having a litter, she was pregnant when we bought her, what am i going to do


----------



## clarry (May 19, 2008)

Oh dear  this can happen with rats from pet shops. 
I dont know much about it but if you go tot he 'caring for accidental litters' section there are some sticky's on this topic and I would post again in there, explaining what happened and how you have dealt with it so far so someone may be able to help


----------



## andyqt (Apr 3, 2010)

defo 2 girls, only have them a week.

went onto that section, tells you loads on if you are keeping them but i was talking to the guy in the pet shop and he told to bring the pups back to him tomorrow, what do you think???


----------



## VictorianVanity (Mar 18, 2010)

I don't know much about the subject, but that seems like the worst thing you could do for those babies.


----------



## Jaguar (Nov 15, 2009)

NO no no no. If they don't go with their mother, what will happen? Surrogate? What if all the other mothers reject them? Do they just die? Become snake food....?

If it were me, I would keep the babies, and begin trying to find them homes when you know their colors and genders. Sending them back to the pet store is like signing them up for doom.


----------



## clarry (May 19, 2008)

Please keep them if you can...I know it is probably daunting, and Ive never had a rat that has had babies and Im sure its not particularly easy...but I think the mother does much of the work (not that im 100% sure) and you just have to make sure they have a comfortable place for them to live and seperate them at the right time. 
But you do have to think that if this pet shop is a place that could sell you a rat which has obviously not been separated at the right time OR have not been aware of the genders of the rats they dont really care about them and will likely do the same with the babies of your girl.
Either that or they will go as feeders. Also babies should be kept with their mum up until 5 weeks AT LEAST if the mother is doing an ok job looking after her. Im sure if you kept them until they are old enough to be weened they will soon get adopted.


----------



## andyqt (Apr 3, 2010)

thanks for all the help.

i'll let you know what the big bad wolf does tomarrow.

i think were going to bring the pups and mother back to the shop and see if a surrigate mother takes them, if not will probably bring them home :-\


----------



## clarry (May 19, 2008)

would be nice if you could  Glad you are considering it if the other mum wont take them. Im sure you could get a cheap small cage somewhere. like maybe a cheap pet store or an argos type place.
good luck.


----------



## clarry (May 19, 2008)

He already did take them this morning I believe, There is another thread in accidental litters in which he says this is what he was planning on doing. I have offered a few websites etc and a breeder who takes some rescue litters on the other thread that are all in Ireland but Im not sure if andyqt saw it before going.


----------



## andyqt (Apr 3, 2010)

hey guys, got the number for the breeder where my pet shop gets his rats and he said i can bring them to him. 
i did this and he put the pups in with another new mother and she took them straight away. she only had 6 herself and i had 11 so she put them in 2 groups to look after them. this is the best i could do. 

sorry if i sounded a bit harsh at first, was just in a bit of shock after what happened, andyqt


----------



## clarry (May 19, 2008)

I wouldnt really agree that this is the best you could have done, as I dont really see that you took the help you were offered and perhaps just waited one or two more days, a quick fix may have been great for you but it wasnt for those pups. Thanks for keeping us all updated though.


----------

