# why do they bite our hands?



## Ultrabeat (Nov 16, 2011)

have 3 rats all of which are girls....
one was new home yesterday introduction was fine. they were all cuddling within 15mins 

the new one was with a normal rat not dumbo and she was a few months old alot bigger and she was a bitter... now this new one seems to be abit nippy too. 
i was stroking her and she nipped me, also when i put my hand near her mouth so she can smell me she gave me a few nips one of them was a high pressure bite, and im sure if she wanted to it could have brokn skin.

is this normal for rats will they just chew on fingers everynow and then? she has only done it twice but the other two have never bit me.

until today the other one did, but not too hard? could it be a smell of food on my hand should i expect to be bitten from time to time?


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## Maltey (Jun 26, 2011)

Rats do learn things from other rats. If your new rat is a biter then the old rat could've learned this trait- I know my Annie has started testing me since Lola has taught her that you can bite humans!
There's a couple of options to try; first off make sure you wash your hands so they don't smell of any food or something tasty that they'd want to eat. 
Try giving them a fist to smell. That way there's nothing for them to really latch on to to bite. This really helped with my new rescue who used to bite me really hard.
Then if they do bite you, you want to make an eeping sound like a rat would if it got bitten because it's possible that they're just testing you out and don't know that it's hurting you. I know this worked wonders with a couple of my girls.
If they continue doing it (and stick with the eeping for a couple of weeks) then you can try just walking away. They might be doing it for attention so the best thing you can do is not give them any if they bite you.
Whilst most rats can be broken of this habit some are just a bit nippy.


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## alliepenguin (May 6, 2011)

I've always been told that new rats will nibble you to find out what you are. Eventually this habit stops, as long as they know they can't break skin. Mine all went through the phase and stopped. I did do as the previous poster suggested with the eeping sound to let them know if it is hurting you.  Good luck


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## Beanhead (Nov 21, 2011)

Bite em back.


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## calisphere (Oct 25, 2011)

I know that my two baby girls often chew on me, but they are doing that soft grooming bite. I've had to stop them as they've discovered I have soft nails, so when they get started on chewing off my nails, I take my hand away. As Allie and Maltey said, the eeping does wonders. I've not done it with rats, but have with turtles, dogs, cats, hamsters, and birds. I adjust the sound to the animal (different sound for a dog than a cat). You'd be surprised at how well it works, even for silly turtles. I do hope you only have to put up with it for a few more weeks though! Rats are smart, they'll get it.


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## Ultrabeat (Nov 16, 2011)

Thanks for the replies. Yeah gonna try the squeaking. Just thought it was weird cause they love cuddles and are really friendly.


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## HighwayStar (Aug 20, 2010)

My newest girl did the same. She would grab me with her little hands and nibble. She's moved on to licking like the other ladies do. Good luck.


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## noMoreFaith (Apr 28, 2010)

It could also be a sign of playfullness, I think. One of my young girls often hides under my blanket, nibbles my hand and waits until i push her back (playfully) or tickle her, then she runs/hops around the bed and returns to nibble, etc.


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## sonicboom (Sep 3, 2011)

One of mine has taken to biting my feet/socks, and if I go OWWW, and I usually do, and move my foot away, she thinks it's a game and she'll run away a little then come back within a second for another nip :/


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## Karagraaf (Oct 14, 2011)

I was on just about to post about nipping! My newest girl, Dorothy has been giving me alot of trouble and she still isn't tamed. She's slightly better, i guess but nips at me somewhat hard everytime I go to pet or pick her up. Weeping doesn't stop her at all either. I'm siting on the floor in a room with them during their free play time right now as i type and she ran up and bit my hand out of no where. She has also nipped my toes then ran away 3 times! I don't know what to do with her, the toe thing might be playful. after you just said that, I can see it but I'm not so sure about the other times. Here as I type, my little love bug, Lucy is on my shoulder grooming my long hair and tangling herself in it and my other one, Cuckoo, Is on my legs, messing with my fingers as I type. And Dorothy is in the corner, as far away from me as possible except the random times she runs up to nip my toe


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## Karagraaf (Oct 14, 2011)

Weeping? Autocorrect for eeping


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## stephaniechung (Mar 9, 2010)

All rats are different. When I got my first two rats, one was social right away and the other wanted nothing to do with me. However, he never bit me. I ended up forcing him to sit on my lap for 3 hours a day for two weeks straight. It worked.You might want to try spending some time alone with the trouble rat. Don't try to pick it up or anything but maybe get a jar of baby food and spoon feed her some treats. It's a good way for her to get used to being near your hand.


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