# VERY scaredy rats!



## Nev&Remus (Nov 4, 2015)

We just got 2 new babies to add to our mischief in the next few weeks. Obviously in quarantine at the mo. They have barely been handled up to now (12 weeks) and are very timid. Any tips on how to gain the trust of barely human held rats? I'll be picking apart the immersion thread tomorrow but would love to hear experiences.


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## Gribouilli (Dec 25, 2015)

Start by offering something very yummy on a spoon like banana and a little peanut butter mixed together. They will have to come back for more since they can't run away with the treat (spoon).


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## RatAtat2693 (Jan 13, 2016)

Gribouilli said:


> Start by offering something very yummy on a spoon like banana and a little peanut butter mixed together. They will have to come back for more since they can't run away with the treat (spoon).


You wanna bet? Lol, I've had rats yank the spoon and run like mad. Didn't see that thing until cleaning time.


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## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

With really skittish rats I take them under a blanket with me for immersion... mostly they are afraid of everything as much as they are afraid of me... The covers tend to relax the rats while you start bonding with them.


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## Sushigirl (Sep 10, 2015)

I've been gaining the trust of my new girl too, I have been taking 15-20 minutes sitting in the (empty) bathtub with her and just let her do her own thing, giving her a pat and quietly talking to her when she approached. I brought her out this morning and used my blanket to make a little cave and just let her sit with me on the couch, she's slowly coming around.


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## Gribouilli (Dec 25, 2015)

RatAtat2693 said:


> You wanna bet? Lol, I've had rats yank the spoon and run like mad. Didn't see that thing until cleaning time.


You must hold to the spoon, lol


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## Nev&Remus (Nov 4, 2015)

Thanks for all the suggestions! I don't remember our first two boys ever being this afraid! The stuff on a spoon was a hit with them too though.


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## Nev&Remus (Nov 4, 2015)

Would you go ahead and scoop them out for cuddles like this or let them come to you? They squeak like maniacs if you try to pick them up.


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## Gribouilli (Dec 25, 2015)

Nev&Remus said:


> Would you go ahead and scoop them out for cuddles like this or let them come to you? They squeak like maniacs if you try to pick them up.


Scoop them up I think the immersion technique will work really well here.


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## raindear (Mar 3, 2015)

Scoop them up. The more time you spend with them, the sooner they will stop seeing you as a big gruff bear. Don't inadvertently teach them that by squeaking or biting they will get their way and not be handled. You need to handle them to get over any fear they have of being handled. Also note that a rat's fear response can last 20 to 30 minutes so longer sessions are better. A 30 minute session likely has no "quality" time in it. An hour session has 30 minutes of quality time, and a 2 hour session has 1 1/2 hour of quality time, so try to have sessions of at least an hour.


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## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

Actually... rats stress levels go up as they engage in trigger activities. They kind of wind up like a clock spring and then panic... then they need some time to calm down again and start to wind up again... You will notice this when you work with rats in stressful situations like outdoors... We had Misty out on the road with us today and she would explore for a while, then stress out and hide under my shirt... then calm down and explore again... rinse and repeat. This was only her third outing this year, and overall she did pretty well. With more time she'll take longer and longer to wind up and need less and less time to de-stress. You might see these cycles during immersion, but again it's normal and you really want your rat to run to you when the stress gets too high so you can comfort it.

But all in all short sessions don't work. Longer sessions help your rat get used to you and their situation, and it gives them time to think about and experience you and bond with you. You might experience stress cycles, but those are normal....

For those of you into rat behavior, there's a reason for the stress cycle in rats... If you ever watch wild rats... they will explore around for food, then suddenly they will dive back for cover for no good reason, like they are tied to a rubber band... This keeps rats from getting too comfortable in dangerous situations and it keep them from getting careless and getting killed. Eventually your pet rats will feel completely safe with you and in your home and they won't boomerang any more. But until then, don't panic when it happens... it's normal and adaptive behavior.


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## Nev&Remus (Nov 4, 2015)

We had a fantastic cuddle session last night. I scooped them both out & put them inside my jumper. Eventually the both came out for a look, started to smell my lips and fingers. I think we're making progress!


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## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

That sounds great! It seems so strangely counter-intuitive that that being somewhat assertive actually works better to socialize your rats to you... There are several good reasons, I don't need to re-cap here, but one of the first things I figured out was that the "give them space and time" approach did more damage than good for many rats. Even when rats meet and introduce themselves there's usually some fighting or rough play as they establish their relationships. It's very uncommon to bring in a new rat and have the rats you already own just give them space while they acclimate... in fact it's usually quite the opposite... but after the conflict is over your rats usually become the best of friends, bonded into a single family.

Keep up the good work.


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## Nev&Remus (Nov 4, 2015)

Thanks Rat Daddy! I'm so excited for the boys to finally meet. One of the new boys is 12 weeks, the other is one that no one seemed to want and is just short of a year. Our current boys are 8 months. It'll be an interesting meet and greet!


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## RatAtat2693 (Jan 13, 2016)

Gribouilli said:


> You must hold to the spoon, lol


I have really strong rats. ROUSes, really.


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## Nev&Remus (Nov 4, 2015)

RatAtat2693 said:


> I have really strong rats. ROUSes, really.


This made me LOL! I can appreciate that. Neville is a big boy, much bigger in size than the 1 yr old we just adopted.


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## raindear (Mar 3, 2015)

RatAtat2693 said:


> I have really strong rats. ROUSes, really.


Yeah, I'd let him have the spoon, too.


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## Gribouilli (Dec 25, 2015)

RatAtat2693 said:


> I have really strong rats. ROUSes, really.


Forget the spoon! Use a shovel, lol.


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## RatAtat2693 (Jan 13, 2016)

Gribouilli said:


> RatAtat2693 said:
> 
> 
> > I have really strong rats. ROUSes, really.
> ...


Lol. That's a lot of yogurt.

But seriously, my King boys are between 600-650 grams a piece, the little porkers. If I let my guard down, I'll be up to my elbow in fleece while searching for the spoon.


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## Nev&Remus (Nov 4, 2015)

This is our new 'old' boy Xeno. He's roughly a year old. Our 8 month old Alpha is bigger than him so hoping all goes well in intros!


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