# Biting!



## ana_os (Mar 17, 2006)

I recently got a rat (Ossie!) from a friend of mine. He is about 7 months old and isn't used to being handled. As well as this the little trouble bites! :roll: 

I handle him every day now and don't force him to come out 
but
what do I do when he bites me? 

I've heard people say tap them on the nose with a stick (never a finger!) or just ignore it but I don't want this bad habit of Ossie's to get any worse.

What do you think?

thanks  

ana xxx


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## bananaman (Mar 17, 2006)

hey there, im having the same issue... i bought two rats, i read everything i could before i got them and i got them from the equivalent of petco here in mexico (which isnt much to say)... anyways, the hairless one had bitten me twice, but today it got me good, it drew blood from both incisions...

i swear i dont know what i did wrong, i was trying to do some bonding and stuff, it didnt seemed scared or anything, i was giving it treats, it was finally venturing out of the cage and i was trying to sort of pet it, or pet its head when bam! my right middle finger got tagged...

any info on what we can do and why it could have happened would be great... thanks everyone


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## ratty_miss (Mar 18, 2006)

> I've heard people say tap them on the nose with a stick


i wouldn't recommend this at all. rat's noses are fragile, and that could hurt them, and it will just scare them more. 

you can buy thick leather gloves and wear those while handling the rat so you wont get bitten. at first, try just holding you hand inside their cage for a while. that way they are where they feel secure, and can get used to your hand more slowly. you can hold food (like veggies- broccoli is good) or treats on you hand to encourage them to come closer.

you can also cut up an old shirt and put it in their cage. that way they get used to your smell (make sure you have worn the shirt recently so it smells like you)

rats have poor eyesight. their main senses are smell and hearing. try not to move suddenly in their presence because that will startle them. 

also, you can put on 2 shirts and tuck them in, then put the rat in between the shirts and let him/her run around for 20 minutes or so. 

also just spending time near you rats cage talking to them in a soft voice helps.


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## Zalensia (Mar 18, 2006)

Everything ratty miss has said I would agree with.
It just takes time.
Start off with your hand near them, dont try picking them up yet.


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## bananaman (Mar 17, 2006)

excellent advise... thank you... im making some progress already i think, they are starting to wander out of their cage... hopefully next week i can try that shirt suggestion... cheers


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## Dawn (Mar 18, 2006)

I am so sorry you guys have been bitten! 
How long have you had your rats?
I can tell you what was suggested to me,
I would open my rats cage and just sit, yup sit.
Sit and watch! 
Everytime I left after a sitting session I would leave 
green pea's...I dont know what it is about pea's.
Most rats seem to go CRAZY for them.
Put them in a bowl of water and watch.
It is so much fun!


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## ana_os (Mar 17, 2006)

thanks everyone! 
ratty_miss - i love the suggestion about the shirt! It sounds great so I'll do that.
Dawn, I do just as you did. I love to sit and watch Ossie rat and he comes over to me now, jumps out of the cage and crawls on my lap. I "click and treat" (clicker training) and stroke him. He seems to like that but gets curious sometimes and turns his head around to sniff my hand. I just say to him "You won't hurt me if you bite! I'll mend!" : ) and he turns away. 
Another problem is that I'm a student so it's hard to sit with Ossie for a long time. He likes to run around me on my bed when I do my coursework though!

Thanks again everyone!!!

ana xxx


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## peejeeratties (Mar 22, 2006)

Luckily I've never been biten before, hubby has but that was a pain bite. One of my girls from a long time ago, shattered her ankle and when we were exaiming her before taking her to the vet, she bite my husband to the point of drawing blood, but then almost immediately after started to love on him to say "I'm sorry"

If they are biting because they are scared, one thing I always do with new ratties is trust training. I start with a very small amount of peanut butter on the end of a long spoon, after a couple of days, I move to a shorter spoon, and then to my finger. Since you start with the spoon, you will be able to tell if they are going to try and "take" your finger with them. The most I've ever had was one that clamped down to take me into the cage with them, but never bad enough for blood.

All of the suggested ideas above are great ones, and ones that work rather well. Also, try not to reach in from above, it seems to freak them out a little

Shirley


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## Dawn (Mar 18, 2006)

I am just WAAAAAYYY to scared to put any peanut butter on my finger!
WAY WAY WAY to chicken for that!


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## peejeeratties (Mar 22, 2006)

It really isn't that bad. Try it on a spoon first to see how they react. If they calmly just like it off, go ahead and try it, they won't take off with your finger. If they try and grab the spoon, chances are they will try and take your finger. Get them use to the spoon and gradually change over.

Here is my sweet little Kimberly, eating peanut butter off of Chuck's (my hubby) finger http://multiparts.no-ip.com/PeeJee/Rats/imagepages/image274.html

or how about some babies all getting peanut butter at the same time http://multiparts.no-ip.com/PeeJee/Rats/imagepages/image568.html
http://multiparts.no-ip.com/PeeJee/Rats/imagepages/image573.html

Shirley


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## bananaman (Mar 17, 2006)

darn ratties! too cute! congrats...

on the other hand ...

I'm so happy cause today great progress was made... earlier during the day they had shun me and I felt horrible, as if going back... but just now I took the cage, put it in my bed and opened it. I put a pair of old baggy shorts over myself, and when the albino came out I said "its time" (lol) and I cupped her up with both hands, she squirmed, and I put her inside the shorts...

she kept crawling all around, popping her head out periodically for treats which I gladly gave her... then it was the hairless's turn... she came out, I lured her to my shorts (still not confident enough to try to pick her up) and sort of nudged her to go in... she went in and they both ran around over me inside the shorts (I wasnt wearing them lol, they were OVER me)... they were given treats for being good girls, no nervous poo-ing and finally they both snuggled in there and went to sleep... i pet them both over the shorts and they didnt run away like before... so iguess thats good...

I just woke them up a while later, opened the shorts and the hairless one came out and walked to her cage... I picked up the albino and put her in her cage (peed on me but who cares) and they both went straight to bed... i tell ya... progress feels good, especially when these girls were SO not friendly a week ago, i seriously thought it wouldnt happen... thanks for all the advice, ive been reading it all and taking it into account... later!

here are the little ones:


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## Dawn (Mar 18, 2006)

bananaman
That is great news! Keep at it. 
Try not to get hurt if you have good days and then the next day a bad day....that is what happened with me.
My rats still have nervous times and then others they come rigth out to see me??? So I just kind of accepted their personalities and let them play if they want or not.


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## peejeeratties (Mar 22, 2006)

What cute little ones )

The one that peed on you, was she just marking you or is she still doing the "fear" pee? or did you just have her out too long???

Peejee, my first girl, actually would do a peepee dance )

Shirley


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## bananaman (Mar 17, 2006)

it was fear pee... but hasnt happened again... theyre on my lap now as i write... so much love...


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## ratty_miss (Mar 18, 2006)

> it was fear pee


of course i wasn't there, but sometimes they can wee on you and even if they still are nervouse, it can be the first "acceptance"

also, hairless rats get cold easier, so it is good for them to have a furry friend (which it sounds like yours does) and you can also give them lots of tissue or toilet paper for warmth, or buy some cheap fleece blankets and cut them up so they can line their nest with them


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## bananaman (Mar 17, 2006)

yes, my hairless has her furry buddy with her... and they have old cut up tshirts for warmth... i hope it was acceptance haha, it sure looks like it... very friendly now... thanks again


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## ana_os (Mar 17, 2006)

Awwwww bananaman n Shirley those pics r sooooo cute!

Making good progress with little Ossie and I'm very keen to try the peanut butter thing (think I might share some with him! hehe)

ana xxx


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## ratty_miss (Mar 18, 2006)

oh! *smacks self on head* how could i forget... giving peanut butter plain to rats is VERY risky. since it tastes so good, rats eat it fast...and it is a goopey kind of thing, so they can easily eat too much and choke to death. its happened before. it's much safer to spread it thinly on a cracker and give it to them. doughy bread is also dangerous for the same reason. please consider using the cracker method instead


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## ana_os (Mar 17, 2006)

Is it not good enough to spread a thin layer on the spoon? He doesn't eat it too quickly and he's learning that not all food is a "take-away"! 

Hopefully, when I get to the stage of putting it on my finger, he won't snatch that either!

Thanks guys! 

xxx


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## Dawn (Mar 18, 2006)

1 of my rats snatches food with intent to kill.
I tried last night to hold the treat and repeat the word "Nice"
kind of like how I taught my dog....but I still dont think he had a clue as to what the heck I was talking about and he tried even harder to get the treat out of my fingers...
Nope I wont be putting any peanut butter on any of my fingers anytime soon! LOL!!!


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## ana_os (Mar 17, 2006)

I surpose every animal has a different temperment. They're just people in different bodies! So just like people, you get the nasty ones, the cheeky ones, the friendly ones, the ones that don't want to know or learn....... 

My rat sounds like your cheeky little thing Dawn! When they take food it's as if they haven't seen it before. 

Sooooo cheeky and bad mannered of my little Ossie rat!


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## pinnacle (May 24, 2006)

Huh huh! My rat bites but not often. It is just a nibble because of the carrots I give him. He thinks my finger is the carrot!


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## Dawn (Mar 18, 2006)

I got bit for the first time the other day.
My daughter wanted to take 1 rat for show and tell at school.
I put Munchie in the vet carrier...I reached in to pick up a raisin
before we got to the class.
Well he did not bite down hard...he did not break my skin.
It was like when he realized what he was biting he stopped.
I decided that he liked his raisins and the 6 year olds would have to deal
with them too...


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## allyb (Jun 5, 2006)

hi,
the problem i in counter most of the time is people come to me as they know i have rats and say my rat keeps biteing u take it and of coruse i take it on .
they later tell me they feed it titbits though the bars of the cage
that is a huge NO NO
. but with in a few months i have them out drinking coffee off my fingers etc.
it takes time and a lot of love to get them bak on track but it dose happen patince is the best key no matter how long it takes.

i used to just put my hand it in the cage and just leave it there(sometimes i thought i was mad no glove or any thing)
i just let they run over it and sniff it and test it with there teeth.

some times rats get labeled biters cos the mouth peoples hand and maybe the person pulled there hand away to quick and it caught the teeth.
most most of the time its just the feel of the teeth on ur skin is enough to scare people.

just take ur time with them .i`am so pleased for u for the progress u have already keep it up.
and above anything else have fun


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## Darkstar (Sep 22, 2006)

My rats don't bite but they do Drag their teeth on me some times (jack especially) when i'm cuddling with them they'll walk to the edge of my foot or somthing and do their little happy click for a moment then before they turn around they snag their teeth on my toe or finger lol i don't mind it really tickles and i'm afraid to try the peanut butter thing because all of my rats are EXTREMELY greedy i give them treats and they snatch and run so i've started wrestling them for the treats lol it's quite fun and they don't seem to mind too much...


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## ratwings (Sep 3, 2006)

Its nice to hear you guys are making some progress with your bighting rats. They just need love, attention and time until they become very attached to you. Keep at it!


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## apj-666 (Sep 26, 2006)

hey, im new to the rat world.  ..always wanted one hopefully getting one soon so i thought i'd read up on some stuff...first of all do their bites hurt?

thanks


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## lilnuttbutt (Sep 28, 2006)

I not only own rats, but work with them in behaviorla labs. The best thing to do, is reward reward reward. Rats are extremely smart, and the more you reward them for small things, the better. Find something sweet (they love sugar) and only give it to them while doing a handling session. if they poke at you, give a treat to them, if they step toards you, give them a snack. It will be slow and depending on the rat, it may take weeks. After sometime they will come to you just when you walk to the cage, they will see the reward of being near you. Then try just petting them slowly. they scoop your hand, but don't pick them up yet, then ease into it. Always rewarding with the smallest step towards coming out and being held. Honestly. if you sit your shirt in their and they know your sent, along with training this way, they will become very very social, and easy to handle. Thats how I've trained mine, and they are wonderful. 

GOOD LUCK!!


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## King420 (Jan 6, 2007)

OK i read through the thread and didn't see any thing that addresses my situation........i have had my rat for a lil over 2 weeks and his training is coming along good except, he likes to bite my ears. i know this is because they are pierced but is there any way to stop this? Also while im here, he dosent seem to be understanding how to work his water bottle, i have to squeeze the water out for him. with my last rat i had to put kool aid in the water bottle to teach her but i don't want to do that this time, i dont think its that healthy for him. Any advice?


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## twitch (Jan 4, 2007)

make a loud squeak like another rat would make when getting bit. this worked on most of the babies i rasied. if that doesn't work, and give it time, then tap him on the nose and squeak or say ouch. this will teach him to stop biting or to at least be more gentle. as for the water bottle, put a dab of honey on the tip. he'll lick the honey off and learn that he gets water the same way. you shouldn't have to do this too long. i normally don't have to it at all unless the rat has come from a neglicted situation. most rats pick water bottles up pretty quick if you leave them to it. and you never know, maybe he does know how to use the water bottle (uses it when you're not there to watch) but likes the attention he gets when you water him personally. try the honet just in case and stop squeezing out water for him and instead spend timecuddling him or playing with him. he'll get the hang of the water bottle fast enough.


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## King420 (Jan 6, 2007)

ok ill try that, because he knows that he has to go to the bottle to get the water, he even licks it. but he wont push on the ball to get the water out. maybe this has something to do with his upper respritory, i just started treating it a day or 2 ago(when i noticed the red stuff on his nose)with amoxacilin. im hopeing that he will be ok in a week or so. as for the biting, i think ill just keep telling him no, it seems to be the same as wat you told me but just a different word. as for boping him on the nose, i really dont want to do that because rats noses are very fragile, so i hope the "no" thing works.

Thank you very much though.


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## twitch (Jan 4, 2007)

i know the nose is fragile, i'm not telling you to wack it or anything hard. but if you just say no and don't connect it to to something negative then he won't learn what the word means. if you don't think you can control the strength of your tap enough that your still uncomfortable tapping him on the nose, then scruff him or bop him on the bottom. or think of something else to conect the word no to a negative thing so he know s to avoid being told no. you don't have to hurt him to get the message across but he does need to know what the word means. 

anyway, good luck with it all.


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## King420 (Jan 6, 2007)

ok ill try that thanks for the advise.


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## King420 (Jan 6, 2007)

BTW, i did have to bop him on the nose a couple times, not hard, but he got the point. He started biteing my fingers really hard after i had givin him food, like he was tryin to say "dude gimmi more dam food!" but he has eased up on the biteing, thanx for the advice.


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