The Rat Room

That is if bud is your body part. Some rats like to nip. I’m not talking blood gushing, bone cracking biting. Nips on the toes, on the arms, on the cheek… anywhere they please. I’ve had a few nippers in my colonies but lately I’ve been lucky with these new groups. My last big time nipper was Loki and she’s passed a good long while ago. So I thought, right on, I’m safe. The warm weather is here now and I no longer need my slippers nor my socks while hanging out in my home. To my surprise, I’m getting nipped again. Benjamin seems to think that toes are tasty. I think he actually enjoys the shrieking and sudden jerk of my foot cause he comes back for more. Nipping is not a bad thing in rats, in fact I believe it’s all part of their play and exploring process. I really don’t think there is any way to teach them not to do this although there are methods to discourage nipping. Shrieking loudly helps with some rats. Benji seems to like it but another thing you can try is enclosing the rat in a small cage. When they nip, you grab them immediately, say NO and put in the cage for 10 minutes. Repeat the process if he continues. Eventually he will associate small enclosure and nipping does not make for a happy rat.
I’ve noticed though that with time the rat seems to grow out of the nipping. I’ve never punished it, I was simply careful. I’ve always regarded it as a hello, I’m here, give me some attention, it’s definitely nothing malicious or aggressive.
So next time you take your socks off…watch out for tiny teeth.