Adopted Solitary Rat-Tips?

[dischmarie]

Hello,

I adopted a solitary rat today from the Animal Humane Society. She was surrendered due to being very aggressive with other rats. She is also extremely skittish. I had rats as a child but I always had a really good experience with rats getting along and never had a rat alone. They also were all super friendly and eager to be held as we got them when they were babies. If anyone has any tips regarding helping an adult rat get accustomed to me that would be greatly appreciated. Based on her history I don’t feel entirely comfortable getting her a pal because she has been alone for at least a year now.

I have watched a few YouTube videos about treating rats and training them to be more comfortable with humans so I am doing research I am just seeking any other help you may have!! I also saw that getting a small stuffed animal could help with loneliness and I am thinking of doing that!

Thank you for any help!

P.S. Her name is Modge Podge we’ve been calling her Modgie. And she’s so cute

 

[Coffee Babies]

My personal way of training is to reward confidence, which can mean generally (like acting curious, running to you or the front of the cage, engaging in trick training (rats who are feeling overwhelmed have a hard time learning tricks)) or more specific to what your rats afraid of (this can be super specific fears) for example if my rats are afraid of unexpected noises I find something that makes a loud sound (like tin foil), make the sound (they might flinch, freeze, or run away) then put that item down, then I reward if they come over to sniff the item. What's very important is getting your rat very confident with you so just spending time with her, getting her used to you while also associating you with food or fun is great bonding. Additionally it's very important to be aware of your rats body language while spending time with them, the major ones in my experience are when your rat freezes and stares at nothing, and when their grooming. When your rat does this just give them time to calm down before continuing.

P.S. I'd love to see pictures !!

 

[dischmarie]

My personal way of training is to reward confidence, which can mean generally (like acting curious, running to you or the front of the cage, engaging in trick training (rats who are feeling overwhelmed have a hard time learning tricks)) or more specific to what your rats afraid of (this can be super specific fears) for example if my rats are afraid of unexpected noises I find something that makes a loud sound (like tin foil), make the sound (they might flinch, freeze, or run away) then put that item down, then I reward if they come over to sniff the item. What's very important is getting your rat very confident with you so just spending time with her, getting her used to you while also associating you with food or fun is great bonding. Additionally it's very important to be aware of your rats body language while spending time with them, the major ones in my experience are when your rat freezes and stares at nothing, and when their grooming. When your rat does this just give them time to calm down before continuing.

P.S. I'd love to see pictures !!

Thank you so, so much for this. Do you have any treats that are your favorite? This is day one with lil Modgie so we really will be getting to know one another but I am curious if there are any really good confidence treating foods?

 

[Coffee Babies]

Oh I forgot about that! There are two ways you can use treats one is to use a licking treat (sugar free yogurt) which forces the rat to stay with you, to lick instead of bite, and to associate being with you/your skin with something good. Or you can use tiny bits of treats (peas, bits of cheerios) which encourages your rat to keep coming back.