On Aug. 11 of this year I took in two very ill rats. Q had/has pyoderma and is improving. This is about the other girl of the pair, Dosh. From what I understand she's had a URI for most of her life. After trying several combinations of medicines she has finally gotten better.(She is still on meds for another week and a half though to complete a full month of her current meds.)
But as her health improves her attitude declines. It started out as biting through the bars of the cage only. So I was careful and made sure to keep my hands away. One night though I apparently let my arm get too close and she managed to bite me. (Actual blood drawn bite, not a nip.) Then it progressed to cage aggression, and if I was in the cage I was fair game. I was both bitten and nipped a number of times in the cage. So I would just open the door and let her come out. Tonight that failed as well. She was out on my lap, and out of the blue she turned around and bit my arm, hard. She even pulled at my arm and refused to let go for a good 30-45 seconds.
On top of that she might have bit Q on the shoulder, causing there to be a small opening, close to or smaller then the size of my pinky nail. (I didn't see it happen so I don't know for certain.)
I have always "eeped" at her, and made sure to not yank my hand or arm away. The noise doesn't seem to deter her and the biting is getting worse. She is not acting like she is in pain, so I don't think that's it. Could it just be her personality finally showing as she's feeling better or should I be watching out for signs of something more serious?
But as her health improves her attitude declines. It started out as biting through the bars of the cage only. So I was careful and made sure to keep my hands away. One night though I apparently let my arm get too close and she managed to bite me. (Actual blood drawn bite, not a nip.) Then it progressed to cage aggression, and if I was in the cage I was fair game. I was both bitten and nipped a number of times in the cage. So I would just open the door and let her come out. Tonight that failed as well. She was out on my lap, and out of the blue she turned around and bit my arm, hard. She even pulled at my arm and refused to let go for a good 30-45 seconds.
On top of that she might have bit Q on the shoulder, causing there to be a small opening, close to or smaller then the size of my pinky nail. (I didn't see it happen so I don't know for certain.)
I have always "eeped" at her, and made sure to not yank my hand or arm away. The noise doesn't seem to deter her and the biting is getting worse. She is not acting like she is in pain, so I don't think that's it. Could it just be her personality finally showing as she's feeling better or should I be watching out for signs of something more serious?
