bitey girl

[handmeafish]

A few people have heard me talk about this little girl on the forum. She was the rat that was biting a lot under stress in the store. She got adopted, and even though I'd been throwing a fit about making sure she went with the right people, she ended up with some stupid people who kept her in a hamster cage for several months until they brought her back because she bit too much. :rant:
LUCKLY Phyllis is going to take her :joy: when she's on vacay in Colorado in a few weeks... She's not living under the best of conditions, the cage I was able to come up with has to wide of bars so she gets out really easy. Its going to be a travel cage (which is why I agreed to take it) and its pretty small. So for now, she's in an aquarium when I'm not home, and out with me if I am... unless the boys are out, then she is securely away. I am thinking, sense its only temporary, I might move the 3 smaller boys in the travel cage for a few weeks, and put her in the super pet... It just doesn't seem fair to give the SP to the one girl, and put 3 boys in the tiny little GP cage... its barely bigger than the 10gal. I'm really broke, and I'd really rather not dip into my vet savings to buy hard ware cloth or another cage, so I am trying really hard to work with what I've got.

Anyway, cageing isn't really the problem... the problem is that she does bite, she bites hard, and she draws blood. She took a chunk out of my pinky, and a chunk out of my ring finger. When she bit my finger, I was petting her, inside her cage. When she bit my ring finger, she was out of the cage, but under a blanket. I don't know what to do with her, but I'd like to work with her before Phyllis gets here, so she doesn't bite her the whole way home. She wont take food from me, in the cage or out (not even really good stuff, like cherrios, or recess puffs.. cause i'm desprate) but if i put things in the cage and leave them she will eat them.
Any ideas on what I can do to help her trust me?

Shes so busy all the time, its funny compared to the boys who just sleep alllll day. :lol:

 

[SQ]

talk to her a lot, have her cage near you.
give her nice things to eat so she will see you as good.

Does she just bite in the cage or outside the cage as well?
Any pattern you notice about when she bites?

Too bad you aren't here ... I like biters

 

[handmeafish]

no pattern to the biting that I've seen so far. I've been giving her all kind of treats, and I talk to her pretty constantly (I like to talk out lout, its good to have an excuse lol.)
She bites both in an out of the cage. Shes ok if I move kind of quick to pick her up, if I hold her and cuddle she doesn;t bite, but if I linger, she bites me.
I think once she bit be because I suprised her. She was under a blanket and I reached under, and she nipped quick. Every other tine shes bitten me has been when I'm scratching her ears, more in the cage than out. The past couple of days I've just let her stay in my bed, while I read, I don't really acknowledge her. She will sniff me, and run away, she will build a nest on my bed, chew my sheets, play around, then show a little intrest in me... I don't get it.

 

[hopefloats]

does your hand smell like the boys?

And dont linger and she wont bite that is how this ferret is, mally will bite me if i pet her head, or her back.

With toby, i left him on a table with his cage open. I bribed him with a treat for a full week, he wouldnt take them at first, so I would set them by them. I let him come out on his own. If you went near him, he would bite you. I also had to not let his bites win either, I didnt back away because he would try to bite.

Biters are tough, I know shelagh has more experience and Sq seems to love them!

I love them but I havent had a tough case other than mally and she refused all of the tricks, so she does what she wants here. She is fine with rats, she just dont like people.

 

[SQ]

As hopefloats said, don't linger when you pat.
I am sure you know to scoop when picking up, and not to come at her from above.

It sounds to me like things are actually coming along fine.
It will take time, but it you are off to a good start.
Phyllis is excellent with rats and will be able to start where ever you are at with her.

Shelaugh has a lot of experience with biters. Jorats has some experience too as do Godmother and me.
You might see if they have any suggestions for you.

 

[hopefloats]

oh the scoop! yes and dont forget to announce to her you are coming. I always say their name. It helps a lot.

 

[handmeafish]

ok I have been doing my best to make sure she knows i'm there, and yeah I'm scooping her up. She seems ok when I pick her up. I'm not like holding my hand by her head and not petting her... I'll be scratching behind her ears, and all of a sudden she'll chomp, with no warning. I've just been keeping my extra fingers pulled up into my hand, and using one or two fingers to scratch her head.

PS I think i've figured out a temporary housing solution.
Seamus, the instigator of most of my fights, will go into the small GP cage (Maybe with Arthur who's old and doesn't move around tooo much), while I put the 3 smaller boys in with Harry (and maybe Arthur) in the bigger Super pet rabbit cage. Then Essey will go in the Super pet exoctis. I decided that she'd had a rough life and deserved it. I think she'll enjoy the hammocks and climbing levels, plus she's SO high energy. I swear she doesn't stop moving lol. She gets the wheel too, sense it appears Neville was the only one who used it, and its just taking up space in the rabbit cage. Then no one will be living in a nasty aquarium.

I don't think I will have problems with intros, I've never had any problems with the 3 youngest boys and Harry or Arthur, just Seamus, and they've all met a ton of times now. Only poor little Essey will be alone SO glad Phyllis agreed to take her. She will be able to live out the rest of her life in supreme comfort, instead of bouncing from home to home.

 

[jorats]

Sounds to me like she's very scared and worried a lot about humans. Lots of socializing, patience and care. She'll come around eventually.

 

[handmeafish]

she nibbled at the heel of my foot today, I think almost to see how I'd react. as soon as I moved, she darted back under the covers in my bed.
So far, i'm desentitizing her the same way I would a dog. I'm scooping her up, putting her on my bed, and then I am sitting on my bed, watching a movie or reading while she runs around and investigates. I have been putting out food, some times i'll put it on my leg, sometimes I'll hold it out till she takes it, other times I just leave it next to me. I've been cheeting and using really good stuff thats really bad for her, but only one or two of those, and the rest is fresh veggies.
Today we had a piece of broccoli, some kale, a resses puff and half a cheez-it. The cheez-it was by far her fave.
I am going to make fresh liners for the super pet tomorrow, and I will be moving everyone around and cleaning it all up then. I think when shes on my bed she's got her nose up in the air constantly looking for the boys, and I don't want her stressing over them if the cage smells too much like them. I know I would be able to get it completely out, but at least she'll have never been pee'd on liners. The hammocks wont be new tho, just washed. I don't have enough fabric to make any new hammocks. The only reason I have enough for liners was because I was planning a new set any way.

Any other ideas on trust training for her. I am afraid to put her in my shirt, I see that ending in a bloody mess. I am going to post pictures eventually, but i'm being lazy.I'll post one of my newest bite too... its pretty awesome, she did some damage.

 

[jorats]

You are doing great! I agree, no down the shirt yet. I've seen them go for the tummy and other um, sensitive parts. lol
Another thing you could do is scoop, kiss, put down. A few minutes later, scoop, kiss, put down... When you do that, exhale on the rat. She will get used to your smell that way, almost in the same way as having a rat down your shirt, bonding with your scent. So either way, she's getting your smell all the time.

 

[tinytippytoes]

I was wondering how is she doing?

 

[handmeafish]

She is living large in the Super pet exotics, running in the hammocks, and snacking and hoarding her food...
But its much harder to get her out of this cage, so we haven't been doing as much trust training... i'm not brave enough to just try to grab her, because the last time she bit be it was bad. But I've been giving her lots of treats and talking to her... She seems much happier. I've also been putting old tshirts in with her after I sleep in them for a night... She seems to like snuggling in them. Shes a nester too which is funny. None of my others have done that.

 

[jorats]

Some rats just aren't people rats and we need to respect that. Sounds like she's a happy girl.
Biting and nesting... Mmm, any chance she's pregnant?

 

[handmeafish]

Not as far as I know... Shes been biting for months, and I haven't let her near the boys. Unless she managed to escape from her cage, get into the boys cage, and then get back into her own with out me noticing (Possible, but improbable)

I honestly think she was abused. Based on how she holds her self when I pet her, and if she's out with me she gets nervous when I move... That plus the conditions she was brought to us in (at least the second time) it wouldn't be surprising. I figure as long as she seems happy, and if she comes to me, then I will let her climb on me and come out, but she doesn't seem to like being picked up at all...

 

[jorats]

You just gotta love her on her terms. She's lucky to have you.

 

[handmeafish]

Phyllis is taking her soon, and I think she will be even luckier. From what I understand phyllis has a lot more experience with this stuff than I do.

 

[jorats]

Oh definitely!