HElp! Biting rat!

[B&B'sMum23]

Our new baby girl bites us, not a nip but almost goes right through the skin, for now I put her in her own cage by herself, ideas?!

 

[eagle]

What is going on when she bites. Are you waking her up, is she eating.....

 

[B&B'sMum23]

i picked her up she wasnt eating my boyfriend wen to pet her on the head and she bit me, neither of my other two girls ever bite me

 

[eagle]

Many rats do not like to be petted from the top of the head, it can be viewed as being dominate. Try petting from the side and see if that makes a difference. Had your boyfriend been eating at the time and still had the smell of food on his hands?

 

[SQ]

Why did you put her in her own cage by herself?
How old is she?

 

[jorats]

Any chance of the little girl being pregnant?

 

[B&B'sMum23]

I have a feeling tina wasnt handled much when she was young.. I dont think shes pregnent hopefully i can tell soon if she is, but shes very shy and nervous being in a new enviroment

 

[PitLuvs]

I would give her a bit more time, you only just brought her home recently? Sometimes new homes and new people can be a bit overwhelming to some rats. Like humans and other animals, they all have certain personalities and some are more nervous than other. If she wasn't handled very well before you, then chances are she's not ready to trust. For all she knows, you could be like her old owners! Give her some time, and she will see you are a better person and nothing to fear Offer lots of treats, keep your hands in her cage a lot and relax. She can sense your fear of being bit, and most animals see humans with fear as unpredictable. So, she's going to bite you before you bite her lol

 

[I_Monster]

I have a biter, she's broken skin more than once in undoubtedly aggressive attacks, not confused about food smells. She was very aggressive with the older rat I had when I got the biter to the point I wouldn't house her with the older. (the older had a tumor on her leg and wasn't able to fight back, the newbie (I got to befriend the older when her sister died) would even steal food from her a stash it where the handicapped rat couldn't get it, that didn't fly with me).

long story short, some rats just have crappy attitudes.

My biter is still around, I've given her a second chance, and she's now housed with two other healthy rats and she seems a little calmer nowadays. She was very aggressive with the newer two at first but they're all friends now. She hasn't bit me in a while but she will NOT be held, and when I have to pick her up, usually for cleaning out the cage, she shrieks and fluffs up. She just hates being touched.

The best technique I know of is spoon-feeding them pudding, or something they cant grab, at the door and they'll come to trust you. I'm thinking this is why I don't get bit anymore. That or she just learned the repercussions are less than enjoyable... but I think the positive reinforcement does more than 'punishment', but without a negative, positive has no context.

 

[hopefloats]

we have had 3 biters out of our 11 rats.

Toby male, treated bad, fixed, best rat ever now.

Mally didnt use to bite, she is the baby of the girls and they beat her up, but she usually starts it. She was biting me really bad every time i went near her, but I started holding her or putting her on my lap and petting her. slowly with treats and petting at the same time. they are far and few now..

Isis bit me every time i put her in a cage or took her out, she would look like Tasmanian devil literally attacking my finger. After a few weeks she calmed down and we had not other incidence in months. Now she does not like anyone else, she will come to my youngest daughter and I just fine. My oldest daughter goes near her she bites her every single time.

I know some people have girls that are biters. We have had some success in training them by them selves but as you can see with isis she is just a biter lol i think my oldest smells like cats because she has a cat in her room.

I have also noticed they dont like other animals smells either, they would nip at us at first if we touched the boys prior .. some rats take longer to adjust and if they are nervous they seem to be more prone to bite

 

[noxnoctis]

I have the same problem. I know it is not from the smell of food, or noise. my youngest son was seating by the rats cage with his hand just out side of the cage. she stocked him and then pounced and bite him. he did not have his fingers in the cage she she came through the cage and got it. she the bite went all the way through his finger.

 

[jorats]

I have the same problem. I know it is not from the smell of food, or noise. my youngest son was seating by the rats cage with his hand just out side of the cage. she stocked him and then pounced and bite him. he did not have his fingers in the cage she she came through the cage and got it. she the bite went all the way through his finger.

If your girl can get through the cage like that, you need a better cage. Rats like to try and grab things out of reach. You should see my curtains.
How old are your girls?

 

[noxnoctis]

my girls are 6 months old. and no the cage is fine. they can not get out. the areas of the cage where they could get out I have added extra wire preventing them from getting out. .she turned her heard and stuck her mouth out while she was grabbing his hand and pulling it in. yea maybe I should have worded it better, she did not get out but stuck her mouth out to bite him.

 

[jorats]

Aw, ok... I'm guessing she thought she was getting herself a prize. How is she otherwise, outside the cage, during out time, is she biting then too? Is your son young? Maybe tell the kids not to hold their hands too close to the cage, even their shirts, rats love to drag in clothes.

 

[noxnoctis]

well that is the thing we can not get her out of the cage., if she comes out then she goes right back in. if we pick her up she gets really tense and squeaks, we have 2 others that love getting out. but peri I don't know. she will come to the door of the cage and crawl on the cage door when it is open. my wife and I can pet her and sometime she will let us get her out for only a few seconds at a time. she seem really scared when the kids are around. but my kids are not screaming or running around the cage. or doing anything else that make would make her scared. the other 2 ratties have no problems with the kids they will play with the kids and run to them. but peri will run away. as for Peri she has not biten anyone outside of the cage. it has only been through the bars of the cage. we do not give then treats through the bar for that reason. I had 2 other rats many years ago that we gave treats threw the bars of the cage which lead them to bite if anything stuck through the bars. so with these ratties we have not done that to prevent them biting anything thought the bars. Peri is very dominate to the other rats. and when we try to pick her up she turns and acts like she is going to bite or try and flip our hand. ( my kids are 9,6,3,21months.)

 

[jorats]

She needs extra socializing. You are going to have to pull her out of the cage and put her down your shirt. Put on a tshirt and a sweatshirt over top and stick her down there for about an hour a few times a day... that will get her to bond with you and realize that the human smell is a good thing.

 

[PitLuvs]

We have one that will bite if you put your fingers in the cage through the bars, or if you have skin sitting too close to the cage... he got my son and daughter until I put his cage up up up! If I open the doors, he's the first one there and showing you with kisses, but if the doors are closed then you're fair game. I think its just him trying to pull you into the cage, or thinking treats are out there just out of his reach. I have no advice, as anything I have done hasn't made it any better. He's up to high for the little ones to reach now, so that should do the trick.

Jorats gives you very good advice!

 

[Moon]

I was cleaning my cage last night and my one girl was doing everything in her power to drag parts of me into the cage.... especially my shirt, and once or twice she reached out and grabbed a bit of her skin with those little hands.. ouch...