Help with a biting, rescue! Update-Making Progress Already!

[Slapdash]

Ok so as some of you may know I just rescued a tiny girl from a snake breeder yesterday, see story here...

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Well I got her home and took it really slow and even picked her up to put her in her cage with no biting at all! The jerk that was getting rid of her was pissed that she bit him and thats why he wanted her gone. Well she did bite me before bed last night but I don't think it was a REAL bite. Let me give you some background first....
Shes only about 6-8months old but has already had 6-7litters. I'm pretty sure she JUST recently had a litter because her nipples are large and it actually looked like there was some dried milk on her tummy. This guy was constantly breeding her and taking her babies away to feed to his snakes so I can understand why shes bitey. But, I'm wondering if the biting is a hormonal mamma thing or a scared thing from being in such a terrible situation???

Here's a picture of the bite because I know she could have done so much more damage had she wanted to but I've never been bitten before so I was wondering if I could get some opinions of people who have been. Do you think it could have been a warning bite, and do rats give warning bites opposed to an aggressive, attack bite? Inserting a spoiler but its really not a bad at all...
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Here's how it happened...I was tying to gently pet her in the cage and it was going ok but then she went to hide in her little wood house and I read her body language loud and clear that she was nervous but honestly I just needed to know how "aggressive" she really was so I tried to pet her in the house and basically got bit on purpose lol She didn't lunge just calmly clamped down on my finger once or twice without breaking the skin and then the third bite went right through BUT it was not as hard as I was expecting, although I've never had a rat thats bitten before so this is new to me.

So why do you think she's biting? What steps should I take to socialize her? I've been picking her up with a towel today and carrying her around for a minute or two then putting her back and giving her a treat. Is this a good plan? Increasing the time out each time? Is the towel a bad idea? I think its better than gloves and I'd rather not risk getting bit everytime :giggle: I figure with the towel she can feel sercure and burry into if she wants.

What else should I be doing or not be doing? I'm not rushing it and I know it will take time but how long do you think until she no longer feels the need to bite? All suggestions welcome, please! :thumbup:

 

[SQ]

I agree with you about the no gloves.
If her nipples look like that then she must have been separated from her babies recently, maybe even yesterday.
Poor little girl. :sad3:
If she really wanted to bite you, it would have been much, much worse then that.
Sounds like she was warning you and when you didn't listen ...

I would take it slow to let her get used to things, which it sounds like you are doing.
I would also pay close attention to her body language and try to respect it.
If she bites down on your finger again, try eeeping like a rat.

I would suggest petting, etc outside of the cage for now.
She has likely has many bad experiences associated with hands reaching into the cage to grab her or harm her babies.
When she is in the cage you can talk to her, feed her yummy treats such as yogurt off a spoon, etc
When you feel she is ready you could work on socialization by using the rat down the shirt trick (you wear 2 shirts and the rat goes between them).
You can also put a piece of cloth with your scent on it into her cage to get her used to you.

It actually sounds like she is doing really well given all the horrible things she has been through.

 

[jorats]

A towel is a great idea. I hate gloves too. I agree with SQ.
Don't go in her house or even cage anymore. Let her feel that she won't lose this one, that you won't invade and take things away in this one. It is all hers. Just until she trusts you. Keep being near her, talking to her, picking her up. You'll eventually win her over.

 

[Cigar]

I bet she'd benefit from some down-your-shirt time to sniff you out. When I was socializing a lone boy I tied a strap to a wall pouch and hung him around my neck. He could sit on my shoulder but he always had somewhere to retreat to and I think it helped him feel safe.

 

[Slapdash]

Wow thank you all for such awesome advice!!! The little mama is now named Petunia by the way :mrgreen:

We've already made some progress today! Here's what I've been doing,

I've given her some space for most of the afternoon, kept it quiet in the apartment and put a piece of fleece with my scent and my fiancee's on it in one of the hideaways she has.

I picked her up with the towel once this morning, walked around for a bit, pet her head, and gave her a treat when I put her back.

Then when I got home about an hour ago I tried to lure her out of her tube with some food on a spoon and she actually lunged and bit the spoon in an attacking sort of way, before she realized there was food on it so I blew gently at her... is that the right thing to do or should I still eep even though its a spoon? lol She didn't do it again after that, most likely because she realized there was food on it and I was able to lure her all the way out!!! :joy: I then gently picked her up with the towel and was able to weigh her on the scale... 225g, not as bad as I had thought but still small.

I then put her back in the cage and gave her a yummy treat. She then seemed to actually get happy and almost silly running around her house and exploring her hammock for the first time, I almost cried! :thumbup:

When I had her out in the towel she was looking to get away and actually tried to run up on my shoulder but I stopped her because I'm not sure I want her right near my face just yet but it looks like she'll be ready for some down the shirt bonding time soon!

Oh and I know that being with other rats helps the socialization process but since I am fostering her I really don't want to put her in the FN with my crew because then I'd feel bad separating them when she got adopted and I might get too attached if she becomes one of them lol So, would she benefit at all from just playing with one or two of my girls for an hour or two a day? Or is this pointless? I have a really laid back girl, Rosie, who loves everyone and everything especially people so I thought she might be able to help Petunia a little bit? I wouldn't introduce them for a few days or maybe even a week though until Petunias settled in. What do you think?
Thank you again for all the advice, I need all I can get! I'll keep you updated on her progress.

 

[jorats]

Gently blowing on her is a good idea to distract her and change her current mindset of biting the spoon.
I'd let her play with your girls. Not only will this make her feel more secure but it will get her ready for buddies when the time comes.

 

[Slapdash]

Thanks Jo I'll start letting her play with them in a few days once shes used to her new environment and routine.

So, I emailed the a***** that had her because I figured it couldn't hurt to ask if theres any chance shes pregnant the worse that happens is he doesn't answer me. Plus I wanted to know if that really was dried milk on her tummy and if she'd been recently nursing. What he told be broke my heart completely! She had a litter less than a month ago :cry4:

She hasn't been with a male since he said. Sigh, to think her babies were ripped away from her once again, no wonder she bit him, it had happened so many times before she wasn't going to let it happen again! I started crying when I got the email back, she had to leave them behind! I feel even worse about the whole situation now!

How much of an impact could this have on her biting/nippy behavior right now, I mean the fact that she had such a recent litter?

Thanks

 

[jorats]

It is sad to us...but it's not all that sad to them. Her body is slowly going back to normal and soon enough she won't remember this. In fact, a month is usually when moms lose their babies anyway... and some are quite happy not to have them little suckers after her. lol

 

[SQ]

Rats are very good at adapting and living in the present so she should recover quite well with love, care and time, but
I don't think rats forget.

 

[Slapdash]

She's doing great, haven't been bit since the first time two days ago! :joy: She really is such a sweetheart. So terrified but making so much progress, so quickly! I'll post a video in a little while, she's been making her way out of the cage for milky cheerios! Today I took the next step in using the down the shirt method, shes sitting in my sweatshirt right now, poking her head out every few minutes and even letting me pet her while she's in there!!! :thumbup: She still has a LONG way to go, she jumps at every little noise and runs into her tube hammock everytime I open her cage door but overall I am so impressed with how far she's come in only a couple of days! Thanks again everyone for your advice!

Oh I have another question, how long should I keep her in my sweater each day, increasing the time everyday of course. Thanks

 

[jorats]

I'd keep her in there for about 30 minutes to an hour.

 

[Slapdash]

Ok I had her in there for about 20min tonight and then decided to give her some play time with Rosie, my laid back girl and boy am I'm so excited right now!!! It went a million times better than I thought it would! :joy:
I don't know if its the confidence Rosie gave her or the fact that she was in my sweater for a whole before but WoW she was a totally different rat! Here's a video from last night of me coaxing her out of her house with some soggy cheerios lol Although it doesn't look that impressive she wouldn't come out of her tube hammock for let alone her cage the day before!


Now here's the video from tonight, you're not going to believe this. This is the same rat that bit me two days ago, she's still a little weary of me petting her but its NOTHING compared to where she was. :dance:


I'm starting to think its more of a very minor case of territorial aggression, because she only acts stand offish when in her cage, once she's out she seems fine and even let me pet her while in my sweater.

 

[SQ]

:heart:
wonderful progress.

 

[jorats]

That's really great. And cage aggressive is not so bad to deal with. You just need to respect her while in the cage and everyone will be happy.