Rika
Wallflower
Hello everyone! I have a male rat named Inky, around 8 months old, who is having some behavioral problems. I got him as a baby from Petco. Usually when I'm planning to add a new member to the family I adopt one, but this wasn't exactly planned. He just stole my heart. Rats in this area aren't treated or viewed well, so I wanted to make sure he got a good home. When I held him for the first time he squeaked a little bit but seemed to be sweet. I started with trust training and got him to start taking treats from my hand after he settled in. It wasn't long until he gained enough confidence to come out of his cage and play on my bed. He liked to taste test fingers but it was always very gently.
Then I went to England to visit my fiance for 3 months. It wasn't ideal for my new relationship with Inky since we had just bonded. My mother would be caring for all my critters and I told her to play with him daily. She assured me that she could handle it, but that ended up not being true. Before I went on my trip Inky did not bite through the bars. You could actually stick your fingers through them without worry. While in England my mother told me that my Grandfather got bit by Inky when he stuck his finger through the bars. I found that odd and it was the start of our problems.
When I returned home I was sad to see that Inky was far less socialized. I could tell that my mother didn't work with him at all. I started to become worried because when I would try to pet him he would get very agitated. He didn't act afraid, he just didn't seem to like human contact anymore. One night Inky was sitting in a new house I bought him with his head poking out of the entrance. My fiance (who doesn't know much about rats) put his hand near Inky's face to try and coax him out. He lunged out and bit the tip of his finger. My fiance was able to get him to let go without force. It was a very bad bite though. When he called me over I was horrified... Blood was gushing everywhere, it got on the walls and all over the floor! I thought it might need a stitch but eventually the bleeding stopped.
After that happened I was honestly afraid to continue to work with Inky, but I refuse to give up on him. We thought that it was all out of fear and that he just needed time. So I put his cage on my bed, opened the door and put on some gloves. Inky allowed me to pet him and he happily came to the front of the cage. He wasn't really acting like a rat who would bite out of fear. He had started to explore too far on the bed so I picked him up and placed him back at the cage door. I could immediately see his posture change and he suddenly ran up to me and nipped my leg. He seemed pissed off that I was telling him what to do. I tried to calm him down by petting him but he started to get puffy and display his side at me. I began to question if all of this was hormonal aggression and not fear based. Rats that are fearful do not come at you. I don't feel like he's biting simply out of being mean either. He will take treats from you and I recently picked him up wearing gloves without any problems. He just squeaked a little.
On Feb 13 I got Inky neutered with the hopes it would calm him down. I feel really badly that he's been living alone. I know how social Rats are and the plan was always to get him a friend. I figured that with his behavior problems getting him neutered and introducing a female friend would have the highest chance of success. I was really surprised by how well Inky behaved at his pre-neuter wellness exam. He squeaked quite a bit and was hard to keep still, but he didn't attempt to bite anyone. His aggression seems to be tied to his cage.
After the neuter I was very excited because Inky seemed to be improving. He wasn't guarding his cage and just seemed to have a calmer look in his eyes. A week has gone by now and he is unfortunately cage guarding again. I put on a glove and tried petting him last night. He would give the glove a nip and then go bounding off. Clearly he was playing and he got crazy hyper the more I pet him. He continued to nip here and there as well. It felt like he is lonely and desperate to play.... could these behavior problems be a result of his unhappiness from being alone? Obviously he needs better human socialization as well.
I really appreciate those who take the time to read this. Any advice is greatly appreciated. Most people tell me he is a lost cause and will not improve.
Then I went to England to visit my fiance for 3 months. It wasn't ideal for my new relationship with Inky since we had just bonded. My mother would be caring for all my critters and I told her to play with him daily. She assured me that she could handle it, but that ended up not being true. Before I went on my trip Inky did not bite through the bars. You could actually stick your fingers through them without worry. While in England my mother told me that my Grandfather got bit by Inky when he stuck his finger through the bars. I found that odd and it was the start of our problems.
When I returned home I was sad to see that Inky was far less socialized. I could tell that my mother didn't work with him at all. I started to become worried because when I would try to pet him he would get very agitated. He didn't act afraid, he just didn't seem to like human contact anymore. One night Inky was sitting in a new house I bought him with his head poking out of the entrance. My fiance (who doesn't know much about rats) put his hand near Inky's face to try and coax him out. He lunged out and bit the tip of his finger. My fiance was able to get him to let go without force. It was a very bad bite though. When he called me over I was horrified... Blood was gushing everywhere, it got on the walls and all over the floor! I thought it might need a stitch but eventually the bleeding stopped.
After that happened I was honestly afraid to continue to work with Inky, but I refuse to give up on him. We thought that it was all out of fear and that he just needed time. So I put his cage on my bed, opened the door and put on some gloves. Inky allowed me to pet him and he happily came to the front of the cage. He wasn't really acting like a rat who would bite out of fear. He had started to explore too far on the bed so I picked him up and placed him back at the cage door. I could immediately see his posture change and he suddenly ran up to me and nipped my leg. He seemed pissed off that I was telling him what to do. I tried to calm him down by petting him but he started to get puffy and display his side at me. I began to question if all of this was hormonal aggression and not fear based. Rats that are fearful do not come at you. I don't feel like he's biting simply out of being mean either. He will take treats from you and I recently picked him up wearing gloves without any problems. He just squeaked a little.
On Feb 13 I got Inky neutered with the hopes it would calm him down. I feel really badly that he's been living alone. I know how social Rats are and the plan was always to get him a friend. I figured that with his behavior problems getting him neutered and introducing a female friend would have the highest chance of success. I was really surprised by how well Inky behaved at his pre-neuter wellness exam. He squeaked quite a bit and was hard to keep still, but he didn't attempt to bite anyone. His aggression seems to be tied to his cage.
After the neuter I was very excited because Inky seemed to be improving. He wasn't guarding his cage and just seemed to have a calmer look in his eyes. A week has gone by now and he is unfortunately cage guarding again. I put on a glove and tried petting him last night. He would give the glove a nip and then go bounding off. Clearly he was playing and he got crazy hyper the more I pet him. He continued to nip here and there as well. It felt like he is lonely and desperate to play.... could these behavior problems be a result of his unhappiness from being alone? Obviously he needs better human socialization as well.
I really appreciate those who take the time to read this. Any advice is greatly appreciated. Most people tell me he is a lost cause and will not improve.
