hopefloats said:
Well if he is biting in a cage or hut, that is territorial behavior. He owns that hut and you cannot be in there lOL Most rats do not care if they are dead asleep, in hammock a hidey house, or eating. Typically you should be able to pick up a rat at any moment without worry of bite. Then you have those boys with the devil beads that are grumpy on occasion, bitey or just straight up mean.A neuter always makes for a happier man-rat. a number of my rats I can pick up at any given moment without worry. I have some who I cannot touch with a 10 foot pole without them trying to rip out my soul. If he doesnt like being picked up then you need to condition him to like it. You can do it out of the cage if he will take treats. pick him up, give him a treat and set him back down. Never wake a possible bitey rat with just your hands. Talk to them, let them wake up first then grab them but always talk to them. Some times it is how you grab them as well. Going over their head may make them feel cornered. If you touch their back hip area that is a "dueling" spot and will trigger them to react. Some are on guard so much they may not realize it is you and not an "intruder" some have a high level of prey animal instincts in them.
do you currently have 2 boys? and are they living together?
We have one unneutered boy (the one I'm describing in this post) who is generally a sweetie, but he has his own assertive personality for sure. Mimo was neutered earlier this week and is STILL being monitored at the clinic for popping/removing stitches! We had a successful reintroduction before the stitch popping and are sad to have to do it again.
dspch911 said:
This boy is not the neutered one correct? The other, Mimo just got neutered a few days ago. It is possible he is now having his hormones take over - its a little late, but you don't know his exact age and I have two boys now that are around 11 months and their hormones hit about a month ago and they are in need of neuters too. These boys have never liked to be picked up, but they are getting better. I usually have to tell them "Mommy is picking you up now" and then scoop them up. I then hold them for a while and then give them a treat, put them back in the cage, and repeat the process again and again. For play time we put a ladder up to the cage and let them come out on their own. Also, if I'm not mistaken you have a cat? If you don't wash your hands after touching the cat your boys can smell the cat and think predator. One of my boys nips/bites at my fiance's legs all the time and that is where his cat lays on him. You may also want to try having a "rat shirt' one shirt you wear all the time for a while when your with your boys so they can smell themselves on you. Give them time, my two boys that I thought would never bond with us because they hate being touched finally should improvement last month!
viewtopic.php?f=22&t=35699&hilit=+grumpy
I don't think Cass is particularly hormonal, I just get the feeling that he is grumpy and saying, "Nope. Go away." or "Nope. No pets there." It doesn't feel like aggressive biting, even though he draws blood, as it's nothing like Mimo sauntering up to us like he owns the whole condo and taking chunks out of our arms at his own leisurely pace!
He seems to at least tolerate being touched, he just seems kind of feisty. Overall, he is a cuddly guy with his own ideas about the universe that sometimes clash with ours!
Hmmmm, the cat... Not sure. We actually introduced the cats and rats together when they first came home, and observed a sort of bored response from both sides (rats don't care about the cats, cats don't show particular interest in the rats, except when they fight - the cats are scared and hide under the bed!). The cats are allowed to lounge in the room all day and sometimes wander in and out during rat playtime (supervised, ALWAYS). We did see one episode when a cat happened to jump into the play area, and Mimo sauntered up to his paw in a kind of "I'm the boss, watch yourself" kind of way... The cat was freaked and fled the scene, no injuries were reported.
victoria said:
Anytime a rat bites you, you need to squeak. They may not know they're hurting you, you don't have a thick coat of fur to protect you like they do. Biting can be a form of communicating that they are unhappy with something but they may not be intending to actually hurt you.
If he bites you when he's in his houses, you can get houses with floors (the Savic Circus and Rody Iglo are two examples that come to mind) so that you can lift the house with him in it out of the cage. Or you can take the house away and then pick him up.
Another work around is to teach him cues to come out on his own. Each rat is different and sometimes we need to find work arounds to accommodate their quirks.
It's rare to have rats that bite the way you're describing. Have you tried just giving them scritches to wake them up before taking them out?
Some rats are cage territorial. It's not very common but I have one female that bites my hand inside the cage every chance she gets. If my hand isn't moving, she test bites it to warn me but if I'm doing something (like wiping down the shelves) and I don't pay attention, she really clocks me every time. Outside the cage, she would never dream of it. I've had her and her daughter since her daughter was 5-6 weeks old and her daughter is still terrified of me (I've had them since April '12) and screams like you wouldn't believe when I pick her up. Every day. I've taken in other rats that were older adults that lived in really awful situations their entire lives (Charlie that was adopted by Unepuce is an example) and in a matter of days they trusted me. One of my most amazing rats, Monty, came from a horrible hoarding situation here in Montreal and passed through a lot of hands before getting to me. He was the sweetest, happiest, gentlest rat with humans, not so comfortable with other male rats though even after his neuter. Getting rats as babies really does not make a big difference in how a rat bonds to their humans but it can make a difference in how attached we are to them.
I think he's just a grumpster sometimes, otherwise he's in the VERY beginning stages of getting hormonal. He does not like skritches at all, ESPECIALLY when waking up, and can get almost violent, with thrashing-style bites. However, if you rest your arm in the cage, he runs up your arm to sit on your shoulder or climb into your hood, it's no problem getting him out of the cage. He's a curious little fuzz.
Rilence said:
I saw that you've already neutered him?
If it its, it also takes a while for his hormone to die off after being neutered.
Some rats prefers their own space; I personally try not to reach in for my boys to get them out - Usually they start coming towards me instead, and that's when I give them pats on their heads, getting them to groom me and give me kisses, and of course, grabbing for examinations, daily.
Mimo was neutered, yes, but we are leaving Cass "as-is", since he seems to be (if not exactly the definition of "gentle"...) more normal? I don't think I've ever been "groomed," although I've heard that mouthing is part of grooming. Sometimes they take my fingers in their mouths and apply a slight pressure. I've always interpreted mouthing as "I'm giving you a little warning that I'm not so happy with what you're doing and next time you might not be so lucky."
They obviously don't "like" us, but I don't think Cass hates us either; after all, we are his prime source of treats and yogurt. I'm pretty sure Mimo very strongly dislikes me, but hopefully the neuter will help with that!
I feel bad that I don't trust either one of them a whole lot.
I always watch where my fingers are, calculate my approach to be precise, quick and calm if I absolutely need to pick Cass up with my hands (I would never try to pick Mimo up without lifting him in a house or a tube). We can't leave our fingers just lying out there when we interact with them during playtime and usually end up making very tight fists, curling our hands up in our laps or pulling our sleeves over them. I try not to enter their space, but they are so cute and it does make me a little bit sad to watch them but not pet/hold/interact with them somehow.
I thought that maybe all of Castielle's behaviors were just "the usual" for boy rats who still have their torpedoes.
