fallblossom
Senior Member
My sweet 8 month old squishy rat who I kiss on the lips daily for some reason acted oddly yesterday and I am sitting here devastated and of course injured. Here's what happened:
- My rat was biting my arm but not quite hard enough to break the skin and he was quickly biting up and down (I had red marks from his teeth impressions)
- I thought he was 'play' biting although I've never heard of a rat play biting this way
- He then proceeded to bite my other arm and then decided to quickly grab hold of my hand and attack it. His upper teeth ripped open the webbing between my index finger and thumb while the lower just gave me splayed-open teeth mark punctures
This behaviour could be due to the fact that he was checking out my female rats in their cage where he made nose to nose contact, however, he's made contact with them before and has never attacked me.
Why did my rat first 'test' bit my arm before attacking my hand? Does 'test' biting always lead to real bloody bites?
I am looking to rehome him because I cannot afford the $400 vet fee for a neuter at Preston Animal Hospital here in Cambridge. I am too afraid to try immersion and would prefer not to PTS (although it is only a mere $30) because he is a big 510 gram healthy beautifully coloured boy who is a goof with an adventurous and humorous side.
Does anyone know if Chelle's Critter Haven in Guelph is still in operation or have they closed down. My gut feeling is the latter and I don't know of any other rat rescues that are local.
- My rat was biting my arm but not quite hard enough to break the skin and he was quickly biting up and down (I had red marks from his teeth impressions)
- I thought he was 'play' biting although I've never heard of a rat play biting this way
- He then proceeded to bite my other arm and then decided to quickly grab hold of my hand and attack it. His upper teeth ripped open the webbing between my index finger and thumb while the lower just gave me splayed-open teeth mark punctures
This behaviour could be due to the fact that he was checking out my female rats in their cage where he made nose to nose contact, however, he's made contact with them before and has never attacked me.
Why did my rat first 'test' bit my arm before attacking my hand? Does 'test' biting always lead to real bloody bites?
I am looking to rehome him because I cannot afford the $400 vet fee for a neuter at Preston Animal Hospital here in Cambridge. I am too afraid to try immersion and would prefer not to PTS (although it is only a mere $30) because he is a big 510 gram healthy beautifully coloured boy who is a goof with an adventurous and humorous side.
Does anyone know if Chelle's Critter Haven in Guelph is still in operation or have they closed down. My gut feeling is the latter and I don't know of any other rat rescues that are local.
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