Rat won’t get out of her hammock or interact with me :(

[elisabeth]

Hi! I got my rat Sonya just about 5 days ago and she is a very skittish and timid girl. My other girl Natasha (they were introduced and everything went well) is extremely energetic and always wants to play with me, she eats and drinks a lot. But I’m so scared for Sonya, I don’t really see her drinking much (but maybe I just don’t see), she only comes out of the cage and plays with Natasha at night when I’m falling asleep. She doesnt take treats from my hands, but I let her sniff me and put it beside her after and she eats it. But the rest of the day, all day for few hours straight, she just hides in the hammock. She never comes out and is never energetic, while Natasha still runs around like crazy at both night and day. I don’t notice any sneezing from them, their eyes and ears are okay, no bleeding or visible tumors... I am just so concerned that she is so passive and just seems to sleep all day and she is only around 2 months. I also can’t get her to socialize because I can’t forcefully remove her and she just runs away from me in panic. Any guesses on why she is so inactive, on her behavior, why she never comes out of the hammock? I just don’t even see her interacting with my other rattie much... anything I can do ?

 

[TrashWeaselMom]

While it’d still be a good idea to keep a close eye on her health, it sounds like maybe she just hasn’t bonded to you or your other rat yet and is a little scared and shy. My two girls hadn’t been socialized at all, so it may take you less time, but they took over a month to really warm up to me and be willing to come out of the cage with me. I tried everything and got a bit discouraged. But in the end what worked was just sitting near the cage as much as possible, talking to them sweetly, giving lots of treats, and being patient. I also left an old pillowcase I’d recently slept on behind the cage so they’d get used to my scent. It ended up being their favorite blankie until they finally chewed it to bits. Lol Best of luck with your new rattie!

 

[Big Schpog]

I had a

Hi! I got my rat Sonya just about 5 days ago and she is a very skittish and timid girl. My other girl Natasha (they were introduced and everything went well) is extremely energetic and always wants to play with me, she eats and drinks a lot. But I’m so scared for Sonya, I don’t really see her drinking much (but maybe I just don’t see), she only comes out of the cage and plays with Natasha at night when I’m falling asleep. She doesnt take treats from my hands, but I let her sniff me and put it beside her after and she eats it. But the rest of the day, all day for few hours straight, she just hides in the hammock. She never comes out and is never energetic, while Natasha still runs around like crazy at both night and day. I don’t notice any sneezing from them, their eyes and ears are okay, no bleeding or visible tumors... I am just so concerned that she is so passive and just seems to sleep all day and she is only around 2 months. I also can’t get her to socialize because I can’t forcefully remove her and she just runs away from me in panic. Any guesses on why she is so inactive, on her behavior, why she never comes out of the hammock? I just don’t even see her interacting with my other rattie much... anything I can do ?

I had a female just like this. She has myco. I would take her to the vet and get her checked out. Find a good rat vet for them because in the long run, you'll need it. Ask the vet to take her temperature, listen to her lungs and rule out a URI or myco.

My poor Simone is one of those rats that will probably have to take antibiotics for the rest of her life. The only time she's active and happy is when she's on them. Otherwise, she's lethargic and sleepy.

Now it could also be that you have a shy, skittish girl but you should always rule out a medical problem first and establish a relationship with a good rat vet.

 

[elisabeth]

I had a

I had a female just like this. She has myco. I would take her to the vet and get her checked out. Find a good rat vet for them because in the long run, you'll need it. Ask the vet to take her temperature, listen to her lungs and rule out a URI or myco.

My poor Simone is one of those rats that will probably have to take antibiotics for the rest of her life. The only time she's active and happy is when she's on them. Otherwise, she's lethargic and sleepy.

Now it could also be that you have a shy, skittish girl but you should always rule out a medical problem first and establish a relationship with a good rat vet.

Thank you so much for the reply. I had a little bit of success today: she came out of her cage ( i didn’t force her out, she followed her friend!!) and stayed on my hand for a bit. I was able to give her treats and stay out with her for a bit until she decided to go back in the cage. She is playing there with my other rat now. I’m very happy because she seems a bit less afraid. I noticed that she is extremely scared of any noise (even opening a cage or me standing up), she is very sensitive and runs away at the slightest sound so maybe there is some sort of traumatic experience in the background or it’s just her character. I will definitely get her health checked out too.
Thank you!

 

[Big Schpog]

S

Thank you so much for the reply. I had a little bit of success today: she came out of her cage ( i didn’t force her out, she followed her friend!!) and stayed on my hand for a bit. I was able to give her treats and stay out with her for a bit until she decided to go back in the cage. She is playing there with my other rat now. I’m very happy because she seems a bit less afraid. I noticed that she is extremely scared of any noise (even opening a cage or me standing up), she is very sensitive and runs away at the slightest sound so maybe there is some sort of traumatic experience in the background or it’s just her character. I will definitely get her health checked out too.
Thank you!

Spend lots of time with her and play with her out of the cage. Make sure she has safe places to hide in in her cage. A little box with tissues in it placed in a place where you can remove it (with her in it) is ideal. This way, you can get her out of the cage without stress, and put the box under a blanket on your bed. Then you get in the bed under the blanket and wait for her to come out and explore and sniff. She needs to feel safe and confident with you.