so, those outgoing girl rats? yeah. not so outgoing anymore.
my Dad came home Tuesday or Wednesday (I forget which day) smelling like cat (he had taken a walk and one had rubbed up against him). he forgot about it and went to play with the girls. CeeCee got a smell of it and went from happily playing to being a rat pancake on the back of her cage, too scared to move.
cut to 2 - 3 days later and there's barely ANY progress. Pepper barely freaked about it until today. they both came out (CeeCee for the first time in 2 days. she's refused since she smelled the cat. Pepper had been gleefully playing until tonight) and almost immediately pancaked on the back of the cage again.
things get mildly better as long as they are left alone in the cage. I try to come by with treats as many times during the day as possible (due to this I try to keep the treats healthy, but still stuff they swoon over) and usually they are happy to take them, even if sometimes reserved.
I've seen this before. my previous group of girls, the one where 2 came home pregnant, when I was getting homes for the babies someone came by to pick up the babies and everyone freaked. like I had never seen before. the only thing we could decide on was cat smell, since I don't have cats and they'd never been exposed. it took them a few days to get relaxed, but everything worked out.
CeeCee on the other hand has gone from a rat that enjoyed running around the rat room and climbing up my pants, to going as still as a statue if I try to touch her. all this in a matter of moments
I've been working on trust training again, I put in a t-shirt that smells like me, etc. we tried removing some items my Dad might have come in contact with (just to be extra paranoid). but CeeCee especially just won't relax.
does anyone else have more experience with this? =/ what helped them relax?
my Dad came home Tuesday or Wednesday (I forget which day) smelling like cat (he had taken a walk and one had rubbed up against him). he forgot about it and went to play with the girls. CeeCee got a smell of it and went from happily playing to being a rat pancake on the back of her cage, too scared to move.
cut to 2 - 3 days later and there's barely ANY progress. Pepper barely freaked about it until today. they both came out (CeeCee for the first time in 2 days. she's refused since she smelled the cat. Pepper had been gleefully playing until tonight) and almost immediately pancaked on the back of the cage again.
things get mildly better as long as they are left alone in the cage. I try to come by with treats as many times during the day as possible (due to this I try to keep the treats healthy, but still stuff they swoon over) and usually they are happy to take them, even if sometimes reserved.
I've seen this before. my previous group of girls, the one where 2 came home pregnant, when I was getting homes for the babies someone came by to pick up the babies and everyone freaked. like I had never seen before. the only thing we could decide on was cat smell, since I don't have cats and they'd never been exposed. it took them a few days to get relaxed, but everything worked out.
CeeCee on the other hand has gone from a rat that enjoyed running around the rat room and climbing up my pants, to going as still as a statue if I try to touch her. all this in a matter of moments
I've been working on trust training again, I put in a t-shirt that smells like me, etc. we tried removing some items my Dad might have come in contact with (just to be extra paranoid). but CeeCee especially just won't relax.
does anyone else have more experience with this? =/ what helped them relax?
