Sorry I'm posting another one. What are yall's rat's like?

[medianoxstella]

Will my rats ever trust me?  I just got my two girls a few weeks ago and they wont come out of their nest.  Kristen, Rattina, and Squeaker  

[Gary]

I've got the same question. Had mine only a few days, and are still a bit shy. Sorry to hear even after a few weeks, yours are still hiding. Do they bite? Do you handle them? What are you doing to build their trust?

[Anna]

try putting peanut butter (or yogurt) on your finger and luring them to the door to eat it. It works really well since they can't just take it and run. I use this trick with all of my new rats and it's always seemed to help.
I also rehabilitated a very fearful rat that way, by forcing her to come further and further out until she would come sit on my shoulder for her peanutbutter. Now she's a very easy going girl.
The ratties I have now are all very relaxed and friendly, all like to be held and picked up and petted. Two of them I've held every day of their lives from the very day they were born. You can imagine how mellow they are.

Good luck acclimating your new ones, be patient and they'll come around.

[1happybooker]

Keep trying!! I've had my girls about 2.5 months now & they're hanging on the cage trying to get out all the time. I used food from my fingers, treats, talking to them, & making them come out to 'visit'. Don't let them hide in their box all the time.

Give them time --- they'll trust you soon!

[Suebee]

Some rats take longer than others, and it has a lot to do with how often they were handled as babies, in addition to their individual personalities.

When I got Rimmer and his brothers, they were not handled much by the girl who bred them, so it took them a long time to get used to me. Eventually, we developed a tolerance -- it was still VERY hard to get them to come out of the cage.

My new boys, on the other hand, were handled A LOT by the breeder and her family, and they have been gregarious and friendly from the second they got to my home! I'm still amazed!

[medianoxstella]

Well I'm trying.  They wont take food from my hand.  They seem terrified.  Should I take their box out?

[Suebee]

No, I would leave the box in... right now, it's the only security blanket they have. They need a place they can feel safe. Just be patient, and keep trying.  

[Natasha]

Some rats tend to hide if they live in a noisy environment. I find my rats although they are friendly, the slightest sound can make them jump

[Bravo-4]

I let my rats pick me,at the pet store I knew that I wanted females, so I put my hand in the cage and the two friendliest who paid the most attention to me an gave me the right vibe went home with me, and they have been a joy ever since,I'm one of those people that looks doesn't matter and the personality is what is important.

[Ensie]

I find that the fastest way to a rat's heart is tons of food/treats and loving attention. I leave my rat cage open (it's next to the sofa) so my rats can come and go as they please. Even when my rats are really shy or easily spooked, their curiosity usually gets the better of them, especially if yummy smells entice them out. Usually, my rats have all day (8-10 hours) or at least whole evenings (4-5 hours) to wander at will. They love this and they quickly develop a preference to being out with me rather than inside their cage.

But I never push my rats to do anything they don't want to, especially if they're new. When I get a new rat, my focus is to show the little one that I am completely gentle and trustworthy and that there is nothing to fear from me. For instance, I will just leave my hand in the cage so the new rat can sniff it out. Sometimes, I'll leave something of mine inside the cage -- an old T-shirt -- so the new rat can get used to my smell. At first, I'll let a new rat smell a treat, leave it in front of her, and remove my hand from the cage so she can eat it without feeling wary or on guard. Or I put something yummy on the tip of my finger to the new rat can lick it off . . . and it's rare for a new rat not to give in and lap up whatever I'm offering.

I have found that, with gentle patience and sensitivity to the little one's needs, all of my rats have become very trusting, loving, adorable friends of mine. In fact, when my rats show their unconditional love and trust in me -- such as when they curl up in the ball of my hand and sleep with their head resting on my fingers, or when they look at me so contentedly as I rub them in their favorite spot -- my eyes well up and I am beyond words. It's an indescribable feeling.

But I find also that my rats are sensitive to my needs as well. For instance, my rats will make sure that various parts of my body -- hands, lips, nose, ears, hair, eyes -- are properly groomed according to the highest rodent standards, of course, but they are always extra gentle around my eyes and ears.

Once, when I was laid up in bed for two weeks with an injury, one of our rats (who pretty much had free range every single day) decided to stay with me for the entire time that I was in bed. He left me only to relieve himself in his cage and to hoard the food I shared with him. It is the most humbling experience not only to be completely trusted but also to be "looked after" by such tiny creatures.

Sorry I rambled on for so long, but I just can't help it. These rodent friends are such a joy in my life!

[Ray]

I got a rattie a week ago.  He now totally trusts me.  What I do is I basicly will leave him/her alone the first day, they are very confused and want to fiqure out the new world you have put them in.  Arround the second day, I will take him/her out, and place him/her on my lap.  Of course it may try to run away because the rattie doesn't know you yet, So hold on to your rat!  Then I'll put a little towel or somthing over him, this makes them MUCH more comfortable since it is dark and reminds them of a burrow.  After the towel is put on the rattie, he/she should be more comfortable and stay put.  Then I will pet the rattie so it gets use to me touching him/her, you should do this a few times every day for about 5 minutes.  Using this method, my rattie allowed me to pick him/her up after 3 days, but it may take longer.  It took me a week before he actually started asking to come out.  I personally don't give my rattie treats for coming out, I think it makes him like the food more then he likes you.  But food may make the process go quicker, I haven't tried it personally.  Hope this helps!  It works for me anyway!

[Tracy]

Well, when I got my first rattie (from a pet store), he would not take food from me.  It took him a month before he actually trusted me enough to take food so be patient.  I got one of those cuddly cup bed thingies and would place him in there on my lap.  He would not sleep but he got used to being handled then he started to play with me and then take food from me.  When he licked my fingers for the first time...HEAVEN
Then I got him neutered and he became the perfect mama's boy.
Tracy