Biting Problem

[Greer_Zoller]

Hi, I'm new here- but hopefully I'll become a regular (although not for the same problem!! ).  Well, I've had my pet rats for a while now...and I really want to start training them....but I'll admit, I haven't played with them very much up until now...and everytime I try to pick them up, they bite me.  I don't have a problem with nibbling...but its drawing blood everytime- and every one of my three rats (Bessie, Kotor, and Snickers   ) bites!!  How can I break these little ladies of this problem!!! Haha, I'm going to go get some blood soon!!
Thanks!!!

[Apopli]

You could wear gloves, or use a towel to pick them up until they stop on their own. As they become more socialized they usually stop biting.

You could also use needle nosed pliars to feed them treats. Makes them think twice about snapping at ya.

[Greer_Zoller]

Thanks- Gloves it is!

[sugarfoxx]

I never had a problem with biting except one female and she only was being protective over her babies....she is back to her old sweet self again and no more bites. I was bit by accident when I broke up a fight.....and needed stitches and everything.....but it was an accident.

How old are your rats?  They need socialized like the other poster said. Whatever you do.....dont give up on them. Paying attention to them and NOT FORCING THEM out is a start.
Bribe them out with treats!  LOL
Seriously.  Gloves and treats.......

good luck!

[Greer_Zoller]

haha, you'd figure that bribing them out with treats would do nothing to get them comfortable- but I'll try it!!  My campaign on restoring my rats into non-biting "ratos" begins tomarrow- of course AFTER I get a chance to buy some gardening gloves....

[¤Ratworshiper¤]

I wish you luck Greer_Zoller . I'm trying to get my ratties to trust me aswell. Only one of my two bites, Chloe. She is better in the evening, when she is more awak but during the ay she's wary. She's getting a lot better though. Now she wiggles a lot when I try to pick her up, and doesn't bite as often. Whenever I handle her I always use my gardening gloves, just to be safe, I've had a bad experience with rat bites *shudder*

[scout]

You might also try the technique for "trust training" in this article:

http://www.ratfanclub.org/trust.html

Good luck! Just remember, the older they are and the longer they've gone without handling, the longer it will take to gain their trust. But it is possible!

[tilly]

HI

I have a rat that sounds a bit like your rats but she does not bite.  Only cos she will not let a human hand near her long enough to bite it.
I actually feel sorry for her cos she does not have as long out the cage as her mate.  She is very nervous due to the fact that she has not been handled as a baby. I can not pick her up at all.
She is gaining confidence only cos her mate is happy to come out and climb over me for hours.  
I will not force her and make sure that I never leave her with a bad memory of me.  
If she is brave enough to come out I do not force the issue of being touched.  It works only last night she climbed on my hand and cleaned herself - granted she would not let me stroke her but compared to last week she has come along way in trusting me.
If you let the rats come to you I think you will be supprised at how little they try to bite you.  
When you say good night end it on a happy note and give them a treat.  

[Greer_Zoller]

Thanks SCOUT- the article was great- I'm gonna try it out!!

Oh, and the gloves are Semi-Successful so far- they bite them, and only once have they penetrated and still gotten my hand- luckily no blood was drawn!
Wish me luck!!

[coopman]

If you get the thick leather fingered gloves like welders wear, they should not be able to penetrate them, although they can bite hard enough to really give you a painful pinch thru the gloves.  Good luck.  
I'll have my gloves on tonight as it's cage clean-out night for my babies!

[josiephine]

well here is my two cents.

I have a rat name Cleo. she was brought back to the store because she bits.  Since we cant sell her to another customer, I bought her and took her home.  the first thing I found out was she had a cold.
but then she still attack me.  so I got some gloves and continued to work with her.  
now it has been about 6 month and she doesn't bit me but she is a very stubborn rat.  doesn't like to touch.  she come up to me and get her treats.  I haven't had a bit from her in while.  but I'm not afraid of her.  rest of my family is.  won't go near her..
I just don't put up with it from her.  
She know that I am the boss.  we end up having alot of staring party.  it is funny.  

you can always hold them in a towel or blanket and talk very gentle with them. this will take time.. patience is the key.  

[lostangelino]

I can sympathize with you.  I adopted two hairless year old brothers this past January.  From day one Edsel was giving me kisses and grooming me.  Not so for his bro, Nash.  Nash would bite and and was a very angry boy.  I ended up not giving up on him. I spent extra time working towards socializing him. Which is not to say I didn't get bitten a few times.  I did but I also learned to watch him and go "NO!" very firmly when he'd start to do it.  I fed him cheerios and rubbed his head and ears.  The biggest payoff came one night when he began to brux for me.  It was like I'd finally won his love and trust.

I think not giving up on them is part of the key.  Good luck and let us know how things go!

[sugarfoxx]

Oh there is NOTHING like hearing a rattie brux that has been antisocial for a long time.

My little Cheese is like a cat....he calls the  shots. He gets held when and ONLY WHEN he wants held. If you go for him on your terms forget it.

When he bruxes I melt.  He knows it too.  

He is good for the bugging out eyes and the deep teeth grinding bruxing once he starts!  

[Greer_Zoller]

Well, after that original big bite, there hasn't been one that I felt...so I'm all good- everything's going well so far- Bessie, my oldest rat (had her for about half a year), is strangely enough the kindest- she has shown the most trust, nearly eating on my gloved hand.  Then Snickers (had her for 2 months or so) is in second place- she'll get food, but then she'll scurry off to another place in the cage....and for Kotor...well, she doesn't believe in eating apparently- but she's not Running away when I open the cage anymore! Now she just looks from afar!  silly ratos....

[Spitfire]

Arbiter bit me twice on the ear when I first got him.  He was just testing out everything and ended up biting and drawing blood twice.  After the second time I would dab my ears with viniger whenever I put him on my shoulders.  He didn't like them too much then.  The same could easily be done for finger tips, though I don't know if you'll be able to pick them up then, they might run away.

[Greer_Zoller]

Luckily- the glove trick has shown progress- they haven't bit the glove or me in 2 days! yay!