(More questions added) Please Help me with my first pet rat

[Widget The Rat]

I just got a female pet rat named Widget five days ago. She hasnt been very friendly at all. If i take her out of the cage i have to corner her and cup my hands around her to get ahold of her because she runs from my hands. I made a large play area for her and i sit in it with her trying to play but she just runs around and is afraid of my hands. She is willing to crawl over my legs and on my shoulders but she hates my hands. The past 3 days each day she has bit my fingers when i reached in her cage to pet her or see if shes willing to let me hold her. She doesnt bite hard enough to draw blood but you can tell she doesnt want me to touch her. I dont know how to train her to be friendly. Ive asked my friends who have friendly rats and they say to just take her out and let her get used to me. I cant get her to come out though most the time i have to force her and i think that makes her fear me more. She wont sleep in her bedding or the 3 different houses i made her on the bottom floor of her cage instead she will curl up in a corner somewhere up high and either just stare at me or sleep and she will do this for hours. Yesterday i decided i wouldnt take her out of the cage untill she let me pick her up and take her out. I realize its only been a day but she is still acting the way she is and it worries me and i dont know if what im doing is a good idea or not. Any tips or help for making her friendly and not bite would be great. Also she loves to eat vanilla flavored yogurt covered raisins (she wont take them from my hand by the way i have to set them in front of her) is this food bad for her as a treat?

[Sami]

First off, does she have a cagemate? That seems to be a very important part of your rat's life, and she would be much more relaxed with one. You should definitely look into getting another rat.

Aside from that, all relationships take time, and this is no different. I'm a new rat owner also, and my girl was also terrified of me at first, but after a while she warmed up. You must have patience - and possibly yogies. With a little work you will eventually gain her trust.

Also, I give yogurt raisins to mine as well, just go lightly on them, because they have quite a bit of fat. And keep working on getting her to take them from your hand, that was the first step towards trust with my first. Good luck!

[DolciLady]

Welcome!!   And welcome to Widget, too!!!  

It sounds like Widget is extremely insecure still.  She really really REALLY would benefit from having a cagemate.  That can make the entire difference in calming her fears in her new home with this creature with big hands pursuing her.

I'm assuming she's a young feeder bought from a pet store because of her actions.  If that's the case, her only experience with humans, until now, is probably manhandling by the tail and watching cagemates snatched away never to return.  Now she's in a bigger space, but is all alone.  You two don't speak the same language, and being alone is probably the scariest part of all this newness for her.  Doesn't give her much reason to trust let alone like humans, does it?  Try to use rat psychology and see things from her perspective, sounds like she's just waiting for the other shoe to drop.  She's got a whole lot of re-learning and adjusting to do.

She's only been home five days.  I think, in this case, you need to step back a bit and start over if she's not making progress.  You are full of love and concern for her, but she doesn't realize that's what your overtures are yet.  

1.  Go get one of her sisters/female cagemates.  Do it do it do it!  
2.  If her cage is much larger in size from her original, partition part of it off to make it smaller for little while.  Wide open spaces may not be helping her settle in.  I know this sounds strange since it seems she sleeps and hides in the open instead of in her igloo or whatever, but there's now a lot of angles a predator can come at her now, so she's being vigilent in guard duty.  She may see the hidey spots as a target instead of shelter?  If she's from a tank,  did she have an igloo at all?  I'm guessing not.  She's not even comfortable in her cage yet.  She can't make progress with you until she feels she has a safe haven.
3.  Don't keep taking her out of the cage.  Too much too fast can make a neurotic skiddish rat for life, in my experience.  Take smaller steps to gain her trust right now.  Or at least help her not freak out at your presence!  LOL
4.  Give her free-feed of lab blocks, but offer yummy stuff on a spoon.  Yogurt, applesauce, cottage cheese, baby foods, pudding, for example.  She can't run off with the foods on the spoon (or the spoon), so if she wants the good stuff, she's gotta eat it in close proximity to you.  
5.  When she's mastered the spoon feedings, dab a bit on your finger so she has to lick it off.  She may use her teeth a few times, but that shoudl stop as she realizes your finger is not the food.
6.  When she's mastered the finger licking, open her cage door and sit a little closer.  Just talk softly to her.  Let HER make the move if she wants to come out.  Offer a hand to sniff or maybe crawl on, so that if she wants out, it's with you only.  For every milestone toward perching on you, give her a tiny treat.
7.  When she finally launches onto your shoulder or down your shirt, keep her out only a few minutes.  Put her back and give her a treat.  Always make sure being close to you is a positive and fun thing.  Treat treat treat.
8.   By now she's probably greeting you and turning on the charm begging for the extra delicious treats.  Carry her to the couch or bed.  I prefer the bed so they can explore under the covers and feel safe while investigating me.  I also recommend a "rat purse"  (see www.dearpiehammocks.com for a bonding pouch) where you can wear her for about 20 minutes at a time.

These exercises will help her become more trusting.  Once she trusts you, you can start the hand wrestling and rough housing rats are so fun to do with.

Bless you for loving this little girl.  Lots of homework now will pay off faster than you think.

But first things first, get her a roommate.  

Robin

PS  Give her a hammock and box up high.  Lots of rats prefer higher spaces to sleep.   And a treat can be a green pea, doesn't have to be a sugary piece of candy.

[Widget The Rat]

Thanks for all the help so far.

If her cage is much larger in size from her original, partition part of it off to make it smaller for little while
I cant really do this because i got a 4 level cage all connected with ramps and stuff. I can only remove the ramps the floors are stuck in there and she hardly uses the ramps she climbs the sides of the walls up like a monkey its really cute to watch.

Also what exactly is a lab block i fill her bowls with like this mix of different food stuffs i got from the store she eats it every day but i can tell she prefers fresh fruit and stuff.

Thanks again

[BaraLahatiel]

Make sure you aren't just giving her a seed mix and fresh fruit Try finding a rat diet at a pet store, buying one online, or making your own mix. They like cheerios, fresh fruit, fresh veggies, frozen veggies, dry pasta, etc. And for a treat the crust off the side of a poptart lol

I think having a cagemate, who is used to people and friendlier, would really help your girl a lot. She'll be more secure with another rat and she's likely to calm down a lot faster.

[Zephr]

Hi!  I just got my first rats earlier this week. This forum is fabulous for help and links to excellent information.

For feeding, I was thrilled to see Suebee's Rat Diet - the Grain Mix is super-easy to make, and for one (or two) rats, should last a very long time in an airtight container.  But that page pretty much answers anything you want to know about feeding. 

My young girls are a bit spooky - when I go to retrieve them from their respective cages (they're currently separated to wait out quarantine), they suddenly seem to sprout six extra legs and are grabbing on to everything to keep from being removed.  They do not want to leave their safe cages, bless their hearts!  However, with treats and gentle handling I believe they're starting to recognize me...Nezumi spent almost an hour on my shoulder last night.  When I'd go to remove her from my shoulder, she'd reach out for my glasses and pull herself back over.  She seemed quite content to hang out, nibble my ear and do the rat thing.  Your rattie will come around in time - and a cagemate should help her social skills a great deal. 

[gomezsusa]

This part comes from Dog Whisper, but I find it true with all animals.  Show your confidence and expect her to relax.

I've had nervous fellows before...  My favorite technique is to have a confined area and stay together until they are tired and ready to nap.  Then they are easier to pet and offer a treat to.

Sometimes, they can be too tired to be nervous!!

[phatratt]

   Take heart in the fact that she hasn't drawn blood. That's a good sign. I've had rats who never grew completely comfortable with my hands, especially when they were being used to pick them up.
   A roommate would help, best would be one she had already been living with.
   Here's something that has worked with my current trio, two of which have drawn blood from my hands in the last week..... I don't TRY to pick them up with my hands. I have a small cardboard box, completely closed except for one rat-sized hole. I can open the cage and hold the box near them and within 30 seconds their curiosity gets the best of them and they have to climb inside (except for Jay who came out of the box in the vet's office once and didn't enjoy the experience) and I can move them that way.
   Except for my current crop I've had great success getting my rats used to me by sitting in a computer chair away from any tables they can jump to and letting them explore me. Few have been bold enough to jump for the floor. Most investigate, and as they investigate, I rub their backs, eventually their necks and heads and they get it.

[Dorasmommy]

I think it sounds like she does need a cagemate if she doesn't have one already.
I'm also fairly new to the rat owner thing, and I have some rats that are
really human friendly and others that are not so I'm working on that myself.
Time and patience will pay off for you, just keep at it

also, I heard a tip that if your rattie bites, then you should squeak like a rat
to let them know that it hurts you.  oddly enough, this has worked with my girls.
they don't bite

[Widget The Rat]

I'm back with an update. First of all thanks for all the ideas Widget has made large improvements in a very short time. Just in case this is relevant to my new questions she still doesn't have a cagemate but I'm trying to adopt her one i just am having trouble finding a non feeder rat. She is taking treats from my hand and i am able to make her come to the food now rather then put it directly in her face. She is very curious if i open the door she will run up to it and just recently walked out next to me, however she is still biting my finger tips. I tried to touch her with my fingers tightly clenched so theres nothing just hanging out for her to bite but just today she got a little more curious and hoped on my palm and went to bite the side of my hand. None of her bites draw blood but one of them today was a lot stronger of a bite then the others it had a few seconds of lasting pain whereas the others didn't hurt to much. Also she still isn't want me picking her up still but she lets me pet her most of the time and will run up to my hand even if its just for a nibble or something. I don't think she hates me or is afraid of my hand anymore but she is still biting. What exactly is going on here and how can i fix it? Could she be trying to play rough with me due to the lack of a cagemate right now? Or possibly is she associating my hand with something else maybe food? I always handle her with clean hands they smell like nothing but soap. Thanks for taking the time to help everyone.

[LuvRats2]

When your girl does the 'bites', make sure you eep high pitched and not TOO loud, but firmly. Speak in 'rat tones' and let her know it hurts you. Babies especailly, when they are not socialized yet, still need to learn this I'm working on the same with my new boy Bandit and it has gotten much better in the past couple of weeks. If you are holding her and she does the 'warning bite' I would squeak, but also respect her space.

Just keep giving it time - sounds like she is coming around which is great! Grats on your new girl!

[rapforjane]

Just wanted to add that ALL pet rats have the potential to be "feeders". They're the same, usually divided based on color and markings. So, you can definitely adopt a "feeder" or two (or eight )

[Fnordia]

Just wanted to add that ALL pet rats have the potential to be "feeders". They're the same, usually divided based on color and markings. So, you can definitely adopt a "feeder" or two (or eight )

Unless of course, you can find a fancy rat breeder in your area.  These rats will 99.99% of the time be healthier, better bred, and SOCIALIZED better than any feeder rats - the sad truth is that feeder rats just aren't given pet quality treatment at stores and while they can still make good pets, a breeder bred rat is a much better bet.

[Zephr]

Nezumi nips my fingers, but she also greedily grabs food from them too.  I assumed as a young rat still learning, she was either associating fingers with food and in time would figure out the difference, or learning about new things by giving them a taste...she appears to be very food-motivated.  I've been "eeping" when she nips, she seems to get the idea.

[Lise]

Unless of course, you can find a fancy rat breeder in your area.  These rats will 99.99% of the time be healthier, better bred, and SOCIALIZED better than any feeder rats - the sad truth is that feeder rats just aren't given pet quality treatment at stores and while they can still make good pets, a breeder bred rat is a much better bet.

Yes we agree with this sentiment (for the most part).  But her rat would be much happier with a friend, even if it did come from a 'feeder bin' than not having one if alternatives are not readily available in her area.  

[norahl]

I had two sisters and both really liked a perfumed soap I was using. One would lick my fingers, but the other would nip.  The nips got stronger so I changed soaps. The nips stopped and, unfortunately, the licks too.  So I slathered yummy baby food or yogurt on my fingers and now both only lick.   Also, both my rats were rescues from a pregnant petstore doe and they are incredibly smart, sweet, docile and, of course, beautiful!  Good luck!

[1lila1]

If you can't find a breeder get a "feeder".  There is no difference, other than how they are bred, treated, and raised, between a rat in a feeder tank and a rat at a breeders.  They are they exact same animal.  All my boys are pet store "feeders" and they are the sweetest most precious boys I could ever imagine.  Of course you'll have to work with your new babies but the internet is a great tool.  I hardly anything about rats when I got my first two and the internet helped me tremendously from feeding, general care, to diet.  I definitely recommend a breeder rat but most important is that you get your baby a companion...like yesterday!!