# My rats hate me



## Andii (Feb 1, 2018)

I’ve had my 2 rats for about 3 months now and the hate me! I’m trying so hard to bond with them but every time I put my hand in the cage they bite me till I’m bleeding! I don’t know what to do anymore !!


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## Mirandashell (Jan 10, 2017)

Stop putting your hand in the cage! Imagine how you would feel if you were going about your business in your house and a hand the same size as you came through the door and grabbed you. Your rats are afraid of you and are defending themselves. You need to start all over again with them.

There are people on here who know a lot more than me about taking care of rodents so I'm sure they will be along soon to help.


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## Andii (Feb 1, 2018)

Mirandashell said:


> Stop putting your hand in the cage! Imagine how you would feel if you were going about your business in your house and a hand the same size as you came through the door and grabbed you. Your rats are afraid of you and are defending themselves. You need to start all over again with them.
> 
> There are people on here who know a lot more than me about taking care of rodents so I'm sure they will be along soon to help.


Oh no no I never try to grab them, but even to let them smell me, or something as simple as filling up there food bowl! 
But thank you for the reply! Hopefully more people will be along soon to help me


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## PepaCub (Sep 26, 2013)

What sort of cage are they in - and where is the cage situated in relation to other things - is it in a quiet corner, a noisy room, hallways or somewhere where no humans go? 

Where did you get them from, are they adults or pups, males or females. All these things could be having an effect on their behaviour. 

We can get to the bottom of this though. I am no expert but if we can eliminate things that might be causing them to be so fearful, it could help you with your taming.


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## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

When my son's rats were first brought home they were nervous of hands and rather than try to pick them up I used to hold a small basket up to the door and encourage them to climb in with treats. Same when I needed to get them back in their cage after free ranging.

I also wore fabric garden gloves at first if I had to pick them up or put my hands in the cage, so I wasn't nervous of being bitten which meant I didn't withdraw my hand and they got used to me.

It didn't take long for them to realise I wasn't going to hurt them and usually had treats!


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## Andii (Feb 1, 2018)

PepaCub said:


> What sort of cage are they in - and where is the cage situated in relation to other things - is it in a quiet corner, a noisy room, hallways or somewhere where no humans go?
> 
> Where did you get them from, are they adults or pups, males or females. All these things could be having an effect on their behaviour.
> 
> We can get to the bottom of this though. I am no expert but if we can eliminate things that might be causing them to be so fearful, it could help you with your taming.


72x36x74


PepaCub said:


> What sort of cage are they in - and where is the cage situated in relation to other things - is it in a quiet corner, a noisy room, hallways or somewhere where no humans go?
> 
> Where did you get them from, are they adults or pups, males or females. All these things could be having an effect on their behaviour.
> 
> We can get to the bottom of this though. I am no expert but if we can eliminate things that might be causing them to be so fearful, it could help you with your taming.


they are in a 72cmX36cmx44cm cage! I understand this is the bare minimum but they have plenty of hammocks (2 each) and more than enough wooden chews and hide outs on ground level! They are in my bedroom which is quiet but I still make a point to talk and try my hardest to interact with them


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## MuddyRats (Jul 1, 2017)

Hey Andii, sorry for the late reply. Are you still having the same problems?

It'll take a bit of patience, but there is hope for you and your rattos! In order to properly address the situation, you need to understand _why _your rats are biting you. There are three common causes - pain, fear or hormonal aggression. Let's go over the options for your case.

Pain - is it possible that your rats are in pain? Do they show any other symptoms - fluffed up fur, hunched posture, lack of appetite, etc? If they are coming up to you and biting then it is unlikely that pain is the cause, but it is still worth mentioning just in case.

Fear - This is the most likely cause for your case, and the most common cause for rat bites overall. (Unfortunately, many "breeders" don't socialise their baby rats properly; a lot of new rat owners end up with rats that have never been handled before and/or are fearful of humans). What I assume happened is that the fearful rat bit you and you pulled your hand away. In that moment, you accidentally taught your rat that biting makes the scary thing go away. Rats are very intelligent, it only takes a couple of repetitions of the 'hand comes *bite* hand goes away' before you end up with a rat that will bite 100% of the time, and come up to bite you. I'm going to assume this is what happened for you, if it's not please correct me and I'll offer advice specific to your situation. I'll cover hormonal aggression just in case.

Hormonal Aggression - Very unlikely to be the culprit if your rats are female. However, if you have male rats between the ages of 6 months - 12 months (in their "teenage phase") then it's very possible that the aggression is caused by hormones. In this case, if training does not work, castration is usually the suggested solution.

*Going Forward*
There is not one easy, simple solution to any behavioural problem. The first thing you need to do, is stop reinforcing the biting behaviour. If the rat bites you do not move your hand away, do not react. If the bites are severe you may need to wear thick gloves or wait until you have bonded more. If you are persistent, the rat will learn that biting is does nothing and will stop. You may read online people suggesting that you make a loud "eep" noise and leave the room when the rat bites you, but this will NOT work for your case and will only reward the biting further.

Apart from not reacting to the bites, it is also advisable to work on the bond between you and your rats. Sit near their cage and read a book or go on your phone, just spend time in the room with them. It will be easier once they learn to stop biting because then you can have them out with you. It's also a good idea to start teaching them that your hands are a nice thing. Get some yoghurt/coconut oil/tuna/peanut butter and put it on your fingers, let the rats lick it off. This will start to create a positive association between your hands and nice things happening to them. Also just letting them explore your hands, sniff your fingers, etc.

Just so you know, you are not alone! There are so many people that end up with the same issues as you because of irresponsible breeders. Rats are lovely creatures and there is certainly a lot more to rat ownership than being bitten every time you try to interact with them. I hope you get to experience that soon!

Good luck, and let me know if you need anymore help.

-MR (Owner of many rats from all different backgrounds, current mum of a mischief of 11 females)

TL;DR: Don't move your hand away when they bite you, hand feed them high value foods, and work on your bond.


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## cava14 una (Oct 21, 2008)

OMG!! 11 rat girls that'll keep you busy


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## MuddyRats (Jul 1, 2017)

cava14 una said:


> OMG!! 11 rat girls that'll keep you busy


Hahaha, it certainly does. Rats are SO addictive. For the rodent community 11 isn't even that extreme, I know someone with 37! I think I'm at my maximum, though.


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## Marcia (Mar 10, 2009)

I have 7 boys myself and I want more lol


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