# Scared Rat - can she become tame?



## ladyg110 (Nov 22, 2009)

Hiya,

We adopted a Rat that needed to be rehomed from the pet shop (as her last owner had taken her back there after letting her get pregnant) but she is very scared and keeps trying to bite us.
I have been told that she has had very little human contact since she was born which is why she isn't friendly, and she will sometimes let me stroke her head but I am a little nervous of her too, and the one time we did pick her up she tried to bite us and ran away (and we ended up turning the living room out to find her - which I think made it worse as that was when we first had her, and it scared her more).

Does anyone have any tips/tricks ideas ect about how I can go about making her friendly/tame?

Thank you,
Ashley


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

she will need a same sex friend to live with for starters as rats are highly socialble animals that get very depressed and lonely on there own.

she will come out of her shell and be a lot more confident if she had a friend or two of similar age.females are far more easier to intro new rats than males.

what i'd recommend is sit by her cage and get her used to your voice and your smell.
an old t shirt with your smell in could be left in her cage as bedding so she gets used to that.

then offer treats and let her take them from your hand.
by this time nxt wk she will be less nervous of you and then get her to go into a carrier or box or take the cage upstairs on your bed so that she can come out and wander around,let her walk across you whilst u stay still and talk to her in a gentle voice.

it will take time but she will come around if u keep this up everyday for an hour or two.

if you go on this site it has lots of info on fancy rats and u will get all the advice u need.

Fancy Rats | Home

hope this has helped
amy.


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## ladyg110 (Nov 22, 2009)

Thanks for that info - she is in our bedroom anyway (i had to keep her cage away from the children as my daughter stuck her finger in and Mumma rat bit her lol) so she should be used to my smell, but I will definately get an old t shirt in there and talk to my husband about getting another rat.
If we get another rat, would it be helpful if we got one that is very tame? I mean, if she saw the other rat being stroked ect would that hep her to come round to the idea, do you think?
I am just about to buy her a huge cage with plenty of toys (the cage she is in at the moment is too small for her really) and I am hoping that wil help her mood. I guess the main thing is I need to keep trying and be patient!

Thank you x


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

hi if u go to a rescue or a national fancy rat registered breeder the chances are that the rat(s) will be already tamed.

Main Page @ whiskersintheear.bravehost.com - A Bravenet.com Hosted Site

Home - RACR
even though this rescue is based in nottingham they usually have transporters to bring the rats to u but u will need to be home checked first.

Ratscallions

if u go on fancy rats web site and email admin for the nfrs breeder list i think there's some nr u.

try to get a couple of rats of similar age to yours,but don't worry they will be tame its just that the person who had yours obviously never gave her enough handling and before u know it was pregnant.
pet shop rats don't get handled if at all and so this is why the way she is too.
it would've been nice if the babies she had they kept a couple of the girl babies behind to of stayed with mummy rat :frown:

but yes she will need a bigger cage something like a jenny rat cage
Rat Cages : *NEW* Ferplast Jenny KD Rat Cage FREE DELIVERY : www.EquineCanineFeline.com the place to buy all your Pet Products, Horse Products and Pet Supplies online

or this one a furet plus

Rat Cages : Ferplast Furet Plus Cage: Rat & Ferret Cage FREE DELIVERY : www.EquineCanineFeline.com the place to buy all your Pet Products, Horse Products and Pet Supplies online

even ebay has some great bargains on second hand cages that u can end up winning for less than £10 and are either the same cages as described above or similar.

freddy rat cages are good for upto 3 female rats but they have stopped making them now though u can find them on ebay occasionally.

lots of hammocks,toys and ropes are a must for rats.
Rat Hammocks, Rat Beds, Rat Pouches, Rat Hammock, Ferret Hammocks : Buy Online Now from www.EquineCanineFeline.com Horse & Pet Products UK, Pet accessories and equestrian supplies for all cats, dogs, rats, rabbits, ferrets, hamsters, ponies and horse

Ratty Corner

again u can pick up some bargains off ebay for hammocks/toys.
and local pet shops have these in too.

rats should never be kept on shavings or sawdust as it causes respiratory infections which is where they have trouble breathing because of the dust from the shavings etc.

shredded paper,cardboard bedding,safe print newspaper,bio catlet litter for there corner litter trays,anything paper based is fine for rats.

some people use woodpellets but still when wet break down into sawdust like mess which is not ideal and some are scented with pine which also affects rats breathing!

this is what i use and it lasts months
ECOBED CARDBOARD BEDDING (22 KG)

this is also good but make sure the cage has a deep base as it will get everywhere
HORSE AND SMALL ANIMAL BEDDING

another good one
AUBIOSE HEMP BEDDING 20KG

as for food rats like a variety from cooked to raw veggies and fruit.
never feed oranges or lemons to rats it causes kidney cancer more so in males.

these dry mixes are base mixes u can add to it

Base Mixtures : ratRations.com, Rat food, base mixes and herbs

like dried dog foods such as skinners,arden grange,james wellbeloved and burns dog food.

they like sunflower seeds but watch how many as they are quite fatty.
pumpkin seeds which u can get from any supermarket.
dry porridge oats,rice cakes get from supermarkets but ones without salt in.
dry pasta twists.

or u can buy the ready made mixes and add a little of what i've put just above this

Complete Ready to Use Mixtures : ratRations.com, Rat food, base mixes and herbs

i used to use this
XtraVital Rat Food Beaphar - 500g : www.EquineCanineFeline.com the place to buy all your Pet Products, Horse Products and Pet Supplies online

but there are many many rat foods out there rupert rat is ment to be good but stay away from REGGIE RAT.its terrible rat food,its like feeding your child mc donalds everyday.full of colourants and cr*p.

i'm sure there will be other people on here more experienced than me that can also offer great advice.

would love to see some pics of mummy rat soon 

amy x


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## $hAzZa (May 2, 2010)

You got quite a lot of good help and advice from blade :thumbup:

Please keep us updated on her progress  x


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## LisaLQ (Dec 19, 2009)

If you email [email protected] - they will send you the breeder's list, not Fancy Rats (they have their own I think).

I would not under any circumstances get friends from the pet shop or BYB, because unless they are confident, they will not help bring your girl out of her shell. She needs two exceptionally tame friends that will teach her (as well as your gentle coaxing and treats) that humans are safe and handling time is fun. If you get two more nervous rats, you will just have three rats to tame, each one telling the other that they are scared, and it'll take ages longer.

Also - good shavings are fine, it's sawdust, wood based cat litter and cheap/flimsy shavings that are not suitable (as these are much more dusty and not heat treated - and often scented). The only brand of shavings I'd recommend though is Bedmax, as it is kiln dried with reduced phenols, the chemicals that are _thought_ to cause respiratory problems. However, there is much debate about that, as rats are prone to respiratory issues anyway, and a healthy rat from a breeder should not be irritated by shavings alone, it's more likely to be poorly bred rats who are more prone to issues (eg pet shop rats). They'd be likely to get respiratory issues whatever bedding they were on. I'm sure there are other suitable shavings brands also, just I've not used them personally. Bedmax is only available in big bales though - but it is incredibly cheap, much cheaper than pet shop shavings.

I'd avoid Megazorb personally, as it is incredibly dusty. Also I've known of some rats have severe eye reactions to some "paper based" cat litters, you really do need to check they are 100% paper with no added clay or scents. One big name brand with the initials BM was the one that set off the eye issues in some rats I know....

Diet advice given above is excellent - I will add to it that while I LOVE ratrations, and do purchase things from them for my mix (hemp, dried berries, buckwheat etc - especially at the local shows - save on postage!), a rabbit food based mix works out much cheaper than buying it ready made. Even a basic mix of rabbit food and a small (10% max) amount of dried dog food (Skinners Duck and Rice highly recommended!), is fine. Anything else is just for variety. I like to add some low sugar cereals (100% wholewheat puffs, bitesize Shredded Wheat), unsalted crackers (rice cakes, Ryvitas), pasta for underweight or poorly rats that need to keep their weight up, seeds and dried berries, seaweed powder to stop coats rusting....etc. More info on what goes in my mix on my website, although it is a little out of date now (eg I dont get the Skinners any more as my dog passed away, and instead I've been trying Harringtons from the supermarket).

Best of luck finding friends for your girl


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## simplysardonic (Sep 1, 2009)

I've found quietly talking to nervous rats, with your arm in the cage for them to sniff & explore (warning- you WILL experience cramp after a while!) will slowly help with building their confidence, keeping all movements as slow & careful as possible. A confident ratty friend also helps


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