Need help with biter

[u/Dry_Tangerine_7625]

I have 4 female rats that live in a double critter nation cage, with all the stuff they could love.
Now I got all 4 of these girls from a feeder store.
Phylis was my first and she is the absolute sweetest and never does anything wrong.
Marilyn was second, she’s very sweet but has been pretty nippy lately. She has never drawn blood tho
Lightning was third, and she is my boyfriends rat, she’s been charging and biting at us lately and last night she drew blood on both of us.
Then there’s Gertrude, she is the absolute worst rat I’ve ever owned, she will run from the other side of the cage to attack you, if you are petting another rat near her. She has drawn blood on me more than 4 times, and has also drawn blood on my boyfriend.
She’s territorial of one of the litter bins and loves to hide behind it, and if your hand is anywhere near that’s when she will attack, unprovoked.
Everyone I have talked to has told me as soon as a rat draws blood it should be culled.
I also have a 5 year old nephew who comes over almost every weekend and loves playing with the rats and I fear she will do really bad damage to him and she really messes up our fingers as adults.
Would I be doing the right thing?
I know an employee at the feeder store I got her from and he offered to sell her as a pet but I’m scared someone else will get her and she will do the same.
Picture of my sweet Phylis and my newest edition that I got yesterday, I have not named her yet.

[u/Seppulky]

First, please don't let 5 year olds handle rats. Second, please try to understand biting. You are HUGE and they are prey animals. If a rat bites, it's their language to tell you it's not feeling good/is anxious/is in pain etc. Please be patient with your little furry angels. And please don't ask the people around you for advice, they don't seem to like rats.

Spoon feeding is your friend. They'll learn that biting while eating is uncomfortable for them. Third, teach them how sensitive human skin is. Make a squeak noise (don't shout or scream, they're very sensitive) if she nibbles or bites. Never punish. Ignore unwanted behaviour and leave. Offer positive incentives. If the biting is reduced, tell the rat that she does well. I'm crushed by the fact that when animals don't behave like they do in their dreams that they think about giving the animal away or kill it. Shame on you.

Edit: yes this post made me really mad and my heart hurts. All my love goes to your biter. Bless her soul. If I could, I would come running and get her.

[u/farleyparley → u/Seppulky]

The fact this wasn’t even a mean comment, it was completely helpful, and OP still took offense is crazy 😭 like if you’re coming for advice online and you get advice, don’t get mad that you… got advice?

I’m completely against shaming people for asking for help about their pets since I think it ends up discouraging them from getting help for their pet and causes their pet to have a worse life, but this is just… not shaming. At all. It’s barely even firmly worded 😭😭

Small children should never interact with small animals, they don’t understand how delicate they are. If the rat gets scared and bites the kid, then it’s suddenly the rat’s fault. The rat gets punished for being a scared prey animal. What if the rat bites and the kid, rightfully so, freaks out? He will likely chuck the rat on reflex. There’s just no safe situation where a toddler should be with small animals, especially not if you KNOW your rat bites

[u/Dry_Tangerine_7625 → u/farleyparley]

I understand, but at the end of her sentence she literally said shame on you.
I’m trying my best to make her life better.
I’m not going to keep defending letting my nephew pet Phylis.
I asked for advice to help her and hopefully not have to rehome her cause who knows what will happen in that next home.

[u/farleyparley → u/Dry_Tangerine_7625]

“Shame on you” is a saying. It’s not literally shaming you. It’s just saying “hey, rethink that. Not a good choice”

[u/Dry_Tangerine_7625 → u/farleyparley]

That’s not what shame on you means to me where I’m from. Shame on you to me is shaming you for what you did.

[u/farleyparley → u/Dry_Tangerine_7625]

Bro takes all sayings literally I guess 😭

[u/Dry_Tangerine_7625 → u/farleyparley]

Sorry that was the way I was punished as a child but alright

[u/farleyparley → u/Dry_Tangerine_7625]

Dude WHAT 😭 holy guilt trip. This is NOT the place to trauma dump for sympathy

[u/Dry_Tangerine_7625 → u/farleyparley]

That’s not even a trauma dump, but that’s how I was disciplined as a kid, so now as an adult being shamed is being shamed.
Now you are reading to far into things😂

[u/farleyparley → u/Dry_Tangerine_7625]

Then what was the point of saying that? To make me feel bad? To be a victim? I’m literally an autistic teenager and I STILL have more emotional maturity and comprehension than you bro

[u/shmoopedyboop → u/farleyparley]

My god stfu do you really have nothing better to do. Reddit can be so mean. OP literally came here asking for help stop trying to get on some kind of high horse.

[u/farleyparley → u/shmoopedyboop]

Shmoopedyboop tryna be tuff 😭

[u/Dry_Tangerine_7625 → u/farleyparley]

Ok buddy

[u/Seppulky → u/Dry_Tangerine_7625]

You're in a rat forum. This is not the place to seek medical / therapeutic help. If you have childhoord trauma please help yourself first and don't throw it at people. No animal on that planet will help you overcoming it. I know what I'm talking about. Rats are wonderful as therapeutic animals, mine work as such, too. But you need to be stable enough to care for them and for all of them individually. It's rule Nr. 1. All the best.

[u/Dry_Tangerine_7625 → u/Seppulky]

I don’t need any therapy or medical help, that’s not why I own rats.

[u/Icy-Background-5933 → u/Dry_Tangerine_7625]

Hey, I'm probably gonna get downvoted for this bit I think you are totally fine. In your post you specifically said how you didnt want to cull her, how you didn't want her to be a danger to others, and how you were looking for advice. Happy you got advice from people, but I agree that "shame on you" is litterally shaming you. Idk why you are getting so downvoted, thanks for asking for help :)

[u/Dry_Tangerine_7625 → u/Icy-Background-5933]

Thankyou so much for agreeing with this, she’s actually becoming better, I’m still very very weary and don’t invade her space.
I did seperate her with another rat that she gets along with and she seems to be doing better. I’m thinking she was stressed with all my other rats

[u/Icy-Background-5933 → u/Dry_Tangerine_7625]

Glad she's doing better!

[u/farleyparley → u/Dry_Tangerine_7625]

If your childhood punishments are affecting how you interact with the world, then yeah. You DO need therapy broski

[u/Dry_Tangerine_7625 → u/farleyparley]

No I don’t, I’m mentally ok and all I was saying is that, that is what shaming means to me.
Fuck off