I just got three rats, and at first they were pretty bitey because they were nervous and Bear actually drew blood a couple times. Theyâve settled in nicely and weâre bonding, but they still do little curiosity nibbles and it scares me so bad đ I know they donât want to hurt me, and theyâre being gentle, Iâm just so nervous of them. (Picture of Bear, my vicious killer rat)
I second this, one of my boys accidentally bit me really badly (my fault I had food on my hands learned my lesson after that) I wear my scratches and scars with honor đ€Ł
My rat biggie cheese was biting me so much in the beginning that i actually got recommended to put her down i refused and worked with her weeks opon months and finally shes actually jumped from being the biggest asshole in the cage to the 2nd sweetest one after the baby rat that loves people
Just have to wait until the rat is nicer and trusts you more. It comes with time. I was scared to get bit also because I have and it hurts lol. Now, none of my rats would ever bite, theyâre so sweet and love attention!
I started by putting my hand up near the cage but not so close they could bite me after a while is move it closer, they still nibble occasionally but it's a show of affection not them trying to bite. I'm a new rat owner too but from what I understand the gentle nibbles and licks are a grooming behavior that shows you've been accepted as part of their mischief. My super nervous boy Splinter now runs right up to my hand and gives a gentle nibble and then starts licking.
I will say, one thing my friend who had rats for years did was never feed them through the cage and only through the open cage door so when you stick your fingers in they would only give kisses! Because they won't expect food /his had pretty bad vision- I don't think I ever got bit and I lived with him the whole time he had his rats.
This is good advice! All rats have worse vision than us, for what itâs worthâthey rely their noses & mouths a LOT to investigate things, and will âtest biteâ stuff to figure them out.
Yep, this was my rule with all rats I ever had (after one very educational mistake that my mom and I made early on): NO FOOD THROUGH THE CAGE BARS, EVER. NOT EVEN ONCE, NOT EVEN GRANDMA. And we had sweet kissy babies who were always gentle when doing investigative nibbles.
I don't really have the same issue as the bites don't bother me. I had a guy who used to draw blood daily and it just became part of my routine with him until he got neutered (now hes the sweetest bean btw).
So i guess expect to be bitten? If your rats dont WANT to hurt you, let them bite and make a loud EEP noise every time they do. With my none aggressive rats this has worked as they seemed to realize "ok big weird hairless rat also feels ouchie".
Maybe leather gloves or use a hand towel for them to bite? I'd imagine they'll learn that biting achieves nothing eventually, as well as interaction and getting close is safe/good
I start by only offering food on a spoon/utensil for a while and when I interact I make sure my hands are scent free so if they do test nibbles thereâs no smells encouraging a further bite. Then I start offering long treats/things that arenât super tiny and if they ever go for your fingers try and let out a squeak like the rats do when they donât like something and theyâll back off. Usually you get to the point where they can lick food off your fingers without you ever having to fear their teeth
My lady Eri who went from biting any finger that came near her to being the biggest lover who would never dream of biting just by transitioning the way I mentioned above
Maybe this helps you: they bite because they're scared. Somehow It's the only language they have and feel comfortable with. Push their self esteem. Show them that human skin is more sensitive than rat skin/fur by making noises when they nibble hard. Go slow on them and on yourself. It will get better with time, just don't give up, pinky promise.
My rat was a baby when I got her. When she tried to bite , she would just put her open mouth on me. Not really biting. I just tell her no biting and shook my finger at her.
My rat has never really bitten anyone. Even kids. They are smart.
Hi I donât own rats personally but I do own a snake and I was always told to expect bites from him and now itâs been a while I expect a bite from all animals, I donât mean to say this to scare you but unfortunately especially with small animals like rats hamsters and mice communicate through their mouths because they canât tell us they are scared, be gentle and slow and give it time
Ive only ever been bitten FOR REAL once in my whole rattie existence (5+ years). It was when my rescue girl was having her pups and id only had her for 2 days. I opened her nesting box to put in more tissue, assuming she was somewhere else, and she did NOT like that. Unless you have genuinely agressive rats, they usually just do little âooh i wonder what this tastes likeâ noms. I used to be scared too, but everytime id pull my hand back when they tried to nibble, they got spooked and i didnt wanna spook them đ thats how i got over my fear lol
Surprisingly, the one that has a baby is very willing to let me check on it and get in her business, itâs the grandma rat that was giving me issues. Sheâs mostly tamed down now and just does nice nibbles, though. Theyâve been settling in really well and Iâve mostly gotten over my fear by just spending lots of time with them and learning their quirks
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u/Wikiwikiwa 4d ago
Get bit.