Ouch! Pet rat bites can harm us both physically and emotionally. After all, you’d like your newly adopted rats to show a little appreciation for their new home. But how can we expect them to feel comfortable and safe when terror and torture is all they’ve ever known? Your new rats may have been raised as snake food or were living with little kids who squealed while squeezing them. Or maybe they previously lived in a home where they were never taken out of their cage…which was also never cleaned. If you find yourself saddled with a new rat (or two) who bite, the first thing to do is figure out what triggers the behavior.
Fear
Fear is the number one reason rats behave aggressively toward humans. Remember that, in the wild, rats are low on the food chain. When afraid, a rat’s first instinct is self-protection which is most easily accomplished with their teeth.
The Origins of Fear: Biological vs. Behavioral
A rat’s fear biting can be due to a biological reason such as illness or injury, a learned behavior or a combination of both. Determining the cause of the fear will give you the keys to help your rat stop being afraid.
Biological Reasons for Pet Rat Bites
Illness, Injury
When in pain, injured or sick rats feel especially vulnerable and will often bite out of self-protection. Even if you believe your rat is perfectly healthy, it’s always a good idea to have new rats examined by a veterinarian who’s experienced with and knowledgeable about pet rats. It’s also good to have regular wellness checkups throughout your rats’ lives. I’ve had rats for 30 years now and have consistently had instances when I thought my rat was healthy and my vet found something was wrong. I’m always grateful when any health concerns are caught early since it makes it more likely my rat can regain his or her health.
Hormones
Male rats in particular may exhibit vicious behavior. This is largely due to their hormones. Hormonal aggression can in many cases be resolved by neutering. Behavioral changes are more likely to result when a rat is neutered at a younger age. Conversely, if a rat has been aggressive for quite some time, neutering may not make as much of a difference since the rat’s behavior has already become established. (This is a case where the physiologically-based fear has resulted in a learned behavior over time.) I’d still try neutering an older aggressive rat as long as it’s in good health. I’ve personally seen neutering make a big difference, even when the rat was already an adult.
Pink Eyes
Rats with pink eyes have very poor eyesight. They don’t always detect your approach and become easily frightened since it seems as if you’re sneaking up on them. If your rat’s vision is poor, talk softly while moving slowly to let him know you’re not a predator about to attack. One way to tell that your rat has difficulty seeing is when she slowly sways her head from side to side as a means to gauge depth.
Keen Hearing
Sounds that are loud to us are even louder to our rats’ sensitive ears. Sudden bursts of loud noises as well as constant loud music or other jarring sounds are perceived as being both unpleasant and threatening. This type of environment can cause a rat to be continually “on guard” and ready to bite out of self-protection.
Overall Sensitivity and Awareness
Especially in new environments and situations, rats feel most comfortable when movements around them are slow and easily anticipated. If your rats aren’t acclimated to fast motion, any sudden action will make them feel as if they’re being preyed upon—-It’s as if a hawk is swooping down out of nowhere or a snake is striking. You can imagine how scary that would feel!
Biting as a Behavioral Response
Rats aren’t born ready to attack humans. Any aggressive behavior toward people has been learned as a self-preservation measure.
Lack of Familiarity with Human Contact
If your rat hasn’t been around humans and therefore isn’t accustomed to being held or petted, it will take some time for your rat to develop a positive association with human contact. The most important thing you can do is to spend as much time as possible with your rat, especially during the first several months. Ideas for how to bond with new rats (and how to spend lots of time with them) can be found in Bonding with Your New Pet Rats.
If you find your rat is so frightened you can’t even touch her without being bitten then try using a feather. Very slowly poke a large feather through the bars of the cage while talking softly. At first she may lunge and bite the feather. After several days of gentle feather-touching, work up to being able to rub her with the feather so she gradually learns it’s actually a nice thing to be touched and petted. Eventually you’ll be able to gradually substitute your fingers for the feather.
Pet Rat Bites Caused by Resource Guarding—A Territorial Response
Let’s say you have a rat who feels safest when inside his cage. Let’s also say this is a rat who’s not used to being around humans. With this combination, you can just imagine how threatening it would feel when a rat sees a human hand coming inside the only safe place it knows.
To help your biting rat learn that your hand inside their cage is “friendly”, move it very slowly while talking softly and reassuringly. Practice doing this a little each day. In the beginning, carefully move your hand just inside the cage without being very close to her. Over the space of a few days, gradually move your hand closer but don’t touch her. After about a week, try gently and briefly petting her. After this, you can start picking her up. The idea is to move a little closer every few days while showing her every day that you are not going to hurt her.
How to take a biting rat out of its cage: If you’re having trouble getting him out of the cage for free roam time, you can place a small box inside their cage. Place one of his favorite treats inside the box. Once he goes into the box to eat the treat, gently close the box and bring him out. If you think he might take the treat out of the box before he eats it, smear a tiny amount of peanut butter onto a small dish that can’t be easily taken out of the box. This process can be reversed if you have trouble getting a biting rat back into its cage.
If you have several rats and only one of them is biting you, there’s no reason to separate them as long as the aggressive rat is friendly toward your other rats. In most cases, your human-biting rat will learn from seeing how much your other rats enjoy being with you. They’ll see it’s actually beneficial to allow you to participate in their lives.
Associating Fingers with Food
Do your hands smell like food? Sometimes rats smell food on your hand and automatically think your hand IS the food. Make sure your hands are always clean before interacting with your rats, especially when your pet rat bites.
If she’s biting you while you’re offering her a treat, try placing the treat in your flattened, upward-facing palm rather than holding the treat out to her with your fingers. Speak softly while slowly moving your outstretched palm toward her. Say something such as “Easy” very softly and slowly to show her you aren’t going to hurt her and let her know that she doesn’t need to lunge at the treat.
Gaining a Pet Rat’s Trust Takes Time
Whether the fear is caused by biological or behavior reasons or a combination of both, once you figure out the reason(s) your pet rat bites you’ll know how to help him stop. If the problem is biological, working with your veterinarian will help your rat feel better and then will no longer feel the urge to bite. If the nipping is behavioral, consistently working with your rat on getting him acclimated to what previously set him on edge will help stop the fear-biting. Whether it’s territorial, hormones, illness, lack of experience with humans or your rat has pink eyes, you can make a difference and put a stop to the biting.
I strongly believe each and every rat can be helped. It’s just a matter of a whole lot of practice and patience.
I have two males.. both are used to me and are handled daily without issue.. lately one of them has been biting my wrist and arms when we spend our out of cage time together.. today he bite hard and my reaction was to pull my arm away resulting in an extremely large gash/slice to my wrist.. it was deep and bleed a lot.. I don’t want to have him neutered .. what other options do I have for a lovey rat who seems to be getting aggressive with me? Is there hope to stop this? He still runs and jumps and plays on me and let’s me pet him with no issue so the aggression is not all the time.. he also does not draw blood on my other male ( his companion ). I would reslly like some spild advise. Besucase I love my boys but I am worried it might get worse.
Hi Melissa,
I’m curious to know why you don’t want to have your rat neutered. It’s not an invasive surgery and it’s one that most exotic vets are quite used to performing.
It’s hard for me to respond to your question without more information such as why you don’t want him neutered, how old your rats are and for how long you’ve had them. It would also be helpful to know if you’ve tried out any of the suggestions in my post above.
Without having the above-mentioned information, I can say that it sounds like it would be helpful to observe WHEN your rat is biting you. What is happening right before he bites? Do you smell like food? Have you made any loud noises or moved anything (including your body and/or hand) suddenly? Observing closely what’s happening right before the unwanted behavior is occuring is crucial to figuring out how to stop it.
The other thing that’s super helpful is to not ever give your rat the opportunity to bite you. Don’t place your wrist and arms near him until you know you can trust him.
In most cases, however, neutering is the best option.
Feel free to give me the additional details mentioned above and I’ll be glad to respond more specifically to your rat’s potential reasons for biting and how to prevent it.
Best Wishes to You & Your Rats,
Jasmine | About Pet Rats
Hi, I have some questions about rats bites (well, questions about rats, period)
So, I’m a biology student and we’re forced to experiment on rats. It’s against my values so I abstain from doing anything hands on myself, but I’m forced to be there.
Everyone knows where I stand with animals and I have made my disapproval known for the lack or rehabilitation options for our rats. And so at the end of our last experiment my professor allowed me to adopt the three rats who survived instead of using them for dissection. I took them because it was an incredibly rare opportunity of saving innocent lives and I would have never turned it down. But I don’t know anything about rats and everything they do confuses me.
I feel I am doing everything wrong with them, starting with the fact that they must know I was part of the environment that hurt them. But no shelter could take them in so I am trying to figure it out as I go.
First off I do not know how to handle them, they want out of the cage and I try to give them 3/4 hours of roaming around (under supervision) but every time I have to get them back instead it’s a struggle. They really don’t like when I grab them and each time I force them back in the cage I feel I am breaking their trust. I take comfort in the fact that they are becoming more familiar with me and not less each day. They take food from my hand, they join me on the bed, they play, eat, groom next to me, they climb on me. I was taking faith in that but I noticed they were becoming …rougher with me the last few days. They started nibbling on my hand and my fingers even when there’s no food in it. And today one rat was chasing excitedly after my hand, I thought he was playing with me so I played along as I would have with a cat. But as soon as he grabbed a hold of my hand he started biting me increasingly hard and then he drew blood.
I don’t know what to think, was he not playing but attacking me ? Is it a bad sign that they are becoming more familiar with me and I should expect more aggression in the future ? Have they resented me the whole time ?
(Please forgive any spelling mistakes, English is not my first language)
Hi Lise,
Your English is excellent!
First, I’m so impressed that you’ve taken these rats into your home. I, too, am vehemently against animal testing. You did such a big and wonderful thing, rescuing these rats. It makes me so happy to hear what you’re doing.
It sounds like you’ve gotten off to a great start with your rats. You wrote “They take food from my hand, they join me on the bed, they play, eat, groom next to me, they climb on me.” That’s all fantastic!
As for why your one rat bit you when you were playing, the above article goes over the main causes. Your rat could’ve thought your hand was “prey.” It could be hormonal. There may have been something else that scared your rat. Were there any loud sounds? I’m also wondering if your rats have red or pink eyes. If so, their eyesight isn’t as good, and your rat could’ve been easily spooked.
At this point, since you’ve been bitten once, you want to make sure to not give your rats any opportunity to bite again. Next time you play a game like this, instead of using your hand, use a small stuffed animal or a feather on the end of a wand. As time goes on and the more you develop your relationships with your rats, you’ll be able to use your hand to play again.
This article goes over how rats behave when they are about to become aggressive. If you see their fur bristle up and their ears go back, you’ll know your rat is not happy and is possibly preparing for “combat”. I don’t know if your rat exhibited this type of behavior before he bit you. Their body language is an important thing to observe, though, especially as you’re getting to know your rats.
Also, just wanted to mention something about what you said about “nibbling on your hands and fingers.” They could be grooming you. If so, this is a compliment. It’s not easy at first to see if they’re grooming or about to bite your hand. Again, observe their body language.
I recommend taking any new rats to a veterinarian who’s knowledgeable about and experienced with pet rats. Especially when you first get them, you never know if there’s a health issue going on that you’re not aware of. It’s good to establish a good relationship with a vet as soon as possible anyways. That way your vet will be more easily accessible when you have any problems that need addressing urgently. I recommend taking them to the vet for regular wellness exams as well.
You wrote “They really don’t like when I grab them and each time I force them back in the cage I feel I am breaking their trust.” Here’s a way to make this easier: You can make getting back into their cage desirable for them. I give my rats a little meal or snack when they get back inside their cage. They know they won’t get this treat until they’re all inside their cage. If you do this consistently, they’ll learn it’s to their advantage to get back inside.
The more you interact with them, the more you’ll learn what they’re comfortable with. Talking softly to them in a soothing, pleasing voice can makes huge difference, too.
That’s great you have them out of their cage once a day. If you’re able to, increase it to twice a day, that would be even better. The more interaction you have, the sooner they will learn to trust you. Exposing them to new environments can help them learn to trust you even more.
Overall, I just want to say you’re doing a FANTASTIC job of taking care of these rats. I’m so impressed. I could go on and on with recommendations. I hope you’ll read through other pages on my website to get more information. These are some articles I think may be particularly helpful for you:
Bonding with Your Pet Rats – especially the part where you have them out on your shoulders completely away from their cage.
From Shy to Social Butterfly
How to Make a Room Safe for Your Rats – since you mentioned giving them free range time. (I’m not sure if this is only on your bed or if you’re having them out in other areas, too.)
I hope you’ve found my response to be helpful. If you have any other questions anytime, or if you need any clarification on what I’ve written above, don’t hesitate to ask.
I highly applaud you for taking these rats into your home and for all that you’re doing for them. I appreciate your asking your questions and think it’s wonderful you’re researching ways to interact with and develop strong, positive bonds with your rats.
Best Wishes to You & Your Rats,
Jasmine | About Pet Rats
Hoping for some advise – me and my husband are new(ish) rat parents to 4 boys we picked up from Pets at Home at the end of January. The problem is they all bite and draw blood. Emile and Ratthew are the worst – they like to just grab at anything in their vicinity. Remy seems to only bite on accident when food’s involved, and Django seems to use it as ‘go away/stop that’ (he’s not drawn blood). None of them can be handled, and I feel like that’s down to a lack of confidence on both our parts, made worse by the biting. I’ve read things online that say wear gloves, but I don’t think that’s helping either of us.
They have free roam time, just not with us. They’re clever boys, and I just want to be able to hold them. Any suggestions appreciated!
Hi Frankie,
I’m so glad you’re committed to working with your boys so you’ll eventually be able to hold them and interact with them without getting bitten!
Getting them used to you (and getting them to stop biting) is a long, slow process. You really do need to be dedicated, consistent and very patient.
From what you’ve described, I would start with considering where their cage is located. For more information on ideal cage location, see Bonding with Your Pet Rats in 3 Easy Steps. This post also goes over the importance of talking soothingly with your rats while they’re inside their cage and developing a relationship with them in that way.
As for my above post on biting, I’m wondering if you’ve tried the feather idea yet? It seems like this one could help them get used to being touched.
What I’d recommend overall is you start with whatever interaction your rats will currently engage in without their having the opportunity to bite you. This could just be talking with them while they’re in their cage. Once you’ve established what they’re currently comfortable with, add one new thing. This could be touching them with a feather, it could be offering them a treat through the bars of their cage—as long as they don’t lunge at your fingers when you offer them a treat.
If they do lunge at your fingers, you can offer the treat just out of reach and say “Easy” and “Gentle” in a soothing voice. As long as they’re acting calm rather than lunging at your fingers, gradually move the treat closer to them until they gently take the treat from your fingers without trying to bite you
Whatever new thing you add beyond their current comfort level, do this additional one new thing twice daily for about a week until it gets to be routine for them. Once they’re accepting whatever you’re doing without feeling like they have to bite you, add a another level, something that goes only slightly beyond their current comfort level. For example, if you’re offering a treat through the bars of their cage, try opening the door and offering them the treat while they’re just inside the open door.
Eventually you can have them come halfway up your arm before you offer them the treat. By adding one level of complexity each week, they’ll learn to gradually be comfortable with (and ever more trusting of) you. Keep doing this so you’re consistently adding one extra degree of closeness each week.
This takes a lot of time and patience, but it’s super worth it. They really will learn to trust you if you only make small, incremental advances in your degree of contact with them each week.
Let me know if you have additional questions or need any clarification on what I’ve written here. I’m happy to help anytime I can.
Best Wishes to You & Your Rats,
Jasmine | About Pet Rats
I’m an experienced rat owner (on my second mischief) and I’m successfully bonding with my 1y/o adopted female rats. They were awfully shy the first day boy we’re on week 2 and they already learned how to hop onto my hand and know I’m the treat dealer. They approach me on their own terms during free roam and I don’t pick them up from above yet bc I know they are not that that trusting of me yet.
The more confident of the girls is braver with me and we have a closer bond but she does this odd thing where she nips at my calves when I’m specifically kneeling like to clean their cage or pick stuff off the floor (away from their cage) and it hurts but doesn’t draw blood but is very purposeful bc she does it multiple times specially to my calves.
Is there a behavior cue/communication I’m missing from her? Is there a way to ‘untrain’ her from this? Am I doing something upsetting to her?
When I do play with her I use cat wands and tickle her. Maybe she thinks the tickling is me trying to be aggressive? Bc one time I tickled her and she wagged her tail which I saw could be a territorial thing.
Ty!
Hi Drew,
You sound like a wonderful pet rat caretaker and have asked such excellent questions. I love that you said your new rats have learned that you’re the “treat dealer”.
Sounds like you’ve really done a great job of working with your rats to develop close relationships. Such a good idea to not pick them up from above until they’re more trusting and used to you. It’s also wonderful you’ve taught them to hop into your hand.
Lastly it’s so good you’re wanting to change this behavior of your rat who’s repeatedly nipping at your calves. I’m glad she’s not biting so hard that you bleed—and I’m sure you are, too!
That’s super helpful you’ve identified her nipping occurs when you’re kneeling to clean their cage or to pick stuff up off the floor. For now, I’d avoid doing these activities in the same ways you’ve been doing them. In other words, I’d make sure she never even has a chance to nip at your calves. You can do this by cleaning their cage when she’s away from the area. This can be accomplished by placing her inside a travel carrier while you clean or by having her play out of nipping distance in the same room while you’re cleaning. When picking things up off the floor, I’d also make sure she’s not within nipping distance.
Explore new ways of interacting with her. You mentioned your current games of using the cat wand toy and tickling. Stop tickling for now since you noticed her wagging her tail once in response to the tickling. You’re right, tail wagging in rats is a sign they’re unhappy. It can be a sign of showing they’re upset and may want to retaliate.
You could try teaching both of your rats new tricks and show them new games they can play. Food puzzles are fantastic activities for keeping rats engaged while utilizing and developing their mental abilities. Keep introducing new ways of interacting with you. All of these activities will help her forget she ever wanted to nip at you.
I hope you find this information helpful. Don’t hesitate to let me know if you have any further questions or need any clarification. Also, feel free to keep me updated. I’d love to hear how it’s going if you feel inclined to share.
Best Wishes to You & Your Rats,
Jasmine | About Pet Rats
So I just got 2 rats from petco like 2 weeks ago and set them up in their cage. They’re still afraid of me (I see the spotted one tremble whenever I reach into the cage to do anything and they both run from me like I’m the plague) but I figured they’d warm up to me eventually. However, the white one has recently started biting me hard enough to draw blood. It used to just nibble at my fingers when I gave it food but just this weekend it bit my finger drawing blood and just just straight up bit my finger drawing blood again when I was reaching into its cage to add food to the bowl.
The spotted one’s well behaved (comparatively) but still runs from me the moment I enter the room for some reason.
Anyone know how I can fix this?
Thanks
Hi,
I think you’d really benefit from reading my post Bonding with Your New Pet Rats. There are lots of good ideas for helping you and your new rats develop a warm, lasting relationship.
Does your white rat have pink or red eyes? As stated in my article on this page, rats with red or pink eyes don’t see as well and are therefore more likely to become fearful of movements around them. You’ll need to be extra careful and patient with your white rat (if it has pink eyes).
Keep in mind it can take a month or more for rats to become acclimated to their new home once you bring them home. Again, the tips in Bonding with Your New Rats will really help them get used to you and their new surroundings.
Developing relationships with new pet rats takes time. Spend time with them daily, preferably multiple times a day, and you’ll definitely notice a difference after a month or so.
Let me know if you have any other questions or if you need any clarification.
Best Wishes to You & Your Rats,
Jasmine | About Pet Rats
I literally just got a male pet rat from Petco as well with ruby eyes and a brown color to him. I’ve never been bitten by a pet rat but he really got me good and he ended up dying the same night. I’m going to call them tomorrow to see what’s going on. I got him from the Petco in Toledo off of Sylvania. It kept swaying from side to side which is a sign of poor eyesight. He also had a big bite mark on his leg and nips everywhere. He acted very skittish right from the start. Like I said I’ve never had a pet rat behave like that.
To the lady who had her pet rat maul her ears I had one that did that to my ex once and it was because she had earrings in her ear. Rats love shiny things so it was trying to collect the earrings. I’ll bet that’s your problem
Hi Matthew,
Thank you for your comments. I’m so sorry to hear you got a new pet rat who died the same night he bit you. That’s so hard….my heart goes out to you.
Thanks also for bringing up that earrings can be enticing for rats!
Sending you very best wishes,
Jasmine | About Pet Rats
Hello.
So, I have an ordinarily extremely sweet and loving rat called Ashley. I’ve had her for quite a while now, and she hasn’t been aggressive at all until now. (Even when she had a litter of babies shortly after I got her)
Now out of nowhere, she’d randomly try to maul my ears. Just my ears. Nothing else.
One second, she’d be happily bruxing on my shoulder, then next she’d be trying to rip my ear to pieces, giving me wounds that would take nearly a day to stop bleeding.
This change is extreme as she had previously been so relaxed with me that she’d fall asleep on my lap or chest.
My boyfriend suggested that she might be in heat, but I don’t feel like that explains the change.
I have kept her environment the same (aside from cleaning her cage) and ensured that she has plenty of food and water.
In short, I’m stumped.
Hi Cheryl,
That sounds terrible that your previously sweet, loving rat, Ashley, has taken to biting your ears. I’m wondering how old she is. She may be going through puberty in which case her hormones could be making her act unlike her her normal self.
My suggestion, no matter what the reason for her behavior change, would be to never, ever give her the opportunity to bite your ears. If that’s the only place she’s biting, don’t allow her on your shoulders or near your face. I do believe that, over time, she’ll revert back to her sweet, loving self. Just don’t give her the opportunity to bite your ears right now.
Besides hormonal changes, she could have a health issue. Have you taken her in to be examined by a veterinarian who’s knowledgeable about and experienced with pet rats? This really could make a difference. There might be a health problem she’s having about which you’re not yet aware.
Have you considered and/or are you able to get her spayed? That might also help and it would help her to live a longer, healthier life.
Let me know if you have any additional questions and/or if you’d like to provide any additional information.
Sending best wishes to you and your rats (especially Ashley),
Jasmine | About Pet Rats
A little back story….my son had two male rats, Fox and Panda, both around 6 months old. Fox would attack Panda if they were caged together. Panda liked to be with other rats so we thought it would be best for him to have a friend. We found a sweet little boy rat that was younger than him and they got along really well. Shortly after, we found out that the little boy rat we were sold, was a female. We had 9 babies that were handled from a young age. We found great homes for all but the 2 boys and 1 girl we kept. I had all our boys neutered and all the girls spayed (for health reasons). One of the boys has become very aggressive, even after neuter. I can just have my hand in the cage and he’ll lunge and bite viciously. I take all 6 rats out daily for play time and he’s almost always the last one I can get out of the cage. I have no idea why he’s so aggressive. He’s never been treated badly and I try to give him lots of space to make the decision to come to me. Most of the time he runs away and hides but if I reach in, he’ll run and lunge at my hand. I’ve had some pretty deep unprovoked bites and I’m really at the end of my rope. He will run to me at the end of play time and I can easily pick him up there and put him on my shoulder. However, If I were to reach out to let him sniff my hand before picking him up, it would almost always end in a bite. If I offer a treat, he will go for my hand and not the treat. I don’t know what to do at this point. Any advice would be appreciated.
Hi Michele,
That’s fantastic you had both boys neutered and your female spayed.
I’m curious to know, is your neutered boy who’s aggressive an albino rat with pink eyes? Knowing the answer to this question would really make a difference. Albino rats, who often have poor eyesight, can be much more fearful. This makes them more prone to biting. With Albino rats it’s especially important to take things slow and allow your rat to establish a bond with you over time.
From the information you provided, my recommendations are:
Never, ever, give your aggressive rat the opportunity to bite you. You want to banish the thought from his “thought vocabulary”. This means, whenever you take him out of the cage, you figure out a way to do it so that he can’t possibly bite you. This could mean placing him in a covered box that you then take out of the cage. Or you could coax him out by having him chase a string or even a feather. Only do things with this rat that you know he’ll tolerate without feeling like he must bite you.
In other words, you set him up for success: by not even giving him the chance to bite you.
You could gradually gain his trust by spending more time with him, while still not giving him the opportunity to bite. After doing this for a period of time, you can try using a feather to pet him (so he can only bite the feather, not you). You could also offer him a treat on the end of a skewer or a fork so he couldn’t bite you. Doing this multiple times a day over the course of several weeks could help him learn there isn’t the need to bite.
This kind of situation takes a lot of practice and a lot of patience. Go slow and don’t give up. Being around your other rats and seeing that they’re not aggressive will be helpful for him, too.
I hope what I’ve written is helpful. Don’t hesitate to let me know if you need any clarification or have any other questions.
Best Wishes to You & Your Rats,
Jasmine | About Pet Rats
I adopted two rats a month ago. Julias Cheeser ( Cheesy for short ) used to launch herself from one side of the cage to the other to bite my hand. I did trust training with both of them. I put gardening gloves on, offered them food at first and squeeked in a high pitch if they bit the glove. Stroked them with the glove and started to handle them. I also let them out in the bathroom ( it’s the only place without halls in the wall) after a week or so and just sat calmly with them. It’s a month now and honestly they have come around so nicely. I don’t use gardening gloves now, they climb all over me and even lick me. They’re the most loving rats I’m seriously so happy I found this site and put the time in. Thank you so much, Julieas Cheeser and Cleoratcha are force grateful too 🥰
Hi Helen,
Thanks for writing about your successes with Julieas Cheeser and Cleoratcha! (I love their names!)
It sounds like you did a fantastic job and I’m so glad you found my website helpful. Hearing this makes me so happy!
I can’t help but mention that most bathrooms (at least this is true in the US) have an entryway underneath the cabinets that leads to the inside of the walls of the bathroom. I have information on this in my post Making a Room Safe for Your Pet Rats. You can see photos of the openings under the bathroom cabinets. The photos are right above the section in the post called “CABINETS & DRAWERS”. I’m mentioning this just in case these holes are in your bathroom, too.
I had my very first rat go into one of these holes underneath a bathroom cabinet. He actually got inside the walls of the condo where I was living. I was so worried about him and wondered if I’d ever see him again. Fortunately he did eventurally come back out….I was SO lucky!
Thank you again for writing about what you did to help Julieas Cheeser and Cleoratcha learn to stop biting. I’m so impressed AND I’m excited for you—what a great feeling to be able to help those precious little beings.
Best Wishes to You & Your Rats,
Jasmine | About Pet Rats
My brother has rat and he hasn’t played with them and I want to play with them but they bite we’ve had them for months maybe three and I want to see what I can do.
is there anyone that can help me?
Hi Maisie,
That’s great you want to play with your brother’s rats. Have you tried any of the ideas in the post above?
I’m happy to help once I know you’ve read the above post. Also, I’ll be better able to help once I learn which of the above suggestions you’ve already tried.
Hope you’re making progress!
Best Wishes,
Jasmine | About Pet Rats
Also u don’t need to reply to this but I forgot to mention she missed Soda because they have lived in a cage at the pet store and at my house most of their lives.
Sorry, I’ve had them for a like 2 months now Sprite still ALWAYS try’s to bite me when I try to pet her. Soda is SUPER gentle (not if you give her jelly) even when you give her peanut butter she makes sure she isn’t biting you!
Nice to learn more information from you, Edie. If your rat Sprite ALWAYS tries to bite you when you pet her, it sounds like some trust training exercises could be very helpful. Also, she just may not like being petted. Not all rats enjoy this. If she’s fairly young, she may grow out of her distaste for being petted. When rats become older (especially female rats) they generally become calmer and more interested in interacting with humans.
Does Sprite allow you to pick her up? If she does, I’d spend a lot of time with her on your shoulder while you move about through your home. In general, I’d spend as much time as possible with her so she learns to be more trustful of you.
Feel free to send updates.
Sending Positive Wishes for .You & Your Rats,
Jasmine | About Pet Rats
Hi. I recently got two new rats. They were rescued from an abuse/neglect situation. They were living in a hamster cage and the kids abused them. I was told that even though that was the case, they were still very sweet. That seems to be true for one of them (Benny). While timid, and shy, he’s curious about me and over the past two weeks he’s really warmed up with lots of treats and slowly getting him used to my hands. There’s still a long way to go, he still gets scared but it’s still good improvement. The other (Marvin) sent me to urgent care when he crawled up on my shoulder and bit me under the eye. I know now that I shouldn’t have let him so close to my face. But it’s unfortunately caused a fear in me that I’m trying to get over.
I’ve been treating him the same way as Benny. But he seems uninterested in getting to know me if that makes sense. For now, free roam time is on my queen size bed. But he spends the majority of the time trying to jump off. When I try to work on getting them used to my touch, I’ve every once in awhile tried picking them up (to get them used to the feeling and for them to see it isn’t a bad thing). I feel him tense up immediately, but also become defensive (he kind of turns like he’s going to bite my hand, whereas Benny will freeze or try to run away) He hasn’t bitten hard but does nip often. Sometimes he just comes up to my hand and tries to nip it (without my doing anything but holding it there in a fist—bc finger bites are the worst). I know it’s not personal, but it feels that way sometimes, like he’s trying to hurt me.
I know I shouldn’t have taken on these rats now. I’ve had rats for over 5yrs but almost always from breeders. I was desperate bc my senior had just lost his cagemate and I wanted to get him new friends. But now I just have a rat that kind of scares me and nips at me often. It’s been two weeks and I’m just unsure if he’s even safe to be introduced to my senior rat, or if I should rehome both of them to someone with more experience. I just feel at a loss of what to do.
Hi Natalie,
I really feel for you. That’s such a difficult situation to have a rat who bites….especially when you’re trying to do a good thing and give them a good home and you got these new rats so they can be friends for your senior rat who lost his cagemate.
When it comes to deciding whether to rehome them, I’d think carefully about the following:
How much time do you have to work with Marvin? It takes time to retrain/re-orient an aggressive rat. The amount of time you have available is a major factor in how well this will work for you and your rats. If you have several hours a day—at least one hour in the morning and one in the evening is ideal. Besides time, having a ton of patience for however long it takes Marvin to adjust is super important. It won’t be easy and his behavior may not resolve quickly, but if you do decide to commit to working with him, it will be very rewarding in the long run.
It sounds like you’ve made great progress with Benny. That’s wonderful! Keep in mind Marvin could eventually learn from Benny and gradually begin to trust you more. If the previous owners say that Marvin never bit them, then he’s likely acting out of fear from being in a new environment.
How well do Marvin and Benny get along with one another? Does Marvin ever try to bite Benny? Or do they sleep together and groom one another? If Marvin is only aggressive towards you, I think it would be safe to introduce your new rats to your senior rat. Marvin may even learn from the other two.
That’s great you’ve been taking them out on your bed!
When you have them out on the bed:
Can you put barriers along the sides of the bed so Marvin can’t get off the bed? Large cardboard boxes can be broken down so they’re one sheet of cardboard. These big sheets can be taped together using masking tape. You’ll want to use masking tape to cover over the slits between the flaps of the boxes as well. This is a great way to make inexpensive “walls” to keep them from getting off the bed.
Can you lie down on the bed so Marvin can crawl on your body? (I would wear thick clothing, though, so he wouldn’t be able to bite you.) If he sees you on his same level, it might help him get more used to you. (You’d have to put up the barriers/walls after you got on the bed yourself.)
You didn’t mention Marvin’s age. There’s a possibility it could be hormones causing him to bite. If so, neutering could be helpful.
Here are a few posts on my website you may find helpful:
*Bonding With Your New Pet Rats – pay attention especially to keeping the environment calm, having their cage in an area where you spend lots of time and talk soothingly to new rats and can really help.
*Shy Rats Transformed: from shy to social butterfly
*Also, if you do decide to keep Benny and Marvin, you might find some new ideas in How to Ace Pet Rat Introductions.
The bottom line, though, is asking yourself how much time you have to commit to helping Marvin improve. It’s okay if you decide it’s too big of a time committment. Finding them a new home would then end up being the best possible solution for all involved. Even though it’s difficult either way, trust yourself and listen to your intuition. You’ll be able to tell what’s right when it’s time to decide.
If you have any other questions or want to provide any updates, feel free to write me again.
I’m sending my most positive wishes for you and your rats!
Jasmine | About Pet Rats
Hi! I have had my pet rat for 3 days now so I’m not very surprised but Soda (My rat) I’ve bonded with her a lot but today she bit me and she never has. And Sprite my other rat I feel bad because I haven’t bonded with her very much and she misses Soda. How do I know if she’s sick? I don’t think it’s hormones because she’s a female. What do I do?
Hi Edie,
Thanks for asking your question. I’m a little confused by what you wrote. Can you please give me more information about why Sprite misses Soda if you’ve only had Sprite for 3 days?
How do you know if your rat is sick? That’s a great question! Whenever there’s a change in energy, appetite, water consumption, urination or defecation it usually means something not right with your rat. Other signs include if your rat makes sounds while breathing or has puffed up fur. For a complete list of symptoms, please see my article When to See a Veterinarian.
To decide what to do, I’d go over each scenario in my article above to see if you think it might fit the reason why your rat bit you. Did you have food on your fingers? Did you startle her and she bit you out of fear?
Let me know if you have additional questions or need any clarification on what I’ve written.
Best Wishes to You & Your Rats,
Jasmine | About Pet Rats
I’m not sure if you will see my comment, but I have a 8-10 month old male rat who has started resource guarding toys and treats he likes. He got a small pumpkin to play with recently and when we tried to move him and the pumpkin, my husband got bit multiple times. Not vicious bites but enough to lightly break skin each time. I also can’t wrestle with him anymore or he seems to get too excited and bites much too hard and then you can’t pick him up or move him without risk of getting bit. We just had a recently stressful move where we lost a few of our rats to improper care while we were away. I know he’s stressed. I hand raised him since he was only a couple months old so maybe my feelings are just hurt. I’m worried it’s just hormones and neutering him is the solution, as that’s far out of our wallets ability to fulfill any time soon. Whenever he bites he is put back in his cage with his three sons. All of them have always been very mouthy, my oldest I’m mentioning, would lead my hand to what he wanted in the past. But now I am jumpy and don’t trust the mouth. I’m treating all of them for a UR as moving seemed to trigger one in two of my boys. But I’m just kinda looking for any advice I guess. Maybe I’m rambling. Help? Ha.
Hi Mordecai,
I completely understand how stressful and terrible it is when one of your pet rats is biting you. It does sound like the recent changes in environment (and human caretakers?) may have caused your rat to become aggressive.
He’s also the adolescent age when a lot of male rats become slaves to their hormones. As you mentioned, yes, neutering would likely help if he continues with this behavior. I’ve had it help anytime I’ve had an aggressive rat….although of course it’s not guaranteed.
Did you try any of the above ideas in my article?
You mentioned he was resource guarding with the pumpkin. Does he still resource guard when he’s out of his cage? If he doesn’t, you could try having him outside of his cage more. As mentioned in my article above, you could use a small box for taking him in and out of the cage. That would help you avoid getting bit if you use the box instead of your hands for transporting him.
You could use a long feather or a stuffed animal to wrestle with him instead of your hand. If he doesn’t bite whatever object you use, you could gradually switch back to using your hand.
Spending more time with him could also help. Having him out on your shoulder away from his cage, visiting with him in another area such as a bathroom or on a table or bed could also be helpful. Having him out away from his cage can be helpful since he’ll need to depend on you more for protection.
Whatever you choose to do, it needs to be repeated daily, preferably morning and evening or at least 2 separate sessions each day. It could take weeks to get him back to trusting you again. I would also talk with him a lot…..any way you can communicate with him (without giving him the opportunity to bite) will help show him you’re his friend.
Above all, you need to make sure he isn’t given even the opportunity to bite you for now.
Let me know if you have any questions or need any clarification on what I’ve written here. Feel free to send me an update on how he’s doing. I’d love to hear about his progress.
Best Wishes to You & Your Rats,
Jasmine | About Pet Rats
i used to have 2 rats but one of them passed away recently,so the other one has been fairly lonely i decided to take that one out ,so i let him crawl on my shoulders and he goes to my lip i thought he was gonna be sweet but instead i got a bad bite on my lip it just happened atleast 20 minutes ago and it hurts very bad.
Hi Lilly,
I’m so sorry to hear your rat bit you. It could be that your rat detected the scent of some food on your lips. (That would be the most likely reason he would bite. The second most likely reason he’d bite would be out of fear such as if something had startled him.)
Our lips are very tender so it’s not surprising that you’re in a lot of pain.
That’s difficult that one of your rats passed away recently.
Are you thinking of getting a new friend for your remaining rat? It can really make a difference in their lives to be introduced to a new friend.
I’m not sure if you had a question or just wanted to share your recent experience with your rat. If you do have a question, don’t hesitate to write again.
Best Wishes to You & Your Rats,
Jasmine | About Pet Rats
Hi. My pet rat is 11 months old and has been the sweetest boy. Today he was having playtime and dumped a box of treats over. When I went to pick them up, he pounced and bit me, hard, even latching on. He’s NEVER done this. His whole posture & demeanor were unlike anything I’ve ever seen. I had to put him back in his cage. The last few days he’s created a new bedding area in his cage barricading himself in which I thought was weird. I’m just so confused. He gets a lot of daily love and attention, has a huge play area/cage, has never resource guarded aggressively at all, & has been Handled daily since he was a baby. He loves his playtime (and me). This was just so out of character. Im worried and sad to be honest. Idk what happened or why he did this. Any advice?
Hi Aubrey,
I’m so sorry to hear your rat bit you. That’s such a terrible feeling—especially when they’ve never done anything like this before.
I’m wondering if your rat is experiencing hormonal changes. He’s at the age where he definitely could be influenced by his hormones.
Has he been examined by a veterinarian who’s knowledgeable about and experienced with pet rats? That would be the best place to start if you haven’t already had him examined. A knowledgeable vet will let you know what they think about neutering him as well as if he could be experiencing any other type of physical problem.
His behavior definitely is concerning, especially since you said he barricaded himself in his cage by creating a new bedding area. I applaud you for being so observant and for wondering what may have caused his behavioral changes.
Neutering can be a huge help for male rats who display aggressive behavior. Your vet will be able to let you know if he’s a good candidate for the surgery as well as if they think neutering could be likely to help.
Let me know if you have any additional questions and/or need any clarification on what I’ve written.
Best Wishes to You & Your Rats,
Jasmine | About Pet Rats
Hello. My daughter got a fever rat and while she didn’t do anything wrong in caring for her, slinky, I took a liking to slinky especially while my daughter was away at her father’s. I recently regained custody of my daughter and she is here more now. We’ve had slinky for about two months. My daughter was getting irritated because every time I go in her room slinky comes up to the cage to see me, recognizing my voice. Slinky had always seemed very interested in listening to me but I’ve been afraid to pick her up. My daughter said,”just take her” so I did. I put her in my room, where I happen to spend all my time. I made her a tunnel system running from her cage to my bed and she used it but would run back to her cage if I noticed her. She came down the tunnel tonight and walked right over to me and bit my arm, not hard, it just startled me. She maintained eye contact the whole time so I wonder if she was trying to play with me or? After that she began to get brave and just come right out of the tunnel and grabbed whatever she could carry and took items back to her cage from my bed. Is she feeling dominant or comfortable? I’m scared to sit on the bed when she comes over now, afraid she’s gonna bite me every time she gets near.. She bit a few other times, never drawing blood but enough to reinforce my own fear about it. I really want to have a good relationship with her and give her the best life she can have, I’m confused because I love her so much but I’m so scared of her at the same time. I’ve heard that if a ready wants to bite you they will draw blood but also I’ve heard sometimes they build up to those kinds of bites am I on the way to companionship or danger,? How can I tell,?
Hi Alana,
Slinky sounds like she has lots of personality! It also sounds like she’s enjoying the tunnel you created for her going from her cage to your bed. What a fun idea!
Regarding her grabbing items from your bed and taking them back to her cage, that’s normal rat behavior. They love making their homes comfortable and filling them up with all kinds of fun things. Here’s a game I play with my pet rats which involves creating a treasure hunt for them. They end up bringing all the “treasures” into their cage. Just be sure whatever she’s bringing into her cage is safe for her.
That’s a good sign that her biting hasn’t been hard enough to draw blood. My suggestion would be to spend even more time with her and get to know her behavior so you can better understand what she’s up to.
I know it’s hard not to be afraid if a rat bites you, but you need to remain confident while interacting with her. Rats can sense if you’re afraid of them and you may inadvertently cause her to want to bite you if you move suddenly or let out a little scream.
It really does take time for you and Slinky to get to know one another. The best way to do that is to spend lots of time together while you observe her carefully and figure out what she likes (and doesn’t like) and how she responds to different situations.
I’ve mentioned these articles in my other responses on this page: Shy Rats Transformed: from shy to social butterfly and How to Bond with Your New Pet Rats. Both of these articles contain information that will help you and Slinky become more familiar with one another.
I hope my responses are helpful. Don’t hesitate to let me know if you have any other questions or need any clarification. Also, I love hearing updates if you’d like to share your progress.
Best Wishes to You & Slinky,
Jasmine | About Pet Rats
PS – I’m not sure if you know it’s best to have at least 2 pet rats so they have a friend to live with.
I currently have two male fancy rats and they both are absolutely terrified of everything… I’ve had them for a few months now an it doesn’t seem like anything I do will help. I got them from pet smart which I know was stupid of me but they were just so freaking adorable. I’ve tried using a towel to hold them an get them use to me I’ve given them so many treats and toys and I always sit with the cage doors open and my hands in there but unfortunately the other night while I was cleaning their cage my one boy got me really good and bit my knuckle so bad that I soaked through multiple band aids.. I’m just at a loss of what I could possibly do.
Hi Minnie,
It sounds like your rats don’t like having your hands inside their cage yet. It’s normal for newer pet rats to feel very protective of their cage. I would work on interacting with them more outside of their cage for now.
I think you might benefit from reading Shy Rats Transformed: from Shy to Social Butterfly. It sounds like working on building their trust is what’s most important right now. They will definitely learn to rust you in time. The article from Shy to Social Butterfly… will give you some ideas which should help.
Let me know if you have any additional questions as well as if you need any clarification.
Best Wishes to You & Your Rats,
Jasmine | About Pet Rats
Hi! Question. Today I got two female rats (I’m not sure how they were treated before I got them), one is shy but seems sweet, the other tries to murder me haha. She didn’t try biting me when I was attempting to get her out of a box to put her in her new home – but once she was in the cage, she started lunging at my finger, trying to grab it through the bars (with her teeth and/or little hands). I’ve had rats before, but none with this behavior so I’m lost on what it means and how to remedy it. Any advice is greatly appreciated.
Hi Sara,
CongRATulations on your new family members!
That’s such an awful feeling when you’re doing something nice for these rats and one of them wants to bite you. I feel for you.
It sounds to me like she’s nervous in her new surroundings. Keep in mind that it takes time for newly adopted rats to adjust to both you and their surroundings.
I would try the tips in my article above. Also, my article Bonding with Your New Pet Rats has some ideas that might help you. Your rat needs some time and needs to gain experience in being around you so she can learn that you’re trustworthy. Spend lots of time next to her while she’s in her cage. Talk with her softly and encouragingly.
There’s one other article that might help you—-Shy rats transformed: from shy to social butterfly. I’d start with the tips in Bonding with Your new Pet Rats first, though.
Let me know if you need any clarification or want to provide additional details and updates. What you’re doing is something that will evolve over time. Putting in the daily effort to help her feel acclimated will make a huge difference.
Best Wishes to You & Your Rats,
Jasmine | About Pet Rats
i rescued a new rat from my breeder who came from a hoarding situation and i went to change his water bowl and he darted out st me and bit both my pointer fingers. I cleaned the wound and let it bleed a little then put neosporin and bandaged it but i’m worried of an infection. Rat wise, he is a male and his age is believe he’s less than a year old but he is pink eyed so i think i just startled him. I just need help with what to look out for with the bites on my fingers
Hi Courtney,
I’m sorry to hear you were bitten. I think you’re right that you probably startled your rat and that you’ll need to be extra careful not to startle him in the future since he’s pink-eyed.
As far as what to look out for with the bites on your fingers, I think a medical professional would probably be the best person to answer this question. I can say that, in general, you’ll want watch for swelling and any red streaks around the wounds which can indicate infection. Scroll down on this page to view a list of symptoms to look out for.
Hope your wounds heal quickly!
Best Wishes to You & Your Rat,
Jasmine | About Pet Rats
I have a solid white rat with pinkish red eyes. She’s bitten me once and drew blood and today she bit my husband on his finger and drew a lot of blood. I’m trying to learn how to stop this behavior before he makes me get rid of her. She’s about 1 1/2 years old I got her and her sister when they were a few months old from a pet store. But she hasn’t bit me since the first time and she hadn’t bit anyone since then. Except for today when she bit my husband. Please help me.
Hi Sidney,
I’m sorry to hear your rat is biting and drawing blood. That is always disturbing!
A few questions to be able to help:
– Was this the first time your husband interacted with this particular rat?
– What was your husband doing right before she bit him? (was he moving suddenly or making loud noises?)
– How long ago did your rat bite you? Was it when you first adopted her?
Knowing the answers to the above questions will help you determine how to best help your rat.
Carefully observing what’s happening right before a rat bites can be extremely helpful. Also, getting her checked out by a veterinarian who’s knowledgeable about and experienced with pet rats is always a good idea.
As you’re probably aware, having pinkish red eyes does contribute to a rat’s being more nervous and self-protective. They startle easily and can be extra skittish. This means you need to be extra careful around any rat with pink eyes. Spending extra time with them and building their trust can be helpful.
Reading over the article on this page should give you some ideas of what to look out for and how to tell if the biting is a biological or behavioral problem. Once you determine the cause, you’ll find lots of information above on what you can try with your rat.
Feel free to write again with more details. I’m happy to help anytime.
Sending positive wishes for getting your rat to stop biting!
Jasmine | About Pet Rats
Hi Jasmine,
I was wondering if you might have an idea why one of my rats bit me today.
I have two boys who are about five months old. I got them a little over about two months ago and they were steadily becoming more tame. One is a bit more shy than the other. During play time I try to ‘wrestle’ a bit with the rat that is less shy. I always give him a lot of space so he can get away if he wants to. Today I got the impression that he wasn’t really up for playing while he was outside of the cage so I stopped and just sat on the couch with him while he was exploring. Out of nowhere he came to me, started sniffing my arm and then started biting it multiple times. I was first a bit shocked so I didn’t react right away. I made a high pitched noise but that didn’t stop him. So I tried pushing him away gently but he immediately went back to biting my arm. He didn’t show any other signs of aggression. I tried pushing him away multiple times until I had had enough and picked him up to put him in the cage. He was growling almost like a dog.
He didn’t draw blood.
About twenty minutes later he came out of the cage again and didn’t try to bite again.
Now I’m not sure if he was trying to play with me in a very rough manner or if he was aggressive. He sometimes bullies his brother so I was thinking that he might need to be neutered?
Both of the rats had a respiratory infection recently. So maybe it’s also a health issue?
Hi Jana,
That sounds like a tough situation! I’m sorry to hear your rat bit you multiple times. It’s really good, however, that his bites didn’t break the skin on your arm.
Could your arm have had any food on it? Or any other unusual scent that could have provoked your rat and make him feel vulnerable? Were you around other animals before being with your rat that could’ve given your arm a scary, unfamiliar scent? I’m wondering about this especially since you said he started sniffing your arm before biting you.
Since this only happened one time, I would continue to observe him carefully so you can correlate any additional biting behavior with whatever might be causing it. It’s hard for me to say why he was trying to bite you. It’s unusual, too, that he didn’t draw blood. Usually when a rat bites, they really bite hard and break the skin.
It doesn’t sound to me like he was playing with you. It would be helpful to have a video but I know it wouldn’t be that easy to capture him on video when he’s exhibiting this type of behavior.
I like that you tried the high-pitched noise to get him to stop and that you put him back in his cage when he didn’t stop his biting behavior. Those were both excellent ideas.
I’ve never heard a rat growl like a dog. They usually don’t vocalize. I’m wondering if it was actually the sound of congested breathing since he’s had respiratory disease?
When he bullies his brother, does his brother allow him to do so? For example, does he pin his brother down on his back and his brother accepts his dominance by staying on his back for the entire time he’s being pinned? You might benefit from reading Play, Tiff or Clash: Understanding Pet Rat Relationships if you’re not already familiar with how rats establish their dominance.
Neutering is definitely good option if he continues to bite. You could also call your vet and see if they can discuss over the phone about what they think is going on with your rat. (I’m guessing you’ve taken both of your rats to a vet since they have had respiratory disease.)
I wish I could give you more specific information. It’s hard, though, when it’s only happened one time. I’m hoping it doesn’t happen again—and I’m sure you are too.
Let me know if you have further questions or further incidents to report.
Sending Positive Wishes to You & Your Rats,
Jasmine | About Pet Rats
Hi, I have 4 girl rats and one of them bites. She’s fine physically and she always tries to come out when we open their cage. It makes it hard for me and my sister to clean the cage she draws blood as well. We feel that if we don’t get her out it’ll get worse but we’re scared to get bitten. We say eek whenever she bites and be use rough gardening gloves sometimes. I’ve had her since she was born as 1 female is her mum, so she’s familiar with be and she only started suddenly one day. She’s 1 and a half and I don’t know why she bites or what to do Any advice?
Hi Bella,
Thank you for asking your important question. I really appreciate all of the details you provided.
You mentioned the biting started suddenly. Can you trace back from when she started biting to anything that might have changed right before she started biting? Were there loud noises? Did you get another pet in your household such as a dog or a cat?
Even without knowing the answers to those questions, the first thing I’d do is to not give her the opportunity to bite. This would mean you’d need to let her come out of the cage on her own or bring her out of the cage while she’s enclosed in a box. She would need to be enclosed in a box when placing her back in their cage as well. (Tips on how to do this are in the above post.) The idea is the more times she’s able to bite you, the more difficult it will be for her to unlearn the behavior. If you don’t give her a chance to bite, though, she’s more likely to unlearn the behavior.
When she’s out of her cage I’d play with her with an object such as a long string or piece of yarn or even a long feather. Let her chase the object without being able to bite your hand. I would do this daily as long as she seems to be enjoying playing with you. If you continue doing this type of activity with her without giving her the opportunity to bite, you may be able to teach her that biting is not necessary. You could include your other girls with the chasing game so your biting rat will be able to observe and learn from their non-biting behavior.
Let me know if you try this and how it goes as well as letting me know the answers to the above questions. I’m happy to help further if needed.
Sending positive wishes to you and your biting (but hopefully not for long) rat,
Jasmine | About Pet Rats
I have a rat that I got about four weeks ago, and had babies two weeks ago. She’s been a very bitey rat since day one, and she breaks the skin often. But she seems to do it completely unprovoked; one second she’s lightly nibbling, then she suddenly just bites through my skin. Will this pass after her babies are more grown? How can I treat this?
Thank you
Hi Will,
It could be that your rat bit you a lot at first because she was pregnant and then, once she gave birth, she continued biting because she had babies to protect. It might take until her babies are weaned for her to be less prone to biting.
In the meantime, I wouldn’t give her the chance to even “lightly nibble” on you. In order for her to learn new behavior, her environment and any sort of “stimulant” (including your fingers) needs to be carefully controlled so that she has no opportunity or desire to bite you. I would experiment with some of the techniques mentioned in the above post. It would be helpful for you to find ways in which to relate with her that don’t involve getting your hands close to her. Will she crawl up your arm and sit on your shoulder? You could have her along with 1 or 2 of her babies on your shoulder. Once they’re on your shoulder, walk away from their cage so they learn that YOU are their safe zone rather than feeling like they need to get back in their cage in order to feel safe.
I also think the ideas in Bonding with Your Pet Rats in Three Easy Steps may be very helpful when working with your biting rat. Particularly being around her while she’s in her cage, spending as much time as possible being near her, and talking soothingly to her could be very beneficial.
The best way to work with rats is to choose 1 or 2 techniques to try and then practice them at least twice daily with her for 3-5 days. Observe her responses and reactions carefully. If you don’t see a positive change, try something different. Whatever you discover that makes her happy and contented can be incorporated into her training. You want to set her up for success.
Both the above post and Bonding with Your Pet Rats in Three Easy Steps have several ideas you can try. Another article that describes different ways to work with shy, insecure rats is Shy Rats Transformed: from Shy to Social Butterfly.
I hope this is helpful—-biting is not an easy problem to solve and it does take time. Be consistent and persistent, though, and you will succeed with her.
Best Wishes to You & Your Rats,
Jasmine | About Pet Rats
My pet rat has bitten 3 times now & drawn blood each time how can I get her out of this as not really wanting to part with her but can’t see any other option
Hi There,
Can you please tell me what you’ve already tried? (There are many ideas to try in the above post.)
Answers to the following questions would also aid me in helping you:
For how long have you had your rat?
Does she have pink eyes?
Has she been examined by a veterinarian?
Does she live with other rats?
Is the biting a new behavior for her?
I know how distressing it can be when you have a biting rat. I hope to hear back from you with what you’ve already tried and the answers to my above questions.
Best Wishes to You & Your Rat,
Jasmine | About Pet Rats
I got 2 pet rats about a week ago.
We had fed them a few heart treats through the cage which we have now stopped.
We feed them baby food on a metal spoon through the cage and leave all the food which they need to bite in there bowl at there feeding area.
On the first few days they had bit me and my brother quite a few times
They are still doing it about a week after
We have not tried to hold them due to them trying to bite our hands or any object at any chance they get
We have tried to put in non food to show them that not everything is food and they must be able to tell a difference
We have also put in a glove and each time they bite the finger end we make a “eek” sound in a high pitch
Neither of these has resolved our issue and we are unable to remove them from the cage to deep clean
If you are able to help us find a way to get them to stop biting our hands that will be great.
All bites have drawn blood so they were not done in a playful way.
Hi There,
Since your rats are so new to you, they’re probably biting out of fear. This means they need more time to acclimate to you and your brother as well as their new surroundings. This can take several weeks and even months.
Trust will be gained slowly over time. I would suggest being around them while they’re in their cage as much as possible. Eventually they will be curious to see what you’re doing and will even want to get your attention. Talk with them while they’re in their cage so they get used to the sound of your voice.
For now, I’d avoid sticking anything through the bars of their cage since this is currently being perceived as threatening. Later, when they start to come over to see you while inside their cage, you can open the door and offer them a long-shaped treat that you can hold out with the ends of your finger tips. Allow your rats to only take the treat when they can do so slowly and gently. You can teach them how to do this by saying “Easy” and “Gentle” in a soft voice and by helping them take the treat without grabbing it by holding it back until they behave in a gentle manner.
To get them out of their cage for cleaning, use the “box method” that’s described under the heading “Transporting your shy rats from their cage to the new area” in the post Transforming Your Rats: from shy to social butterfly.
It really is going to take lots of practice and lots of patience. You’ll make progress, though, just very slowly over a period of time. It will seem like forever. At least after they’re trained and used to you and your brother, you’ll forget you ever had the problem.
I hope some of these ideas will be helpful for you. Let me know if you have any other questions and send an update if you’d like to let me know how they’re doing!
Best Wishes to You & Your Rats,
Jasmine | About Pet Rats
I have 3 rats all female I bought them all at the same time and they have always been together. 1 of my rats becomes very aggressive only on the top two tiers of her cage when she is on the bottom she will climb right onto my hand. However she will randomly bite and draw blood. For example I was holding her the other day and she climbed up and not down on my lip drawing blood. She just tonight not my sons ear drawing blood. (My son is older and very gentle with animals.). She will be fine at times but it is to the point where she is biting almost every time she is out of the cage for no reason. No loud noises, no screaming or fast movements. Please help I love my rats but I can not have her drawing blood especially from my children. And again she will climb right into my hand run around take food out gently etc. I have had them all for about 6 months.
Hi Jason,
That’s so difficult when a rat bites! I understand how scary and frustrating it is.
Has your biting rat been examined by a veterinarian? It would be good to find out whether she has a health condition that’s causing her to feel vulnerable and resulting in her need to bite.
One thing you need to start doing right away is to not give your rat the opportunity to bite. This is very important. It may mean not handling her at all for awhile. You may eventually find that you can gradually start handling her for short periods of time and then placing her right back in her cage…..before she has the opportunity to bite. If you can keep doing this without her biting you can gradually lengthen the time you spend with her. By doing this on a daily basis, she may be able to unlearn her need to bite. (…unless it’s due to a health problem which you’ll find out when you take her to a vet.)
I hope these two ideas help you get started. Let me know if you need any clarification or if you want to provide an update after you’ve tried these tips.
Best Wishes to You & Your Rats,
Jasmine | About Pet Rats
Hey. I was wondering if you have any advice. I got two new boys from my breeder (who I got my previous set from) and on the drive home one of the boys bit me pretty hard: I figured he was just stressed so I didn’t think much. Then that evening he was at the cage doors so I gently pet my hand near him, not moving it. And he sunk his teeth in again and bit hard and pulled my hand in. A couple days of me gently picking him up and petting him from the back goes by, then he bites me twice more on both thumbs. He doesn’t seem to be scared and he isn’t bullying the other rat. The breeder said he never hit her ever. He’s an adult, little under a year.
He draws a large amount of blood every time he bites me.
Hi Liv,
First of all, I’m sorry to hear you have a rat that bites you. I know how awful that can feel.
There are many things you can try in this situation. I think you may have to try multiple things until you find what works. It will take time and patience but I believe you can accomplish having him stop biting you.
Have you had your new rats examined by a veterinarian? Sometimes, as noted in the article above, a rat will bite because they’re not feeling well. An exam done by a veterinarian who’s knowledgeable about and experienced with pet rats. This will rule out whether the behavior is due to a medical problem. During the exam, if your vet says your rat is perfectly healthy, I suggest bringing up the possibility of neutering him. See what your vet thinks about this idea.
Male rats can go through a period of adolescence when they become more aggressive. Being just under a year old is about the time some males sometimes do behave more aggressively. I know you said he’s not aggressive toward your other rat, but neutering could still be very helpful.
That’s very helpful information to know that he never bit the breeder. This tells us he’s biting in reaction to his new environment, to you or that he has a health problem. These are all things you can adjust so he doesn’t feel the need to bite.
At this point, it’s very important that you don’t ever give him the chance to bite you. The more times he bites you, the more it becomes an ingrained habit. The best way to avoid having him bite would be to keep your hands away from him. You could try petting him with a long feather or even a ruler. If you try this idea you need to approach him super slowly. You’d also need to start by gradually getting him used to whichever object you choose. Keep in mind that you don’t even have to pet him at all until you resolve his biting.
If his behavior is not caused by a health problem, we know he’s upset about his environment or something about you or both.
I’m wondering how long you’ve had your rats? If it hasn’t been for very long, it will be much easier to help him learn to stop biting you.
Are you allowing him to get used to the sound of your voice? Talking with him gently whenever you’re around him is very helpful. It helps him to feel like you’re not a threat if you speak in a soft, soothing tone. There are some good ideas for getting rats used to their new homes and humans in Bonding with Your Pet Rats in 3 Easy Steps.
You can also gently handle, pet and play with your other rat while he’s watching. It will be helpful for him to see that your other rat doesn’t bite you and that he actually enjoys being with you.
Does he have pink or red eyes? As mentioned in the article above, this would mean you’ll need to go extra slow with getting him used to you.
You can turn this situation around. It will take patience and perseverance. Closely observe him to learn what type of warning sign he might give before he’s about to bite. The other thing to closely observe is when does he seem most happy and relaxed? When you know what he likes you can make sure to provide those types of situations as much as possible.
I hope some of these ideas are helpful. Please feel free to let me know if there are additional details you want to provide. Also let me know if you have further questions and/or just want to report on your progress with your rat.
Best Wishes to You & Your Rats,
Jasmine | About Pet Rats
Hi, I was wondering for your advise with one of my current rats. I’ll give you a little background, I have 3 rats all of which are from rescues and from different family lines. One rat I have had for a while and when his brother passed away I got him some new friends. These were two new rats from a different rescue, they are not brothers but were together. One is super sweet and gentle, also smaller that the others and get scared easily but has a joyful personality. The other is a biter and did bully the other enough to separate them and the smaller one seems happier now. So currently I have all three but separated. If I try introducing any of them either the small one get scared and squeaks loudly and the other two just want to fight for dominates. I think the new biter rat has higher hormones as his temperament fluctuates as sometime he wants to bit me and sometimes I can have my hand right next to him in his bed and he will be bruxing away just by being close. When he does bite, he just holds on and doesn’t try to pull (it can draw blood but it is only dots from the bite marks and has only made a long cut once). I am hoping to get to the stage when I can get them all together but I have tried many different steps. As I stated before all of my rats have come from rescues so I have no history from their past for family lines.
Thanks for your advise in advance and I look forward to your reply.
Hi Sean,
Thanks for asking your great questions. You didn’t mention whether or not any of your rats are neutered. I’m going to guess they’re not. If I’m wrong, feel free to write again and let me know if one or all of your rats are neutered including specifying which rats of your 3 rats are neutered.
So, if they’re not neutered, here’s what I would do:
1. Neuter your rat who’s the biter. While it’s not guaranteed, there’s a good chance neutering could help mellow out his personality. Read more about neutering on this page. Keep in mind it can take 6-8 weeks for aggression to subside post-neutering.
2. I’d introduce the smaller, more timid new rat to your existing rat. Make sure to know the difference between playing and fighting. Use the introduction techniques found in How to Ace Pet Rat Introductions.
3. After the first 2 get along well and are happily living together, begin introducing the 3rd rat. I’d start introducing the 3rd rat at least 3 weeks after neutering. If it doesn’t go well initially, I’d wait another week or 2 and then try beginning the introductions again. During this time when they’re not yet all living together, you can have your neutered male living in a cage close by so they can all still see one another. However, if having him nearby causes any of them to behave anxiously, then keep your 3rd rat out of sight until you restart the introductions.
I just realized I wrote a response to you mainly about how I’d recommend introducing your rats to one another. If you want help addressing the biting issue: After he’s been neutered, let me know once you see if he does still bite 6-8 weeks later.
I hope you find this information helpful. Feel free to email me back with updates and/or more specific information which may help me answer your question differently.
Best Wishes to You & Your Rats,
Jasmine | About Pet Rats
Hello, I would like your advice on my one female rat biting me. I got two males about 6 months, got them neutered 2 months ago and then recently got two females. When I first brought them home, they were setup in a completely different room from my boys ( though I also had guinea pigs and ferrets in that room as well). They both came out of the carrier and into their cage with no problem but when the one female went to sniff my hand, she immediately grabbed my finger with her mouth and bit down, drawing blood. About a week and half has gone by, and I moved the girls into the same room as the boys (still in separate cages) so they can get used to each other’s scent before doing a introduction. I had the females out for playtime today, and the “biter” has been getting a little bold with her adventuring. I placed my hand in front of her to prevent her from jumping down from somewhere where she could have seriously gotten hurt, and instead of jumping, she sniffed my hand again and then bit down, drawing blood. She has also bitten me a couple other times in between but they were mostly nips and didn’t draw blood. I’m assuming it’s out of fear but she is my first biter, so I’m just unsure of how to go about getting her more comfortable and less fearful. I also want to be able to introduce the females to my males but in order to do that, I need to be able to handle them to some extent.
Hi Emma,
First of all, my apologies for taking so long in which to respond. I have a rat who’s been diagnosed with a pituitary tumor who’s also keeps had a series of abscesses on his face. He’s been consuming almost every spare moment I have aside from working full-time. Normally I can respond a lot faster but I’m currently struggling to catch up with responding to everyone. I really appreciate your patience.
I’m wondering where you got your 2 girls from? The one who’s been biting you could be biting for several reasons: lack of socialization, a traumatic previous experience or due to not feeling well because she has some sort of illness. Also, as you read above, poor eyesight (such as if she has pink or red eyes) could predispose her to being a biter. Or could you possibly have had the scent of food on your fingers those 2 times she bit you hard enough to draw blood?
Have you taken your rats in to see a vet yet? I always advocate bringing new rats in to see a vet. I also recommend regular wellness checkups throughout their lives.
If you find out from your vet that she is healthy, then you’ll need to work with her behaviorally to help her learn not to bite you. Have you already tried any of the tips above? I would think that petting her with a feather could be very helpful for teaching her that touch is okay. Spending extra time with her, especially while you work to gain her trust, could also be beneficial. Even just being around her a lot while she’s in her cage and you’re nearby could make a difference.
Please feel free to let me know her current status. I’ll do my best to get back to you more quickly if you do want to give me an update on how she’s doing now.
Best Wishes to You & Your Rats,
Jasmine | About Pet Rats
Hi Jasmine
Great article, thanks for the information.
I’m in the emergency waiting room writing this post, hoping that I don’t get Rat-bite Fever. We got three little girls (my first pet rodent) from a pet store yesterday and so we are very green to all this.
One of the, Diamond Heart, seems to be a little biter, at first a nibble, but now after drawing blood, I’m certain!! I’m hoping you might be able to help me understand what you think is happening. They are quite young 10cm body. Her sister and friend seem to be quite placid. She’s quite confident coming to the cage when I approach and interested. My finger though seems to attract more attention. No food near.
In the evening, day 1, I gave each some cuddle time. DH was quite skittish and managed to get off and away. Eek, ending up with me trying to get her back in hand. Although panicked, myself and I realise her, I managed to scoop her back and still kept her around me for a little longer – eventually putting her back. About an hour later I was saying goodnight to them all and did the finger thing again and she got me.
Do you think that it’s nerves? Or temperament?
Any way, looking forward to hearing back, and yes, I’m still sitting here.
Gareth
Hi Gareth,
I’m so sorry to hear you had to go to the emergency room after getting bitten by one of your rats. I hope that your finger healed up well and that you weren’t too seriously injured.
I also want to apologize for taking so long in which to respond. My own 2 rats have been very sick and have required treatments and medications several times a day. I also work full-time. Then, we had an ice storm during which our power (and internet) were out for 8 days! Then one of my rats got another abscess on his face and needs extra care again. Normally I’m able to respond much more quickly but this has been an especially difficult time. I really appreciate your patience and understanding.
How have your new girls been behaving since you last wrote? (Especially Diamond Heart, of course.) It sounds to me like it’s a “finger thing”. You mentioned that when you were saying good night to them all “and did the finger thing again and she got me”. Are you sticking your finger through the bars of the cage? I’m not quite clear on what the finger thing is. It sounds to me that, if DH is prone to biting your finger, that it would be best to avoid having your finger stuck out or around her at all in the beginning. It would help to isolate exactly what you’re doing when she bites you and make sure to stop doing that particular activity or gesture with your finger.
When your rats are brand new, it’s especially important to go slow with them and to talk softly with them while you interact with them. It’s great that you’re giving them cuddle time. Keep in mind that, if they’re super young AND female, they may not be ideal “cuddle material”. Young girls are notorious for keeping active and busy and usually cannot begin to comprehend the concept of cuddling until later in their lives.
Also, if you got them from a pet store, they may not have been very well socialized. By that I mean that they may not be used to being handled by humans. One post that might give you additional insight into things you can do to help them get more used to you is Bonding with Your New Pet Rats in 3 Easy Steps.
Feel free to email me an update and I will respond much more promptly! I hope things are going much better by now but, if they aren’t, let me know.
Best Wishes to You & Your Rats,
Jasmine | About Pet Rats
We have had two pet rats for about four months and over the last couple of months they’ve become very affectionate and loving and really easy to handle. Which is why it’s so surprising that over the last few days one of them has become a really aggressive biter. They’ve both been known to bite (reasonably gently) when surprised , but this is really out of character. The other rat was especially quiet last night to the point that we were concerned (rather than playing, she would just sit right next to us or on us, but she didn’t seem relaxed). Could they be ill? Should we take them to the vet?
Hi Rebecca,
As I wrote to Vanessa (below) I apologize for taking so long in which to respond. I understand how difficult it is to have your rat change behavior so drastically.
Since you wrote, have you taken one or both of your rats to the vet? I do recommend taking all new rats to a veterinarian who’s knowledgeable about and experienced with pet rats within 1-2 weeks after bringing them home. Anytime there’s a change in behavior it can be a sign of illness.
Also, one thing I will be adding to the post above is that sometimes rats will very gently bite when they’re hungry. It’s their non-verbal way of saying “Feed me, please.” They do generally do this very gently.
Please feel free to provide an update and/or to ask any additional questions. I hope both of your rats are back to normal and that they haven’t developed any illnesses.
Best Wishes to You & Your Rats,
Jasmine
Hi,
PLEASE HELP ME!
I’m a new rat owner and I reuses three baby rats from a terrible home I have had them a year and slowly got them used to my hand and now I can hold them and they run along my shoulders. I have read essays and essays about rats and what I should do. This week I transfered them from their baby cage to their new 5 story cage. Timgith I was changing heir bed linen and I theink I made one of the white ones with pink eyes jump. He bit me. Bad. It drew blood and I steri striped myself as I’m a nurse. I shouldn’t off but I tried again and he bite me again. I’m shattered as they was my friends in lockdown and I thought I was their mother. Why did this happen is it the shock of moving and then I made them jump? I’m scared of them now. Thanks vanessa
Hi Vanessa,
It sounds like moving into the larger cage did cause your white rat with pink eyes to become afraid. You probably read in the above post that having pink eyes predisposes a rat to be fearful since they don’t have very good vision. Anything unfamiliar can cause them to be on extra high alert. Biting is their way of protecting themselves when they’re fearful.
Have things improved since you wrote? I apologize for taking so long in which to respond to your question: I’ve been taking care of 2 sick rats while working full-time. Then my power recently was out for 8 days during an ice storm. Thank you for your patience and let me know how things are going and whether or not you need additional help.
Going slow and continually talking with your white rat who bit you will be helpful. They really respond when we talk with them soothingly. Rats with pink eyes appreciate hearing us softly talking to them since they have more trouble seeing us.
Again, please do let me know if you have further questions.
Best Wishes to You & Your Rats,
Jasmine | About Pet Rats
Hello! Thank you for your message and I’m sorry you have been having a hard time in this presendented times already!!
They have got much better. I started again and slowly got them used to my hand and hand fed them again so they knew the hand was not a fret. I can now hold them all again slowly slow. So thinking it was defiantly the cage move, I then made him jump and he has poor eyesight which must be awful as I know I wouldn’t want to have bad eyesight. I hope you are staying well. I then you for your time and reply. And wish you all the best for the furtue. Vanessa xx
Hi Vanessa,
That’s wonderful to hear that you’re no longer having the problem! I am so happy you wrote back and shared your update. Reading what you wrote puts a big smile on my face.
Thanks also for all of your well wishes.
It sounds like you’re doing a fantastic job of taking care of your rats.
Don’t hesitate to let me know any time I can help in the future.
Best Wishes to You & Your Rats,
Jasmine
Hi, I just got 4 rats from a pet store, and I am having a problem with 2 of them. First of all, the 2 that are not causing me a problem are actually both black eyed rats, but with the other two one is red eyed and one has one pink eye and one red eye. They both sway their head side to side with noise, of which I heard it’s because they can’t see well and possibly knowing where they are from also not hear well. The problem I have is that they appear to be quite aggressive. I’m assuming this is even more so because of the fact they are from a pet store and are already 14-16 weeks old. When they bite, they will sniff very quickly and then bite, getting harder and harder the more they bite, and one has drawn blood but only once. I left my hand for a little bit because the first few bites are more like a nibble but then they get painful bites. I’m assuming the nibbling when getting to know you shouldn’t hurt? I know this is not due to the environment or anything apart from the fact they are new to it, but since my other two rats are fine I’m assuming it’s both genetics and where they have come from, but what techniques recommend for me to try to bond with them and stop this aggression? This is only the third day I have had them, so I want to attempt to get this behaviour out of them as soon as I can.
Hi Amy,
I tried to email you directly two times and did not hear back. I’m going to try to email you again right after I post this.
I would love to help you. If you still need help please reach out again and I will respond as soon as I can.
I hope your girls are improving—it sounds like their aggressiveness is largely due to their having pink/red eyes. It will take them longer to be able to trust you since their eyesight is poor. Some of the ideas in this post should be able to help you. If not, though, please do let me know if you’re still having problems.
Best Wishes to You & Your Rats,
Jasmine | About Pet Rats
I have two babies they were feeder rats and are very skittish at first i thought they were just skittish and that’s all but that wasn’t the case she bit my finger drawing blood i was so shocked lol i reached my hand in there slowly and put it under her chin and when i went to take it out BAM right on my middle finger.and i went deep i was so sad because i got them the cutest cage and i did work really hard im only twelve and i worked 3 months everyday to make money for them but just don’t like me i need help :( email:vecenialanders@gmail.com
Hi Vecenia,
I’m so sorry to hear you got bitten by your rat. That’s such an awful feeling—-painful physically and emotionally.
Since they were feeder rats, it will definitely take some time to have them learn to trust you. They’re probably not used to being handled by humans.
I would recommend you start with reading How to Bond with Your New Pet Rats in 3 Easy Steps. Having their cage near where you spend a lot of time initially will especially be helpful. They need to get used to your being around. You can start by having them get used to the sound of your voice and talk with them a lot. Giving them treats will also help them feel more comfortable with you. Just be careful, of course, not to get bitten. You can do this by holding the treat out with your fingers so it sticks out far enough for them to be able to grab ahold of it without being too close to your fingers.
Another post that will help you is Transforming Your Pet Rat: From Shy to Social Butterfly. If you’re fearful of sticking your hand in the cage for now, this post tells how to get your rats out using a box.
If you have any other specific questions, don’t hesitate to ask. I really feel for what you’re going through. You worked so hard to get your rats and now you need to get to enjoy them!
Best Wishes to You & Your Rats,
Jasmine | About Pet Rats
Hi!
I adopted four rats, two six month old girls and two 9 week old girls all from the same owner 8 days ago. They were supposedly hand-tamed and the one who was supposed to be the sweetest has bitten me every day since I got her. At first I thought it was because I moved too fast, literally and in the relationship. Yesterday she bit me when my knuckle was briefly revealed during free roam (I’ve started tucking my hands away around her). Today I was sweeping droppings and she lunged out of her hide to bite me.
I am doing everything thats recommended and it feels like it’s getting worse. She’s never lunged out of her way to bite me before. Only when my hand is out and the opportunity arises. I want her to be happy and healthy and feel like I’m failing. What can I do? How can I help her? She is the most outgoing and hasn’t bitten any other part of me but my hands. She’s crawled into my sweatshirt during free roam and came out my sleeve (I was honestly very nervous to let her do this but I tucked my fingers and nothing happened).
Hi Lana,
First of all I need to say I sure sympathize with what you’re going through. It’s so difficult having a rat that bites—especially when you’re trying to do something good like taking great care of her and giving her a loving home.
The good news is you said she was “the sweetest” in the home from which you adopted her. Another good thing is that you haven’t had her for very long yet. (…meaning this is a habit she can break.)
Here are some questions to consider:
* Since she was “the sweetest” in her previous home, it does sound like she must be having trouble adapting to her new environment. Is there anything you can set up to simulate the home from which she was adopted?
* Does she seem healthy? Sometimes a move to a new location can trigger or exacerbate a health problem. It’s always a good idea anyways to take new rats to the vet soon after adopting them.
* Do you have any other pets such as cats around? If so, that could explain her fear and you can adjust accordingly.
* Does she have red or pink eyes? If the answer is yes, that would help explain why she’s biting in her new home and she was sweet in her previous environment. (i.e. She hasn’t yet become familiar with her new home.)
* When you were sweeping droppings and she lunged at you was this when she was inside her cage or outside the cage? It helps to observe the environment and circumstances where and when the bites are occurring.
Things to try:
* That’s great she crawled into your sweatshirt during free roam time and came out through your sleeve. It sounds like she really feels comfortable during free roam time. Can you double the amount of time you spend with her during free roam time?
* Are you able to walk around your home with her on your shoulder? Spending time with her away from your other rats could be helpful. For example, you could have her on your shoulder as you go about doing things around your house—-even things like washing dishes.
To give you an idea of how it would work to have her on your shoulder while you’re doing dishes, it helps to set up an area in your kitchen where she can get off your shoulder if she needs to go to the bathroom. I have a corner of our kitchen counter set up just for my rats. It’s covered by a large bath towel. Then there’s a stack of paper towels located in the corner on top of the bath towel. I have that area sectioned off by placing items that act as barriers so my rats don’t go to other areas of the kitchen counter. (For more information on litter box training including how to set your rats up for success in areas other than their cage: Litter Box Lessons for You & Your Rats.)
* Having her on your shoulder in other unfamiliar areas of your house would also be helpful. This sets you up as being her safe zone since you’d be the only thing familiar to her. You could also have her on your shoulder while you watch a movie or read or work on your computer.
* This may sound counter-intuitive, but you could offer her a treat with your hand so she’d have to bite that instead of your hand. Something long in shape such as a banana would work great. Slowly hold out the banana to her and she may lunge and bite at it and be pleasantly surprised. This would help associate a positive event with something that’s approaching her.
* If she’s biting while inside her cage, approaching her slowly with a long feather can be very helpful. Just as with the banana, she’ll see that aggressively lunging at and biting a feather isn’t necessary or even fruitful. Keeping the feather still after she lunges and/or bites it will show her it’s nothing to be afraid of and that her action didn’t produce any sort of positive result. You could experiment with gradually cutting the banana into shorter and shorter lengths so eventually she’s taking a piece of the banana from your fingers.
* In addition, you can brainstorm and come up with a list of ideas to try based on what you’ve already observed as well as what you have available in her environment and around your house.
* Sometimes it helps to create a logbook in which you can record what you’re trying and what works and what doesn’t.
Remember that there is no one right way to go about working with your rat. What you decide to do needs to be based on careful observation of seeing what works and then consistently building on that. This means setting up scenarios for her to support her in learning she doesn’t need to bite and repeating what works with her several times a day.
The main thing is you want to set her up for success. You want to make it so either she doesn’t have the opportunity to bite or, if she does bite, she learns it wasn’t necessary or even productive to bite such as when you’re using a banana or a feather.
Finally, I have to mention that there’s always the option of giving her back. If you’re unable to spend the time to work with her or find you’re unsuccessful, it really isn’t a bad idea to return her. This is especially true if she can go back to being the “sweetest rat”. I hope you don’t have to do this, but it is always an option.
I hope that at least some of these ideas are helpful. Feel free to ask further questions as well as to give me an update on how it’s going.
Sending positive thoughts for you and your rat,
Jasmine | About Pet Rats
I have a similar situation. Rats we rescued from a dumpster. This one was pregnant and gave birth the day I got her. She’s still very fearful. I had to separate her from her litter when they were weaned because I couldn’t handle them at all. Mom’s bitten me three times now. It does seem to be territorial but I’m not sure how best to handle her and introduce a rat friend.
Hi Madison,
Rats rescued from a dumpster often do become biters. Using some of the techniques in this post should be helpful. There is no one right way to help her—-it’s really a matter of a lot of experimentation combined with careful observation to see what works and what doesn’t along with a ton of repetition of what does work and lots of patience.
One thing that could be particularly helpful would be taking her out of her cage and having her on your shoulder or inside your shirt in a location where you’re away from her cage. If it’s too difficult or risky to have her on your shoulder or in your shirt (if you’re afraid she might bite you), you could try taking her out while she’s inside a little box. Make the experience as positive as possible by giving her treats and verbal encouragement.
Introducing her to a new friend is a fantastic idea. If you get another rat who’s already super friendly towards humans, she can learn from the new rat. Although another idea would be to have her live with one of the young girl rats—-since you already have them right there. If you do decide to introduce her to a new rat, the normal introduction process should work great. She may even gain more confidence just from going through this process.
Let me know if you have any specific questions and feel free to add an update with her progress!
Best Wishes to You & Your Rats,
Jasmine | About Pet Rats
Thank you for the information, I’m new to this and I felt like I was doing something wrong even though I have a big cage with every accessory I can think of. I truly appreciate your advice.
Hi Keri,
I hope some of the ideas in this post are able to help you. I understand how frustrating it is when you have a rat who bites.
Don’t hesitate to let me know if you have any specific questions and if I can help further.
Best Wishes to You & Your Rats,
Jasmine