I just got two new pet rats from a reputable breeder about 4 days ago. I got them a suitable cage withh several levels along with some other accessories and what not. When the breeder picked them up and put them in my carrying bin they had been fear pooping all over the place. I thought this was a bit odd since they should have been handled (they are 5 weeks old and both male). They huddled together all the way on to the way home and I took them out of their cage for about 10 minutes before I went to sleep that night.

My method was going in and gently grabbing them underneath their stomach and supporting them with my other hand, bringing each out individually to my bed. They didn't go off the bed, but instead stayed on it and would run around to the top of my windowsil. They were pretty explorative at first, and I let one ride my shoulder a little bit. pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com

The next couple of days I fed them treats inside and outside their cage, they ate the treats and licked and nibbled on my hands. My brown rat seemed to be getting more bold, but then I brought him into my computer room to sit on my lap and he got very stressed and has been almost as scared as my white rat, which seems to be going backwards in progress.

Now both of the rats are highly frightened. They had been frightened of everything when I first got them, if I coughed they would jump and go into the corner because they were scared. The white rat will come near me when i go to give him a treat, only to take the treat and run back to a place where its hard for me to get him. For instance, if I give him one in the cage, he will come to the door and run to the bottom in the corner so no one can come near him. If I pick the white one up he squirms like crazy whereas I can pick the brown one up no problem. I can't just let them out of their cages because the cage is highly elevated so I have to pick them up and place them onto the bed (until I rat proof my room so they can run on the floor). They are extremely scared of me, everything I do scares them, they stare at me like im going to kill them, I try to talk nicely to them and give them lots of treats and pet them but they are very scared and I'm not sure if I should be doing something different then what I am doing because they seem to be getting more scared not less.

I'd give them more time to adjust it is a new environment and sounds like the breeder didn't handle them correctly and isn't that reputable... pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com

if you use baby food on a spoon and work them to a point where they are ok in their cage, to being ok in the room they are in, and slowly work on their courage. I had a rat like this and it took almost a month but was well worth the work to get him to be ok with himself...

Rats don't jump typically. They don't get heights and just don't do it. Even my adults who have been around forever don't jump down unless its in their cage.

These guys sound poorly socialized...and if you work on hand taming and get them comfortable with you.

Check out GooseMoose.com, it's a forum and the people there have some awesome advice concerning rats. Plus it's very active in the rat section.

Best of luck.

The breeder obviously isn't that reputable if he placed them both in the same carrying case. The reason most breeders and pet stores put them into a dark box alone is because, well, naturally the animals are scared and the darkness calms them down. By putting two rats in the same case, the panic spreads (as it would with humans) and this would already make them nervous.

pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com

Just give them more time, don't force yourself on them. I just got my first pair of rats too and made the same mistake as you. It actually got so bad that I was actually scared of them, haha. What the nice people on yahoo answers told me to do was place them in a room alone and leave them for a few days, only coming in to refill their water bottle and clear their droppings into their litter box. This worked like a charm! 4 days later and well, they can't get enough of me and I can't get enough of them!

If after two days alone, they are still nervous, sit near the cage but don't harass them. If they come over to the side you're sitting at to see whats happening, then give them a treat and a pet. Also, talk to them softly just like your doing and when you enter your room say hi to them so that they know its you - when I return home, until they hear my voice both of my rats and my hamster stay still like statues and when I say hi they continue to play as normal. You can also try placing an old worn t-shirt in the cage so they can get used to your scent. This is a thing which is popular among many rat owners.