ok so i got them today ii have a house water food bedding and a Wheel and i tryed to pick them up and they bit me there both males and there full grown and the one is missing half of its tale and i dnt know what to do
IMO, rats shouldn't bite a human even when they are scared! I'm a rat breeder and have never been bitten by any of my rats. Id 'say they were obtained from a pet shop or were poorly bred from aggressive parents, or they have been abused in the past. Try coaxing them with treats.
Editing to add .... Don't listen to the person above me ... male rats can live together and generally enjoy it. I have 6 males all happily living together. Oh and males rats are actually a lot quieter than females. .. so that's BS about them being more aggressive!
You may also want to consider spaying them.
First of all, having two males in one cage (if they are) is not good. They can get very aggressive with each other and cause some problems. Also males can be a lot more aggressive than the females so that is probably why they bit you. I suggest you get a separate cage for one of your Rats so you don't have any fights. And I suggest you don't try and handle them too much unless you want them to bite you again.
Well it takes them about a week to settle down really, right now they are terrified so give them some time so they can get the cage smelling like themselves then try. Right now the most you want to do is sit near the cage when your doing things and opening the door and giving them treats (dont give them treats through the bars or they will learn to bite things through the bars.) If they are petstore rats you dont know what your getting really as most petstore rats are bred as feeders so they dont breed for temperment and health. But you wont be able to know if they are scared, cage aggressive, or just plain aggressive or anything for a week at least.
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com
To help them get use to you, get a rag or a piece of old clothing and rub it on yourself where your scent is the strongest (ie armpits lol) and put the rag or cut off a piece of the cloth about as big as your hand and put it in the cage for them to smell and get use to.
Next time I suggest going to a rat breeder and picking a pair from them, hand raised is usually nicer. Even my aggressive one lets me hold her though she hates it.
The first day is a little soon to be handling them. They are probably scared, so it's a good idea to let them settle in a bit. That said, rats don't normally bite. Did you buy them from a pet store? Often, store-bought rats have been neglected, so they ' re not properly socialized. You can try socializing them yourself, it just takes a bit of patience. Here is a guide to how;
http://www.members.shaw.ca/ratanist/Soci ...
They are fricken scared
You NEVER pick up any new pet the day u get it, its scary to them. Start picking them up 2 days after u get them
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com Its like if somebody took you away from your home, u wouldnt want to talk to them u wouldnt want to be with them ect
You cant expect them to want to run up to u and love u and play with u the day u get them.
it will actually take a month or more for them to be 100% use to u.
