I recently bought a new rat from the pet shop, October 21st. Her name is Witch and she isn't very old, I believe the shop keeper said 6-8 weeks. I bought her because a I've owned many a rat in my time and I missed the amusing and interesting companion ship they provided.
Now, the moment I bought her, he told me not to handle her for 24 hours which I followed because I understood how frightened she would be. I'm not trying to rush her into loving me, I understand some rats are timid and require longer periods of time to adjust. It's just that, when I came home yesterday after 24 hours had passed, I offered her a banana. I've been reading and a lot of sites suggest offering her treats from your hand to get her used to you. She refused to even touch the banana until I set it down and left the room. Another site suggested laying your hands palm up in the cage so that the rat may smell you ... Which I did ... And she still refused to have anything to do with me. Another suggested leaving the door open in a safe place and wait for her to come out which I did and, lo and behold, the same results as before.
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com She'll come out of hiding when I'm in the room now but the moment I get up to go to the washroom or that I clear my throat, she's off like a bullet, into her little igloo and mounds upon mounds of toilet paper and scraps of fabric (I thought I would cut up an old shirt with my scent on it to get her used to it.).
I've read that female rats do much better in pairs and next weekend I plan on going back to the pet store to fetch the sable colored female rat Witch used to bunk with if she's still there. I'm hoping it will bring her out of her shell a bit to not be alone in such a strange new place. Then again, I'm not sure how I will be able to handle two shy rats if Miss. Sable Rat turns out to be just as timid as Witch.
Anyways, enough of my ranting. I suppose my question to you is how long should I leave her be? I talk to her when I see her roaming about and I call her name from my bed but I don't approach her. I figure leaving her bed is best for now. I just want to know how long is too long and how short is too short.
Some rats take a little longer than others but it's best to establish a bond sooner rather than later as adults take twice as long as the babies.
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com My method for handling a new baby rat is to put on an old hoodie with deep pockets and one I don't mind being messed up, pick up the baby rat, put the rat in the pocket and sit and watch some (quiet) TV for a few hours or read a book while gently petting the rat. She'll enjoy the quiet warmth of the pocket and associate safety with your smell and touch. When first starting you may need to sit by the cage so if she gets spooked and tries to bolt you can make sure she at least gets back to her house. Also start to make a certain noise to let her know it's you approaching and not the boogie man. While you're sitting with her just keep making the noise periodically ( I make a Tsut-tsut noise when giving a treat for example and now they come to that noise).
Also, she may just not like bananas enough to take one from your hand. Yogurt is loved by many rats, or meringue, and has the added bonus of teaching them to lick and not bite (start with a spoon and then progress to a finger if they take to it). Cooked noodles are delicious to any rat, especially if they came from chinese take out, but watch your fingers' cause they tend to lunge for those.
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com Good luck!!
My rats took about 2 weeks to get used to me, but maybe thats just me
wait 3 days or else they hay hate you and bite
she will feel alot more comfy if she has another rat with her. when i was taming my 2 8 month old rats, hikaru would only come out if i had tamaki out. now i can get hikaru out without having to get tamaki out as well
