my new rats

[rattiluvr]

i got new rats a little while ago, it's been almost a week. my rats don't seem very interested in me at all. i tried petting them a couple of days ago and my blk n white rat, hamilton, tried to bite me. i dont think he was doing it to be mean, im pretty sure that he wasn't though he just kinda lightly put his teeth on my finger and i quickly took it away. ( im pretty sure he wasn't biting me because i had food on my hands, because i kno that rats do that sometimes so i made sure i washed my hands.) i have tried to "bribe" them out of the cage with different foods. so now if i am there, they only come to me if i have food, thats all they care about. i haven't been able to hold them at all, and since hami tried to bite me, im kinda scared to. i really do love them i just don't know what to do. they are already like 6-7weeks old, im scared that they either aren't going to like me or that they will bite me. what do i do?!?!?!?

[kerry20uk]

hi
i got a rat about 6 months ago and i love him to bits. sometimes when i stick my finger through the cage he goes straight to my fingers and tries to nibble on them because i feed him treats through the bars but he doesnt nibble hard and you can hardly feel it so don't be scared. rats are intelligent animals and hardly ever bite on purpose. they probably think you are feeding them food as their eyesight is not too good. just try to feed them treats in their cage and let them get used to you and when you can, handle them as much as possible and they will get used to you and give you lots of love and affection. good luck :)

[rattiluvr]

thanks for the advice. i finally held them, i was scared to before but i'm not any more. both of my rats are really cute and friendly and i haven't been bit at all since then. i make sure to hold them plenty each day. thank you very much.


S.B

[rattiluvr]

p.s. this is a pic of my ratties:D

[wolfsoul]

Aww, cute. :) My first rat, RB Frisco, was also a beige hooded.

Most rats that you buy at petshops will be very shy at first. Don't worry, it's perfectly reversable. Handle your rats often and let them ride on your shoulders. Sometime open their cage and just hold your hand there but don't move it. Put a recently worn item of clothing (something invaluable, like a sock) in their cage so that they can get used to your scent. Prepare their food in front of them so that they understand you are the one making their meals, and hand feed some of it to them.

I have a couple of babies that were very shy when I first brought them home, but within a week they had completely warmed up to me. :)

[rattiluvr]

ok, kool. i will try that, thank you very much for the info and tips on the ratties:D :D