Untamed rat

lindseybayley

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25 June 2010
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Hi all,
Two days ago I rescued an albino male rat from the vets which had been dumped last week. A lady had bought it in and didn't come back for him. He will eat from my hand and seems to have settled in quite nicely but he does not like to be handled. If I put my hand in his cage he will come and have a sniff but if I move suddenly or try and stroke him he bites. I have picked him up (to move him from his travelling cage to bigger 'home' cage) and he squeals and bites - not a quick bite, he likes to hang on!! Just looking for some advice on how to get him used on being handled?
I have had tame rats before that I could handle but this is completely new and a little bit scary! His name is Scrat by the way :)
 

Tiffany

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25 October 2007
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All I can think of is to wear a think garden type glove until he gets used to being handled and realises you won't hurt him :)

Good luck
 

Nudibranch

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Agree about protecting your hand! I used to have rats and took in, out of pity, a large male who had been kept in a hamster cage. I am not joking, he was half the size of that cage. He seemed friendly enough but one day as I replaced his food dish, he locked on to my finger over the joint and wouldn't let go. He got down to the bone and I ended up in A&E. I still have a scar and odd circulation 20 years on. I never really trusted him again and let him live his life out with a friend in a big cage, but I didn't really handle him after that.

Doesn't help you much I know, but just be cautious! I think sometimes if they've grown up under certain conditions they'll always be very wary.
 
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