How To Deal With Pet Rat Aggression Towards Humans

Рет қаралды 94,081

6 жыл бұрын

Hello everyone, this is a video I've been working on for a while.To be honest, this video was quite hard to make because each case of rat aggression (for the most part) is going to be different. So what works for me and my rats might not work for yours and vise versa. That being said you can never go wrong with using foods to create a more positive bond between you and your rat, so trying these methods can't hurt.
Above all, be sure to stay safe! I show those nasty rat bites at the start of this video because the reality is rats can bite very hard and cause permanent damage if they want to. So when dealing with an aggressive rat you really do need to take care not to get hurt yourself. Prevention is always the best key and as strange as it sounds, the less your rat gets to bite in situations they usually would the more likely they are to form a habit of not biting in general. Good luck with your ratties, and if you have any questions feel free to post them down below and I'll try to answer them to the best of my ability!
Note: Nipping is NOT biting and can be dealt with much easier. Watch my video on nipping here to find out how: • How To Deal With Nippi...
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Пікірлер: 473

@naomilovenpeace 6 жыл бұрын

My boys used to bite my ears until they figured out that they were part of my body. It wasn't super painful but still a bit harder than a harmless nibble. They would tug on them and try and figure out what they were. I used the squeaking method and they figured out they weren't toys pretty quick.

@crosscutter5388 5 жыл бұрын

My girls used to do that also. I would just move my head slightly and now they know that ears are part of me and not something to bite lol

@vincento_squish 4 жыл бұрын

Mine used to nibble my toes haha

@FukaiKokoro 3 жыл бұрын

Naomi Williams one of mine likes to stick her face inside my ear.

@Jonaperq 3 жыл бұрын

@@FukaiKokoro Here too. The best feeling ever.

@tocabea8013 3 жыл бұрын

@@FukaiKokoro OMG SAME mine rarely do but sometimes 😂

@N0.U 4 жыл бұрын

“Nobody can bite when they are eating.” *WATCH ME*

@mangosaidno 6 жыл бұрын

I adopted my rat from a previous owner and my two rats would bite me everytime I put my hand in the cage the bite was deep and would bleed badly. I had to work pretty hard for them to get comfortable around me, it might be because of the past owner but I’m not sure so I just sat at their cage for 20~30 minutes everyday and just talk to them through the cage and it helped immensely

@puppyunicorns1232 5 жыл бұрын

Alana Rabinowitz I know where u got bit. It’s because they are not used to you :)

@stickyoctopus293 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the tip and well done with your rats! Good luck for the future! :)

@Ghennesph 4 жыл бұрын

It's perfectly normal for a rat to be cautious around someone they don't recognize or aren't used to. You should wear gloves during your first couple weeks of having a new rodent pet; the gloves taste bad and aren't comfortable to bite, so you can get them used to being handled while teaching them that biting a human is unpleasant. Once the rat is used to your smell and used to being held and handled, if you don't abuse it, it should be quite tame.

@gracielapeneff9672 4 жыл бұрын

reeco kay are you serious? wtf is wrong with you?

@NCHLT 4 жыл бұрын

@@reecokay4796 I can see why you only have 1 sub This ain't puma messi's channel

@shannonbriggs100 5 жыл бұрын

I’m so grateful I’ve never had to deal with this. I got three boys about a year ago. The first month of having them, I got bit by one of my rats. My fault as I startled him and my fingers were covered with food. I remember crying out in pain and him looking up at me in shock. After that, he always made sure to be as gentle as possible. Whenever I give him food, he never snatches it off me, he takes it dead slowly to make sure it’s not something like baby food on my fingers. He really enjoys grooming me back too and at first he would nibble a touch too hard but after a few squeaks from me, he understood. I’m getting another two boys in a week and just thought I’d rewatch some of your videos to make sure I’m prepared. I’m incredibly nervous as I’ve never introduced rats to each other before.

@coldflower1012 4 жыл бұрын

Shannon Briggs I love how gentle your little rattie boy is

@trekadouble757 4 жыл бұрын

I have made five integration in four years. Two adult rats in a group of two, one young in a group of three, two babies in a group of two, a baby in a group of three, a baby in a group of two. I always read the guidelines of integration again every time, and I end up not following them exactly every time. Also my rats free roam in my room once they are old and big enough so I have that to consider as well. The thing is, every integration is different. You need to watch your rats, watch if they are curious about each other or not. Watch their body language, it's honestly pretty straightforward and easy to understand in rats. You also need to trust your pets too, that is key. Rats understand other rats better than we understand them, so you need to team up with your rats and trust their judgement on the new ones. My leader rat detected hormonal aggressivity in another rat long before I even knew it was a thing. My leader rat was like a partner to me honestly when it came to handling the group. I would trust his judgement about the other rat and I used his behaviour as the guideline to know when to separate one rat from the others, when to step in, and when not. And I would use him as an example in training because the other rats used to do what he did. If I hadn't trust him, I wouldn't have handled my hormonal agressive rat correctly. I won't give extensive guidelines here because clearly a KZfaq comment is not enough, just what seems to me like the most important advice of all: If you see blood, you are doing it wrong and you need to intervene.

@cassandralindsay7927 5 жыл бұрын

My aggressive rat will just grab that spoon and run with it 😩

@millalol8360 4 жыл бұрын

I started laughing so hard when I read this ahah

@dolleum3856 3 жыл бұрын

🤣

@alex_playz61 2 жыл бұрын

amazing

@CC-gx4lz Жыл бұрын

Ahahahaha that’s how Luther is when I feed him a tube of cat treat…

@cksrufthsu 6 жыл бұрын

My rats never bite me. I consider myself very lucky to have them. They love kissing me too

@joshuarosen6242 3 жыл бұрын

I had 9 rats that we got as kittens and they were all lovely. We then adopted two young adult rats that hadn't been properly socialised with people or other rats. One of them gave me a really nasty bite when I first me him. We had to neuter them because they were terrified of each other and had a serious fight involving blood everywhere (it was really frightening). They calmed down but they were never friendly like all our other rats. It was pretty horrible but we kept them until they died and tried to do the best for them but I think they were too old to learn how to behave properly with people.

@Abbytempleton 2 жыл бұрын

My dumbo rats never bit me but my new fancy rats do 💀so I'm trying to work on it

@Maddie-rh3go Жыл бұрын

@@Abbytempleton I JUST GOT TWO BABY FANCY RATS !!! one of them, ash, keeps biting me but bolt hasnt really done it, when i go to pet him he moves his head wherever my hand goes so that i cant pet him😭😭

@Abbytempleton Жыл бұрын

@@Maddie-rh3go i think it's a fancy rat thng , but pleaseeee consider buying gloves bc if yo avoid it they will neverr stop biting . I can pet mine gloveless now!!!

@linsdae1290 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for this video! My rat seems very cage aggressive and after reading an article that basically said biting is weird and that none of the author's rats ever bit him and he doesn't know anyone who was bitten by a rat, it really made me feel like a bad parent. It's good to hear some real advice instead of judgment.

@kionopopi 5 жыл бұрын

THEIR PAWS ARE SO FCKING CUTE!!

@garyadamsgma1495 6 жыл бұрын

Very very well researched, thanks! Breeders also have a responsibility to do what they can to breed out aggression. I do feel that genetics does come into play. Great job Esther! I’ve been bitten only once and it does hurt!!!

@Freeyourself206 2 жыл бұрын

People should also know about genetics if they’re going to breed. It’s one of the main reason cancer in rats is so rampant. No knowledge of breedings they just inbreed two cute pups.

@Cheese_Boi1986 Жыл бұрын

rat bites are no joke i hope it didnt scar. ive just started feeder breeding waiting on my first litters, ive decided if i get a very tame rat or line then they will be sold as pets where the aggressive ones will be guaranteed to meet my python all breeders will be retired after 8 months and live the rest of their lives in the luxury cages and runs XD

@mullerlarco 4 жыл бұрын

This is a really helpful video, thank you

@shannongregg1180 3 жыл бұрын

I feel the same it is so scary sometimes

@drkatel 5 жыл бұрын

I know this video is a few months old, but it's exactly what I was looking for. I've had rats for a long time, but until now I've NEVER been bitten. My girl Opal, at 7 months old, has just started biting when we reach inside the cage, especially my daughter who's away at college and hasn't had the bonding time. When my daughter is home for a month at Christmas, we need to work hard on this. Opal is random as to when she bites, but it's always been when a hand is reaching around inside the cage. Twice she was in a hammock at the time, which is easier to understand than the more random episodes. As you said, when she approaches us on her own, she doesn't bite and she's never shown a hint of aggression outside the cage, while playing or during trick training. I feel way better knowing you had this problem with Blackberry.

@cookiebandit18 5 жыл бұрын

Oh gosh this is nice to see. I took on an older rat who had always been a biter, and finding detailed advice while figuring all that out was impossible. The rat care stuff aside, no one talks about how stressful it gets to keep getting bit in a session, or even that your knuckles hurt a lot less when it does happen. It's really nice to see someone out there offering actual guidance and support for this process.

@rodentsncats31 6 жыл бұрын

:) keep up the good work. I had a rat several years ago that would lunge at me and other people and he gave me some pretty awful bites. He was human aggressive, cage aggressive, and rat aggressive, but I managed to get him over all three with a large amount of patience and TLC. His last cagemate however, is the rat that gave me temporary nerve damage, I couldn't use my hand for two years.

@neatznotso7424 5 жыл бұрын

woah! Thats hard core and insane! I'm glad your hand got better even if it took two years...

@WolfsRainToboe2 5 жыл бұрын

Hello and thank you so much!!! I just have to tell you that before I watched this video I had never been able to pet one of my two rats due to cage aggression but then I saw your video and I'm proud to say that today I have pet my rat Sammy a little for the first time 😍❤️🐀🐁 This video just saved his life!! Really I had given up on him but was introduced to this channel and this video in particular and amazingly it helped the very first time 😱❤️ so thank you for saving my Sammy's life and my trust in him!!! ❤️🐀🐁

@blanchybaby 5 жыл бұрын

My rat bit my knuckle once so bad he got the bone! He bit all the way through the cartilage and I felt his teeth graze the bone. He was stuck there for a few seconds. It hurt SO bad and took a year to heal as it got infected.

@hexmaniacgabby5160 3 жыл бұрын

@Jay L weirdo

@brandonforrester2455 3 жыл бұрын

That's why im scared of getting rats as pets, they're so cute, but also dangerous at the same time with all the diseases in their bodies they can probably give you rabies if you're not careful and kill you

@blanchybaby 3 жыл бұрын

AnAkiNN domestic rats don’t carry diseases and rabies isn’t a thing here in the U.K. I don’t think it’s very common in other countries but I don’t know for sure. They are such sweethearts, I cannot recommend pet rats enough!

@Daniel-ob7pl 3 жыл бұрын

@@brandonforrester2455 hamsters 👌

@isabelle9914 3 жыл бұрын

great well now i’m scared of my rat

@pearlwittman3550 5 жыл бұрын

Amazing video! One thing I'd like to suggest is do NOT offer your knuckles. You can get a pretty serious joint infection resulting in nerve damage, especially if you're immune compromised. Try to offer the back of the hand but the flat part, not the joint part. They can't get a good grip there either

@dummbobqqqqq 2 жыл бұрын

Why is it easier to get an infection a few inches down?

@lucindacash3697 2 жыл бұрын

@@dummbobqqqqq the blood supply is not as good in knuckles meaning less wbcs to fight infection.

@leslieabla 6 жыл бұрын

2:50 Latte is like "Hey I want some of that!"

@neatznotso7424 5 жыл бұрын

oh my god thank you so much for such a great video! I've been looking on the internet for ages now trying to find out what we can do with our second rat Missy (after Missy Elliot of course). We got her from a pet shop and she was a lot older then any other rat we have had and I don't think she was handled much which just breaks my heart and I'm glad we got her out of there. Both me and my son fell in love with her instantly and the first day we had her she travelled home in my sons hoody and was just very affectionate and super cute. There were no problems between Missy and our older rat Cardi, they were fine straight away. Listening to you talk about how most aggressive rats are fine outside of their cage and don't bite but do when they are inside their cage is exactly how she reacts and I hadn't been able to find any information that stated this until now. She has drawn blood on my sons finger a few times and all he had been doing was picking their pellets up, he was no where near her and she lunged at him from the other side of the cage and bit him, she has done this several times and it always seems out of nowhere. I tend to just not put my hand in the cage at all, she has bitten me a couple of times when I have put my hand in the cage, so Ive just stopped doing it. We never pick her up from inside the cage, she is pretty good at coming out when we make kissy noises because she knows she might get a treat. She has never bitten outside the cage which made us feel it was some sort of territorial thing but we just didnt know how to stop this behavior until now! I am so stoked and cant wait to start and to tell my son who is beginning to feel that Missy just hates him (even though outside the cage she always tries to climb into his mouth so I really dont think thats the case at all). Sorry for the stupidly long comment but I'm just so excited to have found your channel and to hear someone talk about Missys behavior and how it can be fixed! So thank you so much. Much ratty love.

@anneparker237 3 жыл бұрын

I have so much respect for you and your ways with these most awesome beings!

@deplorabledave1048 5 жыл бұрын

Neither one of my rats tried to bite me. But they couldn't quite figure out why they couldn't drag my finger in their cage with their teeth. They seem determined to drag the whole finger in their cage. Lol. Once they figured out it was attached to my hand, they were content just to lick off the almond butter in place.

@mrbigglesworth_Official 5 жыл бұрын

Had same thing. But they just pulled my finger in and started licking it lol

@bruhgamer316 4 жыл бұрын

Jay L what

@TipsyFlipper 3 жыл бұрын

Your fur babies have such great tempers, it is amazing seeing how you dealt with one that was a lil aggressive. Very honest and amazing video. thank you.

@tripsmith8591 4 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for this video! I was at a loss on what to do with my aggressive girl, but I'll definitely be trying these tricks out this week!

@StarStone-sb9lx 6 ай бұрын

Thanks for taking your time and making these videos so much appreciated ❤

@charlottemoocow 6 жыл бұрын

Thank you for this. I have one aggressive boy out of my three. He seems very territorial over his cage, particularly his sleeping igloo. Even when he is out he almost seems to not realise initially that it’s my finger, and then once he knows it is, he licks away. I wonder if he might have an eyesight issue or if he’s just feeling threatened.

@leslieabla 6 жыл бұрын

Charlotte Moo I don't know about the eyesight thing because rats generally have pretty bad eyesight. But if you make lots of quick movements they might react out of instinct without thinking, which can end up in you getting bit.

@spellcxster9268 6 жыл бұрын

I just got my pet rats about a week and a half ago; they’re both girls and named Willow and Kyla. There were no rats in shelters near me, so we got them from a local non-chain pet store. I could tell they weren’t really handled, they were mainly being sold as feeder rats, but I fell in love instantly. Willow is very tame and has never once bitten or nipped me. She loves to climb on my shoulder and sniff my ear, which feels SO weird. Kyla, on the other hand, I thought she was aggressive. I believe she might not have the best sight though, as her eyes are more squinty when compared to Willow’s. She nips very lightly, I think she’s either just curious or thinks my hands are food! haha x

@ambriadanielsband4132 5 жыл бұрын

True Serendipity rats do have sight defects and the nibbling is her way of testing out the object in front of her

@finvodahmindovahkiin1875 5 жыл бұрын

My two rats are named Harper and Willow XD

@jasminesandoval4205 2 жыл бұрын

seriously AMAZING video! loved the presentation! btwi love berry 🥰

@lisalovesg33 3 жыл бұрын

This was extremely informative and helpful! Thanks so much for sharing with us.

@cassidyzombie7142 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for this video, we have two female rats but one is particularly aggressive and the other one is now following suit. Neither of them have been handled and they were both really timid when we got them. I think the aggressive one just doesn't like hands though now you've mentioned that! I'll be trying everything you've laid out here, wish me (and my hands) luck! 😬

@stevemoon2136 6 жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing more insightful rat info. So useful to me & many other rat lovers. ❤🐀❤

@mihatwd9492 5 жыл бұрын

This video really helped me. Thank you

@kristinrogersdotter5492 10 ай бұрын

This was really helpful. One of our girls started biting us when she was about 1yo. No medical issues that we can find. What you said about not putting your hands in their personal space/cage makes sense as she doesn't often bite outside the cage. Her cage mate just died so I'm renewing my attempts to getting her used to my hands so I can interact with her more.

@maddieburnett40 6 жыл бұрын

This helps a LOT thank you so much xxx❤️

@juliasmith5267 5 жыл бұрын

Lovely video! Thanks heaps. 👍

@gummi3619 2 жыл бұрын

Tyty!! You are an amazing rat owner

@misskittysshakesncrepes6909 4 жыл бұрын

Thank you! This helped me sooooooo much!!

@cksrufthsu 6 жыл бұрын

I do flip them a lot just to tickle them , but didnt know thats show of dominance

@ShadowTheRat 6 жыл бұрын

It’s not. Some people will forcefully hold down their rat trying to “dominate” them which of course just scares the rat. Turning them over to tickle them or rub their bellies and then letting them up is fine, that’s something I do with my girls as well and they accept it just fine :)

@lavishjules1886 3 жыл бұрын

I'm sure I've watched this video a few times but didn't notice the cute keyboard shelf! Also one of my boys got out when he was young and avoided socializing with me. Now that I caught him in the he's constantly wary of me. I'll have to apply these tips more to try to build a better relationship with him.

@johnernest2779 6 жыл бұрын

Very nice information. I've only had one rat out of 40 some that would occasionally bite. It was a male and when he would bite it was so hard that he would hang on when you pulled your hand away. Yes it was very painful.

@wiktoriaszweda2278 2 жыл бұрын

This is very helpful, I've adopted my 5th generation of rats a couple months ago and they were brought to a rescue while their mum was still pregnant, the rescue didn't really specialise in rats so they weren't socialised at all, I've managed to deal with 2 of 3 of my boys nipping and biting but I'm still having issues with one.

@audree-rosef.l.2442 4 жыл бұрын

Awesome video ❤️❤️❤️

@nilspochat8665 6 жыл бұрын

It never occured to me until now that a brain tumor could have this kind of effect on a rat's behaviour. How sad it must be to see your rat in such a state of pain that he is attacking you out of it... So far i've been blessed with my rats : they've never even bit, not even in the slightest, you know, even the kind of gentle bite to try and be sure of the feel of your skin under the tooth. I even asked myself if they realised they had teeth. Of course a plethora of my books could confirm that they do have them but towards humans, even in situation of discomfort (which never happened either since they were/are the most sociable of pets) no bites whatsoever. I guess it really depends on the character of your rat(s) and especially if they are used to being handled in order to avoid teaching them no to bite.

@nilspochat8665 6 жыл бұрын

btw, thanks for once again such great content. keep up that good work of yours it really helps rat owners and puts joy into the life of rat lovers.

@PeterBenedetto 3 жыл бұрын

My female rat is super aggressive. Thank you for making this guide, I hope this helps.

@kenzienixon4043 5 жыл бұрын

I got my 2 female rats about 1 month ago their about 3/4 months old. They are very hyper and always want to come out but the problem is I can’t get them out because every time we put our hand near them they nip us, this morning I went to get some stuff out their cage that they ripped up and out of no where she nipped me I pulled away instantly, she made me bleed. Someone please help me I want them to have a good life but it’s not possible unless they stop biting/ nipping me because it hurts !

@aniojamila3776 5 жыл бұрын

Sry my english is really bad but let the cage door open and let came them out by themselve . Outside the most rats didnt bite on neutral ground

@xZsas 5 жыл бұрын

I got bitten few days ago by my new rats. They are 2 older female rats (they are around 1-1,5 years old, I got them from someone who's wife was allergic). One of them seems a bit uncomfortable being touched so I wasn't trying to rush her. The other rat seemed a bit shy first so I would pet her once in a while to get her to know i'm not a treat. This went great for a week as they started being less shy in the cage and coming up more to the bars. But now a few days ago the one that wasn't super uncomfortable suddenly bit me really hard! Honestly I got super scared of her right now.. I went to the store and bought some baby food now and let's hope she will start liking me a bit more, haha! And Hopefully I wont be as scared of her anymore. I really love rats and I really want them to be happy and comfortable with me petting them!

@glowstick1014 Жыл бұрын

really helpful! im helping someone else getting her young rats to stop biting and we will try this!

@sunnybridgeman8772 2 жыл бұрын

love you vids i have tow rats and you help i got them a week ago and this helps me get used to them

@itsjust_cloudie 2 жыл бұрын

Hello ! Really love your videos, they are so helpful and have been great to learn from. I was hoping to ask for some advice. I recently rescued 3 rats from a person that wasn’t taking care of them. (All males - Not neutered but desperately looking for a vet that will see them) Two of them are able to be in the same cage and seem fine. I’m working on socializing them as they never were. A little aggression but not bad. However the largest rat is very aggressive, he lunges, claws, jumps at me and on me and bites me where ever he can. (Deep Broken skin) I don’t know what to do at this point. I feel bad that I am too scared to bring him out for play time now. :/ any advice ? I’m thinking he was severely neglected and abused and it breaks my heart :(

@Tabbatha. 6 жыл бұрын

Thank You ☺️

@DirtScraps 5 жыл бұрын

I know it’s totally uncool to comment on an almost year-old post; but I just wanted to say that I am SO grateful for this video. ❤️🐾❤️

@AlexaWilson12 3 жыл бұрын

One of my rats is named Cream! Cream and Custard are beautiful little brothers. They had a third bro, Cake, but he passed due to genetic disease. Just wanted to compliment you on your cute names!

@louiefallon8633 5 ай бұрын

I've had dozens of rats over the years and one of my new ones hates/or scared of our hands. She's bit a few times causing blood and have started pulling my sleeves over my hands when I pick her up and once she's in my hands she's fine. Ur vid was well I formed and ill try ur spoon technique thank you.

@clognog8049 6 жыл бұрын

We had a really mean rooster that would give people bruises

@yeshelloiamsnek580 6 жыл бұрын

ClogNog I heard roosters can be really mean so I'm too afraid to get too close xD

@juliablack9143 6 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the info, one of my rescued rats came from a classroom, where kids would poke their pencils in his cage, so he always lunges at fingers or anything like that, so I will definitely use some of your tips, but in all your videos you use meat baby food, what's so great about it, can you use normal fruit or vegetable food, or is the meat one the best?

@sk8deyfromthesk8park21 6 жыл бұрын

Assassin _ Kat113 you can use other babies foods as long as the said ingredients are safe for rats to eat

@neatznotso7424 5 жыл бұрын

yeah I don't understand the whole baby food thing at all, I use grains and then supplement that with whatever other fresh foods they like, especially fruit, and they go mad over yoghurt but thats just an occasional treat. So yeah I would like to know why baby food is used so much as well.

@fergusweston5961 5 жыл бұрын

Anita Davis my dad always says exactly that... "They go MAD for the yoghurts"

@trekadouble757 4 жыл бұрын

I guess that's baby good is healthier than threat. It's for babies so it's not too salty and it has nutrients in it. To train rats not to bite you need to give them a lot of food, so it should be a healthy food. And rats need a lot of protein, so meat baby food is a good choice. Yoghurt or fruits are good, but not in the quantity required for the training.

@punkynicoplays4080 2 жыл бұрын

I will never understand why teachers get rats as class pets. 🙄

@olekristiangrindheim2931 4 жыл бұрын

im thinking about getting rats, is it best to have males or females? im thinking about male cuz they are more cuddly/calm and so on. and im thinking about the aggression parts of it. is aggression random no matter if i chose male or female?? Love your vids! :)

@yikesitsmaha9411 2 жыл бұрын

When I got my first rat Billy, he was described as vocal and nippy. When I got him he was a quiet little guy very fearful of everything, I had to teach him minimal and natural things. Sometimes he got a little too excited with food but never bite with no reason. (Only if he mistakes your finger for food or u startle him in his sleep) but always a gentle bite. He does get a little moody with his brother(s). I sadly believe his past owners weren't the best to him.

@robijuli236 5 жыл бұрын

holy shit!!! i cant believe those tiny lil teeth actually did that much damage 😳

@MailACoconut 6 жыл бұрын

I was wondering if you could make a video about dealing with rats that are aggressive toward each other? My boys are bullying a new addition and have recently inflicted a larger bite (though nothing too serious). The new boy is neutered, but neither of the other two are. I’m just not sure if I should neuter the other two males or if they will eventually get past the fighting. I have them separated right now and have been allowing them to socialize in a play pen while they are supervised. I’m just not sure when I should give up on socializing and get the other two neutered... Anyway I love your videos! Thanks for all the information and cute tricks!

@ryh8798 6 жыл бұрын

PeachPits my two boys were fighting a lot like that all the time and always had wounds from it so like you I separated them and also put them in a nuetrel area, it also helped to put some vanilla extract on their backs and the base of their tails and rub it in a little (it covers up their scent and they like the smell of it) don't worry if they lick it since its safe. Also unless you see blood you probably just need to let them sort out their differences. I hope this helped a little and that your boys do fine! ( both of my males are intact)

@PhilosopherGaming Жыл бұрын

This is quite handy stuff to know. I've got three girls who are six months old that I've had for a couple of weeks, and one of them is a proper little hand biter. She's been up on my shoulders: no biting. On my head: no biting. My arms: no biting. Legs: no biting. Hands: "I must put holes in this" xD Oh and as for gloves, I wouldn't necessarily say that you need Kevlar. Anything around £60 and rated as good for needle handling would do the job. Gloves with Kevlar panels are pretty unwieldy and make it hard to judge how much pressure that you're applying to stuff that you're holding.

@lukydelgado5984 Жыл бұрын

My rats nibbled on me a few times. They don't do it anymore. Thank you for the information. I hope I never need it.

@andreasandrini9192 7 ай бұрын

Thank you, I'll try with the spoon method. I adopted a boy who has beef with hands, but will climb my arms and nibble gently at my ears, or lick noses. He just hates with a burning passion hands, will take solid food from them no problem, but as soon as he sees a finger he lunges.

@jakebrex4270 6 жыл бұрын

My rat is very shy so thats why she bit me She was sleeping

@rinskeverberg 6 жыл бұрын

This was a very cool video! Is it just Berry that exhibits the cage aggression, or have your other girls ever bitten you inside of the cage, too? I ask because I'm finally, definitively getting rats this month, and I want to know what to look for when checking them out. I might ask the lady to stick her hand inside the cage to see how they react.

@ShadowTheRat 6 жыл бұрын

My best advise is to go for a rat that curiously approaches you and goes either limp when handled or just doesn't mind it. I knew Latte was going to be an amazingly sweet tempered rat because she went limp when handled for the first time at a pet store, which is a place where most rats are scared by the changing people and loud atmosphere. Unfortunately no method is foolproof and I actually picked Berry because she also allowed handling. Latte was the only rat awake so I just picked up all the others and decided on Berry because she was fine with it. She didn't show any signs of aggression until the next day, which was when I made the bad decision of trying to hand wrestle her outside the cage. Anyways if you're going o a breeder or shelter this won't be an issue, but if you're going to a pet store or feeder bin then it is more of a roll of a dice thing. Luckily the majority of these rats won't bite either, although they might be a bit more skittish.

@rinskeverberg 6 жыл бұрын

Shadow The Rat thanks!! As I wrote on your Fb wall, I'm adopting two 1yo girls from what seems like a responsible owner. She says they always come up to the door and lick her fingers, but to make sure I'm going to have her reach into the cage etc. She approves of this check so that's another good sign:). The only thing the rats are apparently scared of is being picked up, but I plan on training that using your video:).

@smhryan 3 жыл бұрын

i adopted two male abused rats. and one of them ( who was thrown across a room) and he bites deep and quick. i feel he generally bites because hes scared of humans, but im doing all i can to rehab them

@lilyflower9797 4 жыл бұрын

Here is a short backstory: I got a pet rat for Christmas, but only one, so I had to wait about 2 weeks to get another bc the stores didn't have any. When I finally got my rat and introduced my two rats, they instantly started fighting and kept fighting for several hours. Now ik that ur not supposed to flip rats on their backs, but when I did it to the new rat that kept attacking the older rat, I found that she attacked the other rat less. Flipping the attacking rat on their back really helps for me.

@amijacks 4 жыл бұрын

2 questions: I have 2 new, unsocialized rats.... saved them from being some python's dinner. for the most part they are very gentle around me, but definitely skittish & don't want me to pick them up. they will accept food from my hands, but now they are test biting my fingers & hands to see if I'm food too. Question #1) is using liquid food better in the beginning than solid food bc it encourages licking & using their tongues verses solid food which encourages using their teeth? and if the answer to Q1 is 'yes', then Question #2: What liquid food do you suggest? you mentioned "meat baby food." could you please elaborate? thank you so very much! 🤗 (I'm trying to be a good & loving rat 🐀 mommy!)

@crazykitty545 2 жыл бұрын

@OP My new boys I just adopted are 5 months old and both of them tend to bite…I got bit by the more aggressive one and my bf got bit by the skiddish one….would the spoon method be the best way to start with them?

@rdizzy1 Ай бұрын

Rats have an insanely high bite force, higher than almost any other animal on the planet. When I used to have a colony of rats, the females were usually more aggressive than males, only 1 out of 10 would actually bite on a regular basis, but the bites were down to the bone.

@christasmith5018 4 жыл бұрын

Was that your hand in the picture where the rat bit through the tendon?

@jamielindsay6795 3 жыл бұрын

We received an aggressive pregnant rat and it has been extremely aggressive, I think the pet store owner lied to us and sold us an adult female. After the babies are independent were either going to release her or surrender her. She bites as hard as she can and her teeth can go in deep so its sad but never make the same mistake we did which was buying it beforehand online.

@crosscutter5388 5 жыл бұрын

I have only had one of my girls bite me hard enough to bleed but was totally my fault. She was a "rehome" and her original owner was an 11 yr old who would chase her trying to pick her up. I moved too quickly in front of her and she reacted. Grey will now climb onto my arm and shoulder and let me pet her. I used peanut butter to get her used to my hand and see that i meant her no harm. Take your time with your little ones and they will pay you back with affection. Thank you for this informative video.

@nickiwoodington6855 5 жыл бұрын

You know that peanut butter is a terrible choking hazard for rats, right?

@shadowgirlgirl3864 18 күн бұрын

I have two boys one doesn't like anyone and hides and my other bites and goes for people who aren't me so this was very informative

@ambertaylor4554 2 жыл бұрын

I adopted 2 brothers about 2 months ago and 1 bites and one nibbles. They are 5 months old now. When I hand the biter a yogie he so gently takes it from me! It blows my mind because I never had a rat who bites and those sweet babies would always just snatch a treat out of my fingers...so kinda of confusing when a biter takes the snack so peacefully. His body language is normal but anytime I'm trying to do light cleaning in the cage or let him smell me he bites. I almost gave them back to my local rat rescue because I can't properly take care of them if they are like that. But I can't find it in me to give them up. I'll keep doing my best with them. Thank you for this video. I know already a lot of what you said so maybe in this instance fixing them might be way to go. I have only owned male rats and never had an issue but these guys were a surrender to a rescue so no telling their background.

@laylafincher5667 2 жыл бұрын

one of my boys i got in june recently started biting very aggressively. it started just recently as i was playing with him, then it turned into bites that broke skin. his fur will puff up and he almost attacks. it’s really hard to deal with, he was so sweet before. i’m going to see if i can prevent it, then i’ll definitely be trying to get him neutered.

@arsonchild47 Жыл бұрын

I got my three pet rats in October, but I've only been able to hold them a couple of times. They get Proctective over themselves and territory, so they bite whenever I try to let them smell me. It's really frustrating, as I've never given them a reason to be afraid/aggressive to me. I'm stuck and I don't know how to train them from here. The couple of times that I picked them up, they were the sweetest things, but otherwise they kind of bully me. I'll definitely try these tips, and I hope I can bond with my rats more!

@chrisobrien1344 Жыл бұрын

Yeah, I have one of these, out of four🥰

@nevaehlesteberg7687 4 жыл бұрын

what kind of meat baby food do you use? I have a baby rat about 8-9 weeks old who is having a tendency to nip and lunge at me when I am giving her treats or letting her sniff me and I've been trying to find some sort of liquid treat for her, and her sister, to help with getting them to trust me and help with training.

@specificsoup 3 жыл бұрын

recs for setting up a ramp down from a critter nation cage (since there's a shelf on the bottom it's lifted off the ground) into an out of cage area? i was going to have free roaming area inside my room and bring the rats there but 2 of my rats are fearful and yesterday one bit me, not as hard as is described here but harder than they've nipped me before just out of thinking my finger is food or something....... so.... i need to get them safely out of their cage and not have any gaps they could escape from. I'm thinking some kind of ramp down and cardboard "gates" and i also have a cat "playpen" but it's just the connection part is hard?

@kimberley3181 3 жыл бұрын

my rat comes from a really aggressive background, he cant be with other rats (according to the previos owner) so i have him in a huge cage on his own. Ive had him a month now and he doesnt mind me moving things about the cage but he still refuses to let me touch him. I tried the spoon trick but he just stops licking the spoon and turns around to bite me whenever i start to pat him. So far i've been able to only gently pat him when he's fairly tired but still awake, had him boggle a couple of times when i've done that so hopefully its a good sign ._.

@hollie05 3 жыл бұрын

Hi! I recently got my rats a few days before Christmas (two girls) and they were both fine and I was able to hold and pet them both without the fear of getting bitten. But a few days ago one of them started to get really aggressive and bite whenever she got the chance. I’ve tried to get her out of her cage but she will not leave and if I tried to pick her up she tries to bite me, (even if I haven’t eaten anything that day). I don’t know if I’m doing anything wrong but I can pick up her sister without having to be scared. please help me

@johnernest2779 4 жыл бұрын

I broke up a rat fight once as they were going at it do badly that blood and fur was flying. One rat bit me in the knuckles and would not let go. I pulled my hand back and he was still hanging on. I had to literally pull him off. The other thing is to never feed treats to your rats through the cage wires as this conditions them to bite and pull the food through the bars. Then when you put your fingers near the bars they will bite. This is something that can be unlearned but it's just better to always open the door to give them treats than to feed them through the wires.

@emmakilgannon2892 3 жыл бұрын

Do you have a video about rat agression to other rats? I have two girls who are sisters and usually get along well. But sometimes they get into fights over the fresh veggies I feed them, even if there is a large amount. My one girl (Bubblegum) hoards them all and takes them out of my other girls mouth (Marcy). Then after Marcy's food gets stolen, she gets into a fight with Bubblegum and very occasionally pulls out a few tufts of fur until Bubblegum forces her to submit. There is never blood, but lots of squeaking and it worries me.

@llamo 4 жыл бұрын

My rat marmite has been acting really aggressively and I’m not sure wether it’s because we are looking after someone’s guinea pig, which she has been attacking or because another one of our rats died. She was slightly aggressive after the other rat died but never this aggressive. We also have two other rats which she has known for a long time so it’s not loneliness. Any advice or tips would be appreciated

@skylahenry8552 5 жыл бұрын

My rat will back away from me if I try to touch him. I've been trying to socialize him for a year without much luck. Sometiems, especislly if he can't back away where he is, he will stare at my hand for a second before biting me. He slowly bites harder, sometimes drawing blood. Does anyone know why he does this? Or how to make him stop? I still can't pick him or his brother up. Got them from a small local pet shop who i don't believe socialized them at all.

@stickyoctopus293 4 жыл бұрын

I have a rescue rat and in his old home he would love being flipped but now that he is with me, he doesn't like being flipped. How do I help this? Btw, I got him in March, this year.

@cloyann Жыл бұрын

When I first got my male rat and he was a small baby so his bites just felt like little nibbles and he would bite while we were playing he’s now gotten bigger and now he really bites be and makes me bleed this is so helpful I’ll definitely go get him neutered hopefully next week. He’s just too aggressive when we play

@johnbradshaw7525 3 жыл бұрын

I had one rat, Hartley, who became really aggressive towards me following the death of the dominant rat. He was ok with me when he was outside of his cage but as soon as i put my hand into his cage he would bite me. He would regularly draw blood when he bit me. I took him to the vets & he tried tardak with Hartley but it didn't work. I ended up having him neutered but sadly he died shortly after having the surgery.

@skyfitzpatrick4994 6 жыл бұрын

Hayy again please can u do a updated cage tour to help me out please as u know im getting my girls soon and i would love some ideas xx

@ShadowTheRat 6 жыл бұрын

Hey there! I actually just did a video on how I clean my cage - if you skip to the end you can see the end result :) kzfaq.info/get/bejne/qLSFZb2EqdG6ln0.html

@skyfitzpatrick4994 6 жыл бұрын

Shadow The Rat thanks again your girls are amazing and have an amazing life with u does it take long to train them ?

@bobbyboss282 Жыл бұрын

One of my rats had a litter and became maternaly aggressive but it has been 7 weeks and she is still very aggressive. I'm not too sure what to do as I can't handle or touch her as she just attacks me.

@chrystalminor1422 4 жыл бұрын

The only meat baby food I can ever find also has gravy or something and is very liquidy. What are you using that looks like peanut butter?

@mary4618 5 жыл бұрын

But what if my rat stops eating just to bite me?😂 I feel like he is super insecure amd scared all the time...idk what to do...he also gets 'bullied' by my other boys...

@ShadowTheRat 5 жыл бұрын

That's why you give the liquid treats off a spoon first. Also be sure to watch for body language, food is a great distraction and motivator but if you push too much they can still react.

@lillyjacob1134 4 жыл бұрын

My biting boy was also dominated/bullied by the other one. I assumed this put him on edge more. He bit 3 times with blood everywhere, but with small encounters each day he has stopped biting thank goodness. I think I was rushing the trust, it takes some of them longer. These videos by shadow the rat are so helpful! Good luck 👍

@tannihobbs2944 3 жыл бұрын

I’ve had my rats for about 6 months and I’ve only been able to stroke them three or four times. They are just always trying to bite me. I got them as babies and they’ve just been defensive ever since I got them

@yviebarker9533 4 жыл бұрын

I got my rats a couple months ago but I’ve never been able to properly handle them and take them out of the cage because they always bite super deep one of them lets me pet her in the cage as long as she’s not in her bed and the other is a lot more skittish so isn’t that keen on me petting her but it makes me so sad that I can’t properly handle them I’m going try the metal spoon thing and see if that helps :(

@carleydugan5381 3 жыл бұрын

We just Are rats like two weeks ago and it at first one of them did play bites or nibbles but now she’s attacking our fingers and drawing blood. We don’t know what to do what would you suggest?

@farewell.wanderlust 2 жыл бұрын

i recently got a rat, and she was never bitey within the first week or two i had her. she started lunging a little, but i didnt think of it. it only escalated, and now she tries to bite me whenever im near her, but by her body language i think she just doesnt trust me. im gonna try to get her used to me more, but im way too scared of getting badly bitten by her.

@clarespam9185 4 жыл бұрын

I need help, I got two males rat 2 months ago for my pet rat as playmates but they are really aggressive. I tried the spoon and food trick but one of them just hanged onto the spoon. I can’t stick my hand in the cage without attacks and I am at a loss on what to do. They are 2 years old and there names are Ryan and Ricardo. Ryan is the really aggressive one, Ricardo isn’t that aggressive. Btw when I got them I noticed that the tip of Ryan’s tail is gone and he is missing a finger. They both had respiratory issues when I got them. I am at a loss please help.

@elowyndemontigny544 4 жыл бұрын

I have a baby hairless rat that is constantly biting me.. his brother has learned that interactions bring treats and won't bite even if I have my hand in the cage without food. But Hermann will actively seek out my hand to bite, choosing to bite me over getting the delicious food. I'm trying my best to work with him on this issue, but I'm having a lot of trouble! I appreciate these videos for the advice that I'll continue implementing, but if you have special tips, please let me know!

@ZuZu353 6 жыл бұрын

Hello! I have a question about bites! I have two rats. They are young and they're here about week but they seem comfortable in cage already. I tried to feed them from my hand - and it worked. They can tell the difference between food and my finders etc etc. They are usually taking food from hand and go away to eat it. But when I try to interact with them, they biting my fingers and trying to pull in the cage (almost like it's food?) It happened two times and ended up with blood. Should I give them more time before interacting with them? I was doing this spoon-thingy from video and it was okay but I don't know if that's a sollution. They don't seem to be aggresive. Ah - and yeah. I washed my hands before that painfull incident so there was no smell of food on my hand or anything.

@ShadowTheRat 6 жыл бұрын

It sounds like they are gently latching on and then catching their teeth on your hand - is this what they're doing or are they lunging and physically biting? If its just the gentle latch on then thats a fairly common behavior that rats do both ton themselves and us humans. I find it only happens if they are inside something and you are outside of it, so when outside they cage in an open area they'll never pull. In any case I've never seen this as an aggressive behavior and if they pull you maybe try going along with it? I've bled many times due to catching my skin on my rats teeth even if they weren't trying to hurt me and often times this happens if you try to quickly pull away while a rat is holding onto your skin. I actually made a video on nibbling here ( kzfaq.info/get/bejne/lbt0ipiBsdzWZGQ.html ) - rats explore the world with their teeth and its common for them to gently bite or pull human skin. If its too hard the best thing to do is make a loud noise and gently push into the bite as that will cause them to release. If you yank your hand away though you can snag it on their Incisors - I know it feels counter intuitive to push into a bite but its really the best way to get them to both stop and to reduce any skin damage. In any case they won't stop if you quit interacting with them. You can't expect a dog to house train itself and you can't expect a rat to know its biting too hard unless you tell them. If they're seriously trying to hurt you then I would definitely take a step back and use a metal spoon or such to interact in a safer manner, then move on to feeding liquid treats off your knuckles (these hurt/bleed less when bit) and then your fingers.

@charlie-qj5rj 5 жыл бұрын

Both of my boys are *very* aggressive towards disposable rubber gloves. I have no idea why! And recently, I was cleaning the cage and I put my boys on the bottom level and I was cleaning the top. Sunny ran up to the floor my hand was on and but it as hard as he could and held on for a few seconds while I tried to pull away. My rats are never aggressive, unless I am wearing rubber gloves. Is there any particular reason they would be scared of them? (They did not have a previous owner before me)

@haileyyuly8726 4 жыл бұрын

You probably should not try to pull away as this could make the wound even worse...I myself did this and ended up with a nasty scar

@zori7104 Жыл бұрын

One of my rats has been biting really hard when ever I’m petting one of the other rats next to her sleep place or when I’m cleaning it while she’s in the room. But other than that she’s super sweet. I have been clean out the blankets in that please and re arranging the cage but nothing seems to be helping. Any ideas of what to do? I just finished the video I could try to do more cage things. But she draws a lot of blood and hurts a lot and she shows no warning oh befor

@charlienope.1001 2 жыл бұрын

One of my boys started attacking and biting my other boys, the boy in question is named Remy, he's 1.5years old. Me and the breeder I got him from thinks that it could be late onset hormonal agression, which she's never seen in her bloodlines, anyway, I have a neuter scheduled but it's not til next month. What can I do to keep him from becoming too lonely and how can I handle him safely? He hasn't bitten me yet but I'm still a little wery. I have him separated from my other boys for their safety and his, they have plenty of room, multiple food bowls and and water bottles, multiple hides, etc. Is there something else it could be? Any advice or help would be amazing